Mark 9:10-13 - June 17, 2010

Mark 9:10-13 “They kept the matter to themselves, discussing what "rising from the dead" meant.”11 And they asked him, "Why do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?" 12 Jesus replied, "To be sure, Elijah does come first, and restores all things. Why then is it written that the Son of Man must suffer much and be rejected? 13 But I tell you, Elijah has come, and they have done to him everything they wished, just as it is written about him."

These four verses are once again a demonstration of the skill of the master weaver! The Father has a tremendous capacity to layer so many issues or principles into a short span of content within the pages of scripture. Consider first of all the challenge that Jesus has placed upon these three men who have shared such a moving experience as this. They are commissioned by the Lord to tell no one until the appointed time. It is admirable that they are so restrained as to hold this in their hearts and yet they are provoked to discuss the words of Jesus amongst themselves.

First, the disciples have been granted an experience unlike any other they have known, and second they are faced with a concept that they cannot grasp.” Rising from the dead… what could that mean?” There is an initial problem created by this concept. “To rise from the dead you first have to be dead!... Wait a minute… that’s not the plan.” Can you imagine their frustration at these words as they introduce such a totally contradictory paradox to all that they have believed and expected to this point? This is news that they most certainly don’t want to hear or deal with. As a result their debate emphasizes the fact that they are focusing on this concept philosophically rather than embracing it literally. How many of us do the same when we hear things from the Lord that we do not want to face? The disciples are no different as they struggle to let this news enter their hearts. It is amazing how their denial of the clearly stated leaves them in confusion until after the Lord is resurrected and touches their minds on the road to Emmaus. Suddenly they are ushered into a whole new revelation of God. “Oh, I get it. Dead means… dead!”

A second facet of this passage is found in the direction that their thoughts take as they dialogue with one another. Often in this kind of discussion it can be seen that reflection on a challenging issue or subject often opens up the consideration of many other related subjects. Their reflections on death, resurrection and eternity in light of seeing Elijah with Moses on the mountain turn their thoughts towards the prophetic promise they know from scripture concerning the return of Elijah prior to Christ’s coming.

These men have are remembering the prophecies that state that Elijah will come before the Messiah. It is valuable to note what their expectation of this Elijah is, he will restore all things. Jesus’ response to them is equally intriguing as He states “Elijah has already come.” There is such an interlocking prophetic discussion taking place here as Jesus connects the coming Messiah to the coming Elijah, the death of this Elijah to the death of the Messiah and essentially says to them, “you are right in the middle of this prophecy NOW!”

Jesus is pointing to John the Baptist in His reference as He says “and they have done to him everything they wished, just as it was written about him.” There are a series of powerful implications in this statement. First, it declares “this prophecy has been fulfilled.” Second, it implies that they knew Elijah in the form of John the Baptist. Thirdly because Jesus did not adjust their expectations of what this Elijah was coming to do and the fact that he had already come and gone the implication is that his mission to restore all things as described by the disciples has already been fulfilled as well. They are living in the midst of historical prophetic detail being fulfilled all around them.

Throughout this passage Jesus is constantly linking events in the minds of the disciples. In this way Jesus is using the death of this Elijah that has already come as an evidence of the resurrection. He is forcing the disciples to consider facts. They believe that Elijah never died and went to heaven on a chariot. They believe that he must return and restore. Now Jesus is telling them that Elijah has already come. In addition Jesus is pointing out that he has also already been put to death by the Jews. Finally, they are faced with the reality that this Elijah who was recently killed was just standing on the mountain with Jesus and Moses very much alive! It is in this same context of a demonstration of resurrection life that Jesus then tells them that He too must pass through the doors of death into eternal life through the resurrection power of God. And now their heads are spinning. How about yours?

Mark 9:8-10 - June 16, 2010

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?

Mark 9:27 - June 14, 2010

Mark 9:2-7 “After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. 3 His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. 4 And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus. 5 Peter said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters-one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah." 6(He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.) 7 Then a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and a voice came from the cloud: "This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!"

There are times in our lives when one experience can reinterpret everything that we believe in a certain area. In Mark 9:2-7 Peter, James, and John are confronted with just such a moment. Invited by the Lord onto a high mountain for some personal time with Him, I would expect that they were both excited and honored to be there with this great prophet and teacher. They were growing in their certainty that He was the long awaited Messiah. But it seems from this experience that they still had little idea that Jesus was the central piece to God’s plan of redemption for the human race.

These three men accompany Jesus to the mountain top. He has brought them to a solitary place where there are both no distractions and no witnesses. Once they are alone Jesus exposes them to an experience of a life time. Suddenly the Jesus that they had always known was completely transformed in front of their very eyes. This was no magic trick but rather and unveiling of what had been right in front of them the entire time. They had walked with Jesus for years now but had never been allowed to see the real Jesus until that moment. Like a person wearing a full length coat and hat who never shows you the outfit underneath, Jesus concealed the real measure of His glorious person from them until this moment.

It is fascinating to notice that even in this moment of glory at first Peter still manages to miss the true message of this experience. Jesus is not alone but is met in this experience by Moses and Elijah. The problem with this is that Peter interprets this fact as a statement placing the three men on a peer level rather than recognizing that the point of it is the elevation of Jesus above the other two in the view of heaven. For so long in the Jewish culture the people reverenced Moses and Elijah as two of the primary leaders of their faith along with Abraham. Yet even at the moment that Peter is misinterpreting this revelation the voice of the Father comes and leaves no room for doubt.

The Father has not sent these two historical saints with the goal of establishing Jesus as their peer. In the Father’s heart is one goal, to lift up His son! Peter’s initial response is to build three huts for the purpose of revering these three men of renown only to be interrupted by the booming voice of their heavenly Father. “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to Him.” With this one sentence everything that these men have believed is reinterpreted. Already greatly shaken by this mystical experience, their doctrine is now blown apart. In two short phrases the Father elevates Jesus to the status of Son-ship, exalts Him above Moses and Elijah positionally and directs them to value the teachings of this man of mystery and wonder above the teachings of Moses and the miracles of Elijah. “Listen to Him!”

The teachings of Moses were the central pillar of the Jewish belief system and with one short experience they are brushed aside as secondary to the message of Christ. In this short window of time, the landscape of their faith was completely altered and now everything they believed had to be reinterpreted through this new lens. Now instead of interpreting the teachings of Christ through the lens of what Moses said, essentially they are being asked to reinterpret the teachings of Moses through the lens of what Jesus has been saying! This is the way of God. This is the glory of Jesus.

Mark 9:1-10:1 - June 13, 2010

Mark 9:1-10:1 “And he said to them, "I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God come with power." NIV

Consider for a moment the teaching style of Jesus. One of His means of emphasizing topics of great weight and concern is by use of the phrase “I tell you the truth.” The implication of such a phrase is that each time it was in use Jesus was confronting a false belief in the lives of His disciples. The underlying sentiment is the concept that by saying “I tell you the truth,” He is also saying that others who have taught them previously have not! Each time that Jesus identifies the fact that this new teaching is the truth He is in essence exposing a false belief that they have been handed or concluded on their own. Through this Jesus is progressively reorienting His followers to a different world view and a different religious interpretation of the things that they have been taught all of their lives. Therefore, each time this phrase appears the subject that is being emphasized should be considered in the light of the wrong thinking that it is intended to correct. These teachings on not areas of incomplete thinking where it is intended to be added to the understanding but rather it is intended to replace the existing beliefs!

Because this principle is true the things Jesus presents in Mark 9:1 must be interpreted as intensely disruptive to the thinking of those who are hearing Him. It must be interpreted that each person hearing these things is being brought into an abrupt theological confrontation with what they have always believed. Jesus is so good at that! One of His primary themes throughout His entire ministry has been the topic of the Kingdom of God. The hope of the coming kingdom of God has always been the great hope of the Jewish people. What this passage confronts in the minds of those who hear is that typical pattern that many people with a promise from God fall into, and that is the habit of believing the promise but not expecting the promise. It is very easy to fall into a habit of intellectual belief that our heart is no longer engaged in. We can say, “I believe in healing” but never act as if we expect God to heal us. We can say “I believe God will provide for all of my needs” but live in chronic striving and anxiety over our financial future as if it is totally up to us to provide for our family. When Jesus speaks these words in Mark 9:1, he is rooting out this kind of habit within the people. He is saying to them “it is time to live with expectation. The work of God is closer than you think!”

For each believer there are times and seasons; times when all we can do is endure the desert, times when the answer we are waiting for is just around the corner, and times when the purpose of God springs forth upon us like a sudden rain. What seems to be an emphasis in this passage in Mark 9:1 is Jesus coming to announce to them a change of season! “You have waited hundreds of years as a people. You believe but don’t expect. And it is time to change how you wait!”

Often times when we have a long wait for someone to return home we become busy about other things because we do not expect them soon. But as the time draws near we change the focus of what we are doing because we now expect them any moment. We act differently both mentally and practically because we expect them soon. This is what Jesus is after in the lives of the people. His appeal is simple. It is time to prepare yourself because the work of God is upon you, watch for it, expect it soon. And this is God’s message to us as well. Live with expectation of God. Guard your heart from the temptation to get comfortably dull in how you live. Live as if you are sitting forward in your seat expecting a knock at the door any moment. The movement of God in your life is closer than you think. Watch for it!