10 Jul Mark 22: The glory unveiled

Mark 9:2-29

² And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, ³ and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them. ⁴ And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. ⁵ And Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” ⁶ For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified. ⁷ And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.” ⁸ And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only.

⁹ And 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. ¹⁰ So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead might mean. ¹¹ And they asked him, “Why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?” ¹² And he said to them, “Elijah does come first to restore all things. And how is it written of the Son of Man that he should suffer many things and be treated with contempt? ¹³ But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written of him.”

¹⁴ And when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them. ¹⁵ And immediately all the crowd, when they saw him, were greatly amazed and ran up to him and greeted him. ¹⁶ And he asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?” ¹⁷ And someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him mute. ¹⁸ And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able.” ¹⁹ And he answered them, “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.” ²⁰ And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. ²¹ And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. ²² And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” ²³ And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” ²⁴ Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” ²⁵ And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.” ²⁶ And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, “He is dead.” ²⁷ But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. ²⁸ And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” ²⁹ And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.”

Are you ever tempted to envy the apostles? Think about it. They got to witness and live everything we read in the gospels. When Jesus calmed the raging storm with his voice, they were there to see it. When Jesus fed the multitude with five loaves of bread and two fish, they played part in it. They learned everything Jesus had to teach directly from him. They witnessed Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. But of all the things the apostles witnessed, none is more spectacular than what we read in this passage. In our passage for today, some of the apostles witnessed the unveiled glory of Jesus Christ, or what is often known as the transfiguration. Throughout Jesus’ life, there were moments when his true glory burst out even amid his humiliation. But none shined forth so magnificently as the transfiguration. The account of the transfiguration is spectacular. Matthew, Mark, and Luke recorded the transfiguration. John alluded to it. Peter mentioned it in his letter. This is something that the apostles who witnessed it would remember for the rest of their lives. The question is, what does it mean for us? What are we supposed to learn from it? For all its spectacle, the lesson for us is incredibly simple. It is a simple lesson and yet it is something we need to remind ourselves all the time.

Before we go there, let me give you the context first. Last week we learned how the question of Jesus’ true identity was finally answered. As soon as Peter confessed that Jesus is the Christ, the focus of the book of Mark changed. If the first half of the book of Mark focuses on the identity of Jesus, the second half of the book focuses on the purpose of Jesus. After Peter said, “You are the Christ,” Jesus explained to the disciples that he must suffer and die. And the disciples were confused. How can a Messiah that was supposed to lead Israel into glory suffer and die? Jesus’ words did not make any sense to them. And we ended the sermon with Jesus telling the disciples that some of them will not die until they see the kingdom of God. We are not entirely certain what Jesus had in mind when he said that. But if we look at what happened right after it, it’s possible that Jesus might have referred to the glorious revelation that some of his disciples are about to experience on the mount of transfiguration. Three disciples are about to be given the unique privilege of seeing something that most believers see only after they die: the unveiled glory of Jesus Christ.

So, let’s look at the passage together. I have three points for my sermon: Up the mountain; Down the mountain; The access.

Up the mountain

Mark 9:2-8 – ² And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, ³ and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them. ⁴ And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. ⁵ And Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” ⁶ For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified. ⁷ And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.” ⁸ And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only.

So, Jesus goes up the mountain with his inner circle: John, James, and Peter. And at the top of the mountain, Jesus is transfigured before them. The Greek word for transfigured comes from the word ‘metamorpheo,’ from which we get the English word metamorphosis. We learned in school that metamorphosis is when a caterpillar undergoes a dramatic change and becomes a butterfly. So, Jesus is experiencing a metamorphosis in front of the disciples. His face shines bright like the sun, and his clothes become radiant, intensely white, whiter than the whitest bleach on earth. But let’s be clear. What happens here is not that Jesus experiences a change in his nature. It’s not that he was a caterpillar before and now he is a butterfly. What happens here is the outward visible manifestation of Jesus’ true nature. Let me put it in a way that I know you will appreciate. What happens at the mount of transfiguration is not Son Goku transforming into a Super Saiyan; It is Clark Kent revealing himself as Superman. Jesus is Clark Kent, but for a moment, he takes off his glasses, opens his shirt, put his cape on, and reveals that he is Superman. Jesus is making it possible for Peter, James, and John to see a glimpse of his everlasting glory. And Jesus’ glory is not a reflected glory. Jesus’ glory is actual internal glory.

Let me explain to you what I mean. A few hundred years before this event, God came down on Mount Sinai in a cloud. God spoke out of the cloud, and everyone was afraid. Moses went to the top of the mountain, and he begged to see God’s glory. He said, “Show me your glory. I want to see your perfect, infinite, and unimaginable beauty.” God replied, “You can’t see my glory and live. So, I am going to put you in a cleft in the rock and I will cover you with my hand, and my glory will pass you by. But you cannot see my face. No one can see my face and live.” So, Moses was not able to see God’s glory directly. But when Moses went down the mountain, his face shone with the reflected glory of God. Now, centuries later, we are on top of another mountain. The glory of God is once again manifested. Even Moses makes an appearance. So, is this Mount Sinai all over again? It’s not. This time it is different. Moses reflected the glory of God like the moon reflects the light of the sun. But Jesus emanates the glory of God. The glory of God originates from him. He is the source of it. In other words, don’t miss this. Jesus does not point to the glory of God; Jesus is the glory of God in human form.

As if that’s not amazing enough, two of the greatest heroes in the Old Testament suddenly appear on the scene. As Jesus unveils his innate glory as the Son of God, Moses and Elijah make an appearance and talk to Jesus. This is crucial. Why Moses and Elijah? Why not Abraham and Joseph? Why not Joshua and David? Or Daniel and Hosea? Let me tell you why. Moses was the one who gave the law of God to the people of Israel. He was the one who wrote Torah. Moses represents the law of God. And Elijah was considered the greatest prophet in the Old Testament. He was the prophet God used to turn the heart of Israel back to him from idolatry. And he was the only prophet who did not experience death. Elijah was taken to heaven on chariots of fire. So, Elijah represents the prophets. And do you know that the entire Old Testament is often referred to as the law and the prophets? In other words, the appearance of Moses and Elijah shows that Jesus is the fulfilment of the law and the prophets. Everything in the Old Testament point to Jesus.

So, imagine that scene. Jesus is talking to Moses and Elijah. This is probably the greatest theological conversation in human history. And then have you ever been in a very special moment, where you are discussing something extremely significant, and all of the sudden, somebody jumps in the conversation and says something and ruins it all? Well, of course, it has to be Peter. Peter suddenly cuts in the conversation and says, “Rabbi, I am so glad that I am here.” If I were John or James, I would probably say, “Peter, no bro. You ruin it all. Just be quiet and enjoy the moment. We have Jesus, Moses and Elijah talking in front of us. Let’s just eavesdrop on their conversation.” But Peter speaks. And he says, “Jesus, why don’t we make three tents? One for you, one for Elijah, and one for Moses.” Some commentators try to read a lot into Peter’s words. But I don’t think we should read too much into it. Because Mark tells us Peter says what he says because he does not know what to say. This is a case of Peter who talks first and thinks later. How many of you can relate to Peter?

And God in heaven probably says to one of his angels, “Cue the cloud. We need to get the cloud machine going before Peter says anything else and ruins the moment even more.” Then a cloud appears and overshadows them. And in the Old Testament, every time God manifested himself, every time we see God’s shekinah glory, it came in a form of a cloud and smoke. So, now the manifested presence of God overshadows them. And a voice comes out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.” This is similar to what God the Father said to Jesus at his baptism. But at baptism, God’s words were directed at Jesus. But this time, it is different. These words are not directed at Jesus but at the disciples. God is saying to them, “That’s enough Peter. Thank you for your comment. Say no more. But what I want you, James, and John to know is that Jesus is my beloved Son. I know you have lots of questions. I know many things do not make sense to you. But Jesus’ word is my word. You must listen to him.” I love the way Phillip Ryken puts it. “The Father was glorifying Jesus as the Son of the everlasting glory, as the King who rules us, as the Saviour who died for us, and as the Prophet who teaches us everything we need to know for salvation.” And after they hear the voice of God out of the cloud, suddenly Elijah and Moses disappear. The disciples see no one with them but Jesus.

Look at what happens next. Mark 9:9-13 – ⁹ And 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. ¹⁰ So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead might mean. ¹¹ And they asked him, “Why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?” ¹² And he said to them, “Elijah does come first to restore all things. And how is it written of the Son of Man that he should suffer many things and be treated with contempt? ¹³ But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written of him.”

What would we do if we saw Jesus’s glory unveiled before us? If we saw our greatest heroes with our very own eyes? We would want to tell everyone about it. Right? I am sure Peter, James, and John cannot wait to tell the other disciples what they are missing out on. But Jesus commands them to tell no one what they have seen. Why? Because they still don’t get it. They still don’t understand the significance of what just happened in front of them. It is only after Jesus’ resurrection that it finally clicks for them. Right now, their understanding is incomplete. They are still partially blind. They don’t know what Jesus means by rising from the dead. They have no framework for suffering Messiah who will die and rise from the dead. So, they keep the matter to themselves.

But they do have one question for Jesus. They ask, “Why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?” The book of Malachi prophesied that Elijah would return before the great Day of the Lord. And the great Day of the Lord refers to the day that Messiah will come and make everything right. So, the disciples are saying, “Jesus, we just saw Elijah up on the mountain. That means that the Day of the Lord must be near. It means that you will restore everything and make everything right. So, why all this talk about your death? Elijah is here.” And Jesus replies, “Yes, Elijah must come first to restore all things. But Elijah has come, and people did to him whatever they wished, just as it is written about him.” Jesus is referring to John the Baptist. John the Baptist was not the reincarnation of Elijah, but he ministered in the spirit and power of Elijah. John the Baptist was the Elijah that has come and gone. The point is, just like John the Baptist was rejected and killed, Jesus will also suffer many things and be killed. Jesus once again underlines the fact that the cross of Christ must come before the crown of Christ. There is no glory without the cross.

So, what does it mean for us today? Listen carefully. This is a game-changer. Do you want to hear God speaks to you? Listen to Jesus. There was a time when God spoke in bits and pieces here and there through the law and the prophets. Praise God for Moses. Praise God for Elijah. Praise God for David, Daniel, Solomon, Jonah, Hosea, Jeremiah and many other Old Testament prophets and heroes. Through each of them, God revealed himself in bits and pieces. But that day was no more. It did not matter how awesome they were, they were only pointers to something better. Today, God did not only speak to us through pointers. He gives us the point. God has come to us in the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the fulfilment of the law and the prophets. He is the embodiment of everything God wants to communicate to us. Let me put it this way. Does anyone like to play jigsaw puzzles? I heard some people enjoy doing it as a stress reliever. That does not work for me. I’m a bit OCD. That means I like everything to be in order. For example, if you open my wardrobe, you will see that I organized my clothes carefully. There are different sections for t-shirts, sweaters, turtlenecks, shirts, pants, and suits. And each section is organised based on colours, from dark to light. And one of the things that annoy me is when I see a piece of clothing in the wrong section, or when I see disharmony in colours. It’s hard for me to see something that is out of place. That is why I do not enjoy jigsaw puzzles. Especially those with a few thousand pieces. It’s not a stress reliever; it is a stress maker for me. So, the way God communicated in the Old Testament is like a jigsaw puzzle. We have different pieces of the puzzle scattered in different places. But today, it’s different. God makes it abundantly clear to us. In Jesus, we have the complete puzzle. He is what those pieces are designed for. And our role as Christians is to listen to Jesus.

Let me tell you why this is important. Because as we follow Jesus, we will find many things that we don’t understand. Just like the disciples. They cannot put the two and two together. Their understanding of the Messiah and Jesus’ understanding of the Messiah is different. They can’t see that Jesus is the Suffering Messiah. That is why God the Father tells them, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.” And the same word is also God’s word to us. There will be many things that Jesus says that do not make sense to us. And our role is not to second guess Jesus. But we are to use our minds and wills to listen to Jesus. If Jesus is the radiance of the glory of God, then the only appropriate response is to listen to him. And the word listen means obey. If Jesus is who he says he is, we can’t just follow him and have him in our lives every Sunday. He has to be the reason we get up in the morning. He has to be the point everything in our lives revolves around. He has to be the axis on which everything turns. We can’t just like Jesus. We either surrender everything to him or we don’t have anything to do with him. We can’t live in the middle. Anything in between is a sham. So, the question is, what is Jesus saying to you right now that demands you to listen to him? Look at those areas in your life where you know you are not obeying him, and say, “Jesus, I want to listen to you. I want to obey you.” Let’s continue with the story.

Down the mountain

Mark 9:14-19 – ¹⁴ And when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them. ¹⁵ And immediately all the crowd, when they saw him, were greatly amazed and ran up to him and greeted him. ¹⁶ And he asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?” ¹⁷ And someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him mute. ¹⁸ And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able.” ¹⁹ And he answered them, “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.”

Notice the difference between the experience at the top of the mountain and down the mountain. At the top of the mountain, they experienced glory. But as soon as they come off the mountain, they are faced with evil. There is a big argument between the teachers of the law, the disciples who did not go up the mountain, and the crowd. And when the crowd sees Jesus, they are excited, and they immediately run to Jesus. Jesus asks, “What’s going on? Why are you arguing with my disciples?” So, what happened is that there is a boy who is possessed by a demon, making him deaf and mute and causing seizures. The symptom is very similar to epilepsy, but this is not just epilepsy; It is demonic possession. The boy’s father brought him to the disciples, but the disciples were not able to cast out the demon. This is interesting. Think about it. They healed the sick before. They cast out demons before. So why can’t they do it now? We will find the answer later. So, Jesus rebukes the disciples for their lack of faith. And then Jesus asks them to bring the boy to him.

Mark 9:20-28 – ²⁰ And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. ²¹ And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. ²² And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” ²³ And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” ²⁴ Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” ²⁵ And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.” ²⁶ And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, “He is dead.” ²⁷ But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.

The moment the demon inside the boy sees Jesus, he is terrified. He knows that he is in big trouble. So, he begins to react and attacks the boy from the inside. What takes place is the reaction of evil in the presence of the absolute holiness of Jesus. So, the boy begins to have a seizure and falls to the ground and rolls around, foaming at the mouth. And the father tells Jesus that his son has been like this since childhood. And it has often cast him into fire and water to destroy him. Parents, how would you feel if you see your children were under demonic attack and almost died again and again, and there was nothing you could do about it? You would feel helpless. You would be desperate. This man was desperate. But then he heard about all the amazing works that Jesus and the disciples have done. He had hope. He had expectations. “If only I can bring my son to Jesus and the disciples, then maybe….” But his hope was shattered because of the disciples’ inability to do anything to help his son. The disciples were completely useless. So, he says to Jesus, “I asked your disciples for help but they can’t do anything about it. But if you can do anything, please help us.” This is a plea of a desperate disheartened father.

And I love Jesus’ answer. It is one of the most encouraging verses but also one of the most abused verses in the Bible. Mark 9:23 – And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” I don’t think Jesus is saying to the man, “If you can? What do you mean if I can? Are you doubting me? Where is your faith?” I think Jesus is saying to the man, “You got the if in the wrong place. It’s not a matter of if I can. Because I can. I have the power. I have the authority. The question is not if I can. The question is are you humble enough to admit that I can and look to me? Do you have faith in me that I am able? Because everything is possible for him who believes in me.” In other words, faith is what exercises Jesus’ authority in our lives. But listen to me carefully. Faith is a gift of God. We do not create faith on our own. Faith is God’s gift to us that comes from hearing the word of God. Faith is not a way for us to make God do whatever we want him to do. Faith is God’s gift to us that enables us to trust his promises. It is not centred on what we want but on who God is. Faith in what we want God to do is not faith in God but faith in self. And that is not true faith. True faith looks outside of self and looks unto Jesus. How do we know? Look at what happens next.

Mark 9:24 – Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” Can you see what happened? The father acknowledges his unbelief. He does not say, “Okay, I must believe more. I must trust more. And if I believe enough, then Jesus will heal my son.” He doesn’t say that. He says, “Jesus, I am trying to believe. I want to believe. But I am full of doubts at the same time. My faith is small. Will you help me overcome my unbelief?” The man acknowledges that he is weak. He is admitting that he does not have what it takes to deal with the situation in front of him. So, rather than try to fake it till he makes it, he simply asks Jesus to help his unbelief. And do you know what happens next? Jesus heals the man’s son. What a compassionate God we have. I mean, Jesus could have told the man, “I am the radiance of the glory of God. I am God in flesh. How dare you doubt me. So, go home, purify your heart, get rid of all your doubts, and then come back to me with a pure heart. When you can have more faith in me, then I will heal your son.” Jesus does not say that at all. All it takes for Jesus to heal the man’s son is for him to say, “Help me. I am not good enough. But I know that you are good. Help my unbelief.” And friends, this is true faith. True faith is faith in Jesus instead of faith in oneself. It is not about the subject of faith but the object of faith. This man put his faith not on the size of his faith but in Jesus’ willingness to help. So, Jesus rebukes the demon and commands the demon to come out of the boy and never enter him again. And the demon is powerless before the authority of Jesus. The demon comes out of the boy and the boy looks as if he is dead. But Jesus takes his hand and lifts him. And the boy rises. Jesus heals the boy completely.

Let me tell you why this is good news for us. Because if we can be honest, all of us constantly experience what this father experienced. We wish we have the mountaintop experience every day. But the truth is we live down the mountain. We are constantly bombarded with evils. It’s not that we do not have faith. We have faith in Jesus. We trust Jesus. We believe in Jesus. But our faith is not constant. There are times that our faith is as solid as a rock and there are times that our faith is as frail as a piece of paper. Our faith is real, but our faith is imperfect. But here is the good news. The key to faith is not holiness but helplessness. Faith is when we acknowledge our helplessness and look to Jesus. Because as long as we still think that we are able, our faith is not on Jesus but ourselves. And this is what separates Christianity from every other religion in this world. Religion says, “Give God your good record. The better you are, the more God will do for you.” Christianity says, “Bring your weakness to God. Admit your inability. Admit you need help. And trust that Jesus is good and kind to do what you cannot do for yourself.” In other words, faith is saying to God, “Accept me not because of who I am but because of who you are.” The strength of faith is not in the subject of faith but the object of faith. So, when we are assaulted by the enemy with doubts and our faith seems frail, run to Jesus. Run to his promises in the Bible. There is no time in our lives when our faith is stronger than when we are immersed in the Bible. Bring our unbelief to Jesus and asks him to help us with our unbelief. This is what faith is.

The access

Mark 9:28-29 – ²⁸ And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” ²⁹ And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.”

So, the disciples are curious as to why they were not able to cast out the demon. So, they ask Jesus about it. And Jesus’ answer is very revealing. Jesus answers, “The reason you are not able to do it is you do not pray.” Wait. What? In other words, the disciples think that they can do it in their own power. They think that they can cast out the demon on their own strength. They are trying to cast out a demon without praying. Do you see what happened? The reason why the disciples are useless is that they think they have what it takes. They depend on themselves rather than God. And they have a good reason to think that they have what it takes. They have a good track record of casting out demons in the past. And that is why they rely on their own strength to do God’s work. That is why they don’t pray.

Listen. Do you know why we don’t pray? Because we think we have what it takes. When we think we can do it by ourselves, we don’t pray. Prayer is acknowledging that we can’t, but God can. The irony is until we admit that we can’t, we never can. It is only when we acknowledge that we can’t that we can. To think that we can control God’s power on our own is unbelief. It is a form of trusting self rather than trusting God. The problem is every day we are tempted to rely on ourselves, trust in ourselves, thinking, “I’ve got this.” We rely on ourselves to do our work, study, relationship, parenting, and ministry. We forget every day that we can’t. And that is why we don’t pray. And God in his kindness needs to humble us by reminding us that we can’t.

Let me point out one concern that I have for our church. In our church, we put high emphasis on good theology. We value sound doctrine. That is why we go deep into the Bible every week. And that is a good thing. But here is my concern. If we are not careful, theological knowledge can lead to prayerlessness. We assume that knowing more equals more power. How do I know? Because I see it happening in my own life. I spent most of my time studying the Bible and reading books. And because of it, I have more and more theological knowledge. But rather than making me more dependent on God, I can easily think that I have what it takes to do whatever I need to do because of what I know. I still pray when I need God’s help in doing things that I know I can’t do. But it’s easy for me to not pray about things that I think I can do. Like, I remember when I first started preaching. I would pray and beg God to help me for days. But after preaching for years, I started to think, “I’ve got this.” I think I can preach on my own because I’ve been doing it for years. Do you know what I am talking about? And here Jesus rebukes us that we don’t have what it takes. Knowledge does not give us access to God’s power; Prayer is what enables God’s power to work in and through us. It is extremely arrogant for us to think that we can do God’s work on our own strength. It is extremely presumptuous for us to think that we can live for God without God’s help. The truth is we are under constant attack from the enemy, and we are helpless on our own. And acknowledging our helplessness is what prayer is. Prayer is how we access God’s power to live for God and do his work in our lives. The question is, are we humble enough to admit our helplessness and fall on our knees in prayer every day? Or are we like the disciples who think that we have what it takes to live for God on our own strength?

Let me close with this. Do you want to see the unveiled glory of Jesus Christ? It is tempting to think that if only we were Peter, James, and John, if only we witnessed the transfiguration with our own eyes, then it would be easier for us to listen to Jesus. But do you know that we have something better than the mount of transfiguration? Listen to what Peter writes. 2 Peter 1:19 – And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Peter says that experiencing the transfiguration is great. But we have something better. We have the prophetic word more fully confirmed than what he heard and saw on the mountain. And he is referring to the Bible. In the Bible, we have the complete gospel. It contains everything we need to know about Jesus and not just glorious glimpses that the disciples were given. The transfiguration experience is glorious, but it lasted only a little while. But the Bible is eternal. And when we read what the Bible says about Jesus, we see his glory. We see the tale of two mountains. On one mountain, Jesus is surrounded by God. On the other mountain, Jesus is forsaken by God. On one mountain, Jesus is clothed with glory. On the other mountain, Jesus is stripped naked with shame. On one mountain, there is a voice, “This is my beloved Son.” On the other mountain, there is a cry, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” On one mountain, there are Moses and Elijah. On the other mountain, there are two criminals. One mountain cries out “glory.” The other mountain cries out “crucifixion.” Why did Jesus go from the mountain of glory to the mountain of death? For us. And if we see Jesus losing the mountain of glory and go to the cross for us, to the degree we see it, to that degree we can see his glory and be transformed by it. Let’s pray.

Discussion questions:

1. Imagine you are Peter, James, or John. What part of the transfiguration experience stands out the most for you and why?
2. What does it mean for Jesus to be the radiance of the glory of God?
3. “I believe; help my unbelief!” Why is this a cry of faith? How is it different from the way people often think about faith?
4. Why did the disciples not able to cast out the demon? Can you see yourself repeating the same mistake? Give examples.
5. How does the gospel give us a better experience than the mount of transfiguration?
6. Spend time praying for each member of your MC (each person prays for the other when possible).