A Glimpse Of His Glory (2)

Well, we concluded in somewhat of an awkward place last week.

We finished just at the end of verse 4.

So today we're kind of parachuting in, as it were, to verse number 5,

and we're going to finish all the way out to verse 13.

Remember the way we've broken up this passage.

In the first four verses, we considered what the disciples saw.

As they're on the mountain, they see the transfiguration.

They see Moses and Elijah, and they're in the midst of this great experience.

And then in the remainder of the text, we will examine what they heard,

and then also what they asked.

So we've seen what they saw, what they heard, and what they asked.

So let's jump into what they heard here with verses 5 through 8.

Technically, the description of what they heard really begins where we left off in verse 4,

and I won't rehash everything that we went through last week in regards to this,

but let's just mention a couple of things.

Look with me again at verse 4.

There appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus.

Now, remember, Luke tells us the nature of this conversation.

You can find that in Luke chapter 9 if you want to just maybe make a note of that in your margin.

Luke 9 · chapter mention

Matthew 17 and Luke chapter 9 is where you will find the parallels to Mark's account.

Luke 9 · chapter mention

Luke wrote that they were talking about this exodus that Jesus would accomplish in Jerusalem.

And remember, what was the exodus all about?

In the Old Testament, the exodus was the deliverance of God's chosen people from bondage in Egypt.

What was the new exodus about that Jesus would accomplish in Jerusalem?

Well, it's the deliverance of God's chosen people from the bondage of sin and death.

So the conversation that Peter and James and John hear on the top of the mountain has everything to do with Jesus' crucifixion,

suffering, and subsequent resurrection.

And the fact that it is Moses and Elijah that are discussing it with Jesus reminds us that the scriptures foretold a suffering Messiah.

And this is important at this point in this passage because the messianic mission of Jesus is the part that the disciples misunderstood the most.

And what plays out in the remainder of these verses, all the way down to verse 13, is the fruit of the disciples' misconceptions.

And of course, they would later look back on this.

We've seen that in Peter's epistle already.

Also, in some of John's writing, they would look back on this moment and interpret it correctly and understand more fully what was happening.

But in this moment, they just didn't get it.

They weren't making all the connections that they needed to make.

But the first thing that they hear is the confirmation from Moses and Elijah of what Jesus had already told them.

That he's going to go to Jerusalem.

He's going to be betrayed by the people that should have never betrayed him.

He's going to be executed by the Romans.

And then he would raise from the dead.

Okay, that's where we find our place in verse 5.

Let's look at it.

And Peter said to Jesus,

Rabbi, it is good that we are here.

Let us make three tents.

One for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.

For he did not know what to say.

For they were terrified.

I was talking with my brother earlier this week.

And I was telling him where we were in our study right now in Mark.

And he said, oh, I love preaching that passage.

He said, it's so funny.

He said, there's all this stuff going on.

And what is it that Peter pipes up and says, Lord, it is good that we are here.

Yeah, of course, Peter.

It's good that we are here.

We can sympathize with Peter in this moment, can't we?

I know I can sympathize with Peter.

When I was growing up, my mom used to always tell me that she would say,

Jared, your mouth is in drive, but your brain is in neutral.

That's what she would say.

And she would give me a hard time.

She would say, Jared, you're not a bad kid.

You just don't know how to shut your mouth.

And so in that sense, I can certainly sympathize with Peter.

Because we get to this really fantastic moment.

Mark says that Peter didn't really know what to say,

but that didn't stop him from saying something anyways.

You get to Luke's account in Luke chapter 9.

Luke 9 · chapter mention

Luke says that even after he said it, he didn't even know what he said.

But that didn't stop him either.

He just spoke.

And it's a good lesson for us here.

Because there are times when God wants us to look and listen.

And there's nothing really for us to do.

There's nothing really for us to say.

But we often miss what he intends.

Because we insist on interjecting with our own thoughts and opinions and conclusions anyway.

Isn't that where Peter is here?

What's Peter's job on the mountain?

To look and to listen.

And because he was so distracted by what was happening around him,

because he was so distracted with his own thoughts,

with his own conclusions,

with the things that he wanted most,

he completely missed what he was supposed to have heard.

And that's a good principle for us to apply in a lot of different situations in life.

But we need to certainly consider it in regards to our Christian growth.

There are magnificent truths in the Bible that God wants you to see and to hear.

But you will never grasp them

if you continue to impose your own thoughts and opinions on the text instead.

And I'm going to explain what Peter's getting at and why this applies.

But before we even get there, we got to recognize

all he needed to do was look and listen.

Listen, the connections could have been made

if he would have just stopped and looked and listened.

But because he had in his mind what he wanted Christ to be

and what he wanted this kingdom to be,

and because he wanted it to be something different

than what Christ was saying it was,

he speaks up and really the suggestion that he gives is not very good.

It reminded me this week of a song that Andrew Peterson wrote several years ago.

A song is called Always Good, and it's an encouraging song.

But there's a part in one of the verses where he says,

I don't always know what you're doing.

Why don't you make it all plain?

But you said you'd come back on the third day,

and Peter missed it again and again.

And then he writes in this verse,

so maybe the answer surrounds us,

but we don't have eyes to see.

Isn't that where these disciples are here?

The answer's all around them.

Jesus has plainly told them.

But then we go back to chapter 8,

and we see this illustration of the blind man

and where are these men at right now in their Christian growth?

They can see.

They can see.

But it's not clear.

And because it's not clear,

they're not grasping what they need to grasp in this moment.

And what Peter suggested to the Lord was that he and the other disciples

construct three tents,

one for Jesus,

one for Moses,

and one for Elijah.

And this suggestion really is influenced by the disciples'

misunderstanding of Jesus' purpose.

So they wholly believed in who Jesus was.

They were convinced of Jesus' identity,

but what they could not come to terms with

was the thought of a suffering Messiah.

Their minds were fixated on what their hopes were for the coming kingdom.

And here for just a moment,

Peter gets a glimpse of that kingdom.

That's what's happening on the mountain.

The transfiguration,

Moses and Elijah,

there's this experience,

and this is,

he's thinking in that moment,

okay,

now we're talking Jesus.

Let's forget about the stuff in Jerusalem.

Now we're talking glowing garments,

Moses and Elijah.

And what is this suggestion really about?

Peter saying,

it's good that we're here,

Jesus.

Why don't we just stay here?

Why don't we just stay here?

We'll build you a tent,

and we'll build Moses a tent,

and Elijah a tent,

and we'll just stay on the mountain.

That's what he's suggesting.

Why?

Because he doesn't want to go to Jerusalem.

He's not interested in a Messiah that would suffer.

He's not interested in following someone,

knowing that it means that he will,

also suffer.

But he failed to miss that in this coming,

this time around,

Jesus was not coming to sit on a throne,

but to hang on a cross.

He was not coming to establish a nation,

but to save his people from their sins.

That's what this coming was for,

and Peter missed it,

or at least he refused to accept it at this moment.

And he's saying,

now we're talking.

Let's just stay here.

Let's bring the kingdom now.

Let's not worry about the suffering part.

Let's just bring the kingdom now.

And he says,

we'll do this thing.

And there's a couple of issues here.

Why is that such a problem for Peter to have suggested that?

Well,

one is suggestion was in opposition to the will of God.

Peter didn't realize that if he kept Jesus from going to the cross,

he kept Jesus from paying for his sins.

There's no redemption for Peter unless Jesus goes to Jerusalem.

There's no redemption for any of us unless Jesus goes to Jerusalem.

It was the will of God the Father from eternity past

that the Son would save us from our sins,

that he would provide this atonement.

That's what Jesus is moving toward.

That was the witness of the scriptures.

That's the purpose of Moses and Elijah being there.

But Peter wasn't interested in that.

And his suggestion goes against the will of God,

which reminds us of how Jesus confronted him earlier in chapter 8.

Get behind me, Satan.

Why?

Because you are not setting your thoughts on the thing of God.

You're setting your thoughts on the things of man.

Peter, you just want what you want.

You don't want what God wants.

The second problem here is it seems that Peter is putting Jesus

on an equal plane with Moses and Elijah.

As if somehow those three are equal, but they are not equal.

Jesus is their Lord.

Jesus is their creator.

It was Jesus in his divine identity as being a part of the Trinity

that gave the law to Moses, that spoke through Elijah.

He was not their equal.

And that's what sets up what happens next.

He was ignorant of the significant errors of his statement.

I really think that's what Luke meant when Luke said that he didn't even know what he said.

I think Peter caught up in this moment,

doesn't even realize how bad the errors were in his suggestion.

It's not clicking in his mind at this point.

But it was because of those errors.

It was because of his insistence on his own hope and opinion that those errors resulted.

And that's a warning for us.

When we impose our own thoughts and conclusions on the scripture,

we're always going to end up in error.

Instead, we need to let God's word shape us.

Let it shape our minds.

Let it shape our hearts.

Not the other way around.

Well, let's look at verse 7 as we're moving along.

What happens next?

And a cloud overshadowed them.

A voice came out of the cloud.

This is my beloved son.

Listen to him.

Suddenly looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only.

Only.

Now, I want to stop here for just a moment.

And give us a second to try and contemplate the gravity of what is happening with Peter and James and John.

The significance of this moment, verses 7 and 8, it's impossible to overstate it.

Because it's not really possible for us to even fully comprehend it.

Think about it.

I want to read the verses again.

Think about this.

Think as if you were Peter on that mountain and you've just made this statement.

And here's what happens all of a sudden.

A cloud, a bright cloud enveloped them.

And a voice came out of the cloud.

There's no person attached to the voice.

It's just a voice.

And the voice says, this is my beloved son.

Listen to him.

And then they look around and suddenly it's all over.

It's gone.

There's only Jesus there.

What's happening here?

This cloud that enveloped the men, we refer to it as the Shekinah glory of God.

The Shekinah is not a biblical word.

It's an extra biblical word that the Jews used to describe the divine presence of God manifested and dwelling on earth.

And there's only a couple of places in the Bible that we see this happening.

These disciples were experiencing God in a way that very few ever had.

Let me just mention a couple of these places and maybe you'd want to read them later.

I'll give you the references.

In Exodus 40, we see this at the Old Testament tabernacle.

Technically, we could go back to creation as the Spirit of God overshadowed the earth as it moved across the waters.

It's really the same word there.

It's the presence of God on earth in creation.

But then we see it in this unique way in Exodus 40, the Old Testament tabernacle.

Moses has been instructed to lead the children of Israel to construct it.

And here's what it says.

Then the cloud covered, that's the same word, overshadowed the tent of meeting.

And the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.

And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it.

And the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.

This cloud in Exodus 40 is the cloud in Mark 9.

This is the manifested presence of God, the Shekinah glory of God that has enveloped these men.

And then we see it again a little bit later in the Old Testament at the dedication of Solomon's temple.

It's 1 Kings chapter 8.

1 Kings 8 · chapter mention

1 Kings chapter 8.

1 Kings 8 · chapter mention

Here's what it says.

When the priest came out of the holy place, a cloud filled the house of the Lord.

Same word, overshadowed, enveloped.

A cloud filled the house of the Lord so that the priest could not stand to minister because of the cloud.

For the glory of the Lord filled, overshadowed, enveloped the house of the Lord.

We see it again in the New Testament.

Luke chapter 1.

Luke 1 · chapter mention

Luke chapter 1.

Luke 1 · chapter mention

An angel appears to the virgin Mary.

And the angel says to her,

The Holy Spirit will come upon you.

And the power of the Most High will overshadow you, envelop you, fill you.

Therefore, the child to be born will be called Holy, the Son of God.

John writes it in John chapter 1 and verse 14.

John 1 · chapter mention

The Word became flesh and tabernacled, dwelt among us.

Speaking of Jesus.

What is this?

This is the presence of God.

The tabernacle, the temple, the conception of Jesus.

Jesus taking on flesh.

It's the same thing that's happening to these men here.

And I want you to notice their reaction.

Mark doesn't tell us what it is, but Matthew does.

Here's what Matthew says.

Chapter 17 and verse 6.

They fell on their faces and were terrified.

They fell on their faces and were terrified.

Why?

Because they are in the presence of God.

There are some people that have such a low view of the glory of God

that they would never expect, if confronted by Him in this way,

to ever fall on their faces,

to ever be scared for their life.

And yet, every time we see someone in the Scriptures

confronted by the presence of God in this way,

that's their reaction.

It's always to fall on their face.

It's always to cry out for mercy.

Why?

Because of the holiness of God.

Isaiah chapter 6.

Isaiah 6 · chapter mention

When Isaiah has this vision of God and God on His throne,

what is it that Isaiah says?

Woe is me.

Woe is me, for I am a man of unclean lips,

and I am lost,

and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips,

for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts,

was Isaiah's reaction.

Woe.

Woe.

It's not mere amazement.

It's fear.

It's fear.

And yes, I know that when we reference fear in the Bible,

we're meaning reverence and respect,

but it's not just reverence and respect.

There is a legitimate dynamic of fear

when a sinful man appears before the holy God.

In Revelation chapter 1,

Revelation 1 · chapter mention

John is confronted by Jesus,

the glorified Jesus on the Isle of Patmos.

And what does he say?

Verse 17 of chapter 1,

he says,

When I saw him,

I fell at his feet as though dead.

Why?

He's in the presence of God.

Remember in Exodus,

when Moses went up on the mountain,

and all the people of Israel were to gather

at the base of the mountain,

and God was going to speak to them.

And there's the cloud,

and there's the thunderings on the mountain.

And God speaks to the nation.

Remember what the nation of Israel told Moses afterwards?

They said,

We don't want to deal with that again.

We don't want to do that.

Why don't you talk to God,

and you just tell us what he says?

Because they were scared out of their minds.

Why?

Because they were sinful people

before the presence of the holy God.

That's what the presence of God will do.

Much of our problem today

is that we don't really know

and understand the holiness of God.

And we see it in two ways in our lives.

First, we see it in our sinful passions.

Why was there fear before Isaiah?

Because he recognized he was sinful.

He was everything that God is not.

And he may not,

in his own estimation,

been as sinful as other people

that were around him in Israel,

but he was sinful enough

because when he stood before God,

all he said was,

Woe is me.

Woe is me.

Our sinful passions give an indication

that we don't really understand God.

We don't really understand his holiness.

And then we see it

in the complacency of our worship.

We get this idea

that the worship of God

is just to be casual in some way.

And we see this manifested in churches

where what is said to be

a gathering for worship

is a political rally

or it's a concert of some kind.

It's meant to pump you up

or it's meant to encourage you

with those around you

or to put a display

of what you can do

and whatever your gifts are

in this moment.

But if we really understood

the holiness of God,

if we really understood

the majesty of God,

if we were really confronted

with the presence of God,

we would probably play no music.

We would probably do nothing

but fall on our faces

before God

and cry for mercy.

David Carr,

the former NFL quarterback,

interestingly enough,

I know he's a great theologian

that you would expect me

to quote on a Sunday morning,

but it was fantastic.

He said,

the sun can burn out your eyes

from 93 million miles away

and some of us think

we can walk casually

into the presence

of its creator.

R.C. Sproul,

all those years of his ministry,

his purpose was

to try to help people

see through the scriptures

who God really is

to see the holiness of God

so that when we see

the holiness of God,

we will see how actually

sinfully depraved we are

and how much we need

his mercy.

Oh, that we would pray

that God would give us

a glimpse of his holiness

to show us

who he is

and he has.

It's in his word.

We'll probably never experience

something like Peter

and James

and John experience,

but we don't have to.

Why?

We have a more sure word.

That's what Peter said.

He said,

yes, I had this thing,

but you have a more sure

word of prophecy.

Go to the Bible.

Go to the scriptures

and pray

that God would open your hearts.

Pray that God would open

my heart

to see his glory,

to see his holiness,

to see his majesty.

We talk about this

spiritual renewal weekend

coming up here

in a couple weeks.

It will mean nothing

if we leave these services

night after night

after night

with no real vision

of who God is.

It will mean nothing.

Pray that God

would help us understand

in whatever way we can

and that that would be

an impact on our lives.

And we're told that

this voice thunders

from the cloud.

It was the voice

of God the Father.

It was the same voice

that thundered

at Jesus' baptism

and it said the same thing.

This is my beloved son.

Listen to him.

Every time God is said

to have spoken audibly

in the New Testament,

it was to acknowledge

that Jesus is his son

and to command

that we are to listen

to his son.

All of the audible speech

of God in the New Testament

is that.

And again,

R.C. Sproul is helpful here.

He said,

if God were to speak

aloud today

from the heavens,

you know what he would say?

He'd say to us,

listen to my son.

my son

in whom I am well pleased.

After finishing speaking,

Matthew says

that Jesus walked over

to the disciples

who have fallen

on their faces

in fear.

Matthew says,

this is awesome.

Matthew says,

Jesus,

the son,

touches them.

They're on their face.

He touches them.

And he says,

get up.

You don't have to be afraid.

It's amazing.

Is that not a picture

of the gospel?

We're confronted

by the holiness of God

and we see our sin.

We see our wretchedness

and what does that

produce in us?

It can only produce

one thing,

fear.

That's the only reaction

we could have

when we truly see

the holiness of God.

And then what does

the son do?

He touches us

and he says,

get up.

You don't have to be afraid.

Look at me.

Follow me.

Believe me.

That was the point.

And Matthew says,

the men at that moment,

after Jesus touches them,

they lift up their heads

and they look around

and Jesus' face

isn't shining anymore.

His clothes are like

they always are.

Moses and Elijah

are gone.

The cloud is gone.

The voice is silent.

What are they left to see?

Jesus only.

Jesus only.

Now listen,

that's the point

of the transfiguration.

That's the point.

Moses and Elijah,

the Old Testament scriptures,

what's their purpose here?

To get us to see Jesus.

To get us to see Jesus.

What's the purpose

of the voice?

The voice of God the Father?

To get us to see Jesus.

What then is the purpose

of the Holy Spirit?

The scriptures say,

it is to get us

to see Jesus.

Notice,

notice,

God the Father

doesn't thunder

with a voice that says,

this is my son,

listen to me.

He says,

listen to him.

He's not pulling

the attention

to God the Father.

The Holy Spirit

doesn't do that either.

He doesn't testify

of himself,

he testifies of Christ.

What do the scriptures do?

What is the point

of all of this?

That these disciples

might look up

and see Jesus alone.

What is the point

of this passage for us?

That we may look up

and see Jesus,

Jesus alone.

And then that moves us

on to this really

kind of enigmatic part

of this passage

in verses 9 through 13,

which is under the heading

in my notes

is what they asked.

So we have what they saw,

what they heard,

and now we see

what they asked

in verses 9 through 13.

Now I just said

it's a bit enigmatic here.

That's not to say

that we cannot

understand the verses.

It would just take

a little bit of work

for us to connect

the dots here

of what's happening.

And I can't delve

into all the complexities here,

but I think that

if you'll just hang with me

for a couple more moments,

I think we can get it, okay?

Look at verse 9.

As they were coming

down the mountain,

he charged them

to tell no one

what they had seen

until the Son of Man

had risen from the dead.

So they kept the matter

to themselves,

questioning what this

rising from the dead

might mean.

Now I love that Mark

gives us a glimpse

into this conversation

because we're not often told

in the Gospels

of how the disciples

were processing

the things that they saw,

how they were processing

the things that they heard.

We see it from time to time,

but not very often.

The Gospels move

very quickly, don't they?

We get here

and Matthew and Mark

both kind of give us

a glimpse as to

how the disciples

responded to this event.

And so it says

that as they were hiking

down the mountain,

they began to ask Jesus

some questions.

And it just makes me wonder,

how long did it take?

It's a pretty magnificent event.

I would imagine

there's some silence

for a little while.

Peter's just been rebuked again.

I would imagine

from him especially

there's probably

a little bit of silence.

But eventually

the silence is broken.

And they begin to discuss

what has transpired,

which leads to Jesus

quickly commanding them

not to tell anyone.

Now that's a tough order,

isn't it?

And we see it all the time

with Jesus, right?

And we've talked about

all the reasons

why Jesus often

instructed people

not to say anything

about the things

that he had done.

We understand

all of those things.

There's no reason

to go through them again.

But it's a tough order.

Here's these three disciples.

They've had the most

magnificent experience

of their life.

And now they can't even

tell their buddies.

At least not yet.

And of course,

they obeyed that.

They obeyed the command.

Jesus said

not to say anything

until the Son of Man

had risen from the dead.

And so,

they still didn't understand

the purpose of the cross.

Jesus knew

that their spiritual sight

would remain unclear

until after the resurrection.

And so,

to share the news

of the transfiguration

would only add

to the misconceptions

of the people.

It's only going to

potentially add obstacles

on Jesus' path

to the cross.

It was just necessary

that they not say anything yet.

But they would.

Just not yet.

Well,

that led to a question

and a discussion

amongst the three disciples.

We really want to tell people.

He said not to tell people

until the Son of Man

is risen from the dead.

So,

what does this rising

of the dead actually mean?

What is Jesus getting on

about here?

The discussion that ensues

between the three men.

And here,

it's important for us

to understand

what their preconceived

idea of resurrection was.

That's the question

that they asked Jesus

or that they were

asking one another.

And the preconceived notion

for these men

was not that they were

trying to figure out

resurrection in general.

They believed in a future

resurrection of all people.

The Jews,

for the most part,

believed that.

From Daniel chapter 12.

Daniel 12 · chapter mention

They also had seen Jesus

raise other people

from the dead.

So,

it's not that they just

didn't really understand

resurrection.

It's that they had

no capacity in their mind

for a suffering Messiah

that would need

resurrection.

That thought just

doesn't enter into their mind.

So,

even though Jesus

had plainly said it,

they're not grasping it.

Perhaps they're just

not receiving it.

And so,

they're discussing

with one another,

well,

what does he mean

by this resurrection

and when can we tell people?

And it seems that

they've settled in

on this idea

that what Jesus

was referring to

was this general

resurrection of all people

to judgment.

And this is what leads

to their next question.

Verse 11.

And they asked him,

why do the scribes say

that first Elijah must come?

And he said to them,

Elijah does come first

to restore all things.

And how is it written

to the Son of Man

that he should suffer

many things

and be treated

with contempt?

But I tell you

that Elijah has come

and they did to him

whatever they pleased

as it is written

of him.

This is a weird question

now, isn't it?

Because what they're discussing

with one another

is resurrection.

Why didn't they ask Jesus

about resurrection?

Because they thought

they figured that part out.

They were certain

Jesus,

Jesus can't be talking

about himself.

This has to be

something else.

They're settling in

on this general

resurrection of all people

to the judgment

at the end of the age.

And so their question

then is not so much

about resurrection,

it's about this

Elijah figure.

The question has to do

with the fulfillment

of a prophecy

from the prophet

Malachi.

Now God had spoken

through Malachi

to say that

a forerunner

would precede

the Messiah

and prepare the way

for his arrival.

And you can write

these references down.

We would find it

in Malachi 3

and verse 1

and then again

in Malachi 4

and verse 5.

And let me just

read them to you.

Malachi 3,

here's what it says,

Behold,

I send my messenger,

he will prepare

the way before me.

And the Lord

whom you seek

will suddenly

come to his temple.

The messenger

of the covenant

in whom you delight,

behold,

he is coming,

says the Lord of hosts.

So that's chapter 3

and verse 1.

A messenger

will precede the Messiah.

And then in chapter 4

and verse 5,

Malachi summarizes

his prophecy

and he says

that this messenger

will be Elijah.

Let me read it to you.

Behold,

I will send you

Elijah the prophet

before the great

and awesome day

of the Lord comes.

He will turn

the hearts

of the fathers

to their children,

the hearts

of the children

to their fathers,

lest I come

and strike the land

with the decree

of utter destruction.

So the question

that the disciples have

is related

to this prophecy

for Malachi.

The Jews believed

that before the Messiah

would come

and set up the kingdom,

that Elijah himself,

the Old Testament

prophet himself,

would come back,

would return,

and that he would do

this preparatory work.

The language

is to restore

all things.

It's really a reference

to preparing the way.

That idea

of the herald

that would go

before a king

and prepare the way

is really what

the intention

of that phrasing is.

They thought Elijah

literally was going

to come back.

The disciples

would have assumed

this as well.

But they couldn't

figure out,

though they believed

in Jesus

that he was indeed

the Messiah,

they couldn't figure out

this whole bit

about Elijah.

And so that's

what they ask.

They're thinking

about the kingdom,

they're thinking

the kingdom is coming now.

They're still confused

about that.

And they say,

Jesus,

if you're the Messiah

and we believe

that you are,

what's this whole bit

about Elijah?

Where's Elijah?

We thought Elijah

was supposed to come.

And we just saw him

on the mountain

and we've never

seen him before.

So what's the whole deal

with Elijah?

Now,

Jesus answers them

in a way

that's a little bit unique.

But before we can

really understand

verse 12

in this question

that Jesus asked,

let's start

with verse 13.

Jesus tells them,

essentially,

John the Baptist

is the Elijah

that Malachi

was referring to.

And so at this point

in the conversation,

Matthew wrote

in chapter 17

and verse 13

that the disciples

got it.

It clicked with them,

okay,

Jesus is referring

to John the Baptist.

That must be

the explanation.

And so though

the Jews were looking

for this literal

return of Elijah,

Jesus said

that this prophecy

was fulfilled

in John

who had come

in the spirit

and power

of Elijah.

It was a matter

of interpretation.

They had interpreted

it in a literal way

and it didn't quite

mean it in a literal way

when God gave

the prophecy.

Now,

the New Testament

is clear about this.

Let me give you

a couple of references.

When the angel

appeared to Zechariah

to tell him

that his wife

Elizabeth

would bear a child

and to name him

John,

here's what the angel

said.

Luke chapter 1,

Luke 1 · chapter mention

He will turn

many of the children

of Israel

to the Lord

their God.

He will go

before him

in the spirit

and power

of Elijah

to turn the hearts

of the fathers

to the children

and the disobedient

to the wisdom

of the just

to make ready

for the Lord

a people

prepared.

We just heard

that language

in Malachi.

The angel

is telling Zechariah

your son

is going to be

that one.

He's the Elijah.

Okay?

After John

is born,

his father

Zechariah

has this doxology,

this moment

of praise.

In Luke chapter 1

Luke 1 · chapter mention

the Bible

says that he was

filled with the Holy Spirit

and here's what he said.

And you child,

this is in reference

to John,

will be called

the prophet

of the Most High.

You will go

before the Lord

to prepare

his ways

to give knowledge

of salvation

to his people

and the forgiveness

of their sins

because of the tender

mercy of our God.

And then Jesus

confirmed this

in Matthew 11.

For all the prophets

and the law

prophesied until John

and if you are willing

to accept it,

Jesus said,

he is Elijah

who is to come.

And then he says,

he who has ears to hear,

let him hear.

In other words,

if you will see

who John really is,

you'll see

who I really am.

That's the whole point

of this.

That's what Jesus

is getting at

in this question.

And then we have

to ask,

if it was so plain

that John the Baptist

was this Elijah figure,

why didn't the disciples

understand it?

It's clear,

isn't it?

They didn't want

a Messiah

who would suffer

and they had

no capacity

in their mind

for a messenger,

a forerunner

that would suffer.

Just like they had

no capacity

in their mind

for followers

of the Messiah

to suffer.

Suffering was not

a part of the equation

for them.

The whole equation

for them

with the kingdom

was blessing

and the nation

being established

and all of the enemies

of Israel

being demolished

and the Messiah

reigning

and they reigning

with them.

There's no suffering

in their mind.

And so now

that John

has been arrested

and executed,

they've completely

dismissed any possibility

that he could have

been the Elijah figure

of Malachi.

And here is Jesus

saying,

no,

Elijah has come.

Elijah has come.

It was John.

They did to him.

They did to him

whatever they wanted

as it is written of him.

Okay,

now we can come back

to verse 12

because we understand

John is the person here.

Now we come back

to verse 12

and we're about

to finish it up.

I hope I'm not losing you here.

Almost done.

And he said to them,

Elijah does come first

to restore all things.

And then he asked a question.

And how is it written

of the son of man

that he should suffer

many things

and be treated

with contempt?

Now,

this question

seems strange.

They've asked him

about Elijah.

Why is Jesus

now asking them

about what the scripture

says about the suffering

Messiah?

Messiah?

And Jesus

is teaching them again

that the scripture

says the Messiah

must suffer.

Therefore,

his followers

must also

be prepared

to suffer

for his sake.

That's the point.

Matthew

orders

these statements

in reverse.

and it's

to accomplish

a different,

provide a different

perspective

of Jesus' statement.

He reverses them

in order to say

how the Messiah

would suffer.

And in Matthew's

account,

he's essentially

saying

the way that

they treated

John

is also

the way

they will

treat me.

That's essentially

the sequence

that Matthew gives.

But Mark

gives a different

sequence.

Mark's presenting

a different

perspective.

He's not

trying to tell

us

how the Messiah

would die.

He's trying

to emphasize

why John

had to die.

And so

his sequence

goes like this.

They did

that to

John

because

they will

do that

to me.

Do you see

the difference?

why is

Jesus asking

this question?

He's bringing

their minds

back to the

scripture.

The Messiah

will suffer.

Therefore,

why would you

expect

that his

messenger

wouldn't

suffer?

And why

wouldn't you

expect

that you

won't

suffer?

And here

he covers

this third

part of his

teaching in

chapter 8.

We've seen

his identity.

We've seen

his suffering.

And now

we're again

reminded of

the cost

of being

his disciple.

Just because

John was

executed

didn't mean

that he

wasn't

the Elijah

figure.

It actually

shows that

he was

the Messiah

figure.

Because just

as they

treated

Jesus

is how

we might

expect

to be

treated

as his

followers.

And it's

not hard

to see

that is

it.

It's

only

getting

harder.

But every

one of

these men

that were

covering in

the life

of Jesus

every one

of them

suffered

willingly

joyfully

why?

Because they

found in

Jesus

the pearl.

They found

in Jesus

the treasure.

And so

Jesus is

just teaching

the lesson

again.

Now as we

close I want

us to step

back for just

a second

and consider

this narrative

as a whole.

What is it

we're supposed

to do about

this passage?

We like to

ask that

question right?

When we come

to the text

what do we

do about

this?

This is

what it

says.

This is

what it

means.

What do

we do

now?

The purpose

of the

transfiguration

is to

proclaim

who Jesus

is,

what he

came to

do,

and what

it means

to be

his

disciple.

So the

application

is clear.

We are

to believe

who he

is,

accept

what he

did,

and follow

him,

and follow

him.