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Gospel of Mark
Part 50: The Transfiguration
By Rev. Bruce A. Shields
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SERMON TIMELINE
1. Introduction
5. The Preaching Ministry of Jesus I
6. The Preaching Ministry of Jesus II
9. At the Home of Simon and Andrew
12. Jesus and the Tax Collector
13. Jesus Questioned About Fasting
15. Jesus, Lord of the Sabbath & Resurrection Sunday 2025
16. Hard Hearts and Hard Thoughts
18. Jesus Appoints the Apostles
24. Parable of the Growing Seed
25. Parable of the Mustard Seed
26. Benefits of Private Teaching
30. When Familiarity Breeds Contempt
32. Weakness in the Seat of Power
34. Feeding 5000
38. The Source of True Defilement
39. Gentile Blessed for Her Faith
40. He Has Done All Things Well
41. Jesus Feeds 4000
42. Jesus Sighs
43. Beware of Leaven
44. The Blind Man at Bethsaida
45. Who Do You Say That Jesus Is?
46. Mindful of the Things of God
49. Ashamed of Jesus and His Word
50. The Transfiguration
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE
The Transfiguration: Behold the Majesty of the Lord
Mark 9:1-9 “And Jesus was saying to them, “Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God having come in power.”
2 And six days later, Jesus *took with Him Peter and James and John, and *brought them up on a high mountain alone by themselves. And He was transfigured before them; 3 and His garments were shining intensely white, as no launderer on earth can whiten them. 4 And Elijah appeared to them along with Moses and they were conversing with Jesus. 5 And Peter answered and *said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three tabernacles, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 6 For he did not know what to answer; for they became terrified. 7 Then a cloud formed, overshadowing them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is My beloved Son, listen to Him!” 8 And all at once when they looked around, they saw no one with them anymore, except Jesus alone.
9 And as they were coming down from the mountain, He gave them orders not to recount to anyone what they had seen, until the Son of Man rose from the dead.
INTRODUCTION
After Jesus explains the cost of discipleship, the value of the soul, Jesus makes the statement in Mark 8:38 “whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”
Last week se talked about being ashamed of Jesus and His word, and today, we will talk about how one day Jesus will come in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.
This is a reference to His coming on the Day of Judgment. (Matthew 16:27; Matthew 25:31-32)
Then, to support His claim of the coming Judgment Day, Jesus makes the statement.
· (Mark 9:1) “Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the Kingdom of God having come in power.”
(Matthew 16:28; Luke 9:27)
What does Jesus mean by some of the disciples and listeners won't taste death before seeing the Kingdom of God come in power?
Some say this refers to the transfiguration on Mount.
Some say this refers to the resurrection and ascension.
Some say the coming day of Pentecost and the beginning of “the church.”
Some believe it’s about the destruction of Jerusalem by Rome in 70 A.D.
Some think it’s the second coming of Christ.
But careful examination of scripture reveals in Mark 17:1 and Mark 9:2 Matthew and Mark recording “and after six days,” and Luke writing “about eight days,” which is the Jewish equivalent to saying “about a week later,” in Luke 9:28, and Luke also adding “after these sayings,” clearly tying the event to what had just been said.
What we see is a promise of the coming Kingdom of God in power, followed by the visible manifestation (the transfiguration) of Christ’s glory, revealing Jesus’ coming authority, which will be given to Him after the resurrection.
Peter reveals this event as a “preview of royal power and authority.”
2 Peter 1:16 “For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty.”
The Transfiguration also fulfills Old Testament expectations of the kingdom being revealed in glory through the Messiah.
Daniel foresaw a moment when the Son of Man would be given dominion and glory. Daniel 7:14
“And to Him was given dominion, glory, and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations, and men of every language might serve Him.”
On the mountain, that dominion is unveiled locally, and will take place globally after the resurrection, as we see in Matthew 28 with the Great Commission.
Matthew 28:16-20 “… the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated. 17 And when they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore [stop being afraid] and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to keep all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
The verb translated “doubted” is distazō, a term Matthew uses sparingly. Its semantic range does not indicate settled disbelief, but wavering, hesitation, or uncertainty about how to respond.
Matthew’s only other use of the term appears in Matthew 14:31, when Peter walks on the water. Jesus says, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”
Peter’s doubt is not a denial of Jesus’ identity or power. He has already stepped out of the boat. His hesitation concerns trust in the immediate implications of what he is experiencing. The issue is not whether Jesus is Lord, but how fully Peter will rely upon Him in that moment.
What causes hesitation is the overwhelming convergence of glory, authority, and commissioning in the great commission.
And we know this to be the correct understanding because of the statement Jesus makes in verse 19, “Go therefore,” which can also be translated, “do not be afraid.”
What takes place at the transfiguration is the fulfillment of Old Testament expectations of the coming Messiah, and a preview of the power and glory of the coming Kingdom of God, with all authority of heaven and earth given to the Messiah.
I. THE TRANSFIGURATION WAS EVIDENCE
a. Jesus was transfigured (Mark 9:2)
i. The Greek word metamorpho
ii. Meaning to change or transform
iii. This change affected His face and clothing
1. Matthew 17:2 His face shone like the sun
2. Luke 9:29 states Jesus face was altered
3. Matthew 17:2 His clothes became white as the light
4. Mark 9:3 “His garments were shining intensely white, as no launderer on earth can whiten them.”
iv. 2 Peter 1:16 while recalling the transfiguration, Peter wrote that what he saw was the “majesty” of Jesus.
1. Radiance of His glory representing His deity as the Son of God
2. Hebrews 1:1-3 “God, having spoken long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, 2 in these last days spoke to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds, 3 who is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power; who, having accomplished cleansing for sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high…”
b. Also evidenced by the presence of Moses and Elijah
i. Now some believe that Moses and Elijah were speaking to Jesus from “their time,” so the three of them were talking at once through history with each other. Besides Moses and Elijah’s encounters happening on different mountains, let's look at the scriptures.
1. This is a fantastical and “cool” thing to imagine.
2. Let’s look at the recorded encounters using proper hermeneutics.
a. Moses: Exodus 33:18-23 “Then Moses said, “I pray You, show me Your glory!” 19 And He said, “I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of Yahweh before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will show compassion on whom I will show compassion.” 20 But He said, “You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!” 21 Then Yahweh said, “Behold, there is a place by Me, and you shall stand there on the rock; 22 and it will come about, while My glory is passing by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will remove My hand, and you shall see My back, but My face shall not be seen.”
i. Firstly, Moses was speaking with The Father (Yahweh) not the Lord.
ii. At the Transfiguration, Moses was speaking with Jesus about His coming death…face to face.
b. Elijah: 1 Kings 19:11-13 “So He said, “Go forth and stand on the mountain before Yahweh.” And behold, Yahweh was passing by! And a great and strong wind was tearing up the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before Yahweh; but Yahweh was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but Yahweh was not in the earthquake. 12 Then after the earthquake a fire, but Yahweh was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a thin gentle whisper. 13 Now it happened that when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. And behold, a voice came to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
i. Again, Elijah met with The Father (Yahweh) not the Lord.
ii. Also, he wrapped his face in his mantle…yet, at the transfiguration, every clearly saw it was Elijah, and he spoke face to face with Jesus about His coming death.
3. So as neat as that sounds, it is not the case.
ii. They were speaking face-to-face with Jesus (Mark 9:4)
1. They also appeared in glory (Luke 9:31a)
2. Speaking about the coming death of Jesus (Luke 9:31b)
3. Luke 9:32 tells us Peter, James, and John had been sleeping, but awoke to see Jesus in His glory, and talking with Moses and Elijah.
iii. Peter understood why Moses and Elijah appeared.
1. Mark 9:5-6 “Peter answered and *said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three tabernacles, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 6 For he did not know what to answer; for they became terrified.”
2. Moses represented “The Law,” and Elijah represented “The Prophets.”
3. In Peter's mind, Jesus had just been elevated to Moses and Elijah status!
But Peter would soon discover that Jesus was greater than both, especially regarding His authority.
II. THEY BEHELD THE MAJESTY OF THE COMING KINGDOM
a. As Peter suggested, building tabernacles, God spoke
i. Mark 9:7 “Then a cloud formed, overshadowing them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is My beloved Son, listen to Him!”
1. We know from Matthew 17:6 that this terrified the disciples
2. And in the following verse, Jesus comforted them, “Jesus came to them and touched them and said, “Get up, and do not be afraid.”
ii. The fact that God said, “this is my beloved Son, LISTEN TO HIM,” implies God would now speak through His Son Jesus, NOT the Law by Moses, or the Prophets by Elijah.
1. The rule and reign, all authority, would be given to Christ after Christ suffered through death, and entered glory after the resurrection and ascension.
a. Luke 24:26
iii. Which explains why Jesus told the disciples NOT to tell anyone of this vision until AFTER His resurrection in Mark 9:9
iv. What they witnessed was a foretaste, a foreshadowing of the coming glory and rule of the Kingdom.
Notice too, after the voice of God said listen to my Beloved Son, Moses and Elijah had disappeared!
I believe this was to emphasize and declare clearly, there was only one in whom we listen to, Jesus Christ, Messiah. Not the Law of Moses, and not the Prophets, like Elijah.
CONCLUSION
The transfiguration fulfills the promise of Jesus from Mark 9:1; Matthew 16:28; Luke 9:27
That some would “see” the coming Kingdom of God with power before they died. A foreshadowing of what is to come, such as the gift of the Holy Spirit is a pledge, or deposit, a taste and promise of what is to come for those who belong to the Lord. Ephesians 1:13-14; 2 Corinthians 1:21-22; 2 Corinthians 5:5
What does this mean for believer today?
We don’t need tabernacles or temples erected in “memory” of Christ.
For us, we add honor and glory that Jesus richly deserves by simply “Listening to God’s Beloved Son,” and we do this be reading the word of God!
May we forever be proud of what Jesus’ words and deeds and never put Him to shame!
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