October 4, 2018
Mark 9:1-12
5 Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 6 (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.)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!”8 Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus.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. 10 They kept the matter to themselves, discussing what “rising from the dead” meant.
CONSIDER THIS
Holy Transfiguration Batman!
133. There is the outer appearance and the inner reality. Sometimes the outer appearance looks new and shiny and the inner reality is somewhere in the process of catching up. Other times, the outer appearance may have the same “worn” look as always, but the inside radiates with a total makeover. Both scenes offer us an analogous picture of what transformation looks like in various stages of progress. The Bible calls this “sanctification.”
We tend to spend a lot of time in life on the outer appearance only to realize as life progresses there’s only so much we can do with it. Somewhere along the way we hopefully abandon cosmetic improvements to awaken to the “inside” project, where no matter how old the outer structure, the inward reality can become utterly and completely transformed.
135. None of this, however, describes the scene in today’s text. Transfiguration is to transformation as Jesus is to Peter. The “Transfiguration” takes us up on a “high mountain” where we are privileged to see “through” the veil where we behold the almost indescribable reality of ultimate reality. This is neither a vision nor a dream. It is neither a glimpse of the future nor a remembrance of the past. Standing in the presence of Jesus with Peter, James and John, we behold the mysterious convergence of our storied past and our transfigured future in the present moment of the Presence of God. We hear from the Father, behold the glory of the eternal Son and breathe in the breath of the Holy Spirit.
We are glimpsing the timelessness of eternity breaking in on the present time. On that mountain, we are seeing “through” the veil that separates Heaven and Earth and glimpsing the Kingdom of God in all its glorious indescribable essence—”bright shining as the sun,” as the hymn has it.
This is the glorious end of all of the sanctifying grace of God, which is itself only the beginning of the unfathomable reality of “Your Kingdom come, your will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven.” On that mountain, we behold the Life, everlasting in quality and quantity, for which we were made; the beloved community of all who have followed Jesus before us and who will come behind us together in the resplendent presence of the beloved God of all glory.
The justifying grace of salvation is the door. The sanctifying grace of transformation is the process. The perfecting grace of Transfiguration is the end. The only way there is through the cross of Jesus, apart from whom we have no hope of finding it. The Cross is the only cure for the terminal cancer of sin and death, but it has a 100% cure rate.
And this reality we refer to as the Mount of Transfiguration? It is as real and present right now as it was on the day described in the Gospel. This is not some distant ethereal future to which we will one day fly away (as fun as a song like that can be to sing). No, this is the reality just through the veil. This is not a distant reality we hope “in.” It is the present reality we hope “from.”
The point of this text is not that we would clamor for this Mount of Transfiguration experience to happen again and this time for us. The point is for us to realize that what happened that day as we have it in Scripture, happened to and for us. Because we were there, we are there. This is not about mystical perception but concrete reality. May the Holy Spirit order our understanding and experience of the Word of God accordingly.
[To my scholarly minded friends—please do not interpret me as propagating some version of a post-millennial “realized eschatology.” I am speaking of the Transfiguration as a perfect glimpse through the veil into the Kingdom of God– which exists gloriously “already” and yet remains unquestionably “not yet.” And he said to them, “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see that the kingdom of God has come with power.”]
THE PRAYER
Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on me. Lord Jesus, thank you for this moment in time when you pulled back the veil on ultimate reality. Empower my imagination to behold this scene. Even more, let the Father’s words pierce the veil of my heart and mind: Listen to him. Yes, Lord, I will listen to you. Melt me. Mold me. Fill me. Use me. For the glory of your name, Jesus. Amen.
THE QUESTION
What about the Transfiguration blows your mind the most? Is there a fresh takeaway for you?
Subscribe to receive the Daily Text email.
Join the Daily Text Facebook group here.
Join the Daily Text Fasting Challenge here. Whenever you sign up, it will begin the following Tuesday.