INTRODUCTION

Matthew’s Gospel opens with a lineage from Abraham down to Jesus. Luke’s Gospel includes a family tree from Jesus back to Adam. Mark did not neglect to give a lineage. Rather, fitting his stylistic rapid pace gives us the most concise lineage possible for Jesus: He is the Son of God the Father. But the Heavenly Father promises His Beloved Son glory. But this glory will be bought with blood.

THE TEXT

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. 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. And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them. […]

Mark 9:1ff

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

After the revelation of the last chapter that Jesus is indeed the Christ, and must die and rise again, Jesus informs His disciples and the crowds that His Kingdom will come with power in their lifetime (v1). Mark now underscores this point by taking us up a mountain to show us Christ’s glory. Mark gives a rare time-statement, six days later, a call-back to the creation narrative. Three witnesses, Peter, James, and John are led by Jesus to the top of a mountain and is transformed (metamorphosed) before them, His robes shine as bright as a mirror reflecting the sun; Elijah and Moses appear and talk with Jesus (vv2-4). Peter, out of fearful wonder, proposes the building of tabernacles for them (vv5-6). Instead, the glory cloud of the Spirit of God overshadows them and the Father’s voice proclaims, “This is my beloved Son: hear him.” In the blink of an eye, the wondrous cloud and OT visitors were gone and only Jesus remained with them (vv7-8).

While descending the mountain, Jesus instructs them to tell no one until the Son of Man (Cf. Dan. 7) rose again; this talk about rising again puzzles the three disciples (vv9-10). It sparks a question regarding the accuracy of the scribes’ teaching about Elijah coming before Messiah. Jesus assures them that the scribes are right, Elijah would come to restore all things, but the prophetic writings also teach of the Son of man’s sufferings. Jesus goes on to assert that the prophesied coming of Elijah had already taken place, and he’d been treated as was written (vv11-13).

The reunion with the rest of the disciples confronts Jesus with a squabble to sort out. His appearance shocks the crowds (Cf. Mk. 14:33, 16:5-6) and straightway they bring the point of contention to Jesus. A man speaks up for the crowd to tell that he’d brought his son to the disciples because his son was vexed by an unclean spirit that afflicted him with violent fits, deafness, and speechlessness. They’d been unable to cast out the demon (vv14-18). Jesus passes a judgement upon His generation for their faithlessness, and then commands the boy to brought; when the boy saw Jesus, straightway a demonic fit began. Jesus inquires as to the duration of the affliction. The man answers that the boy has endured the violence of this demonic possession from childhood, and he pleads for compassion and help (vv19-22). Jesus tells the man that if he believes all things are possible, and straightway the man responds with a tearful confession and prayer, “Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.” Jesus’ attention turns to the turmoil of the crowd due to the foul spirit. He rebukes the spirit, which violently convulses a final time, seemingly killing the boy. But Jesus is there to perform a shadow of the resurrection which everything in Jesus’ story is leading towards (vv23-27). Later, in private, the disciples are perplexed why they couldn’t drive out this particular demon, so Jesus teaches them that this kind of spirit must be driven out by prayer (vv28-29, Cf. Lk. 9:28).

TWO NATURES

This passage raises an important theological point. It is quite easy to slip into some form of heresy when dealing with the two episodes where God speaks from heaven (baptism & transfiguration). On one hand it might be tempting to think that up until this point the divine nature of Jesus was hidden, and suddenly here is where the mask comes off. But this is to fall into what we call docetism, that Jesus only appeared to be a man. On the other hand, these episodes are used to teach that Jesus was merely a man and that at one of these points the Father decided Jesus was a good enough man for Him to use, this is often called adoptionism.

In modern times, with particularly Mormonism becoming more mainline, these christological errors not only linger but are becoming common among the evangelical rank and file. The transfiguration isn’t an instance of “the Christ” coming upon Jesus. Rather, as we confessed in the Nicene Creed, Jesus is “of one substance with the Father.” He is not the Father, but He and the Father are one in Godhead. At His conception the eternal Christ, who was very God of very God, was united with a true human body. The transfiguration is the unveiled glory of human nature reunited with God. Sin had sundered and sullied human nature, Jesus Christ came to drag human nature out of the gutter and raise it into glory. His human nature became resplendent  with His divine nature. This is the hope of the resurrection, that our mortal bodies will be raised into glory because they are covenantally united to Christ’s body.

MOSES & ELIJAH

The presence of Moses and Elijah with Jesus is rich with meaning. The Law and the Prophets, as it were, add their amen to the Father’s declaration that Jesus is His Beloved Son. Moses had ascended Sinai to receive the Law; Elijah had ascended Sinai and received the prophetic call. Now both stand as witnesses to the fullness of the Law and Prophets reach their crescendo in the Gospel of Jesus. Peter’s instinct to built a tabernacle to contain the glory is off the mark, but not by much. A tabernacle was needed, but not one made with human hands. Rather, Jesus was the tabernacle––the true house of God––and the glory cloud was a proof that in Jesus man might dwell in God’s House. The dwelling place for the saints of every age––as represented by Elijah, Moses, and the three Apostles––is in the tabernacle of Christ’s body.

THE LAST DRAGON

Thus far, Jesus’ ministry has been booming. Crowds are gathering. Merely His touch heals. Five loaves feed five thousand. Scrupulous scribes are mocked. Herod is quaking in his boots. Suddenly, the success grinds to a halt. Danger and difficulty are growing. These ominous  notes begin precisely as the glory rises to a peak. Jesus is declared to be the Christ (Mk. 8) and then is transfigured, with a promise of even greater glory which awaits the Son of God upon the completion of His mission. The glory is real, it is promised, but it will be hard fought. A violent dragon must be subdued.

Glory and hardships aren’t opposites. As Solomon says, it’s the glory of kings to search out a matter. Glory is hidden in hardships. Glory is weighty. Glory is heavy. The raging dragon which Jesus meets at the foot of the mountain isn’t a diminishment of the glory which was revealed atop the mountain. Instead, the glory on the mountain was a glimmer of the glory which would come through all the danger which Jesus must grapple with and overcome.

At Christ’s baptism the Father spoke His love over His only begotten Son, sent the Spirit as a dove upon Him, and then immediately Jesus was confronted with a wilderness battle with Satan. Here we have a similar pattern. The glory cloud of the Spirit surrounds Jesus, the Father speaks once more that Jesus is His beloved Son, with a summons to hear him. Then Jesus is once more confronted with a battle with a powerful demon. Both of these foreshadow the last declaration of Christ being the Son of God which Mark will present at the crucifixion. There evil shall be decisively overthrown, and then the disciples will spread out to notify all the evil throughout the world: game over.

IF

This is a lifeline to us in our own trials. Our light and momentary trials reveal a weight of glory. Trials, hardships, and battles are not detours from the glory. They are where our faith is strengthened and the glory of Spirit-empowered obedience is revealed. Jesus faces this violent dragon which was afflicting this boy, and is able to drive this demon out because His faith in His Father’s calling upon Him was more resolute than a vice grip. The boy’s father asks Jesus, “If you can do anything, please help.” Jesus replies with another witty comeback, “If you can believe, all things are possible unto you.” If you believe, what are your trials compared with the glory? If you believe, what is the gruesome cross compared with the glory of the resurrection?

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INTRODUCTION

Mark presents Jesus as a mighty man, driving out evil spirits, challenging self-righteous and self-assured teachers, and performing powerful acts (healings, feedings, calming seas). Jesus has been slowly unveiling what His master plan is. He didn’t come only proclaim Yahweh’s kingdom as coming; but to also make a claim to be the lawful King of Israel with designs for expanding to borders to the ends of the earth. All His riddles and signs have been the curriculum, and now as their teacher He gives His disciples a test.

THE TEXT

In those days the multitude being very great, and having nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples unto him, and saith unto them, I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now been with me three days, and have nothing to eat: And if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will faint by the way: for divers of them came from far. […]

Mark 8:1-3ff

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

The hard sayings of Jesus from the previous chapter have not dampened the enthusiasm of their crowds. In this instance, the crowds have been on a three-day sojourn with Jesus. He notices the danger they’re in from not enough food in the wilderness (vv1-3). Jesus communicates His compassion to the disciples, but they offer no solution (v4). The disciples actually have seven loaves. So, as with the feeding of the five thousand, Jesus commands the crowds to be seated. The same order of actions (Cf. Mk. 6:41) is described here: taking, blessing, and breaking. The disciples distribute the bread, along with some fish, and the four thousand people were left satisfied, additionally, seven baskets were left over. Straightway Jesus departs in a ship to Dalmanutha (vv6-10).

A new contest with the Pharisees arises. They want a sign, but Mark reveals they are insincere; so Jesus, with a heavy sigh, flatly denies them a sign (vv11-12). This prompts Jesus to go elsewhere, but the disciples forgot to bring along the lunch supplies. Jesus warns the disciples to avoid the leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod, but they think He is rebuking them for forgetting the lunch. The Lord is forthright with them: their eyes are blind, ears shut, and hearts hard (Cf. Duet. 29:4, Is. 6:9, Jer. 5:21). He reminds them of His ability to provide by recalling His two great feedings; and then He leaves them to ponder why they still don’t understand (vv13-21).

Remember the “exaggerated” healing of the deaf man in Mk. 7:31-37. Now a blind man is brought (v22). Jesus again performs an “exaggerated” healing: leading the man out of the town, spitting on his eyes, asking if he can see. At this, the man reports he can only see in part; so Jesus again touches his eyes, makes him look up resulting in the man’s sight being fully restored. The man is sent home with the instructions to keep quiet (vv23-26).

Now, in light of these healings of deafness and blindness, Jesus gives His disciples another chance to solve the puzzle by asking them, “Who do men say I am?” Echoing Herod’s courtiers (6:15) they offer a few options. But Jesus wants to know what their answer is, and Peter declares, “Thou art the Christ” (vv27-29). This is a potent truth, so Jesus instructs them (like the blind man) to keep this to themselves for now. He then begins to teach them and reveal the answer to all His riddles: He must die at the hands of Israel’s elders and then rise again after three days. News this potent causes a potent reaction as seen in Peter’s attempt to dissuade Jesus from His mission. This earns him a scathing rebuke (vv30-33). Having privately told the disciples His mission, Jesus now reveals to the crowds what it means to follow Him: self-denial (vv34-38).

TWO KINDS OF LEAVEN

Jesus warns the disciples to avoid two kinds of leaven. The first leaven is that of the Pharisees; they claim to desire a heavenly sign while ignoring the clear Messianic signs right in front of them. They are indeed deaf, dumb, blind, and witless. But the second leaven is that of Herod. A curious warning. Remember how Mark told us that Herod saw more clearly than anyone that the miracles being done must mean a resurrection and accompanying judgment upon evildoers. Herod knew that he had done a great evil in beheading John the Baptist, but was unwilling to repent despite knowing that divine judgement was looming.

So then, the disciples are warned against two things. First is the evil of wanting more/different proof than God had given; second, is the refusal to respond decisively when convinced of those proofs. These warnings still pertain. It is not wrong to desire proof for the existence of God, or assurance of your salvation, or to understand the reliability of the Scriptures. However, many fall into the error that Lewis describes in one place, being so interested in proofs for the existence of God that you neglect to worship the Good Lord Himself. Mouths were made for eating, not endless chewing. But just as damning is the attitude of someone who has been warned that their actions are sinful, will admit as much, but still won’t turn from those actions. Followers of Jesus must jettison both attitudes.

LIKE THEIR IDOLS

Put all that Mark has told us together. The Pharisees, and even the disciples, are showing the fruit of their idolatry. The Psalmist says that “They that make [idols] are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them (Ps. 115:8).” And what are the idols like? Made out of precious metals, but shaped into the form that their makers desire. Mouths that don’t speak. Eyes that can’t see. Ears that don’t hear. Noses that can’t smell. Hands that can’t hold. Feet that can’t walk. (Ps. 115:4-7).

It is no accident that the healings which Mark has recounted all map onto this Psalm. Those that make them are like them. Idolatry turns you into a stump of wood and a block of granite. When you, like Israel, give your heart over to idols, it should be no wonder when you have to submit to the rule of those idols. In ancient Israel, God raised up judges and then kings to deliver God’s people from this oppression. But they always wandered back into their idolatry. Jesus was on a Mission to deliver not only Israel, but all the world, from the oppression of false gods. He was indeed making a claim to be the anointed King, come to deliver. But this deliverance demanded something that the prophets had foretold, but was tempting to overlook as a mark of the Messiah. He must die. Not only that, but those who would enjoy Messiah’s kingdom would also need to die with Him. This is how Jesus plans to overthrow the oppression of the idols.

DIE TO LIVE

What Jesus has come to do is going to turn the whole world upside down. The Messiah has come to die. This was a hard pill to swallow, and yet Jesus make the pill even more bitter. If you want to follow Him, you must join Him in running towards the danger. You cannot try to save your life. You must give it up. You must despise your idols, your self-righteousness, and your own vain claims for world domination. You must, as the old hymn says, “surrender all”.

Jesus’ kingdom will be one where He rules over not mere territory, but over our affections, wills, and desires. To bring this kingdom about, the old man (Adam) must die. But along with this death comes the bright promise of resurrection. When you trust in Christ, and are united to Him by faith, you are joined to His death. This is what your baptism means (Cf. Rom. 6). So, if you want to live, you must die. And if you die in Christ, you shall also live in Him.

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