Opening Prayer
Holy Spirit, thank you for the faith that is mine in Jesus. Thank you for continuing to give me greater understanding of who he is and for enabling me to trust him more as I journey with him.
Read MARK 9:2–13
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
The Transfiguration
2 After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. 3 His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. 4 And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus.
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.
11 And they asked him, “Why do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?”
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? 13 But I tell you, Elijah has come, and they have done to him everything they wished, just as it is written about him.”
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Meditate
‘Thy blessed unction from above / is comfort, life and fire of love. / Enable with perpetual light / the dullness of our blinded sight.’1
Think Further
I remember the transfiguration picture in my children’s illustrated Bible. Jesus was all-glorious in dazzling white, with Moses and Elijah shining beside him. My parents taught me that this was to display Jesus in his glory to the three chosen disciples, showing, through Moses and Elijah, that Jesus fulfilled the Law and the Prophets. This understanding of the transfiguration is very important, but over years of reading Mark and assisting Australian Indigenous translators, I have come to understand that Mark’s main purpose was quite different. Mark’s revealing point is that the disciples still failed to understand Jesus, despite the wonders they had witnessed. Peter had already been chastised for trying to stop Jesus from contemplating his suffering and death. Witnessing Jesus glorified, with two of the three ancients whom the Jews believed were alive with God,2 should have prepared the three disciples’ minds for the idea of resurrection, but it did not. Despite the voice from heaven urging them to listen to Jesus, they still walked down the mountain puzzled. The experience failed to give them exceptional insight or faithfulness. James and John will soon show themselves preoccupied with their own greatness. Only the cross and resurrection would open their minds.
Mark’s early readers were already experiencing persecution. Mark teaches us that spectacular miracles and glorious visions do not create faith.3 He wants us to understand that faith grasps a different reality. Christians, then and now, must put all their faith in the crucified Jesus, now risen and exalted with God. The risen Christ is present with us. Jesus’ path of faith and our path of faith are not defined by spectacular experiences but by suffering and pain. We must take up our crosses and follow him.
Apply
Ask Jesus to reveal himself as your risen Lord. He will forgive any dullness of mind as you trust him.
Closing prayer
Jesus, I confess that I am sometimes slow to stop and listen to your voice. I ask for your forgiveness and commit to seeking you more faithfully.
Last Updated on November 6, 2024 by kingstar
