Mark chapter 9 and verse 1. This is Jesus that is speaking.
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 fooler on earth can
white them. And there appeared unto them
Elias with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. And Peter
answered and said to Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here,
and let us make three tabernacles, one for thee, and one for Moses,
and one for Elias. For he wist not what to say,
for they were sore afraid. And there was a cloud that overshadowed
them, and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my
beloved son, hear him. And suddenly, when they had looked
round about, they saw no man any more, save Jesus only, with
themselves. And as they came down from the
mountain, he charged them that they should tell no man what
things they had seen till the Son of Man were risen from the
dead. And they kept that saying with
themselves, questioning one with another what the rising from
the dead should mean. And they asked him, saying, Why
say the scribes that Elias must first come? And he answered and
told them, Elias verily cometh first, and restoreth all things,
and how it is written of the Son of Man that he must suffer
many things, and be set at nought. But I say unto you that Elias
is indeed come, and they have done unto him whatsoever they
listed, as it was written of him. Amen. May God bless to us
this reading from his word. The transfiguration of the Lord
Jesus Christ is such a strange and unique event in the life
and ministry of our Saviour that we might be forgiven wondering
why it happened and for what purpose. It really is a very
unusual incident. The Lord had many parables, many
sermons that he preached. He had many miracles that he
performed. But this transfiguration is a
singular event in the life and ministry of the Lord, where it
seems the glory of his divine nature was revealed in a most
astonishing way. to Peter and James and John. Now, when we ask ourselves what
purpose was served by this and why it took place, Some might
say that there's no need for us to inquire about such things. We simply accept that it is the
Father's will that God has revealed these things and it is to show
the splendour of our God. And there's merit in that statement.
The Lord doesn't need to explain to us. His judgments are unsearchable,
we're told. His ways are past finding out. The Lord doesn't need to explain
to mere creatures, mere mortals like us, the reasoning or purposes
behind the things that he does. And yet, the Lord Jesus himself
gives thanks to his Father. for this very revelation, that
the Lord God, the Father, has revealed these things to babes. In Luke chapter 10, verse 21,
our Saviour prays to God and He says, I thank thee, O Father,
Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from
the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes, even
so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight. Our God does
what is good in his sight, and we bow before his wisdom, so
that much of the why about the ways of God in this world and
the ways of our own lives are hidden from us. Thereby, they
call for faith, they call for us to trust in God, to trust
in his work, to trust in his promises, not seeing necessarily
all the evidence or all the reasoning behind these things. And yet
we are also told that what is revealed is revealed for a purpose
and a reason. God has chosen to hide some things
from the wise and the prudent, but to reveal them unto babes. And amongst those things which
are revealed must surely list the transfiguration of the Lord
Jesus Christ. He has given us in his word,
indeed it is recorded, in Matthew, Mark and Luke and it is referred
to in John. He has given us this amazing
insight, this amazing revelation from the pens of the evangelists
that we might understand something about God's ways of grace and
mercy and the revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ. This supreme,
unparalleled manifestation of Christ's glory and majesty, I
think, is intended to teach us at least four important truths. And we're going to spend a little
bit of time thinking about what these might be. I think that
the Lord was here showing the disciples, and us with them,
the subjection of the law and the prophets to the Lord Jesus
Christ. I think, secondly, that it was
to reinforce the importance of Christ's death that he had newly
disclosed to the disciples. I think. Thirdly, that it emphasised
the pre-eminence of the Lord Jesus Christ and his gospel of
grace and mercy. That there had never been anything
in all the world like this manifestation, like this revelation, like this
person and like this message. And fourthly, it provided the
Lord's people with a new and glorious view of their Saviour. And we're going to touch on these
points on the next few minutes. But before we do that, I just
want to mention one little thing which perhaps intrigued you as
it intrigued me. Why was it just Peter, James,
and John? Why was it only these three disciples
that got to see this transfiguration of the Lord Jesus Christ? These
three were often especially blessed of the Lord, to share personally
in the Lord's ministry and the Lord's work, to have a more intimate
engagement and involvement in the Lord's ways. They were present to witness
the Lord's power over death in raising Jairus' daughter, they
see the glory of the Lord here in this holy mountain, in this
transfiguration, which the other disciples did not witness. And
they also got to see the humiliation of the Lord Jesus Christ in the
Garden of Gethsemane. So they saw his power, they saw
his majesty, and they saw his humiliation. And I think that
the purpose of the Lord Jesus Christ in allowing these three
to enter particularly into these events was that they would be
called to attest the uniqueness of Christ to the church in time. Now we remember, of course, that
John John would just be a young man at this time, and John, he
would write, as he wrote his gospel many years later, perhaps
especially thinking of this moment, he wrote to the church and he
committed to the church the following words. He said, the word was
made flesh and dwelt among us. and we beheld his glory, the
glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace
and truth. So that which motivated John's
awe and wonder at the person of the Lord Jesus Christ was
revealed to him, given to him in moments such as this. So that our understanding of
the wonder and glory of the Lord Jesus Christ is directly passed
to us from one who was an eyewitness and personal testifier of these
marvellous things. And Peter, he would tell us in
2 Peter 1, verse 16. For we have not followed cunningly
devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his
majesty. For he received from God the
Father honour and glory when there came such a voice to him
from the excellent glory. This is my beloved Son in whom
I am well pleased. And this voice, says Peter, which
came from heaven we heard when we were with him in the holy
mount. So John testified of the things
that they had seen, we beheld his glory. And Peter testified
of the glory that was witnessed, that they were eyewitnesses and
they heard the voice speaking on the mountain. And James too
testified of this. Because James, Peter, James and
John, James was not the author of the epistle in our New Testament. He was the brother of John. And
James too spoke most clearly, perhaps most clearly of all. When his blood was shed, for
the sake of the Lord Jesus Christ, for the sake of the gospel which
the Lord Jesus Christ preached. James was so taken with those
things that he had seen with this person that he had come
to know and love and follow. that he gave his life for the
cause and became the first martyr amongst the apostles of the Lord
Jesus Christ. Some testify by their words and
deeds and some witness with their lives. Let me quickly draw your
attention to these four points that we mentioned a little bit
earlier. And the first one is this, that
the Lord Jesus Christ was transfigured before these three men, Peter,
James, and John, transfigured to teach the disciples and thereby
to teach us the subjection of the law and the prophets to the
person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. coincidence I'm sure, it's not
no mere coincidence that it is Moses and Elias or Elijah that
are here present. These two, Moses and Elias, doubtless
are intended to show us and to show Peter, James and John and
us that the law as represented by Moses and the prophets, as
represented by Elias, are under the supremacy and the preeminence
of the Lord Jesus Christ and his Gospel. Our Saviour is the
end of the law for righteousness, which means that we must never
look to our works Never look to our duties, never look to
our flesh for righteousness and for sanctification or for peace
with God. That peace comes from that which
the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished on the cross. Not from our doing,
not from our getting, not from our walk, not from our running.
but from the Lord Jesus Christ himself. And so the law of Moses
had to come under the work of the gospel of the Lord Jesus
Christ. And Elias, his presence shows
that he whom the prophets spoke of, he whom the prophets in their
entirety foretold had indeed come. And both Elias' ministry
as representative of the prophets and Moses' ministry as representative
of the law were now fulfilled in this person, Jesus Christ,
who was both divine and human and who was gloriously transfigured
before Peter, James and John. Moses and the prophets spoke
of one to come, the Messiah, the anointed one who would come. In Deuteronomy chapter 18 verse
15, Moses is speaking to the children of Israel and he says
this, the Lord thy God is towards the end of his own life and he
is anticipating the coming Messiah. He says this, the Lord thy God
will raise up unto thee a prophet from the midst of thee, of thy
brethren, like unto me. Unto him ye shall hearken. He was now here. The one that
Moses spoke of had now come. And these two witnesses, Moses
and Elias, had come to attest the presence of the God-man here
upon earth. Now there's a number of things
that we could take some time to dwell upon. Like for instance,
how was it that Moses and Elias were instantly recognisable to
Peter, James and John as being the men that they were? They'd
never seen them, they'd never seen a picture of them. How did
they know that this was Moses and Elias? They did. I think that tells us that when
we get to heaven, we will all know one another, whether we've
ever met before, we will know who each other is. They knew
by some kind of divine insight and understanding who these men
were. Why it was Moses and why it was
Elias, here's something else which is interesting to think
about. And you can go back and do a little homework on this
if you like. But the circumstances of the end of life experiences
of both Moses and Elijah are very interesting. Moses was buried
by God. And you'll remember that Michael
contended for the body of Moses when Satan sought to have it. And then, of course, Elias was
translated. He did not die, but he was translated
into heaven in a fiery chariot, surely significant of the fact
that the bodies of these two men would be required for this
event. upon the holy mountain when the
Lord Jesus Christ was transfigured. Just a couple of loose ends for
you to think upon and dwell upon at your own leisure. Here's the
second point that I want to draw to your attention. That the transfiguration
of the Lord Jesus Christ is to reinforce the importance of our
Saviour's death. This is what he had just recently
been telling his disciples about. This had only just been disclosed
in the clearest of terms to the disciples and we know that they
were struggling with this. We know that they were struggling.
This is what Peter had said, Lord this won't be. And the Lord
had said to him, get thee behind me Satan. You savourest not the
things that be of God. You don't understand why I'm
here. Well now, there was another testimony
being given to the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ's death
was both necessary and imminent. Mark, in truth, does not mention
the topic of the subject of the conversation that transpired
between Moses, Elias, and the Lord. but Luke does. And when we read the parallel
passage, we discover that they spoke of the Lord's death. Luke chapter 9 and verse 31 tells
us that Moses and Elias appeared in glory, so their bodies shone
too, recognisable bodies, human bodies, physical bodies, but
they shone in glory. also, not as gloriously as the
Lord's, but they appeared in glory also. And spake, here was
the things that they spoke about, of his decease, which he should
accomplish at Jerusalem. So Moses, representing the law,
Elias, representing the prophets, speak about the forthcoming,
imminent death of the Lord Jesus Christ. These two men, this shows
us surely that the law and the prophets were not separate dispensations
or revelations or breaks in time, but all part of a single great
unfolding testimony of God's covenant purpose of grace and
mercy and peace by the Lord Jesus Christ's death. whether it was
Moses with the sacrifices, whether it was the topology of the tabernacle,
whether it was all of the laws that were given to the people
or the prophetic ministry of the men who were sent by God
to declare the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and the anointed
one who would be, as Isaiah calls him, the lamb that would be led
to the slaughter. Everything of those past times
looked forward to the death of the Lord Jesus Christ, just as
we look back. The Lord had only recently begun
speaking of his death to his disciples and they were struggling
to grasp the meaning. But here Moses and Elijah come
to speak of that very matter. And what a phrase that is that
Luke uses. The subject matter of their conversation
was his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem. Now did ever men speak of death
in such a way? Did ever men speak of death in
such a way? The decease which he should accomplish
at Jerusalem. Well yes, they did. Moses and
Elijah spoke of Christ's death in such a way. The death that
he should accomplish at Jerusalem. And indeed all who understand,
every elect saint, everyone who grasps something of the blessedness
of the covenant of peace, of the spiritual victories that
the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished at the cross, all that was won
by the death of the God-man, all together with Moses and Elias,
speak of nothing else. It thrills our hearts to consider
the things that Christ accomplished at Jerusalem by his decease. Paul could say on Corinthians
chapter 2 verse 2, I determine not to know anything among you
save Jesus Christ and him crucified. And if any of us ever have any
aspirations to be a preacher, then this is the message that
we are called upon to preach. And if any of us in the rest
of our days find ourselves under a ministry that doesn't preach
Christ crucified as the central focus of our attention, then
we need to get ourselves another minister. Here's the third thing. that
the transfiguration of the Lord Jesus Christ taught the disciples
that day and does by them, the preeminence of the Lord Jesus
Christ and his gospel of grace. Peter, in that reference that
I made in his epistle to the things that he had been an eyewitness
to, says this. He comments that the Lord Jesus
Christ received from God the Father honour and glory when
there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory. And
that points us surely to the testimony given by the father
to the son. The father attested his honour
and his glory. Forget Moses. Many professing
Christians are so snared up in legal works, in self-righteous
morality, as requires this to be restated. Forget Moses. Many professors, many Christian
church members are so caught up in their wild ideas about
prophecy and their end time speculations. As requires this to be restated,
forget prophecy. God says, this is my beloved
son in whom I am well pleased. Hear ye him. Hear ye Him. This is our priority. It's not
the preaching of Moses, it's not the preaching of the prophets,
except to the extent that they are complementary and contributory
to the great work of the Lord Jesus Christ upon the cross.
Because all of those who spoke and preached and brought forth
revelation in the Old Testament times were speaking about the
Lord Jesus Christ and pointing us to Him. The testimony of these
men in the absence of the work of Christ is meaningless, because
it all spoke of Christ. Hear ye Him. This is so important. We talk about a Christ-centred
ministry. And what is that but placing
Christ at the heart of all that we preach, and His gospel as
the beginning and the end of our ministry? Jesus Christ and
Him crucified. Whenever I preach to you, I want
you to see Christ. I want you to hear Christ. And if you don't, then I've messed
up and I've failed in my job. Our Lord Jesus Christ is the
beloved Son of God. and yet God emptied out upon
him all the holy anger due to our offences. Moses had seen
that prefigured in the sacrifices. The prophets, they saw that in
the suffering servant as the lamb before her shearers is dumb
so he opened not his mouth. But we see the Lord himself crucified
and slain. We see the Lamb of God, for the
sins of the elect of God, crucified and slain. Isaiah, in verse five
of his amazing chapter 53, says he was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. the chastisement of our peace
was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed. But note this, the Lord Jesus
Christ is the beloved Son, the beloved Son in whom the Father
is well pleased. And yet, Here we witness the
great mystery of godliness for our salvation, that the beloved
son should have the wrath of God against sin poured out upon
him and into his very soul. This speaks to us about the immensity,
the value of our salvation. Verse 10 of that same chapter
of Isaiah 53 says, It pleased the Lord to bruise him. This
is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased, but it pleased
the Lord to bruise him. He hath put him to grief. When
thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed,
he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall
prosper in his hand. There are three things spoken
about here that pleases God. The Lord Jesus Christ, the God-man,
pleased God. In the covenant purpose, the
Lord Jesus Christ stood as substitute and surety, and it pleased God
that he did so. but it also pleased God to bruise
him for the salvation of those for whom he died. That people
that God had chosen, that people that God loved with a love that
was everlasting, that people that he was pleased to place
his mercy upon. And you know what those people
are called in this verse 10 of Isaiah 53? They are called the
pleasure of the Lord. because it is the pleasure of
the Lord that prospered in the hand of the Lord Jesus Christ. It's us, it's you and me, brothers
and sisters. When the Saviour suffered, as
He died, we prospered in His hand. And here's the fourth thing that
we see from the transfiguration of the Lord Jesus Christ. A new
and inspiring view of our Saviour. This mountaintop experience is
unique in the whole of the revelation of God. Never anything like this
before or after. As unique and momentous as the
experience of the Lord Jesus Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane,
as unique and momentous as the work of the Lord Jesus Christ
on Calvary, as unique and momentous as the empty tomb, and as the
ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ into glory. Brothers and sisters,
let us give place to each. Each gives us a different, complementary
view of our Saviour. When God spoke from the cloud,
Peter, James and John fell upon their faces in the presence of
glory at the voice of God. I wonder if you ever noticed
what Peter says. He says, such a voice, such a
voice. The disciples trembled and collapsed
on their faces on the ground at such a voice, the voice of
God. And when we gain a glimpse of
God's glory, as it was viewed both in the voice and in the
transfiguration of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is a chastening and
it is a humbling experience. And it's typical of what happens
to a sinner under conviction of sin. What happened to Peter,
James and John was that they fell on their faces to the ground. And when you're on the ground,
all you can see is dirt and stones and weeds. And that's what a
sinner sees in their own lives when they are brought under the
glory of a glimpse of God. But then we are given another
lovely little phrase, because we are told that when the disciples
got up off the ground, they saw no man save Jesus only. No more Moses, no more Elias,
Jesus only. And how blessed we are, brothers
and sisters, if God causes us to see Jesus only. How did that transformation,
that recovery of Peter, James and John from face down on the
ground looking at the dirt, looking at the weeds, how did that transition
between them falling on their faces terrified and rising to
behold Jesus only, come about. Matthew tells us in his account,
in chapter 17 verse 7 he says this, And Jesus came and touched
them and said, Arise and be not afraid. And that's it. That's it. It's a touch from
Jesus. It's when Jesus comes to the
sinner and Jesus touches us. It's when Jesus speaks and tells
us not to be afraid. When the Son of God in whom God
is well pleased, when the Son of God to whom Moses gives place,
when the Son of God of whom all the prophets spoke, comes to
us in the gospel, touches us in our hearts and in our souls
with the word of truth, speaks to us and says, be not afraid. Then brothers and sisters, we
have no reason to be afraid. May we all who hear the voice
that shakes us also hear the voice that lifts us up, the voice
of love, the voice of Christ, and find peace in the knowledge
of our sins forgiven, seeing Jesus only. Amen. May the Lord bless these thoughts
to us.