The Transfiguration

Meditations of the Gospel of Mark

September 10, 2020

The Transfiguration

“He said this because he didn’t really know what else to say, for they were all terrified.”

Mark 9:6

Read: Mark 9:2-13

I believe the ultimate reality God desires for his children to grasp is captured in the eloquent prose of the Apostle Paul in Romans 8, which concludes with the affirmation that “nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:39b).

There is, however, a lesser reality; often we feel separated from God. To help us see the ultimate reality of God’s presence, the Bible sometimes uses an apocalyptic literary style. Apocalypse means revelation, and this literary style is a method of pulling back the curtain, so that we can see the action of God behind the scenes. The account of the transfiguration of Jesus is an example of this literary style.

Mark’s account of the Transfiguration parallels Moses’ assent to a mountain top to encounter God (Exodus 24). As Moses led the exodus of God’s people out of oppression and slavery, Jesus is leading the second exodus; God’s people are being set free from slavery to sin and death. Both mountain-top encounters occurred after a period of six days, both Moses and Jesus had their appearance changed, and both heard God speak from a cloud.

When Moses and Elijah appear in the vision, the pulled-back curtain reveals the continuity of God acting through the Old Testament Law and Prophets to fulfill His mission to save humankind. When Jesus is left standing alone, we see that Jesus is now the fulfillment of all of God’s saving actions. When Jesus walked up the mountain, his appearance was that of an ordinary man. When “Jesus’ appearance was transformed, and his clothes became dazzling white, far whiter than any earthly bleach could ever make them.” (Mark 9:3), the pulled-back curtain revealed that

“though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave”

(Philippians 2:6-7).

When God spoke, affirming again as He did at Jesus’ baptism that Jesus was His dearly loved Son, who brings Him great joy, He added a declaratory statement, “Listen to him” (Mark 9:7).

My Takeaway: Most of the time, God keeps the curtain pulled closed, because we couldn’t stand it otherwise. Even so, the writer of Hebrews calls us to never forget:

“Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us give thanks, by which we offer to God an acceptable worship with reverence and awe; for indeed our God is a consuming fire.”

Hebrews 12:28-29 (NRSV)

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

Copyright © 2020 by Alex M. Knight

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

• Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

• The second edition of  First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.