Mark 9:1  And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power.
2  And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them.
3  And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them.
4  And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus.
5  And Peter answered and said to Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.
6  For he wist not what to say; for they were sore afraid.
7  And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him.
8  And suddenly, when they had looked round about, they saw no man any more, save Jesus only with themselves.
9  And as they came down from the mountain, he charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the dead.
10  And they kept that saying with themselves, questioning one with another what the rising from the dead should mean.
11  And they asked him, saying, Why say the scribes that Elias must first come?
12  And he answered and told them, Elias verily cometh first, and restoreth all things; and how it is written of the Son of man, that he must suffer many things, and be set at nought.
13  But I say unto you, That Elias is indeed come, and they have done unto him whatsoever they listed, as it is written of him.

I want to begin today by thanking those who took the time to pray for me during the past few days. It has been an interesting few days. It is not the first time I have faced the challenges of heart problems. However, as I get older the impact of these events seems to be longer lasting. The nursing staff were very caring and helpful in my time in the hospital. The food was also good. They inserted two more stents this time around. God’s clock is ticking. How long I have is in His hand. He has graciously placed me in His hand and He will keep me in His care.
In our text we are again reminded of the fact that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He knew the future. He is also the Son of Man. He limited Himself regarding His deity. His coming to earth was of greater significance than we often consider. He sacrificed so many things in order to become a man and be nailed to that cross. In our text He would give some of those with Him the privilege of seeing the kingdom of God come with power.
God gave so much evidence of the fact that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He designed all that evidence to help that generation to know that Jesus Christ fulfilled all the Old Testament prophecies regarding His first coming. All succeeding generations have been given the written record of these events to help us to know that we can trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for our salvation. It is also given to help us to avoid the many false Christs that have arisen over the years.
In verses 2-13 we are given the fulfilment of this prophecy. Jesus’ public ministry was limited to a few years. In that time, there was much teaching to do. In our text we read that Jesus chose Peter, and James, and John to accompany Him into the mountain. The others did not have the privilege of viewing this event. Jesus was transfigured before them. This transfiguration did not just affect His body, but His clothing as well. His raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow. This raiment was changed in a way that no earthly fuller could do. A “fuller” is one who “teases the cloth”. He would be the person who weaves the cloth in preparation for making the garment. As a person would weave the threads to make the cloth, the threads would pick up some dirt from the environment around it. Man does not have the capacity to make anything as pure as that which is in heaven.
We read as well that Elias (Elijah) and Moses appeared before these men. They were talking with Jesus. These were not ghosts. These men stood there before them and the disciples heard them speaking.
Peter was quite impressed with what they were witnessing. No doubt it was quite the event. Peter wanted to capture the moment. He wanted more than just the mental memory of this event. He wanted something more substantial. He wanted three tabernacles, one for Jesus and one for Moses and one for Elias.
There were times when God used visuals to remind the people of some important event. The vessels in the tabernacle were there to remind the people of certain aspects of the Lord Jesus Christ. When the nation of Israel crossed the Jordan, God told them to gather twelve stones to set up a memorial to that event. We as people like to memorialize certain things.
God had no intention of letting Peter make these three tabernacles. We are told that Peter did not really understand what he was saying. This event was so ‘spectacular’ that it put a fear into the disciples.
God was in charge and a cloud came over them. God often used a cloud to represent Himself. In this cloud, God spoke to them. He taught the disciples the importance of this event. God the Father showed them that Jesus was their beloved Son. Not only so, but they needed to listen to what Jesus was saying. Signs have their place, but what God says is of far greater importance. Jesus warned the Jews that they were preoccupied with signs. The disciples needed to get past that and listen to what Jesus was saying.
We read that after God spoke audibly to them, all of a sudden Moses and Elias were no longer there. They did not see them come and they did not see them leave. It was not the same as when Jesus ascended up to heaven. The disciples watched Jesus leave at that time.
Jesus took the disciples back down from that mountain and He charged them not to tell any man of what they had seen until after Jesus was raised from the dead. These men had been given something very exciting. They had seen something that no one else had seen. There was a need to keep this experience to themselves for the time being. Peter was directed to write about this in his second epistle. In spite of the spectacular event that Peter had in our text, God directed him to write that what we have, the Word of God, is of greater significance.
We do not need some sign to convince us that God is real. Too many people are sign seekers. Then when they see what they think is a sign, they interpret that as a message from God. Yet, these same people will not accept what God has declared as Truth.
In verse 10 we read that the disciples kept this even to themselves, but they also had questions regarding Jesus’ statement of rising from the dead. They did not understand the resurrection. This was a new concept. Job spoke of the resurrection when he declared that he would see God in his body one day. Job may not have understood what he was writing there, but God directed him to write it. The disciples would gain more insight into the resurrection when Jesus rose from the dead.
In our text, the disciples also wanted to understand the teaching of the scribes with regard to the coming of Elias. In this case they referred back to Malachi 4:5. The scribes sometimes taught the truth. That was part of the danger of their false teaching. The devil is the master of deception.
Elijah had been a faithful prophet in the Old Testament. He had been taken up in a whirlwind and Elisha did not see him anymore. Jesus stated that Elias would indeed come first and restore all things. Jesus further pointed out that Elijah had come in the person of John the Baptist. He came and pointed the people back to the Old Testament truths. John the Baptist did not follow the Pharisees’ false teaching. He rejected that and taught the truth. The Pharisees knew his teaching was different and they wanted John to publicly show that he was in agreement with them. They wanted him to baptize them. John told them they needed to prove they were changed. They could not keep believing what they did and be accepted by God. False teaching must be abandoned by the true child of God.
John did all that God had prophesied regarding the coming of Elijah. The disciples did not need to look for anyone else. The Pharisees would keep looking. They did not like what they saw in Jesus, and they rejected Him. Many Jews are still looking for their version of the Messiah. We know the day is coming when the nation of Israel will recognize Jesus Christ as the One Whom they had pierced. They will repent and trust in Him as their Messiah and Saviour. There are Jews being saved today, but not as a nation.
The important part for us today is to listen to what God’s Word says. Get rid of the imaginations. Receive the truth and be blessed. For those who are not saved, accept what God says about you. You need a Saviour. You must turn to God in repentance and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. Then you need to listen to God as He draws you to a good, local church. Your soul will desire that. Your flesh may try to convince you otherwise, but your soul will long for fellowship with other saints. It is important for the true child of God to be growing in the Lord and be encouraged in the things of the Lord.
Pastor Bartel