THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION

Mark: Jesus The Perfect Servant Of God

Part II: The Perfect Service Of Jesus, The Perfect Servant Of God, Mark 1:1-10:52

FF. Christ's Work To Spur Us To Bear Our Cross With A Foretaste Of The Crown

(Mark 9:1-9)

I. Introduction

A. We learned in our first lesson in this series that Mark's Gospel presents the perfect service of God's Perfect Servant, Jesus, with Mark's focus of having rebounded unto upright service from personal failure.

B. Whatever led Mark to abandon the ministry in Acts 13:13, it would have at least included his failure to focus on and so value the eternal rewards that awaited his enduring whatever ministry difficulty he faced.

C. To motivate His disciples to overcome the temptation for such failure, after telling them of the hardships they must face with Him prior to glory, Jesus gave them a foretaste of the glory that awaited them after their suffering, and we view that event in Mark 9:1-9 for our insight and edification (as follows):

II. Christ's Work To Spur Us To Bear The Cross By Giving Us A Foretaste Of The Crown, Mark 9:1-9.

A. After Jesus had taught His disciples about their need to take up their cross to follow Him before enjoying glorification with Him in His Kingdom (Mark 8:34-38), He predicted that some of His disciples would not taste of death before seeing the Kingdom (Mark 9:1), and days later He fulfilled that prediction, Mark 9:2-4:

1. Jesus took with Him Peter, James and John up into a high mountain where He was transfigured before them into His future Messianic glory, Mark 9:2. The verb "transfigured" (metemorphothe, "to be changed into another form," not merely in external appearance, meant taht Jesus' body was temporarily glorified so that the disciples could see what He would look like in His Kingdom, Bible Know. Com., N. T., p. 142.

2. Along with this glorious change in His body, the disciples saw Jesus' clothing turn "dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them," Mark 9:3 NIV.

3. There then appeared with Him Elijah and Moses, prominent figures in Israel's history, with Moses representing the Law and Elijah the prophets, Mark 9:4a; Ibid. The Presence of these men who also spoke with Jesus to affirm His Person testify that, in the presence of two reputable witnesses according to the Law (Deuteronomy 19:15), Jesus was indeed the Messiah from God!

4. These men typify the kinds of glorified believers who will be in the Kingdom: Elijah was taken alive to heaven (2 Kings 2:11), typifying raptured saints (1 Thess. 4:17) while Moses died (Deut. 34:5) and will be raised for the Kingdom like Old Testament saints (Dan. 12:12) and deceased Christians (1 Thess. 4:13-16).

5. Since Moses in this event appeared in the Holy Land in glory where he was not allowed to go before he died due to his sin in the wilderness (Deut. 32:48-52), he and all saints with him will be raised without sin!

6. Mark 9:4b reports Elijah and Moses spoke with Jesus without telling us what they said, but Luke 9:31 reports they spoke of Jesus' coming exodon, His "departure" of leaving the world at His death by which He would bring salvation to men, Ibid., p. 230. Thus, the CROSS Jesus predicted was essential for saints like Moses, Elijah and all other believers to be raised in glory with Christ in His Kingdom, and Moses and Elijah, men who had sinned like all mortals, knew that fact so well at this time in their existence!

B. The disciples reacted to this event with great fear (Mark 9:6), with Peter telling Jesus it was good for them to be there, and offering to make three tabernacles, one for Him, one for Moses and one for Elijah, Mark 9:5.

C. God the Father graciously corrected the errant idea suggested by Peter that Moses and Elijah were Jesus' equals and not just witnesses of His coming Messianic glory: He sent a cloud to overshadow them to hide all the parties from view and said, "This is My Beloved Son: hear Him," Mark 9:7. This statement recalls Deuteronomy 18:15-19 where God directed Israel to heed the Prophet like unto Moses to come, the Messiah!

D. Suddenly, this whole glorious scene vanished, and the disciples saw only Jesus with them in concert with the Father's will that they honor Jesus as the Messiah and God Incarnate alone versus any other party, Mark 9:8.

E. Jesus then told the three disciples not to tell anyone of what they had just witnessed until after he was raised from the dead, again referring to the cross and resurrection before His future reign, Mark 9:9.

Lesson: Jesus gave His inner three group of disciples a foretaste of the Messianic Kingdom glory in view of the cross that was to come first as a LATER motivation to heed His will in facing their OWN suffering before glory.

Application: May we realize that the promised glory to come as based on this event is TRUE, NOT FALSE (2 Peter 1:16-19), that we bear the cross God assigns us NOW to prepare for our sure, future, GLORIOUS REWARD!