Mark 8:34-38, 9:1-13 The Transfiguration September 01, 2018
Take Up Your Cross and
Follow Jesus
Mark 8:34 Then he called the crowd
to him along with his disciples and said: "Whoever wants to be my disciple
must deny
themselves and take up their cross and follow me.
*Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone
desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and
follow Me.
*Luke 9:23 Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to
come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow
Me.
We to, must follow him to
cross. We know that the cross was a way to
execute people. When we carry a cross,
we know that we couldn’t save ourselves.
Are we carrying our cross to the Hill, walking with Jesus.
Denying self is not the same as
self-denial. We practice self-denial when, for a good purpose, we occasionally
give up things or activities.
But we deny self when we surrender
ourselves to Christ and determine to obey His will.”
*1 Corinthians 15:31 I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in
Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.
*Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live,
but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by
faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
Mark 8:35
For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life
for me and for the gospel will save
it.
*Matthew 16:25 For whoever desires to
save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find
it.
Mark 8:36 What good is it for
someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?
*Matthew 16:26 For what profit is it to
a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man
give in exchange for his soul?
*Luke 9:25 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole
world, and is himself destroyed or lost?
Mark 8:37 Or
what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?
Just wondering, does it
feel funny if you tell a total stranger that you are a follower of Jesus and
even use His Name.
Mark 8:38
For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful
generation, of him the Son of Man also
will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy
angels."
*Matthew 16:27 For the Son of Man will
come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each
according to his works.
*Luke 9:26 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the
Son of Man
will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the
holy angels.
*Daniel
7:13-14 "In my vision at night
I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds
of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence.
(14) He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations
and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting
dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be
destroyed.
Mark 9:1 And
He said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of
God present with power." {some
disciples standing there}
*Matthew 16:28 Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see
the Son of Man coming in His kingdom."
*Luke 9:27 But I tell you truly, there are some standing here
who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God."
Sometimes
a lesson given by a leader needs a special emphasis. It takes faith to receive
and put into practice the various lessons on discipleship, so a week later the
Lord provided a dazzling proof that God does, indeed, transform suffering into
glory.
A
remarkable statement. Yet, a week later the disciples will experience an
unforgettable surprise...The unveiling of Jesus’ glory in the presence of 3
disciples.
The Transfiguration, Jesus is transfigured before His disciples, which
mountain did this happen on. See attachment.
After this, they journey from the mount of Transfiguration and
passed through Galilee to Capernaum.
{Mark 9:30,33} What Peter said in his
letter.
*2 Peter 1:18 We ourselves heard this
voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain. {2 Pet 1:16-21}
Mark 9:2 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.
{why go up the mountain, and – the inter circle }
*Luke 9:28
Now it came to pass, about eight days after these sayings, that He took Peter,
John, and James and went up on the
mountain to pray. {8 days were
inclusive}
*Matthew
17:2 His appearance was changed in front of them, his face shone like the sun, and his clothes
became as white as the light.
*Exodus
33:20-23 NKJV But He said, "You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me,
and live." (21) And the LORD said, "Here is a place by Me, and you
shall stand on the rock. (22) So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put
you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by.
(23) Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face
shall not be seen."
*Exodus 34:30
So when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his
face shone, and they were afraid to come near him.
*Exodus 34:33
And when Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil on his face.
A lot of
different theories where the mount is located, but was Probably Mt. Hermon:
9,000 ft above sea level (Almost 11,000 ft above the Jordan valley).
This
made a profound life experience on John, James and Peter. For a brief time,
Jesus took on an appearance more appropriate for the King of Glory than for a
humble man.
Transfigured”:
to change into another form, to transform, from which we get the Greek term
metamorphosis, a comprehensive change from within;
An
example of course is the caterpillar: emerging from a cocoon as a beautiful
butterfly. Same word.
A total
change from inside out is what being called for
*2
Corinthians 3:18 But we all, with unveiled face, {Moses Face} beholding as in a
mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into
the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.
Mark 9:3 His clothes became dazzling white,
whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them.
*Luke 9:29 As He prayed, the appearance of His
face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening.
These
garments appeared to be glowing with a brilliancy such as no worker in linen or
other material for apparel could produce.
This shining
comes from the inside out.
Why did Jesus do this, and why at this time?
Because Jesus just told His disciples that He was going the way of the cross (Death
- Mar 8:31), and spiritually they should follow
Him in the way of the cross. They know
now that Jesus will be rejected and killed, but He is still in control.
Important, we are to carry the cross, but the goal
isn’t the cross. The cross is the path
to the goal, and the goal is the glory of God we are to have when we are
changed at Jesus coming.
Mark 9:4 And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses,
who were talking
with Jesus. {is this really true}
*Luke 9:30
Suddenly, two men were talking with him. They were Moses and Elijah.
*Matthew
17:3 And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.
Elijah
and Moses show up, so there are now 6 people there. Wonder what they were talking about. Jesus
and the 3 disciples. Moses would seem to
represent the Law; Elijah, the prophets. He was a major prophet from the Old
Testament. Also, they might represent
those:
Unknown Mystery: Why did Michael contend with Satan for the
body of Moses? I do not have an answer
to this. There must be something about
the body of Moses that stands out. {his
face shinning}
Who have
died (Moses – remember what Jude said about Moses body)
*Jude 1:9
Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses,
dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, "The Lord
rebuke you!" {insight about the
death of Moses, would not know about}
*Deuteronomy
34:5-6 So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab,
according to the word of the LORD. (6) And He buried him in a valley in the
land of Moab, opposite Beth Peor; but no one knows his grave to this day.
And those who will be
raised as Elijah was taken away in a chariot.
*2 Kings
2:11 Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a
chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them;
and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into
heaven.
*1
Thessalonians 4:17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up
together with them in the clouds to meet
the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.
Ok, what
were they talking about? This to me is a
confusing, hard understanding. We have
some clues what they said. Have you
heard this before?
The verb
tense according to authorities indicates that this was an extended conversation
they were talking with Jesus. Now to add
something.
Luke 9:31 They had a glorified
appearance, and were discussing Jesus' departure that he would shortly
bring about in Jerusalem.
They were talking about Jesus
death and departure which would
happen in Jerusalem. This inter group of
Disciples was treated to this experience.
A religious discussion. It was
just like a Staff Meeting – connected with 2nd coming.
Remember,
the cross was not a tragedy, not an accident, not a disaster.
It was
what Jesus came into this world for. It
was not an afterthought. It was the fulfillment
of Psalms 22 and Isaiah 53 and virtually all of the rest of Scripture. It is a big deal.
I personally
believe that there is not a passage in the Bible that you can disconnect from
Jesus Himself: His mission, His destiny,
His glory. Jesus would be found on every
page of the Bible.
The
three disciples had fallen asleep during Jesus’ prayer and almost missed seeing
Moses and Elijah and Jesus in His glory! Mark does not record this about the
disciples falling asleep.
*Luke 9:32
But Peter and those
with him were heavy with sleep; and when they were fully awake, they
saw His glory and the two men who stood with Him. {climbing mountain and at night?}
*Matthew 17:4
Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be
here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for
Moses, and one for Elijah."
Matthew
indicates that the three heard the voice from heaven and “fell facedown to the
ground, terrified. But Jesus came and touched them. ‘Get up,’ He said, ‘Don’t be
afraid.’”
*Matthew 17:6-7
And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid.
(7) But Jesus came and touched them and said, "Arise, and do not be
afraid."
Mark 9:5 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"--
Mark 9:6 because he {Peter?} did
not know what to say, for they were
greatly afraid.
*Luke 9:33
Then it happened, as they were parting from Him, that Peter said to Jesus,
"Master, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles:
one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah"--not knowing what he said.
This was
probably about the time of the year during Feast of Succoth, of Feast of Booths
or called Feast of Tabernacles.
Jesus is
the issue, not Moses or Elijah,
Mark 9:7
Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: "This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!"
{ The voice from the cloud of glory makes it clear that Jesus is the beloved Son - so Hear Him!}
{ The voice from the cloud of glory makes it clear that Jesus is the beloved Son - so Hear Him!}
*Luke
9:34-35 While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were fearful
as they entered the cloud. (35) And a
voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son. Hear
Him!" {the cloud came around
them?}
*Matthew
17:5 While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them;
and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved
Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!"
*Exodus 19:9 And the LORD said to Moses,
"Behold, I come to you in the thick cloud, that the people may hear when I
speak with you, and believe you forever." So Moses told the words of the people to the
LORD.
When did
this happen before, at Jesus baptism. Is
this the Father speaking.
The
Father interrupted Peter’s suggestion, and focused their attention, not on the
vision, but on the Word of God: “Hear Him.”
Mark 9:8 Suddenly, when they had looked around, they saw no
one anymore, but only Jesus with themselves.
*Luke 9:36
When the voice had ceased, Jesus was found alone. But they kept quiet, and told no one in those days any of the things they
had seen.
*Luke 9:37 The next day, when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met
him. {did not travel far}
*Matthew
17:8 When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.
Mark 9:9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
*Matthew
17:9 Now as they came down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying,
"Tell the
vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead."
Jesus just told the 3 that He is going to die
and be raised from the dead.
A
confidential thing that happen to them. The
three men were not to tell the other nine.
Mark 9:10 They kept the matter to
themselves, discussing what "rising from the dead" meant.
Their confusion is
understandable. That’s a tough concept, even today. The women seems to be the only ones who gets
that Jesus will die and be raised from the dead.
Mark 9:11 And they asked him,
"Why do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?"
*Matthew
17:10 And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Why then do the scribes
say that Elijah must come first?"
*Malachi 4:5
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great and
dreadful day of the LORD.
Mark 9:12 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?
*Matthew
17:11 Jesus answered and said to them, "Indeed, Elijah is coming first
and will restore all things.
The
confusion concerning Elijah continues even today. They knew the prophecies and
it was widely recognized that these would be fulfilled before the Messiah
appeared.
Mark 9:13 But I tell you, Elijah has come, and they have done to him everything
they wished, just as it is written about him."
*Matthew
17:12 But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know
him but did to him whatever they wished. Likewise the Son of Man is also about
to suffer at their hands."
*Matthew
17:13 Then
the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist.
