Mark 9:8-10 “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.
Imagine this day in the lives of James, Peter and john. They have just experienced one of the most extraordinary divine encounters ever recorded. They have seen Jesus in all of His glory. They have witnessed the appearance of Moses and Elijah. They have even heard the voice of the Father speaking audibly to them of the Son-ship of Jesus. Their entire perspective concerning who Christ is and the hierarchy of heaven have been radically altered. And now Jesus gives them orders not to tell anyone! Can you say “not fair”?
Not only does Jesus forbid them to tell anyone what they have experienced until after Jesus has risen from the dead, in doing so He also introduces another totally foreign concept; that He will die and rise from the dead. Imagine what Peter must have said to his wife when he got home. (We know he was married because of Paul’s commentary and the miracle healing of his mother-in-law.) “Did you do anything special today Peter?” “Oh. Not much!” Imagine having to restrain yourself from telling of what Jesus had done that day. Yet this is the way of God. He teaches us self-control and introduces the concept that some of the things that the Lord may show us are for an appointed time and not for immediate disclosure. This principle calls for the maturing of the saints. Can we receive something special from the Lord without having to go and tell everyone right away? It seems to be the way of God to reveal things that create tension within us. And this tension causes us to grow.
For the three men who were entrusted with this profound experience there also came a distinct accountability. First their lives were forever shaped by an experience of the Christ that no one else would ever know in this life. This would have eternally altered how they lived. This experience not only confirmed all that they suspected about Christ and more, it also demonstrated the truth of the Old Testament foundations that they had been raised upon. With the appearance of Moses and Elijah the writings of the Torah and the Prophets were all confirmed and it was clearly demonstrated that the life of Christ was the continuation of that same story. All of this was poured into their hearts in this one encounter and yet Jesus instructs them to say nothing! Why? The answer is assuredly “the timing of God.”
Ecclesiastes 3 tells us that for everything there is a time and a season. This is true even for supernatural revelation. Jesus wanted these men to grow in the depth and impact of this experience for an extended time prior to becoming the heralds of it. The circumstances in which this story could be told and received needed to be created first by the death and resurrection of Christ. It is vital that we recognize that many things the Lord shares with us are intended first to do a work in us, before we ever share them with someone else.
The second trust they have been given is that in due time they “will” tell their story. In due time they “will” declare the glory of Christ and tell of hearing the Father endorse His Son. In due time these three men will be ready to face the pressure of making such declarations as they are preparing to make, in due time! Each of these men are introduced into a new training program called “divine restraint.” Can we have a promise in our hearts, or a revelation in our spirits and simply hold it there in stillness until the time of God’s choosing? This is the price of revelation. This is the price of experience with God. Jesus taught this principle this way, Luke 12:48 “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” What will you do with what you have been given in God?
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