Mark 9:2-13 — The Son of Man Glorified

February 13, 2012

The Son of Man, Jesus announced (Mark 8:31), must suffer, die on a cross and then be raised from the dead. The Son of Man must lose his life before it can be saved. The path of suffering (losing his life) leads to glory (saving his life). The Son of Man will appear in the Father’s glory when he comes again. Yet, Jesus assured the crowd that some of them would see that glory—the arrival of the kingdom of God in glorious power—before they died (Mark 9:1). It is a rather enigmatic saying, but one that makes sense in the light of the next event in Jesus’ ministry.

Mark’s narrative has focused on the kingdom message and actions of Jesus. His ministry has embodied the reality of the kingdom. But it is a kingdom reality located in the brokenness of this old age, this broken creation. His ministry has reversed the curse but it has not, as yet, transformed the old age into the new age, the old reality in the new one, that is, the old creation into a new creation. The curse is lifting but people are stilly dying and even the Son of Man must suffer and die.

What will the disciples “see” when they “see the kingdom of God come with power”? They saw, in this immediate context, the transfiguration of Jesus into glory. They will see, in a more remote context, the resurrection (transfiguration) of Jesus from the dead. That is the glory of the kingdom of God. It is the glory of the Father that belongs to the second coming of Jesus–an eschatological glory. It is a glory as yet unknown in the Gospel of Mark but revealed on this mountain which anticipates the resurrection. The disciples are warned to keep this secret until Jesus was raised from the dead, that is, until the glory was fully actualized through resurrection though the reign of God would not fully come until the second coming of Christ.

It is a “high mountain” experience, perhaps on Mt. Hermon. Readers of Israel’s story should make immediate connections (e.g., “six days” echoes Exodus 24:16). Peter did. Seeing what he saw, he wanted to build three structures (booths) which are appropriate for festive dwelling in the presence of God (as in the Feast of Tabernacles). He seems to have associated this with Mt. Sinai and the “meeting” between God and Israel there. Both Moses and Elijah encountered God at Sinai. In the same way, God meets with Jesus and his disciples here. It is a time to celebrate and enjoy the divine presence.

Peter, though speaking out of fear and uncertainty, was right and he was wrong. He was correct to see something here that was analogous to Sinai. He was wrong to think that the reality was, at this point, permanent. He seems to have assumed this glory was a new permanent presence, perhaps even the inauguration of the kingdom in permanent form. But he misunderstood. This was but a temporary manifestation of eschatological glory.

Nevertheless, it was for their benefit. Peter, James and John—again the intimate circles of Jesus’ friends—were brought to the mountain so that they might experience this glory. Jesus was transfigured “before them” and Elijah and Moses appeared “before them” (the disciples). The experience intended to assure them that though Jesus would suffer and die, he would nevertheless experience glory as well. It was an assurance, no doubt, that Jesus also needed though Mark does not emphasize this.

On this high mountain, this new Sinai, Jesus is transfigured or transformed. His form changed. He appeared in the glory of dazzling white clothes—a whiteness that exceeded what was possible for any human effort. This was a divine act. It was heavenly glory, divine glory. It was the glory of the new age—the glory of the heavenly Father in which the Son of Man would ultimately come again.

But the Son of Man is glorified in this moment rather than at his second advent. This momentary glory here–much like the momentary glory Moses experience on Sinai and at the ”Tent of Meeting–anticipates the fullness of that second advent glory. To see this glory is to see the final coming of the kingdom of God proleptically. It is to see it as if it has already happened. It appears now even though it belongs to the future. The glory of the parousia (second coming) of Jesus is revealed on this “high mountain” in Palestine. It is the glory which Jesus experiences in his resurrection which is also a glorious transfiguration or transformation. This mountain-top transfiguration is a promise of the resurrection and an assurance of the second coming of the Son of Man. It is a divine witness that though the Son of Man may suffer and die, he will surely rise again as the firstborn of a new creation, which includes a glorified and transfigured new heaven and new earth.

In this moment, the Father speaks. A cloud, like that which led Israel in the wilderness and rested on Sinai, appears and a voice speaks from the cloud. The Father comes and speaks: “This is my Son, my beloved. Listen to him.” Again, this is directed to the disciples.

Some think the imperative “listen” may provide a clue for why Moses and Elijah were present. Perhaps the disciples are to listen to Jesus rather than Moses and Elijah. But I don’t think it is a function of contrast but of fulfillment. Jewish Messianic expectations surrounded the prophetic figures of Moses and Elijah. The Messiah would be like Moses, and Elijah would precede the Messiah. Now Moses and Elijah have fulfilled their function, and the Son of Man, the Messiah, has arrived and is prepared to fulfill his mission. “Listen to him.” Listen to what he says about messianic mission–he is going to suffer and die, and only then enter into glory.

But as quickly as it happened, it was over. The dazzling glory receded (just as it had from the face of Moses at the tabernacle), Elijah and Moses have disappeared, and the echo of the voice fell silent. The disciples were alone with Jesus. It must have seemed like a dream, but their eyes and ears had not deceived them. It really happened, and it proclaimed the coming resurrection of Jesus and the eschatological glory of the second coming of Christ (cf. 2 Peter 1:16-18) even though the disciples did understand what Jesus meant by “rising from the dead.”

Yet, they do know what they just saw. They saw Elijah. Maybe that was what the teachers of the law meant by saying Elijah must first come before the Messiah (cf. Malachi 4:5).

Jesus acknowledges that Elijah must first come before the Messiah, but this was not that. Rather, John the Baptist was Elijah. His ministry ended just as the Son of Man’s will. Just as John suffered and died, so the Son of Man will too. They persecuted and executed John—“they have done to him everything they wished”—and they will persecute and execute the Son of Man just as they did to John.

The transfiguration is a momentous event in the life of Jesus. It assures him of eschatological, resurrected glory even though he must suffer and die. It is a foretaste not only of his resurrection but also of the consummation. It is the assurance that all things will be restored as the coming of Elijah promises. The kingdom of God will come. Indeed, it has already come, but it will come with power. That power is proleptically experienced at the transfiguration of Jesus, actualized in the person of Jesus through resurrection, and fully restores the kingdom of God to the earth at the parousia.

We stand where the disciples stand. We anticipate death but hope for glory. We “lose” our lives in order to save them. We follow Jesus to the cross and we hope in the resurrection. We give up the whole world in order to gain it in the kingdom of God. We believe, we follow and we wait.

Lord Jesus, come quickly.

6 Comments | Theology | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by John Mark Hicks

Jesus, the Unlikely Apprentice III

February 11, 2009

Shaped by Intimacy

[ The sermon version of this small group study is available here].

Jesus lived with twelve disciples. He travelled with the twelve, ate with the twelve, taught the twelve, sent the twelve out to herald the good news and heal the sick, and prayed with the twelve. There were times when he prayed with the twelve and no one else.  “One day Jesus left the crowds to pray alone. Only his disciples were with him” (Luke 9:18). But there were other times when Jesus was only with the three.

We might compare the twelve to a kind of task-oriented small group. It was training ground for the twelve and Jesus was their discipler and teacher, but–as we shall see in the next lesson–it was a group in which Jesus was himself apprenticed as well. But the three is something different. In a group of three or four, intimacy can happen in ways that does not usually happen in a group of twelve or more.

Intimacy defies definition. It is a subjective, personal experience of being in relation with another. It enables one to actually see into the other:  “into-me-see” or intimacy. It is sharing ourselves, our experiences, our feelings, our secrets, our lives.  It is letting another person into our real selves–to let them see how we see truly see ourselves. Obviously, then, intimacy needs safety; intimacy only happens in safe places with safe people. It only happens where there is trust. And it usually only happens within a small group (three to five people) or with a few people.

Jesus built this kind of intimacy with Peter, James and John. He shared life with them in more intimate ways than he did the twelve, according to the record we have. He took them places and did things with them that he did not do with the twelve. Jesus built an intimate trust with those three.

When they arrived at the house, Jesus wouldn’t let anyone go in with him except Peter, John, James and the little girl’s father and m other. (Luke 8:51)

We build intimacy with others through shared experiences. For some reason, which is not explained in the text, Jesus did not take the twelve into the daughter’s room. He only took Peter, James and John. He shared something with them that deepened their friendship and developed intimacy through shared experience. We partner with each other in a task, or spend time with each other in personal, tragic or thrilling moments. Through the shared experiences we learn to trust each other as we see each other coping with reality.

Jesus took Peter, James and John into the inner sanctum of his miracle-working on this occasion. He shared this liberating, amazing  and thrilling moment with them. The shared experienced bonded them in ways that only experiences can. The utter ecstasy and joy of seeing this adolescent girl come back to life seared this moment in their group consciousness. It was an intimate moment between them.

Jesus took Peter, John and James up on a mountain to pray. And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was transformed, and his clothes became dazzling white. (Luke 9:28-29)

We build intimacy with others through shared strength. The Transfiguration takes place immediately after Jesus begins to tell his disciples that he is going to Jerusalem to die. This moved their relationship to a deeper level and it must have generated stress, confusion and alarm among them. As he faced this final journey to Jerusalem, Jesus needed affirmation and blessing. The Transfiguration was a divine affirmation and blessing: “This is my Son whom I love.”

Jesus brought Peter, James, and John with him as a small prayer group, and God showed up. Together, as an intimate group, the four are strengthened, renewed and affirmed by the divine presence. Jesus finds strength not only in the divine presence but a divine presence experienced in community with his intimate friends. They share this moment of strength, affirmation and blessing. They are mutually encouraged and strengthened.

He took Peter, James and John with him, and he became deeply troubled and distressed. He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me. (Mark 14:33-34)

We build intimacy with others through shared feelings. Jesus had just come from an emotional last supper with the twelve (Judas had betrayed him, the disciples had argued about who was the greatest, Jesus had washed their feet) and had walked over to the Garden of Gethsemane with the eleven during which Peter and the rest pledged their loyalty to the death (but then they failed to keep their promises). He took the three deeper into the garden than the other disciples. He would lean on them for support in more intimate way than the other eight.

Walking with the three Jesus begins to feel the enormity of what is about to happen. His spirit is troubled–even frightened–and overwhelmed. Grief and sorrow flood his heart; it crushes him to the point that he wishes he were dead.  He agonizes over his decision to submit to the will of the Father. Astoundingly, he confesses the depth of his feeling to his intimate friends; he reveals his true self. He shares his feelings with them. He wants his friends to “watch with him”–to share his feelings, to pray with him, to be there for him. He needs a listening ear; he needs the support of his intimates.

Jesus needed the intimacy of human companionship. He would not be authentically human otherwise. God did not create us to live in isolation from others. Rather, he built into us a bonding mechanism that connects with other people. This can become unhealthy (as in codepenency), but connection with other people is necessary for personal, mental and spiritual health. Humans are meant to live in relation with others just as the Triune God is community-in-relation. When these relationships remain superficial we lose what God intended intimacy to provide.

Human intimacy provides authentic relationship, accountability in living, support in times of need, companions to share the joys, and the ability to live without secrets. Jesus nurtured this kind of intimacy with Peter, James and John. His apprenticeship in human intimacy offers us a model.

The journey into intimacy is difficult. It is sometimes disappointing–even as it was for Jesus himself.  But any other journey is lonely, fearful and isolating. We cannot become what God intends without intimacy with others. Without intimacy–at some level–we become a facade, a Hollywood front and we live with a divided self. We let others see one self, but the real self we keep hidden.  We really don’t want anyone to see us as we really are–we really don’t want intimacy–because we fear their rejection and disappointment. But we cannot truly be ourselves without others–a few–knowing us.

Do you have people with whom….

you can express your deepest and most authentic feelings?

you can tell your darkest secrests?

you feel safe talking about your relationships?

you can confess sin?

you can let your guard down and be truly real?

 Questions:

1.  Why do think Jesus sometimes separated the “three” from the rest of the “twelve”? What was significant about each of the three occasions noted in the lesson?

2.  Why does Jesus “need” intimacy? Or, does he? What does his need for human companionship tell us about our need for intimacy?

3.  What does intimacy mean for you? Why is it so difficult to experience? Why do we fear it?

4.  What parameters are necessary for authentic intimacy? What are the “ground rules” of intimacy?

5.  How might we develop intimate relationships with others? What strategies would be useful?

3 Comments | Spirituality | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by John Mark Hicks

Suffering, then Glory

October 23, 2005

Text: Luke 9:28-36

When Jesus took on the mantle of his messianic mission at his baptism, a voice “from heaven” declared: “You are my Son.” And then the Son was led by the Spirit of God into the wilderness to be tested. Now, just after Jesus announced his future messianic suffering to his disciples, a voice “from the cloud” declared “This is my Son…listen to him.”

The transfiguration is a dense theological text. It is filled with allusions to significant events within Luke’s narrative as well as in the Hebrew Bible.

Luke anticipates the Garden of Gethsemane—1) he takes James, Peter and John with him; 2) he goes to pray with the prospect of suffering; 3) the disciples slept; and 4) Peter says/does something stupid indicating the disciples’ lack of understanding. Jesus finds a place to pray with his intimate friends, but they fall asleep. Analogous to Gethsemane, Jesus agonizes over the prospect of his future suffering in Jerusalem as he turns his face toward the city (9:51).

Luke anticipates the Resurrection/Ascension stories—1) two “men” appear with Jesus; 2) the eschatological nature of glory; 3) a cloud appears; and 4) revelatory speech (“listen to him”; “he is not here”; “coming again”). The glory of this “transfiguration” (metamorphosis) is eschatological. It anticipates not only his resurrection but his ascension to the right hand of God (“taken up into heaven,” 9:51). Suffering is not Jesus’ final destiny.

Luke remembers Theophanies in the Hebrew narrative: 1) mountain experiences; 2) glory of divine presence; 3) “listen to him” (cf. Deut 18:15); and 4) encouragement in the mist of despair (Moses in Ex. 34; Elijah in 2 Kings 18-19). Moses and Elijah both encountered God at Mt. Sinai at times of great disappointment and despair.

Jesus’ transfiguration from Adamic, fallen existence into eschatological glory was designed as an encouragement, not for his disciples, but for Jesus himself. The Father lifted his Son into the glorious experience of conversation with Moses and Elijah. They discussed his “exodus,” that is, his journey to Jerusalem. They discussed his future suffering.

This was a proleptic event in the life of the Son. It was the experience of his future glory—his resurrection glory, his ascension glory, the glory of the second coming (cf. 2 Peter 1). In answer to his prayer, the Father encouraged his Son to complete his mission. Divine presence and the presence of the future empower his mission. Jesus is assured that the cross is not the end game.

It would be a mistake to reduce this “mountain top” experience to our own “mountain top” experiences. We may have moments when we sense the presence of God in transcendent, even mystical ways. I often sense this in the assembly of God’s saints as we are lifted into the divine throne room, into the divine presence. But this moment in the life of Jesus was the in-breaking of the future—not just a taste, but a full experience of that future through the presence of “witnesses” (Moses and Elijah), the divine presence, and a transformed appearance.

And yet, our worship experiences are also an encounter with divine presence. They are the alreadiness of the future. We do not yet experience what Jesus did on that mountain, but we already experience a “taste” of it. Our assemblies gather in the presence of God, they are encounter with glory and witnesses (angels, the church universal, and our beloved departed) are present. Our worship is a taste of the future, and the future encourages us as we face the reality of death in this present world. Like Jesus, I need that divine encounter to encourage me to pursue my divine mission. Worship—because it is the in-breaking of the future though not yet the fullness of that future—empowers me to serve and it brings hope into the darkness.

The disciples were awed by this event. They fumbled for words. Peter speaks but he doesn’t understand. He doesn’t know what he is talking about. He misses the point—Jesus, Moses and Elijah are not equals. Jesus is not only Messiah, but Son of God. The cloud of divine presence descended among the disciples. God spoke. The disciples listened. They followed Jesus…they followed him down the mountain in awe and silence.

We, too, are awed by divine presence. We encounter God through worship and prayer. And we listen to Jesus. And we, too, follow him down the mountain into the world…on a mission, the mission of Jesus. We follow him to the cross and die to ourselves on our own cross. But his transfiguration is also for us, just as his resurrection and glory is ours. It empowers our mission. Suffering is not our final destiny either. His future is our future.

18 Comments | Biblical Texts | Tagged: , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by John Mark Hicks

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