The Messianic Mountaintop Meetup

Losing My Focus

I’m easily distracted. You know, one of those brightest-light-in-the-room kinda people. Something super important can be going on smack dab before my eyes. But all it takes is a shiny object to divert my attention.

There’s a little story in Mark’s bio of Jesus that makes me wonder if some of Jesus’ first and closest followers had the same problem. The second Gospel describes an event where God Himself eliminates all the distractions that might steal our focus from Christ (Mk 9:1-8).

Light, Guests, Clouds, and a Voice

Somewhere on a mountain in Israel, the Son of God takes Peter, James, and John for an unforgettable moment. First the Lord becomes pure light. Then the boys meet a pair of Old Testament heavyweights. Imagine seeing none other than Moses and Elijah. I mean, how cool is THAT?!?

The next thing you know, a cloud rolls in and Father God delivers the ultimate “attaboy.” When the smoke clears, the other two are gone and the only one left is Jesus. Call it the Messianic Mountaintop Meetup.

Jesus’ True Identity

Before we head up the mountain with Jesus and the guys, a little perspective will help us. In the ancient document we call the Gospel of Mark, a big theme of the opening chapters is Jesus’ true identity.

As His popularity grows in Galilee, so do the different guesses on who He is. Is He one of the great prophets back from the dead (Mk 6:14-15; 8:27-28)? Religious leaders think He’s on a mission from hell (Mk 3:22). His family thinks He’s lost His ever lovin’ mind (Mk 3:21).

The Hero from Heaven

Even His personal posse openly asks the million dollar question, “Who is this Man?” (Mk 4:41). There’s a growing buzz that Jesus may actually be Messiah, the long awaited Hero from heaven God first promised to send from that dreadful day our first parents broke the universe (Gen 3:17).

The radical Rabbi/Carpenter finally puts an end to the guessing game with the Twelve. He confirms Peter’s belief that He is indeed the Christ (Mk 8:29). Imagine their reaction. They think they’ve got a front row seat to see Him open up a can on the Romans and make Israel a world superpower!

Things Get Awkward

There’s just one problem. He’s NOT the kind of Messiah anyone is expecting. Jesus tells His team He’s going to face brutal torture, rejection by the Hebrew home office, and die bloody death on a cross. The boys totally miss the part where He says “three days later He would rise from the dead” (Mk 8:31-32).

Things really get awkward when Pete tells Jesus that He’s doing the Christ thing all wrong (Mk 8:32). The Son of God responds by calling the leader of His disciples the devil (Mk 8:33). Rocky’s probably not putting that recommendation on his LinkedIn profile.

The Discipleship Dance

Christ follows that up by gathering a bigger crowd in the villages near Caesarea Philippi (Mk 8:27, 34). Want to follow Him? The dance of discipleship comes with a cost (Mk 8:34-37). Here are the three steps. Deny yourself. Grab your cross. Follow Jesus. 

Giving yourself away is the only way to hang onto the real you.

The Son of Man then fast forwards to His second coming accompanied by His Dad’s angel army. If you’re embarrassed to be seen with Him now, He’ll feel the same way about you when He comes back (Mk 8:38).

Great Power!

Which leads us to our passage. It actually begins with Jesus’ last words to the crowd He’s gathered. “I tell you the truth, some standing here right now will not die before they see the Kingdom of God arrive in great power!” (v1).

You might wonder why somebody made the mistake of putting this verse in chapter nine. Wouldn’t it make more sense to include it with what He just said?

A Giant Neon Arrow

First of all, there’s nothing super spiritual about the chapter breaks and verse numbers in the documents of what we call the Bible. Folks thought it was a good idea to add those hundreds of years later to help us locate stuff faster. I, for one, am VERY glad they did.

Second, whoever decided to slide this verse into chapter nine is all over it. Jesus’ words are like a giant, flashing neon arrow 

pointing to an amazing event that’s about to go down in the next week.

To Tell the Truth

The Lord starts this statement by saying, “I tell you the truth” (v1). Is it just me, or wouldn’t you expect Jesus, of all people, to always tell the truth? I mean, over in John’s Gospel, Christ refers to Himself as the personification of truth (Jn 14:6).

Funny thing, we find this same phrase a grand total of 76 times in the New Testament and each time it’s in the four biblical biographies of Jesus. And He’s the only one who ever says it. You’ll find it thirteen times in Mark (Mk 3:28; 6:11; 8:12; 9:1, 41; 10:15, 29; 11:23; 12:43; 13:30; 14:9, 18, 25, 30).

Amen!

So what does it mean? It’s probably not surprising that it all comes back to the word “truth,” which comes from the Greek 

αμην/amen, which has actually been borrowed from a similar term in Hebrew.

Yup, you saw it. Amen. Can’t sneak anything past you, can I? Maybe you’re like me and just thought that’s how we hang up at the end of a prayer or something somebody says back to the preacher at Memaw’s church.

The Ultimate Amen

“Amen” simply means truly or this is legit. It’s like saying “this is indeed true” or “that’s the way it should be” or “let it be so.” It’s Jesus’ way of getting everyone’s attention and making sure they’re paying attention. It’s the way He verbally gets out a highlighter or puts what He’s about to say in 54-point font.

Did you know that our Savior is the ultimate Amen? That’s exactly what Paul tells the folks in Corinth. The Son of God is “our ‘Amen’ (which means ‘Yes’)” (2Cor 1:20). Jesus says so Himself when He dictates a letter to the church at Laodicea. “These are the words of the Amen” (Rev 3:14 NIV).

So here in Mark, the Amen shouts amen. The Truth is telling them the truth. We can ALWAYS count on that. We can take it to the bank. What He says is going to happen. We can count on it. The Good News includes no fake news.

The Kingdom Arrival

So when the Lord says, “Some standing here right now will not die before they see the Kingdom of God arrive in great power!” (v1), what exactly is the big deal? So glad you asked.

Theories include His resurrection, His return home to heaven, the Spirit’s arrival at Pentecost, the rapid spread of the Gospel across the Mediterranean Rim, and even the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70.

You’re probably not shocked that a truckload of theological experts think Jesus is continuing His talk about His second coming that He just started. That’s when the Son of Man “returns in the glory of His Father with the holy angels” (Mk 8:38).

A Supernatural Shining

But I have a sneaking suspicion He’s talking about something else. I like how John MacArthur sees it. He connects Christ’s promise in verse one directly to what we’re about to read in the next seven.

It’s the event we’ve call the Transfiguration. That’s the supernatural shining which gives us a sneak preview of Jesus spectacular encore. Before each version of the event, the Son of God makes the very same guarantee (Mt 16:28; Mk 9:1; Lk 9:27).

Don’t Call This a Comeback!

If He’s talking about His jaw-dropping return, why do we find it before all three accounts of this messianic mountaintop meetup? Throw in the fact that His second coming didn’t happen while any of these folks were still around. To paraphrase the great theologian LL Cool J, don’t call THIS a comeback.

Six Days Later

Mark then jumps ahead one week. “Six days later Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up a high mountain to be alone” (v2). Why the six day break in the story? The Lord has given folks a LOT to try to wrap their brains around.

He gives them six days to try and comprehend that He’s the Christ (Mk 8:29). Six days after saying He’ll be killed (Mk 8:31). Six after He calls Pete “Satan” (Mk 8:33). Six days after He describes discipleship (Mk 8:34-37).

The Big Three

Jesus then grabs three of His guys for a moment on a mountain they will never forget. Peter, James, and John will become a team within the team among the Twelve. Long before “This Is Us,” they’re the Big Three.

For whatever reason, the Lord allows the Big Three to see stuff on three different occasions the other disciples are not. Previously, they had a front row seat for Jesus’ bringing Jairus’ daughter back from the dead (Mt 5:37; Mk 5:36; Lk 8:51). Later He’ll invite them for His agonizing night in Gethsemane (Mt 26:37; Mk 14:32).

The Inner Circle

There’s a great model here for group dynamics. Jesus has a wide circle of followers. From them, He handpicks a dozen disciples to hang out with a learn His ways. Out of the Twelve, He selects an inner circle of three.

You can break it down even further. Our Savior develops intensely intimate relationships with both Pete and John. The first becomes the leader of the team once Jesus heads home to heaven. Meanwhile, it becomes apparent that John is Christ’s closest friend.

It’s a Team Sport

The point? We need all sorts of godly relationships in our lives. Get connected to a larger church family. Become a part of small group or Sunday school class. And don’t forget to make a couple of close friends.

Following Jesus is a team sport. We’ve needed each other from the very beginning (Gen 2:18). God uses fellow Jesus followers to encourage us and to speak truth into our lives. Who do you have in your life who is willing to be honest with you?

Alone on Mount Hermon

Meanwhile, we find Jesus and the Big Three “on a high mountain” (Mk 9:2). There’s a pretty good chance this is Mount Hermon.They’re already in the neighborhood, after going “up to the villages near Caesarea Philippi” (Mk 8:27).

Mount Hermon is the highest mountain in Israel with a peak of 9,232 feet above sea level. There’s actually a ski resort there 

today. Snow skiing in the Holy Land? Who knew?!?

Don’t miss how Mark describes Jesus and the Big Three as “alone” (v2). The word here in the original language (Gr. μονος/monos) means without accompaniment or separated from. Funny thing, they won’t be alone for long.

An Extreme Change

That’s when crazy stuff starts happening. “As the men watched, Jesus’ appearance was transformed” (v2). The author goes out of his way to select a verb here that most translations rephrase as “transfigured” (KJV, NKJV, NIV, NASB, ESV, NET, NRS).

But what does that mean? “Transfigured” is not exactly a word most of us drop in everyday conversation. How about another dive into the Koine Greek of the original document and see what we find out?

Μεταμορφοω/Metamorpho’o means to change radically. It’s where we get the word metamorphosis. What the Big Three see isn’t a slight alteration in Jesus’ appearance. He doesn’t simply make a minor adjustment, like parting His hair on the other side. 

What happens is extreme!

Metamorphosis

Other than Matthew’s version of this same event (Mt 17:2), Paul is the only other biblical writer to use this word. He uses it twice. The apostle encourages folks in Rome to “let God transform (Gr. μεταμορφοω/metamorpho’o) you into a new person by changing the way you think” (Rom12:2).

In a letter to the folks in Corinth, the former Pharisee compares how the Holy Spirit is making in us like Jesus to Moses’ shining face after he returned from hanging out with God. “And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like Him as we are changed (Gr. μεταμορφοω/metamorpho’o) into His glorious image” (2Cor 3:18).

Just as Jesus radically morphed on that mountain, God is transforming those who place their trust in Christ. For those of you who’ve got your doubts about the final product, Paul reassures his Philippian friends God “will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns” (Phil 1:6).

Flashing Like Lightning

What sort of radical transformation do the Big Three see in Jesus? “His clothes became dazzling white, far whiter than any earthly bleach could ever make them” (v2-3). Christ begins to shine. Glisten. Gleam. Flash like lightning.

You can bet the boys are shielding their eyes. A supernatural light show happens a lot of times when God shows up (Ps 104:2; Dan 7:9; 1Tim 6:16; 21:23). It should be no surprise that folks use light to describe Jesus (Mt 4:16; Jn 1:5; 12:36-37; Eph 5:14; 1Jn 1:5-9; Rev 1:14-16). The Lord even calls Himself “the Light of the World” (Jn 8:12).

I Gotta Wear Shades

Jesus becomes so bright that Mark struggles to find a way to describe it. “His clothes became dazzling white, far whiter than any earthly bleach could ever make them” (v3). Forget Clorox, Gain, OxyClean, or even the latest and greatest Tide pods.

Nothing shines like God. I don’t know about you but my Savior’s so bright, I gotta wear shades.

A Pair of Heavyweights

Let’s face it, it would be pretty sweet if the story stops right here with glow-in-the-day Jesus. But there’s more. A LOT more. “Then Elijah and Moses appeared and began talking with Jesus” (v4).

Whoa! Two of the greatest heavyweights of the Jewish faith suddenly show up to chat it up with Christ!! Of all of the folks described in what we call the Old Testament, why these two?

The Law and the Prophets

First of all, there’s a truckload of mystery surrounding both of their deaths. God personally buried Moses somewhere near Mount Nebo (Dt 34:5-6). If you think that’s something, Elijah headed to heaven in a flaming chariot powered by a tornado sent by God (2Ki 2:11). Pretty sure you’ve never taken a more awesome Uber than that!

More important than that, it’s what they represent. The Big Mo symbolizes the law. The Big E embodies the prophets. Hmm, the law and the prophets. Sound familiar? It should. That’s just one of the popular ways folks would use to refer to Hebrew Bible (Mt 5:17; 7:12; 22:40; Jn 1:45; Acts 13:15; 24:14; 28:23; Rom 3:21).

It’s All about Jesus

Remember, the Torah is the only Bible they have at this point. There’s no Old and New Testament. Just Genesis through Malachi. And here we see two men who personify the law and the prophets making a surprise appearance for a mountaintop meetup with Messiah.

Don’t miss this part. It’s kind of a big deal. This is God’s way of saying every one of documents we call the Old Testament is all about Jesus! It’s important to point out that even Jesus says the OT is all about Jesus.

“He Wrote about Me”

When the guys at the Hebrew home office put a hit Him, Christ makes it clear that’s a big mistake since “the Scriptures point to Me!” (Jn 5:39). These same Jewish Bible scholars are all about Moses. If that’s the case, the Lord thought they might like to know “he wrote about Me” (Jn 5:46).

Then there’s the time after His resurrection that Jesus shows up to cheer up a couple of disappointed disciples on the road back home to Emmaus (Lk 24:13-16. He supernaturally hides His identity from them. Consider it the original episode of “Undercover Boss.”

The Greatest Bible Study Ever

Along the way, our Savior leads these two dudes on what might be the greatest Bible study ever. “Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself” (Lk 24:27).

There, did you see them? “The writings of Moses and all the prophets”! The Son of God leaves no doubt that that every one of the 66 documents we find in our Bible are all about Him. It’s all the same story. And it’s all about Jesus.

Jesus’ Exit Strategy

Back on the mountain, the incandescent Christ has a conversation with Moses and Elijah. What did they talk about? Dr. Luke tells us that it was Jesus’ exit strategy using a bloody cross and an empty tomb in Jerusalem (Lk 9:31).

It sure seems clear that our Savior is prepping the core of His team for the tough times which are right around the corner. When the Big Three can’t figure out why He died and His grave is empty, they’ll have this unforgettable moment on the mountain to help them put the pieces together.

Putting up Tents

The next thing you know, Pete awkwardly ruins this messianic moment and blurts out, “Rabbi, wonderful for us to be here! Let’s make three shelters as memorials—one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah” (v5). Come on, Rocky. Don’t be that guy.

There’s all sorts of speculation about what Pete is talking about. “Shelters” (Gr. σκηνη/skene) describe some sort of a tent or portable housing, usually made of cloth or animal skins and held up by poles.

Christ Goes Camping

Did you know that when the Apostle John, the very same John who’s a member of the Big Three, writes about Jesus’ leaving the heavenly palace and coming to our rescue, he uses a very similar word?

“So the Word became human and made His home (Gr. σκενοω/skeno’o) among us” (Jn 1:14). Christ went camping when He came to earth. Let’s face it, compared to the comforts of heaven, He was roughing it!

A Verbal Processor

One way or the other, Peter’s looking for a any way possible to keep the party going. He comes up with this crazy plan of setting up camp so the Big Mo and the Big E would stick around awhile.

That’s when we read some of the most honest words in the passage. “He said this because he didn’t really know what else to say, for they were all terrified” (v6). If you know anything about Pete, he’s a verbal processor. That’s a kind way of saying he likes to talk.

You may wonder where we get this little behind-the-scenes comment that we find only here in Mark’s version. Well, it’s probably from Peter himself! In the first couple hundred years of the faith, the word was out that Pete is the source of John Mark’s story of Jesus.

God Interrupts Rocky

Before the apostle can say anything else, the Father interrupts Rocky’s rambling. “Then a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is My dearly loved Son. Listen to Him’” (v7).

Jesus’ heavenly Dad suddenly puts a stop to all this crazy talk of tents. In an instant, He drops a thick cloud on the summit. But this probably isn’t your garden variety cumulonimbus.

God’s Glory Cloud

Chances are this is the cloud known as Shekinah glory. This particular cloud isn’t so much meteorological as it is theological. It regularly forms when God is in the neighborhood (Ex 13:21; 33:18-23; 40:34-35; Num 9:15; 14:14; Dt 9:33). And let’s be clear, God IS in the neighborhood!

And when Mark refers to “the voice,” he’s not talking about some talent show with Blake Shelton and Adam Levine. This is THE VOICE…as in THE VOICE of God! When the Father speaks, you can bet all the chairs are turning around.

Dad’s Favorite

The very proud heavenly Dad leaves no doubt how He feels about His Son. “Dearly loved” (Gr. αγαπητος/agapetos) describes someone who is not just loved a lot but the recipient of a unique, one and only kind of love. It’s the Father’s way of saying Jesus is His favorite.

This isn’t the first time Jesus’ heavenly Dad has dropped the ultimate attaboy on His Son. Back at His baptism, a similar voice from the sky said, “You are My dearly loved Son, and you bring Me great joy” (Mk 1:11).

Your Father’s Waiting

Nobody loves Jesus more than His Dad. Guess what. You can be the Father’s favorite too. When you place your trust in His Son and what He’s done for you, His Dad lavishes His never-ending, overflowing love on you as well.

If you’ve been away a while and have your doubts about coming back, you need to know Dad is waiting to throw you a huge welcome home party (Lk 15:11-32). He’s been waiting for you the front porch the whole time.

Hua!

The Voice gives the Big Three a command to follow. Now that you know His Son has His full endorsement, they must “listen to Him” (v7). The Father is talking about a whole lot more that simply hearing what Jesus says.

This is the idea of not just listening to the Lord but understanding what He says and then doing it. Soldiers in the US Army will respond to an order by shouting “Hua!” It means “heard, understood, acknowledged.”

Jesus’ kid brother James writes about this very same idea. “But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves” (James 1:22).

Now You See Them, Now You Don’t

Just as quickly as the glory cloud rolls in, it disappears. And with it, so do the two special guests from the OT. “Suddenly, when they looked around, Moses and Elijah were gone, and they saw only Jesus with them” (v8). Now you see them. Now you don’t.

Remember back at the beginning of the story when Christ brought the Big three up on the mountain “alone” (v2)? What see that very same word (Gr. μονος/monos) here as “only.” When the boys take a look around, the only person they see is the Savior.

Focus on Jesus

So what’s going on? This is God’s way of telling the Big Three not to worry about the law (Moses) and the prophets (Elijah). They’re gone now. Focus on Jesus. Listen to what He says. Do what He tells you.

This is a trailer of the New Covenant which Jesus is bringing with Him (Jer 31:33; Lk 22:20; Heb 9:14-15). In doing so, He’s delivering on the promises God made with both Abraham and David.

Love Like Jesus

A very important part of that is how Jesus will make the agreement God made through Moses to His people obsolete. Despite agreeing to obey (Ex 24:3), they failed miserably. Before you throw them under the bus, we would too.

Jesus obeys all of the law Moses brought so that we don’t have to. In this New Covenant, He give us a new command (Jn 13:34-35). Love people like He did. The rest of the commands given by Peter, Paul, and the other writers of the NT documents are simply specific examples of how we are to do just that.

Accept No Substitutes

Christ’s blinding transformation, the appearance and disappearance of Elijah along with Moses, the glory cloud, and the voice of the Father all serve one purpose. Focus on Jesus. Eliminate distractions. Accept no substitutes. Don’t fall for less than the best.

Paul writes to his friends in Philippi that pursuing anything other than Jesus is just a big steaming pile (Phil 3:8). Instead, the writer of Hebrews tells us that the only way to hit our top speed in the race of life is by “keeping our eyes on Jesus, the Champion who initiates and perfects our faith” (Heb 12:2).

Call Me Captain Obvious

Jesus knows these guys desperately need a sneak peek of the divine in order to face what’s ahead. Even then, they’ll scatter like scared little school girls. But when He comes walking out of the cemetery and they seem Him alive after His public execution, this mountaintop messianic meetup will help them put it all together.

Same for you and me. Life is hard. Yeah, I know, call me Captain Obvious. Our Savior made it clear that this world is full of “many trials and sorrows” (Jn 16:33). It seems everywhere we turn we see disease, divorce, and death, just to name a few.

No Brighter Light

The only hope we have is to eliminate the distractions. Accept no substitutes. Don’t fall for less than the best. Focus only Jesus. If you’re a brightest-light-in-the-room kinda guy like me, there’s no brighter light.

©2018

Jay Jennings