The Prophets' Bottom Line

 Peter continues preaching his second sermon, an impromptu gathering of thousands at Solomon's Porch after he and John healed a man who had never walked. 

In the first part of his message (Acts 3:12-16), he taught how Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah, the suffering Servant, the Holy and Righteous One and the Author of Life. 

And this Jesus had just used His two apostles to heal this disabled panhandler as yet one more sign of His divinity.

Rocky also boldly spoke truth to them. They denied Jesus. They turned Him over to Pilate. They exchanged Him for a murderer. And they killed Him. 

Despite everything they had done, God raised Him from the dead.

Pete continues preaching and tells his massive audience, "Brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your rulers" (v17). The Greek word here is agnoia/αγνοια, which gives us our word agnostic. 

In other words, they did what they did because they simply didn't know any better. They were actually unaware that Jesus was Messiah. 

He goes on to tell them that "God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ would suffer, He thus fulfilled" (v18). Peter (through Luke's pen) uses the term "prophet(s)" five times in the next nine verses. 

He says that every one of the OT prophets was talking about Jesus! Christ is their bottom line. He is the fulfillment of all covenant promises God has made.

First, the prophets said He must suffer. The list of such passages is a long one. The key texts are Gen 3:15; Ps 22; Is 53; and Zech 12:10. 

God's promised Son of David was not only to come but to suffer. It was all part of God's plan of salvation.

Peter pleads with his audience to repent and turn back to the Lord (v19)! That's the only way to be forgiven for the sin of rejecting Jesus. 

If we make a 180 from sinful and selfish desires back to God, He’ll take care of forgiving and cleaning us (1Jn 1:9).

He tells them God promised His millennial kingdom through the prophets (v20-21). These will be amazing "times of refreshing" where we will know "the presence of the Lord." 

When Christ brings His kingdom at His Second Coming, it will be "the time for restoring all the things." If the people turn back to God, they will enjoy this eternal paradise with the Christ. Again, Jesus is the prophets' bottom line.

Pete flips his Bible back to Moses who said, "The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers" (v22-23; Dt 18:15, 18, 19). The people had understood Moses' words to be fulfilled in God's Messiah. 

Through the prophets, God promised THE Prophet. And don't miss the fact that the prophets not only predicted Jesus' coming but that He is also a prophet as well. Actually, He is THE Prophet. 

Christ fulfills three key offices on our behalf. Prophet. Priest. King. As Prophet, He speaks God's Word and will to us. And we are to be fully obedient to what Jesus commands (Jn 14:15, 21, 23).

"And all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came after him, also proclaimed these days" (v24). Pete repeats how Jesus is clearly the prophets' bottom line. 

They were all talking about Him. Every last one of them. Sure there were warnings of destruction, calls to repentance and strange visions and dreams. 

But everything they predicted revolved around God's gracious plan of salvation in and through His Son.

Peter points out that as the descendants of these prophets, God has promised to bless the earth through His chosen people. 

The Lord pledged to Abraham, "And in your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed" (v25; Gen 22:18). 

In other words, one day the direct descendant of Abraham will offer God's blessing to all people groups on the planet. That "offspring" (or "seed") is Jesus. 

While God has a unique relationship with His chosen people, He offers salvation to all. This is the amazing move of God in the book of Acts that continues to this day.

Through the prophets, God pledged to fulfill His promises. 

Simon Peter once again tells the people of Jesus' resurrection (v26). This is a central point of the Gospel. God has "raised up His Servant." 

And He has offered salvation first to His chosen people. He is blessing them "by turning every one of you from your wickedness." 

Once again, don't miss that salvation is God's work. Yes, we are to repent. But He is also doing the turning.

Jesus is the prophets' bottom line. Is He YOUR bottom line? Does everything in your life center around Him? 

It's not about Bible study. It's not about going to church. It's not about prayer. It's not about worship. 

Yeah, all those things are important. But they are all means to an end. 

It's about Jesus. He must be our bottom line.

©2011

Jay Jennings

Are You Experienced?

Paul tries to knock some sense into these Galatian knuckleheads. "O foolish Galatians!" (Gal 3:1). "Are you so foolish?" (Gal 3:3). 

They've bought the spiritual snake oil sold by the Judaizing charlatans that are saying Jesus may have gotten them into the kingdom but it's now up to them to keep themselves there (Gal 1:6; 2:4).

The apostle does his best to remind them of what really happened while he and Barnabas were visiting the cities of Galatia (Acts 13:13-14:23). 

He shakes them by the shoulders so that they will remember "that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified" (Gal 3:1). He jogs their memory about how God graciously gave them His Spirit "by hearing with faith" (Gal 3:2-3).

Then Paul tries to bring to their minds their experience of coming to trust in Jesus. "Did you suffer so many things in vain--if indeed it was in vain?" (v4). 

The original Greek broadens our understanding of this verse. Paul uses the Greek verb /πασχω/pascho. It means to undergo pain and suffering. 

It's the same verb used in the Gospels to describe Jesus' suffering during His final days. We get our idea of Christ's Passion from πασχω/pascho.

But this word is not limited to anguish. It also describes what someone experiences or undergoes. Paul wants the Galatians to remember their conversion experience. 

Too often evangelical Christians freak out when the idea of experiencing God comes up. We're afraid of allowing our emotions to run rampant over our intellect. 

But God has wired us emotionally just as He has given us a brain. One word of caution: We must NOT let our experiences trump what we read in Scripture. The Lord would NEVER contradict Himself. 

But when our experience (especially at conversion) confirms His Word and is line in line with God's truth, then it is valid. Paul wants to know if everything they've experienced was in vain.

Eugene Peterson's paraphrase of this verse does a great job of giving us a robust view of Paul's use of πασχω/pascho. "Did you go through this whole painful learning process for nothing? It is not yet a total loss, but it will be if you keep this up!" (Gal 3:4 MSG).

Are you experienced?

Was everything you went through a waste of time? Are God's blessings to be tossed aside as worthless? Will you discount and dismiss all that you experienced? 

That's what Paul wants to know from the Galatians. And that's a great reminder for us when we begin to question our faith and doubt God. 

We must not only remember the truth of His Word but those amazing experiences He's given each of us. Don't let those go to waste!

Are you experienced?

©2012

Jay Jennings

Spreading Salt

 Salting the Roads

If you live in an area where it snows, you know all about salt trucks. When the forecast calls for frozen precip, the folks at the DOT are out spraying a salty brine on the highways. After the snow falls, they’re back on the road spreading salt.

Road crews do this to improve driving conditions. Snow and ice cause us to slip and slide. The next thing you know we’re spinning out of control. Salt on the road helps us get a grip and keeps us out of the ditch.

Salting our Food

When it comes to cooking, many chefs insists that salt is their important ingredient. Sure, doctors want us to limit our sodium but it does have it’s place when. When we use it properly, it can bring out the flavor of the food.

Now if you’re hoping we’re about to take a deep dive into Himalayan salt, I’m sorry to disappoint you. But I certainly won’t stop you from reading this by the light of your salt lamp.

The Importance of Salt

On more than one occasion, Jesus also talks about the importance of salt. One of those in the Gospel of Mark. In a conversation with the disciples at their home office in Capernaum, Christ encourages His followers to fill up with salt and keep spreading it and shaking it wherever they go (Mk 9:49-50).

A LOT of Different Opinions

Okay, all cards on the table. Bible experts have been wrestling with these words of the Lord for a couple of thousand years. I’m not going to pretend to have some amazing new breakthrough here.

Some even believe John Mark went rogue and added these two verses on his own. I guess that’s possible. The only problem with that idea is Jesus actually said most of this salt talk in other Gospels (Mt 5:13; Lk 14:34-35). So there’s that.

So there are a LOT of different opinions and interpretations about what the Messiah means. We probably won’t know completely on this side of eternity. But let’s give it a shot together. You with me? Great. Here we go.

Who Is Jesus?

We’re a little over halfway through Mark’s bio of Jesus. A big theme of the first half is the true identity of the Rabbi/Carpenter from Nazareth. Right out of the chute, the author tells us, “This is the Good News about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God” (Mk 1:1).

From there, Mark let’s the Hero of his story do His messianic thing while everybody else tries to wrap their heads around who He is. (By the way, big thanks to the people at the Bible Project for their breakdown of Mark’s Gospel. For more, go to https://thebibleproject.com/.)

The first eight chapters take place in Galilee as Jesus teaches, heals, and performs crazy miracles. Along the way, both His followers and foes wonder who He is. Trust me, there’s no lack of speculation.

Not That Kind of Messiah

That all changes when Jesus asks His personal posse for their take. Peter finally puts the pieces of the puzzle together. “You are the Messiah” (Mk 8:29). Our Savior confirms Pete’s conclusion but rocks the disciples’ world by saying He’s NOT the kind of Messiah anyone expects.

He’s come to serve us through rejection, suffering, and dying (Mk 8:31). Oh, and don’t forget the resurrection part. You don’t want to miss that. The Lord doubles down on His prediction of dying and rising from the dead a second time (Mk 9:31).

A Sneak Peek of Glory

Sandwiched in between is a wild story about the time Jesus takes His inner circle of Peter, James, and John for a mountain meetup with Moses and Elijah, two the OTs power players (Mk 9:2-13). While they’re on the peak, the Savior gives the guys a sneak peek of His glory. If that’s enough, God the Father gives His Son the ultimate attaboy.

A Staff Meeting

Back home in Capernaum, Jesus pulls the Twelve together for one last staff meeting before hitting the road one last time (Mk 9:38-50). There are just a few important points He needs to make before heading south to Jerusalem.

Big time Bible guy Albert Barnes breaks it down for us. First, the Son of Man teaches His team that others who aren’t part of the Dirty Dozen might also be His followers (Mk 9:38-39). Second, we’re to give other folks the benefit of the doubt that they’ve put their trust in Christ if we see the slightest evidence (Mk 9:41).

Third, we must handle with care anyone with a fragile faith (Mk 9:42). Fourth, we need to take drastic measures to remove anything that gets in our way of spending eternity with Jesus (Mk 9:43-48).

Our Savior’s Salty Language

Which brings us to our Savior’s salty language. No, the sinless Son of God doesn’t start cussing like a sailor. I’m guessing the commercial fishermen on His crew can do that without any coaching.

“For everyone will be tested with fire. Salt is good for seasoning. But if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again? You must have the qualities of salt among yourselves and live in peace with each other” (v49-50).

Who Is Everyone?

One of the questions about what Jesus is saying in these verses is just WHO the heck is the “everyone” here in verse 49? Theologians have been scratching their heads over that one for a couple of thousand years.

Who do I think they are? Sorry but you won’t catch me throwing a bunch of Bible experts under the bus on this one. Is it just Jesus’ followers? I’m going to guess that “everyone” might just mean…well…everyone.

Smoking or Nonsmoking?

In other words, how each of us respond to the fire will determine our eternal direction. Smoking or nonsmoking? As Mark Driscoll likes to say, “Hell is hot and forever is a long time.”

But the identity of “everyone” is not a hill I’m ready to die on. One thing I do know, our eternity IS a hill Jesus was willing to die on for you and me. And that’s a VERY good thing! He lived the life we failed to live. He died the death we should have died. He rose to new life we don’t deserve.

Salted with Fire

Here’s a little something this verse we don’t see in the NLT. The word they translate

“tested” (Gr. ‘αλιζο/halizo) actually means to salt, sprinkle with salt, cause something to taste salty, season, or restore flavor.

A LOT of translations actually read that folks can expect to “be salted with fire” (KJV, NIV, NASB, ESV, NRS, CEV, HCSB, NET, ASV, emphasis added). We’re not saying the NLT is wrong. As a matter of fact, it provides a little color to Christ’s words.

A Saltshaker-Flamethrower

What in the wide world of sports is Jesus talking about? Is this some sort of saltshaker-flamethrower 2-in-1 combo? While that bad boy might come in handy at your next cookout, the Lord has something else in mind.

Jesus Predicts Fire

Pardon me while I nerd out on a little grammar here. The Greek verb ‘αλιζο/halizo is actually future passive indicative tense. Future simply means it WILL happen. Passive tells us will happen TO you. Indicative describes an objective fact (in other words, this is NOT a command). You can take it to the bank.

So what’s Jesus predicting? When He says “tested with fire” (v49), Jesus appears to mean that the suffering we experience will make us that much more effective in our community.

Turning up the Heat

It seems pretty clear that there are plenty of times when God turns up the heat in our lives. But wait a minute. If He’s so good, why would He do that to us? So glad you asked. It’s actually BECAUSE of His goodness that He raises the temp.

We need to remember that God’s use of discipline is actually a sure sign of His love. The wisest dude who ever walked the planet puts it this way. “My child, don’t reject the LORD’s discipline, and don’t be upset when He corrects you. For the LORD corrects those He loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights” (Prov 3:11-12).

A Divine Autoclave

Throughout the various documents of both the Old and New Testament, spiritual fire both cleanses and preserves. It’s like a divine autoclave that purges the stuff that both does harm and wastes our time from our lives.

In a letter to fellow believers, Peter writes, “Don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. Instead, be very glad—for these trials make you partners with Christ in His suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing His glory when it is revealed to all the world” (1Pet 4:12).

Bitter or Better

It’s how we react to the heat of heaven that’s the determining factor. There’s an old saying, “The same sun that melts the ice, hardens the clay.” God’s fire of discipline will either make us bitter or better. What’s it gonna be?

We need to remember that He’s making us holy, not making us happy. The Lord never promises an easy life on this side of eternity. Don’t make the mistake of thinking a following Jesus means nothing but rainbows, herds of unicorns, and endless supply of Skittles.

God’s Blast Furnace

Allow pain and suffering to humble you. It results in brokenness. You see, humility has a way of opening doors to 

those around us. Folks really don’t need someone who has all the answers. Believers are simply beggars who’ve figured out where to get the Bread.

You can bet those who are ON fire for Jesus have been THROUGH the fire. That’s because they know He’s with them in the middle of the flames. Just ask Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Dan 3:24-25). Let God’s blast furnace make you better.

Not Too Attached

Some of you may be wondering how we went from talking about salt to fire. What’s the connection? Well, some of our Bibles include the tag “and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt.”

I hope you’re not too attached to that phrase. Chances are that it wasn’t in the original version of Mark’s bio of Jesus. Somebody dropped it in later to help explain what’s going on here.

God’s Flaming Grill

Christ is actually connecting His words to the instructions God gave Moses about temple worship. In the OT, priests were to salt every single sacrifice before they tossed them all on the God’s flaming grill.

“Season all your grain offerings with salt to remind you of God’s eternal covenant. Never forget to add salt to your grain offerings” (Lev 2:13). Salt would remind God’s people that He’s totally committed to them forever.

Wiggling off the Altar

Martin Luther cooks up an image to help us try and wrap our heads around what our Savior is saying to His disciples. He says the Gospel acts like the salt and fire of the temple sacrifices. It burns and sears away our old self as new self becomes the true sacrifice.

This connects with Paul’s picture that a follower of Jesus should “be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him” (Rom 12:1).The problem with a living sacrifice is that it keeps wiggling off the altar! That’s why we need to crawl back on God’s altar every single day.

Jesus Grabs the Saltshaker

It’s at these point that Jesus grabs the saltshaker goes crazy. “Salt is good for seasoning. But if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again? You must have the qualities of salt among yourselves and live in peace with each other” (v50).

Our Savior spreads a LOT of salt here. How much? If you break it down in the original language, He uses a some form of the word “salt” a grand total of five times this one verse.

Bringing out the Flavor

First of all, Jesus says, “Salt is good for seasoning” (v50). Here we see the basic Greek word ‘αλας/halas we translate as…you guessed it…salt. A couple of thousand years later, it’s hard for us to understand just how important salt was back in the day. It’s kind of a big deal.

In the time of Jesus, people would use salt in a variety of ways. Similar to today, they would sprinkle it on food to bring out the flavor. It has the power to make a mundane meal just a bit better.

Salt as a Preservative

They would also use salt as a preservative since nobody had a fridge or deep freeze in the First Century. It was your only chance of keeping your foods from spoiling quickly. As a result, salt became a symbol of a lasting agreement.

Making Life Better

As the followers of Jesus, we’re to spread salt wherever we go. We’re to be like the seasoning to bring out the 

flavor and make life better for those around us. Are we a blessing to our neighbors, our coworkers, and our community?

We see a classic example of that in God’s instructions to His people after He’s sent into spiritual timeout in Babylon. In Jeremiah 29, He tells them to make themselves at home while they’re there.

Supernatural Saltshakers

Build homes. Plant gardens. Get married. Have kids. Ultimately, they are to “work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I send you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare” (Jer 29:7).

Are believers today really all that different from the captive Israelites? We could pout and mope that we’re not where we eventually want to be. Or we could be add seasoning to our community by being supernatural saltshakers.

Bland and Flavorless

Then Jesus asks the boys a question. “But if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again?” (v50). In doing so, He uses another form of the word salt. The phrase the NLT translates as “loses its flavor” (Gr. αναλος/analos) actually means to be unsalted.

It’s the idea of becoming bland and flavorless. What’s the most tasteless food you’ve ever put in your mouth? For me, that’s easy. Tofu. Okay, I know there tons of tofu lovers out there. If that’s you, pick something else. That one thing you hope never occupies real estate on your dinner plate.

Losing Our Flavor

It’s what happens when the followers of Jesus lose our flavor. We lose our effectiveness when we pull up the drawbridge and seal ourselves off from society into our own little holy huddle. No salt gets spread to the outside world from inside our apocalyptic bomb shelter.

When we shut out those around us, we never have a chance to be a blessing. We lose any opportunity to tell them about Jesus. We lose our flavor.

Cheap Chewing Gum

Another way we become like used cheap chewing gum is when we act just like the world around us. God calls His people to be holy. There’s a lot behind that word. But in the simplest sense of the word, holiness means to be completely different and unlike anything else.

When we fail to understand His call to be holy, we end up being just like everybody else. We’re no different. Instead of providing flavor and acting as a preservative until Christ comes back, we lose our effectiveness. That’s when our salt loses it’s flavor. We lose our influence.

Getting a Grip

Think of it this way. God loads each of us up with His salt so that we can be like those DOT trucks that hit the roads before and during a winter storm. We travel around, provide traction, and make things safer. The salt we spread helps people get a grip on life and keep folks from spinning out of control.

“Stay Salty, My Friends”

That’s why our Savior wants us to not lose our flavor. “You must have the qualities of salt among yourselves and live in peace with each other” (v50). He tells us that just as important as being salty, is staying salty.

Remember the dude from the beer commercials known as the Most Interesting Man in the World? His catch phrase was, “Stay thirsty, my friends.” Let’s face it. Jesus is WAY more interesting than that guy. His tag line for us could be, “Stay salty, my friends.”

Saying What Needs to Be Said

Kinda makes sense when you put it together with something He said in His most famous message, a little something we like to call the Sermon on the Mount. Christ calls His followers “the salt of the earth” (Mt 5:13).

Apparently staying salty is key to folks getting along. But adding flavor and being a blessing to those around us doesn’t necessarily mean not making waves. It’s saying what needs to be said and wrapping it a thick layer of love and grace.

He Won’t Waste One Bit

Here’s how the Apostle Paul connects living in peace and spreading salt. “Live peacefully with each other. Brothers and sisters, we urge you to warn those who are lazy. Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of those who are weak. Be patient with everyone” (1Th 5:13-14). 

If you’ve placed your trust in who Jesus is and what He’s done for you, He’s calling you to be a salt spreader. He’s correcting you because He loves you. He won’t waste one bit of what He’s allowed you to experience.

Hit the Road

As a result, we’re to be a blessing to those around us. Add flavor and taste to their lives. Act as a preservative of all that’s good. When we spread God’s salt wherever we go, it provides traction so people are much less likely to spin out of control. We need it to stay out of the ditch.

But here’s the deal. We’ve got to get out there to do it. God can’t use us to make a difference if we don’t get involved. The DOT can’t spread salt if the trucks never hit the road.

To paraphrase Ol’ Blue Eyes, start spreading the…salt.

©2019

Jay Jennings

The Opening Act

Setting the Stage for the Son of God

Let’s get this out on the table. I’m rarely a fan the opening act at a concert. I pay my money to see the headliner, not some wanna-be. But occasionally the warm up band over delivers and wins me over.

Did you know Jesus had an opening act? Sure did. It was his weird, bug eating cousin John. He toured under the name John the Baptizer. His role from the very beginning was to set the stage for the Son of God and make sure He got the spotlight.

A Conversation with Christ

In Mark’s biography of Jesus, the author shares a conversation Christ has with three of His closest followers about His opener (Mk 9:9-13). The Jewish people have not only been expecting the Messiah but His predecessor Elijah too.

Our Savior tells these three disciples that His opener has already completed his performance. The Big E did exactly what he was supposed to do. But the religious leaders weren’t fans. They didn’t just boo Elijah off the stage. They threw him under the bus and then drove the bus over him two or three times.

If they think that stinks, Jesus goes on to say that’s nothing compared to what will happen to Him. And get this, it’s all part of God’s plan. If you don’t believe Him, you can read all about it in the Hebrew Bible.

Coming Down the Mountain

We pick up the action in Mark’s Gospel with the Lord coming down a big mountain with Peter and the Thunder Brothers, James and John. The boys have just witnessed something that has totally rocked their world (Mk 9:2-8).

First they saw Jesus pull back the heavenly curtain and glow in glory. Next they saw not just one but two ancient Hebrew heavyweights appear out of nowhere and talk to the Lord. None other than Moses and Elijah.

Removing the Distractions

If that’s not wacky enough, God the Father shows up in the form of a cloud. He makes it clear that He’s absolutely crazy about His Son. Don’t listen to anybody but Jesus, He says.

Just so there’s no confusion, the Father removes any distractions when it comes to following Christ. When the cloud clears, Moses and Elijah are nowhere to be found. I’m pretty sure nobody’s forgetting what went down that day.

This happens to confirm the radical Rabbi/Carpenter’s identity as the long-awaited Messiah. The first chunk of Mark’s story of Jesus is all about folks trying to figure out exactly who He is. After this unforgettable mountaintop meetup, these three have no doubts.

Back to the Grind

We pick up the story with Jesus and the Big Three returning to the daily grind, “as they went back down the mountain” (v9). Who doesn’t love those mountaintop moments with God? An incredible conference. An amazing revival. A weekend of solitude.

There’s just one problem. We can’t stay there. We live life between the mountaintops. Constant and uninterrupted intimacy in God’s presence is a-MAZE-ing! I know I don’t want to leave. Mountaintops are great but most of what we experience is the everyday grind. God calls us to be faithful in the valley. Most times, that looks like Tuesday.

Keeping It on the Down Low

As they head back to join the other disciples, Jesus wants the boys to keep what they experienced at altitude on the down low. “He told them not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead” (v9).

You might surprised to see that Christ regularly tells folks to keep quiet about who He is and what He’s up to (Mt 8:4; 9:30; 12:16; 16:20; 17:9; Mk 5:43; 7:36; 8:30; Lk 8:56; 9:21). What’s up with that? Doesn’t He want EVERYONE to know?!?

Walking a Tightrope of Timing

These commands for confidentiality are all about timing. Trust me, Jesus wants to get the word out. He just want it happen when it’s supposed to happen. He’s walking a tightrope with His timeline.

Christ doesn’t want to draw too much attention to Himself too quickly. He certainly doesn’t want Roman officials thinking He’s leading a revolution. He’s trying to avoid getting the bigwigs at the Hebrew home office worried that He’s threat to their power. Both of those will happen soon enough.

Wait for It

Another issue is that His followers don’t have the context of His resurrection to give it all perspective. It won’t be long before they see Him betrayed, tortured, and crucified. But when He comes strolling out of the cemetery on Sunday, that’s a total game changer!

Christ wants them to keep it quiet for now. Wait for it. Wait for it. Wait “until the Son of Man had risen from the dead” (v9).

Christ Calls His Shot

There’s a huge chunk of doubters and naysayers who want to believe this is Jesus’ way of denying the claim that He’s divine. There’s just a couple of little problems with that. First, He clearly calls Himself the Christ when He calls Himself the Son of Man. That’s straight outta the OT (Dan 7:13).

Second, He’s calling His shot. Make no mistake. Jesus didn’t just predict His death. Pretty sure most of us can do that. But He also calls His own resurrection. As Andy Stanley says, if somebody can predict His own death and resurrection, and pull it off, I’m on His team!

The Inside Scoop

Pete, Jimmy, and John don’t say a word to anybody. Mark writes, “So they kept it to themselves” (v10). They were clearly paying attention on the mountain when Father God told them to obey His Son (Mk 9:7).

They do what He says but don’t know what in the world Jesus is talking about. “They often asked each other what He meant by ‘rising from the dead’” (v10). You don’t find this little detail in any of the other two versions of this story (Mt 17:9-13; Lk 9:36).

So why does John Mark include this very personal nugget? Chances are it’s because someone who was there told him so. Most of the early followers of Christ believed Peter is the source of the second Gospel.

Hashing It Out

There’s something cool here when you dig into the original language of this phrase. The word the NLT translates as “asked” (Gr. συζητεω/suzeteo) is a compound word meaning “together (Gr. συ-/su-) seeking (Gr. -ζητεω/-zeteo).”

It describes a discussion among several people where they forcefully express their differences of opinion. On one hand, it can describe an open minded debate and discussion. At the other extreme, it’s a heated argument. It depends on how the writer uses it.

Pete, James, and John passionately hash it out. They search for an answer together. They discuss, dispute, and debate. They’re also open to each other’s opinion. We can all take a lesson from the Big Three. Let’s stop trying to be right and figure things out TOGETHER.

Rising from the Dead?

But this idea of “rising from the dead” goes right over their head. Peter sure doesn’t. Just the other day, he tried to tell Jesus to stop this crazy talk of betrayal, torture, and death! That just results in the Lord calling him Satan (Mk 8:32-33).

Most Jewish people actually believe in resurrection. But their hope is in a general resurrection, not something personal like the Lord is suggesting.

We see Lazarus’ sister Martha struggle with that same idea when Jesus tells her, “Your brother will rise again” (Jn 11:23). She’s sure he will, it’s just not happening today. “He will rise when everyone else rises, at the last day” (Jn 11:24).

Keeping a Lid on It

This is HUGE reason why He doesn’t want them telling people He’s the Christ. They don’t have a clue what’s about to happen. They’re oblivious when it comes to Jesus’ upcoming betrayal, torture, and murder, much less His resurrection.

Once they see Him alive after His death, only then will they start to put the pieces together. Until then, let’s just keep a lid on all this Messiah business. We, on the other hand, know EXACTLY what happens on Sunday morning!

The Tsunami of Grace

It won’t be long before Jesus’ rising from the dead will be THE Story! Long before anybody wrote down any of this stuff and assembled it into what we call the Bible, His miraculous resurrection is what gives them the strength and courage to spread His story to every corner of the known world.

Check out the sequel Dr. Luke about how the tsunami of grace races around the Mediterranean Rim. What’s the lede story of the Good News? Jesus’ resurrection! The good doctor mentions it specifically 17 times (Acts 2:24, 31-32; 3:15; 4:10, 33; 5:30; 10:40-41; 13:30, 34, 37; 17:3, 18, 31; 25:19; 26:23)!

A Pretty Sorry Lot

How important is Christ’s resurrection to our faith? In a letter to Corinthian believers, Paul says that if Jesus didn’t rise from dead, we’re wasting out time following Him (1Cor 15:12-19). The Message puts it bluntly. “We’re a pretty sorry lot” (1Cor 15:19 The Message).

But at this point, these three disciples don’t understand Jesus “rising from the dead” (v10). After chatting it up with each other, they clearly connect His resurrection with that wild scene they just saw back on the summit.

Untangling the Knots

The Big Three turns to Jesus and asks Him, “Why do the teachers of religious law insist that Elijah must return before the Messiah comes?’” (v11). They’re scratching their heads wondering, “Since You’re obviously Messiah, where’s Elijah? We’ve all been taught that Elijah comes before You. Was that it?”

The “teachers of religious law” (Gr. γραμματευς/grammateus) are the scribes, theologians highly skilled in Jewish law. The word literally means a person of letters. The scribes worked to untangle some of the more difficult scriptural knots. Stuff like, could God build a wall so high that even He couldn’t jump over it.

We often find these teachers of the law working closely with priests and elders in groups like the Sanhedrin. They would serve as scriptural lawyers, helping leaders thread the biblical needle or look for loopholes in tricky decisions involving the Jewish Scriptures.

A Sequence of Events

These theologians have looked at the Hebrew Bible that we call the Old Testament and determined a sequence of events when it comes to the arrival of the long awaited Messiah. Before the Hero from heaven hits the neighborhood, He’ll have an opening act. Ladies and gentleman, here’s Elijah!

God tells the prophet Malachi, “Look, I am sending you the prophet Elijah before the great and dreadful day of the LORD arrives. His preaching will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of children to their fathers” (Mal 4:5-6).

The Last Verse of the Last Book

And get this. This is the very last verse in the very last book of the OT. God basically drops the mic for more than 400 years. The next time we hear from Him, it just so happens to be none other than John the Baptizer! I’m sure it’s just a coincidence (wink, wink).

That’s not all. When the angel appears to John the Baptizer’s dad, he tells him that his son will be the Messiah’s opening act. “He will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God. He will be a man in the spirit and power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children” (Lk 1:16-17).

So Where’s Elijah?

But the Big Three have yet to put the pieces of the prophetic puzzle together about Elijah and Jesus’ leather wearin’ cousin John. This is also a big reason why the religious muckety-mucks aren’t buying that Jesus is Messiah. Where’s Elijah? In their view, no Elijah, no Messiah.

Funny thing. John didn’t see himself as serving in some sort of Elijah-like role (Jn 1:19-21). Maybe he was humble. Maybe he didn’t fully understand how God was using him. John loved to use a passage from another prophet named Isaiah to describe himself. “I am a voice shouting in the wilderness, ‘Clear the way for the LORD’s coming!’” (Jn 1:23).

Maybe God has revealed to you how He wants to use you. That’s awesome. But maybe your like the rest of us and haven’t really figured out exactly what you’re supposed to do in the long run. That’s okay. Just continue following Jesus. Continue loving those around you. Keep on keeping on. We can trust that He’s got it all figured out.

Messiah’s Advance Man

Meanwhile, our Savior tells His three closest followers, “Elijah is indeed coming first to get everything ready” (v12). He’s the Messiah’s advance man. His opening act.

Over in Matthew’s bio of Jesus, he tells us about another time our when the Lord quotes Malachi 3:1 and spells out the Baptizer’s connection to none other than the Big E. “John is the man to whom the Scriptures refer to when they say, ‘Look, I am sending My messenger ahead of You, and he will prepare Your way before You’” (Mt 11:10).

The Greatest Person Ever Born

He tells the crowds that His cousin may be on the eccentric side but he’s actually the greatest person ever born (Mt 11:11). Christ cuts to the chase, “And if you are willing to accept what I say, he is Elijah, the one the prophets said would come” (Mt 11:14).

In a similar way, God gave John the Elijah-like job of revealing the identity of Messiah (Mk 1:7; Jn 1:15). We see him point the spotlight at Jesus as “the Lamb of God” on more than one occasion (Jn 1:29, 36).

A Question for the Boys

After confirming that Elijah must indeed take the stage before Messiah, Jesus has a question for the guys. “Yet why do the Scriptures say that the Son of Man must suffer greatly and be treated with utter contempt?” (v12).

Christ wants them to connect Elijah’s coming in the form of John the Baptizer with His own suffering. Elijah/John HAS come. Messiah/Jesus WILL suffer. They’ll soon understand that BOTH must happen.

The Suffering Servant

The Lord wants the boys to think about all the prophetic passages in the Jewish Scriptures that predict how Messiah will be betrayed, tortured, and murdered. You can bet He’s talking the suffering Servant in Isaiah 52:13-53:12. But there are certainly a 

LOT more than that (Gen 3:15; 22:1-18; Ex 12:1-51; Num 21:6-9; Ps 22; 69; 118; Zech 11:12-13; 12:10).

I’m guessing the resurrected Christ will use this very same material when He leads a couple of disappointed disciples heading back home on one of the greatest Bible studies of all time (Lk 24:13-24).

But Not THAT Kind of Messiah

Once again, the radical Rabbi/Carpenter redefines their understanding of the long promised Messiah they’ve been waiting for. Jesus’ three-and-a-half year ministry has nothing to do with military victory and rebelling against the Romans. It has EVERYTHING to spiritual victory and defeating our rebellion.

In other words, the Lord admits to being Messiah. He’s just NOT the kind of Messiah the Jewish people are expecting. No Jew in their right mind could predict Christ would suffer and die…well, other than the prophets.

Answering His Own Question

Mark doesn’t tell us how or if the disciples respond to Jesus’ question. Do they run their ideas pass Christ? Or do they simply stair back blankly like my dog looks at my computer?

Whatever the case, the Lord answers for them. “But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they chose to abuse him, just as the Scriptures predicted” (v12). Sure enough, He says the Big E has come and gone and the writers of the OT called that one too.

A Sinful Snake Pit

The Message doesn’t pull any punches in its paraphrase of Jesus’ response. “They treated this Elijah like dirt” (v12 The Message). Instead of listening to what the Baptizer had to say, the religious teachers rejected him when he accused them of being a sinful snake pit (Mt 3:7-10).

You can be sure the Pharisees, Sadducees, and scribes didn’t shed any tears the day the king chopped off John’s head as payment for a lap dance from his niece (Mk 6:14-29). No, I’m not kidding. This stuff REALLY is in your Bible!

Some VERY Good News!

First century Jews didn’t just turn their backs on John the Baptizer’s opening act as Elijah, they would rush the stage and kill Christ. But Jesus would willingly take every bit of their abuse just as He took on the sin and rebellion of the entire world.

What’s your response to the original double bill of Elijah/John and Messiah/Jesus? Did you hate their performance too? I’ve got some good news. Actually I’ve some VERY Good News! All you have to do admit you can’t save yourself. Place all your trust in what He’s done for you.

The Ultimate Encore

Jesus lived the perfect life that we failed to live. He died the death for our sin that we should have died. He rose to a spectacular new life that we don’t deserve. Trust Him to not just forgive you but be the loving Leader of your life.

The Son of God is coming back for the ultimate encore. And they’re are plenty of good seats still available!

©2018

Jay Jennings