Jesus Is God's Son
Mark 9:2-13
SS Lesson for 02/13/11
Devotional Scripture: 2 Peter 1:16-18
The concept of the major outline of the lesson came from the Bible Expositor and Illuminator and the detail came from a previous lesson dated 02/13/2010. This week's lesson reminds us that Jesus Is God's Son. The study's aim is to show that Jesus God the Father sent Jesus as our Servant-Leader so that we might listen to Him and find life. The study's application is to know that since God has sent Jesus to us and has approved of Him, we ought to listen and give our lives to Him.
Metamorphosis
A striped caterpillar climbs to a precarious perch on a tree limb, clumsily hangs down, and begins to spin a cocoon (more precisely, a chrysalis) about itself. In only a few days what was once a mere caterpillar begins to break free from the cocoon. Fragile wings unfurl and harden as the caterpillar transforms into a beautiful Monarch butterfly. The Greek name for “transformation” comes directly into English as our word metamorphosis. On a high mountain north of Galilee, Jesus experienced a metamorphosis before the startled eyes of three disciples. We call this experience his transfiguration, but literally in the original language it is metamorphosis. This was a spectacular change of his visible form. What happened there was different from a butterfly’s metamorphosis, however, in two important ways. First, when Jesus’ appearance changed into shining glory, it was an unveiling of what had been his true nature all along. Second, this revelation of his glory was temporary, because Jesus changed back to his earthly appearance rather quickly. For just this brief moment the mantle of flesh was transformed, and Jesus was seen in the majesty that was rightly his. But then the shining glory left him so that he might resume his journey toward the cross. (Parallels to today’s text are Matthew 17:1–13 and Luke 9:28–36.)
Lesson Background
The transfiguration follows about a week after Peter’s confession of Jesus as “the Christ” (Matthew 16:16). Following that confession, Jesus voiced certain promises, including the fact that he would rise from the dead (Mark 8:31). He promised that he would build his church on a rock and that that church would never be defeated (Matthew 16:18). He promised that the Son of Man would someday come in the glory of the Father (Mark 8:38). Following these breathtaking promises, Jesus took his “inner circle” of three disciples to a mountaintop where he gave them proof that such promises would be kept. The proof was a glimpse of his true glory. Jesus also made certain demands following Peter’s confession. Jesus demanded that Peter not try to revise the plans of God (Mark 8:32, 33). He demanded that all who chose to follow him had to give up the rights to their own lives, take up their crosses, and follow him (Mark 8:34). He demanded that his disciples not be ashamed of him, even though their conviction was at odds with that of their own generation (Mark 8:38).
Because these demands of discipleship are so challenging, Jesus also needed to give evidence to these first leaders of the church that whatever price they paid would be worth it. The ultimate evidence in that regard was the resurrection. Preliminary to that event was the evidence of the transfiguration.
Other than Christ's death and resurrection, few events from His life are alluded to in the Epistles. Although details are given of Jesus' birth in Matthew and Luke, hardly anything is mentioned in the rest of the New Testament. The clearest text is Galatians 4:4: "When the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his son, made of a woman, made under the law." In the Gospels it is clear that Christ was innocent of wrongdoing and committed no sin (John 8:46). Though vitally important, His sinlessness is rarely noted in the letters. The most familiar is Hebrews 4:15, which says Christ "was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin." While Christ's miracles were a part of early Christian preaching (Acts 2:22; 10:38), no specific ones are detailed in Acts or in the Epistles. The transfiguration is this week's topic, an event alluded to only in one epistle—2 Peter. The apostle declared that they were "eyewitnesses of his majesty" (1:16) when they heard "a voice to him from the excellent glory" (vs. 17) while on the "holy mount" (vs. 18). The Bible strictly warns us in several sections that in the last days many will come in Jesus' name claiming to be somebody that we all should follow. There are certainly many false messiahs around who are deceiving a gullible audience. But with Jesus we do not have to fear that we could be deceived. He appeared publicly with the stamp of God the Father's approval from heaven, and there were many witnesses to that event. God the Father spoke from heaven, telling us that Christ is indeed the true One sent from God. In our lesson this week we explore Heaven's approval of the Servant-Leader promised to us. If God the Father Himself has given the stamp of approval to Jesus, whom He sent to us to be our Servant-Leader, we certainly have an obligation to listen to Him. This is an added affirmation for us that we indeed have truth in Jesus Christ.
(Scriptural Text from the New King James Version; cross-references from the NIV)
2 Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up on a high mountain apart by themselves; and He was transfigured before them.
3 His clothes became shining, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them.
4 And Elijah appeared to them with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus.
37 He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled.
51 When he arrived at the house of Jairus, he did not let anyone go in with him except Peter, John and James, and the child's father and mother.
18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." 20 At once they left their nets and followed him. 21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them,
He took three, a competent number to testify what they should see; for out of the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established. Christ makes his appearances certain enough, but not too common; not to all the people, but to witnesses (Acts 10:41), that they might be blessed, who have not seen, and yet have believed. He took these three because they were the chief of his disciples, the first three of the worthies of the Son of David; probably they excelled in gifts and graces; they were Christ's favorites, singled out to be the witnesses of his retirements. They were present when he raised the damsel to life, Mark 5:37. They were afterward to be the witnesses of his agony, and this was to prepare them for that.
A display of God's glory in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ (Matt 17:1-8; Mark 9:2-8; Luke 9:28-36). Peter cites the Transfiguration as historical proof of the true gospel of Christ (2 Peter 1:16-18). It is hard to imagine what Jesus looked like when He was transfigured, or changed in form. The gospel writers speak of His face becoming bright like the sun, and of His clothes being dazzling white. Peter explains that God gave Him honor and glory (2 Peter 1:17).
While our Lord was praying He was "transfigured," i.e., His external aspect was changed, His face gleaming like the sun, and His clothing being so white that it shone like light. The cause of this appearance was that His divine glory shone out through His human form and was not, as in the case of Moses, caused by God's having appeared to Him.
5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.
21 Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.
14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
10 on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.
17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
7 Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, fading though it was, 8 will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious?
11 As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind.
5 "See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes.
The three disciples were no doubt astounded to see Moses and Elijah appear and talk with Jesus. Deuteronomy 34:5-6 says that Moses died in Moab but that no one found his grave, causing some to wonder whether he really did die. We are told in 2 Kings 2:11 that Elijah went to heaven in a whirlwind without dying. In any case, Moses represented the law, while Elijah represented the prophets, here showing Old Testament approval of Jesus. It is fitting that they represent both the law and the prophets, for the phrase "the law and the prophets" is often used to designate the entire Old Testament Scriptures (Matt 7:12; 22:40; Luke 16:16; John 1:45; Acts 13:15; Rom 3;21).
5 Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah" —
6 because he did not know what to say, for they were greatly afraid.
7 And a cloud came and overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!"
8 Suddenly, when they had looked around, they saw no one anymore, but only Jesus with themselves.
Viewing the Transfiguration as a preview of the Messianic kingdom (Matt 16:28), some have seen in Moses (who had died) and Elijah (who had passed from this life without dying) representatives of the two groups that Christ will bring with him to establish his kingdom: dead saints who are resurrected and living saints who have been translated. Likewise the three disciples are seen as representing men living on earth at the time of the Second Advent (L. S. Chafer, Systematic Theology, V, 85-94; G. N. H. Peters, Theocratic Kingdom, II, 559-561). In verses 4 and 5, Peter answered, i.e., responded to the situation. A desire to prolong this experience prompted Peter to offer to erect (I will make) three brush tabernacles, such as worshipers built for the Feast of Tabernacles. In response, the Divine voice came out of the cloud acknowledging Jesus as God's beloved Son, and commanding the disciples, Hear ye him. Moses and Elijah had nothing new to impart (Heb 1:1-2).
A tabernacle is a tent. It was made, commonly, by fixing posts into the ground, and stretching on them cloth fastened by cords. In some instances they were made of branches of trees a temporary shelter from the sun and rain, not a permanent dwelling.
This feast was designed (1) to be a memorial of the wilderness wanderings, when the people dwelt in booths (Lev 23:43), and (2) to be a harvest thanksgiving (Neh 8:9-18). The Jews, at a later time, introduced two appendages to the original festival, viz., (1) that of drawing water from the Pool of Siloam, and pouring it upon the altar (John 7:2,37), as a memorial of the water from the rock in Horeb; and (2) of lighting the lamps at night, a memorial of the pillar of fire by night during their wanderings.
34 "Say to the Israelites: 'On the fifteenth day of the seventh month the Lord's Feast of Tabernacles begins, and it lasts for seven days. 35 The first day is a sacred assembly; do no regular work. 36 For seven days present offerings made to the Lord by fire, and on the eighth day hold a sacred assembly and present an offering made to the Lord by fire. It is the closing assembly; do no regular work. 42 Live in booths for seven days: All native-born Israelites are to live in booths 43 so your descendants will know that I had the Israelites live in booths when I brought them out of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.'"
6 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3 And they were calling to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory." 4 At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. 5 "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty." 6 Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for."
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.
20 But the Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him."
30 "After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai. 31 When he saw this, he was amazed at the sight. As he went over to look more closely, he heard the Lord's voice: 32 'I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.' Moses trembled with fear and did not dare to look. 33 "Then the Lord said to him, 'Take off your sandals; the place where you are standing is holy ground.
18 I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father, who sent me."
54 Jesus replied, "If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me.
37 And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form,
16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."
9 Now as they came down from the mountain, He commanded them that they should tell no one the things they had seen, till the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
10 So they kept this word to themselves, questioning what the rising from the dead meant.
11 And they asked Him, saying, "Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?"
12 Then He answered and told them, "Indeed, Elijah is coming first and restores all things. And how is it written concerning the Son of Man, that He must suffer many things and be treated with contempt?
13 But I say to you that Elijah has also come, and they did to him whatever they wished, as it is written of him."
4 "Dear woman, why do you involve me?" Jesus replied. "My time has not yet come."
11 He told them, "The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables 12 so that, "'they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!'"
7 No, we speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began.
34 Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. 35 So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet: "I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world."
12 From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it. 13 For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. 14 And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come.
5 "See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes.
47 When some of those standing there heard this, they said, "He's calling Elijah." 48 Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. 49 The rest said, "Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to save him."
19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, 20 and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you — even Jesus. 21 He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets.
12 Jesus replied, "To be sure, Elijah does come first, and restores all things. Why then is it written that the Son of Man must suffer much and be rejected?
9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
18 Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
8 Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered
21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.
12 Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.
The disciples who were present at the transfiguration never forgot their mountaintop experience. They saw the Lord in his true glory, and it changed their lives forever. Peter wrote of this many years later when he recalled the experiences “when we were with him on the sacred mountain” (2 Peter 1:18). Peter was forever changed by what he saw. Near the end of the first century, John could look ahead to a future day of glory. With eager confidence he wrote, “We know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2). He knew that everything is changed when seeing the Lord as he really is. Through the disciples’ testimony we can watch with spiritual eyes as the Lord is transformed into his true glory. We can remember that we serve a Lord whose glory and power far transcend everything on earth. Jesus’ metamorphoses on the mount of transfiguration and from the empty tomb reveal his power to bring about our own metamorphosis. Jesus demonstrated that he has the power to change us into what we can never be on our own. As we surrender ourselves to his authority, we are “transformed by the renewing” of our minds (Romans 12:2), and we are changed degree by degree into the glory of his image (see 2 Corinthians 3:18). Jesus has the power to change us “in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye” (see 1 Corinthians 15:52). When Jesus returns, he will change our lowly bodies to be like “his glorious body” (Philippians 3:21). “We shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2).
Just one chapter earlier, Peter had become the first person in history to correctly identify Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God (cf. Matt. 16:15-17; Mark 8:29; Luke 9:20; John 6:69). Now he had made certain other comments that plainly show that he had actually acquired no adequate grasp of the significance or meaning of his previous confession of Jesus' supreme authority. His faux pas is the reason for God the Father's admonition in our golden text this week. When confronted with the transfigured Jesus in His state of full divine glory, flanked by the historic personages of Moses and Elijah, Peter was nervously excited and proposed to Jesus that three booths be built to honor each of them equally. In the text for this week, we see that in response to Peter's ill-conceived proposal, God sent a pillar of cloud, His Shekinah, a special bestowing of His presence. This was the memorable symbol of God's special presence in the Old Testament tent of meeting, the tabernacle, and in the temple (cf. Exod. 33:7-9; 40:34-35). When God's Shekinah rested on the tent of meeting, it revealed to Israel and to all the nations that God was with Israel in an exclusive, special relationship, a privilege unavailable to other nations. The appearance of the Shekinah in this passage has a similar significance. Through this sign, God the Father revealed Jesus' unique, supreme status and authority, as the God-Man, in His sight. To properly interpret this coming of the Shekinah, the Father spoke audibly, declaring unequivocally that it was His special Son, Jesus, whom they must listen to and obey, not Moses or Elijah, and least of all the misguided ideas of an awestruck fisherman! Although we can easily sympathize with Peter's misplaced and somewhat confused enthusiasm, this anecdote teaches us that it is not enough merely to experience an extraordinary visitation of some sort. We must not neglect properly interpreting and understanding God's intended purpose in giving us such an experience. God expects us to go further than merely absorbing such experiences through our senses; He wants us to get it too! Today, much of Christianity seems bogged down in Peter's situation. People crave visions and supernatural experiences, and they enjoy reveling in them and praising God for them; but many times they seem to care little or nothing about understanding or validating such experiences according to God's Word, the Bible. In our present culture, it is easy for us to become distracted and captivated by things that are, at best, nonessentials to the Christian life or, at the worst, hindrances and obstacles to the pursuit of holiness. In such cases, we need to seek God's guidance and direction to get us back on the narrow and direct path upon which Christ would lead us. Let us resolve henceforth to follow Christ with the wisdom and understanding provided by God in the Scriptures.
1. Jesus' promises always come to pass (Mark 9:2-3; cf. vs. 1)
2. Wise is he who says nothing when he does not know what to say (Mark 9:4-6; Eccles. 5:1-2)
3. In the final analysis, no matter what others are saying, it must be Jesus whom we hear and obey (Mark 9:7-8)
4. Every command of Jesus has a purpose, whether we fully understand it or not (vs. 9)
5. Our preconceptions must never keep us from seeking the truth from Jesus (vs. 10-11)
6. Prophecy may not always be clear to us, but it will always be fulfilled (vs. 12-13)
One of the most significant needs of every human being is to be unconditionally loved. Relationship experts believe that the absence of unconditional love is the cause of most of our anger and confusion. If unconditional love is absent, the resulting emptiness is unbearable. Human beings attempt to fill their personal and emotional emptiness with any number of unhealthy substitutes. Compulsive behaviors in relation to money, alcohol, sex, drugs, and power often escalate to desperate addictions. The feeding of such addictions achieves only an ever-deepening frustration, punctuated by brief moments of superficial gratification. The only person who can perfectly and eternally fill the emptiness in the human heart is the Lord Jesus Christ. One of the reasons He is capable of doing this is that He conveys to us the love His heavenly Father has for Him. We see this especially demonstrated in our text as the Father called Jesus His beloved Son.
Six days after telling His disciples that some of them would visually experience His kingdom power, the event took place. Peter, James, and John accompanied Jesus up a high mountain. Right before their eyes, Jesus was brilliantly transformed. Elijah and Moses also appeared and talked with the transfigured Saviour. Peter, who like his compatriots was stunned by what he saw, spoke before he thought. Then an audible voice emerged from an enveloping cloud, declaring, "This is my beloved Son: hear him" (Mark 9:7). Immediately following this verbal declaration of the Father's love, the disciples rubbed their eyes and saw only Jesus in their presence. Jesus, God's Son, was worthy of His Father's perfect love. The good news of the gospel is that anyone who places his faith in Jesus Christ as his personal Saviour also experiences God's great love. When this salvation occurs, the empty space in the heart is filled, and life receives meaning, purpose, and dignity.
As Jesus and His three disciples descended the mountain, Jesus told them not to tell anyone what they had just experienced. Only after He had been resurrected were they to proclaim what they had seen. Peter, James, and John were puzzled over the concept of resurrection. In their puzzlement, they asked Jesus a question about the Prophet Elijah. Jesus patiently gave them information concerning Elijah, especially about how people had treated him. The treatment of Elijah—in actuality John the Baptist (Matt. 17:13)—was a preview of how Jesus would be treated. He would suffer in accordance with what the Scriptures had prophesied about the Saviour. Experiencing God's unconditional love as His beloved children does not necessarily exempt us from times of confusion and difficulty. When we read God's Word and do not understand what it teaches, God's love prompts us to depend upon the Holy Spirit, who guides us into all spiritual understanding (cf. John 16:13). When believers experience times of suffering, God's unconditional love motivates us to understand that God is not rejecting us. As His beloved children, we may experience God's chastening; but even His chastening is evidence of His awesome love (cf. Heb. 12:5-7).