Mark 9:1-13 | “Glory Is On the Other Side of Suffering”

Martin and Katie Luther

The great Reformer Martin Luther was an unmarried monk turned theologian turned preacher.  Because of his rediscovery of the gospel of justification through faith alone in Christ alone, the monastery where he lived began to empty as men realized they could not be saved by their religious works.  Across Germany, monasteries and nunneries emptied as they heard of Luther’s discovery. 

On one occasion, Luther found out that nuns were being executed when they left a particular nunnery.  He arranged for the escape of nine of these nuns, bringing them to Wittenberg hidden in barrels.  Luther felt it was his duty to find them husbands since there was no social safety net for them.  He succeeded in finding husbands for all but one of them, Katharina von Bora.  In 1525, after his friends badgered him for two years, Luther finally married the feisty ninth nun who was fifteen years his junior. 

Martin and Katie genuinely enjoyed each other’s company, whether spending time in the garden, fishing, or eating with friends.  Katie was willing to stand up to the man who stood up to Popes and Emperors.  Luther had to resort to bribes to get her to read her Bible more.  He said, “In domestic affairs I defer to Katie.  Otherwise I am led by the Holy Spirit.”  Katie ran a private brewery to make extra money and make the theological discussions around their dinner table each evening much more enjoyable.     

The Luther’s had three sons, two daughters, one dog, adopted four orphans, and had countless visitors and students stay in their home.  After his oldest son was born, he wrote to a friend, “Hans is cutting his teeth and beginning to make a joyous nuisance of himself.  These are the joys of marriage of which the pope is not worthy.” 

Hope of Glory When Tragedy Strikes

The Luther’s built a happy home and a good life together.  But they also experienced much pain and tragedy.  Both of their daughters died young.  One of them, Magdalene, died in Martin’s arms.  He was overcome with grief and emotion during this time.  But Luther really believed what he preached and wrote.  He had an unshakable confidence in the promises of the gospel.  Standing over Magdalene’s coffin at her funeral, he said, “She will rise again at the last day.”

In the midst of great suffering, Luther knew that glory was coming.  His experience of suffering didn’t keep him from hoping in the glory of God.  He was confident that glory was on the other side of death for his little girl.  He was confident that suffering wouldn’t be the last word for her. 

Suffering Precedes Glory

There are many reasons why we suffer.  One of them is because we follow the Suffering Servant, Jesus.  We saw last week that the Christian life must be marked by suffering and sacrifice for Jesus’ sake.  But we must be careful here.  Suffering and sacrifice in the Christian’s life is never viewed as the end of the story.  For the Christian, suffering precedes glory.

Followers of Jesus suffer and sacrifice for Jesus because they know that there’s glory coming.  The road marked with suffering that each Christ-follower must walk inevitably leads to the Celestial City, to a place of never-ending joy and indescribable glory. 

Followers of Jesus are prone to despair as we sacrifice much for Jesus’ sake.  The way of the cross is not an easy way.  The harm and hatred we encounter as we follow Jesus leads to doubt and confusion and temptation to stop following Jesus.  Suffering can choke the seed of the Word of God out of our lives (Mk. 4:16-17). 

If the only promise we had from Jesus was that we’d suffer for his sake, I’m not sure that we’d follow him.  But that’s not all he’s promised us.  He’s promised us glory on the other side of suffering.  The way of the cross is a road that takes us to resurrection and glory.  There’s a glorious victory coming for all those who’ve denied themselves and taken up their crosses and followed Jesus.

God Reveals Jesus’ Glory So Disciples Will Trust Jesus’ Word

Jesus’ first disciples needed to understand this in order to keep following Jesus.  Last week, we saw how Jesus predicted his own suffering and death and called his disciples to get ready to suffer for his sake (8:31-38).  This talk of suffering was confusing to them.  They thought the Messiah came to win, not lose. 

What happens next in Mark’s Gospel is yet more evidence that God loves his people.  In the middle of their confusion and concern about suffering, God shows them Jesus’ glory.  He gives them a glimpse of Jesus’ true nature.  God shows the disciples Jesus’ glory in order to help them understand that Jesus’ sufferings won’t be the last word, and in order to help them suffer for Jesus.  God reveals Jesus’ glory so that the disciples will trust Jesus’ word.  God wants his children to know that glory is on the other side of suffering.

But, to make it clear for the disciples that suffering is indeed coming for Jesus, after he shows them the glory of Jesus, he reminds them again that Jesus must suffer.  Our text this morning shows us Jesus’ glory and reminds us of Jesus’ suffering.  These are our two points: a revelation of glory (vv. 1-8) and a reminder of suffering (vv. 9-13).

“The Kingdom of God…Coming with Power”

Before we look at the transfiguration in verses 2-8.  Let me say a brief word about verse 1.  Jesus predicts that some of the disciples will experience “the kingdom of God…coming with power” before they die.  What event is Jesus referring to?  Some take this to mean his return and the establishment of his kingdom at the end of time.  Some take this to be referring to his resurrection or to the transfiguration.

I don’t know for sure what event Jesus is referring to, but I think the most probable explanation is the transfiguration.  Matthew and Luke, with Mark, all place this verse immediately before the transfiguration of Jesus.  Thus the context suggests that Jesus is referring to what’s about to happen to him.  Because the transfiguration is a preview of the resurrection and the return of Jesus, both of which are clear depictions of the kingdom of God coming with power, I think Jesus is referring to his transfiguration.

A Revelation of Glory

In verses 2-8, we see Jesus reveal his glory to Peter, James, and John.  This event, called the “transfiguration,” was one that these three men – Jesus’ inner circle, never forgot.  John would later write, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory” (Jn. 1:14).  Peter would also later write, “We were eyewitnesses of his majesty” (2 Pet. 1:16-18).  This was an unforgettable event.  If you’ve seen the glory of Jesus, it stays with you.  You never forget.

Verse 2 says that “after six days” Jesus took his inner three “up a high mountain.”  These are the first of several parallels to Moses’ meeting with God on Mount Sinai.  Moses saw God’s glory on Mount Sinai.  Moses was on the mount for six days (Ex. 24:16).   

A Metamorphosis

When it says that Jesus was “transfigured” in verse 2, it means that his appearance changed.  The word for “transfigured” is the word we get our word “metamorphosis” from.  It means “a radical change or transformation.” 

When Mark says that Jesus was “transfigured,” or radically changed, he’s not talking about his nature.  Jesus didn’t become something that he wasn’t already.  He already was the glorious God incarnate.  What happened on the mountain was that his appearance radically changed to reveal his true nature.  God revealed Jesus’ true colors to the disciples.

  

Verse 3 says that “his clothes become radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them.”  No amount of Clorox could make Jesus’ robe shine with the glory of God.  Matthew says that “his face shone like the sun.”  Jesus’ face became too bright to look at.  The metamorphosis of Jesus’ appearance was so thorough that his clothes and his person changed. 

This was a display of Jesus’ deity, of his “God-ness.”  It was his way of pulling back the curtain of heaven and letting his closest friends peer inside so that they might see his glory.  He was revealing the true essence of his nature, the true essence of who he was.

Moses and Elijah on the Mount with Jesus

In verse 4 it says that Moses and Elijah show up and begin talking with Jesus.  Verse 5 says that Peter wants to make everyone a tent, or shelter.  Verse 6 says that he suggested this because he was terrified.  This is what happens to us when we stumble into the presence of someone great and don’t quite know what to say.  I remember meeting John Piper in Boston, the day before my brother ran the Boston marathon.  God has used Dr. Piper to shape my thinking and preaching and life probably more than anyone else.  So I was pretty nervous about meeting him.  When I shook his hand, I started rambling about something and then nervously asked him if he was running the marathon the next day.  He said he wasn’t.  Peter is overcome with excitement so he offers to make “tents” for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. 

What are Moses and Elijah doing here with Jesus?  Most commentators agree that these two men represent the Law and the Prophets.  Moses represents the Law because God gave his people his law through Moses.  Significantly, the giving of the law took place on a mountain.  After Moses was done meeting with the Lord on the mountain, his physical appearance was affected (Ex. 34:29-33).  Moses reflected the glory of God after God showed him his glory on the mountain (Ex. 33:18-23).

Elijah, the other person meeting with Jesus, represents the Prophets.  Elijah is most famous for his confrontation with the false prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 19.  This event also took place on a mountain.  Elijah proclaimed the glory of the Lord on Mount Carmel and God sent fire down from heaven.  Moses and Elijah represent the Law and the Prophets.  Each were led by God to a mountain in order that God might show them his glory.

In the transfiguration, Jesus leads his three closest disciples up on the mountain to show them the glory of God.  The key difference is that Jesus didn’t merely reflect or proclaim God’s glory.  He revealed it.  Jesus is “the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of (God’s) nature” (Heb. 1:3). 

On that mountain, Jesus revealed his glory to these men so that they might see him for who he is.  Moses and Elijah were really there talking with Jesus.  But they were there representing the Law and the Prophets – both of which pointed toward a greater glory that would come when the Messiah came.  In Jesus, the Messiah had come.  And on the mount of transfiguration, Messiah Jesus revealed the glory of God.

The Cloud of God

Verse 7 tells us what happens next.  A cloud descended upon the mountain, just as it had when Moses was on Mount Sinai.  Clouds are used throughout Scripture to signify and symbolize the presence of God.  When the tabernacle and the temple were constructed, a cloud filled them with the glory of God (Ex. 40:35, 1 Kgs. 8:10-11).  The apostle John says that Jesus “will be coming with the clouds” when he returns (Rev. 1:7).  The “clouds” are where God is.  So when “a cloud overshadowed them,” the disciples were ushered into the very presence of God.

Remember that Peter wanted to build tents for everybody (v. 5)?  This sounds silly, and may’ve been said out of nervousness to an extent, but it also means that Peter knows that God has promised to come and live with his people again.  Peter’s proposal isn’t preposterous for a knowledgeable Jew.

Through the transfiguration, God is trying to show Peter that he’s already provided the tent in which he’ll dwell.  Before his eyes, Peter is seeing that, in Jesus, God’s dwelling place with humanity is present.  Jesus is the “tent” where God lives.  In Jesus, God has “pitched his tent among us.”  In Jesus, more than the tabernacle or the temple, God has come to live with us. 

“This Is My Beloved Son, Listen to Him”

Verse 7 goes on to say that “a voice came out of the cloud.”  Can you imagine hearing the voice of God?  God initially spoke the Ten Commandments directly to the people of Israel at Mount Sinai.  This is what they said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die” (Ex. 20:19).  No wonder the disciples were terrified.

What does God say?  “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.”  There are several things we can take away from this.  First, this tells us that only the Father can make known the mystery of Jesus’ identity.  The disciples, or you, could never know Jesus as God’s Son unless and until God reveals him to you as such.  Remember what Jesus said to Peter after he confessed him as the Christ?  “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah!  For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven” (Mt. 16:17).  Knowing Jesus’ identity isn’t a human accomplishment.

  

Second, after we understand that Jesus is God’s Son, we’re commanded to listen to him.  What exactly are we supposed to hear?  The context of this passage tells us that the disciples need to listen to Jesus when he says that he and they must suffer.  He said plainly (v. 32) that the Messiah must suffer (v. 31) and that his disciples must follow him on the road to suffering (vv. 34-38).  They have to get this if they’re going to understand Jesus and his mission.  Apart from suffering, there’s no mission.  Suffering is the mission.    

The Revelation of Glory Is a Gift of God’s Grace

If you thought that my message last week was weighty, it was nothing compared to what’s happening here.  God himself is verbally commanding the disciples to take what Jesus said seriously.  This is God’s ratification, his signature, on what Jesus just told them at the end of chapter eight.  This is God agreeing with Jesus that the way to the cross is the only way – for Jesus and the disciples, and you and I. 

God’s voice thunders through the cloud, not to scare these men, but to help them understand that the road to glory must go through the valley of suffering.  God speaking to them is a gift of God’s grace.  He wants them to stop thinking about Jesus in worldly ways, to stop wanting to follow him for the world’s glory.  He wants them to follow Jesus for God’s glory.  He wants them to understand that the only way they get God’s glory is through suffering.

God graciously reveals Jesus’ glory to them and speaks to them in order to help them understand that Jesus’ sufferings won’t be the last word, in order to help them suffer for Jesus.  God reveals Jesus’ glory so that the disciples will trust Jesus’ word.  God wants his children to enjoy and live in his glory.  But they must know that his glory is on the other side of suffering.

Jesus Stays

God also reveals his grace to these men by leaving Jesus with them (v. 8).  Two of the greatest heroes of the Old Testament have vanished.  Only Jesus remains.  Rather than escaping to heaven with Moses and Elijah in order to avoid suffering, Jesus remains to complete his mission.  He remains because he must suffer for his people.  He also remains because he wants his disciples to know that he doesn’t expect them to go it alone on the hard road of discipleship.  Jesus will not abandon them for glory.  He’ll stay with them on the way to the cross.  Jesus forsook glory to suffer for and with his people.

A Reminder of Suffering

After Jesus’ glory is revealed, he reminds them yet again that he must suffer (vv. 9-13).  On their way down from the mountain, Jesus tells the disciples to not tell anyone about what they’d seen until after his resurrection.  Jesus didn’t want them to succumb to the emotion of their “mountain-top” experience and forget about the necessity of suffering.

The question of verse 11 is a leading question.  The disciples are suggesting that Elijah’s return to restore all things means that the Messiah won’t have to suffer.  They’re referencing Malachi 4:5-6, where it says that Elijah will come before the “great and terrible Day of the Lord” to restore righteousness and harmony on the earth.  Jesus affirms Elijah’s role in restoring all things (v. 12a).  But Jesus then says that something has to happen first before this final restoration (v. 12b).  Jesus is saying, “If the restoration of all things is to be imminently expected, why do the Scriptures talk about a righteous suffering servant who’ll come before the Day of the Lord?” 

He then shockingly says that Elijah has already come and suffered (v. 13).  Jesus elsewhere identifies John the Baptist as the “Elijah” who came and suffered (Mt. 17:13).  Jesus’ point is simple: If the forerunner of the Messiah was treated this way, why is it surprising that the Messiah will be as well?  Jesus is saying that, like John, his ministry will also end in suffering.  The restoration of all things only comes through the suffering of the Messiah. 

It’s instructive for us that the only reference to Jesus’ earthly work in the Apostles’ Creed is that “he suffered.”  In these verses, Jesus is trying to drive this all-important truth into the minds of his disciples.  The Elijah who came before Jesus and the disciples who come after him, must join him on the road to the cross.  The Day that we all long for, the restoration of all things, is only made possible through the suffering of the Son of Man.

Sharing Suffering, Sharing Glory

What we’ve seen in this section of Mark’s Gospel is evidence that God loves his people.  In the middle of their confusion and concern about suffering, God shows them his glory.  He gives them a glimpse of Jesus’ true nature in order to assure them that Jesus’s word can be trusted.  God shows the disciples Jesus’ glory in order to help them understand that Jesus’ sufferings won’t be the last word.  God reveals Jesus’ glory in order to help them suffer for Jesus.  God wants his children to know that glory is on the other side of suffering. 

In a world and culture where everyone is trying to make a name for themselves and create the most comfortable lifestyle possible, Jesus wants his followers to know that, though glory is coming, it’ll be preceded by suffering for his sake.  Paul preached the same message as Jesus, “Whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.  Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.  For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him…that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead” (Phil. 3:7-11).  No one gets to share Jesus’ glory who doesn’t also share his sufferings.

Closing Prayer

Father, thank you that you, the God of glory, have come to live with us in your Son Jesus.  Thank you for coming to meet us in our sadness, our grief, our despair, our pain, our sin, our loneliness, our confusion, our doubt, and our fears.  Please help us to lift our eyes off of ourselves and to behold and enjoy the glory of Jesus.  Help us to tremble at his word, to fear and obey him, to share in his sufferings so that we might also share in his resurrection.  Help us to gladly join Jesus on the road to the cross, a road marked with harm and hatred for his name.  Please keep us on this road by reminding us of the promise of glory for all who keep trusting and following Jesus to the end.  Help us to endure whatever we must for Jesus’ sake, knowing that we’ll rise again with him on the last day.  In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.