Mark 9:2-13

Radiance of Christ Revealed

Devotional 45 of 50 · Mark chapter 9

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After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, rolled away the stone, and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards trembled in fear of him and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; He has risen, just as He said! Come, see the place where He lay. Then go quickly and tell His disciples, ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see Him.’ See, I have told you.” So they hurried away from the tomb in fear and great joy, and ran to tell His disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” They came to Him, grasped His feet, and worshiped Him. “Do not be afraid,” said Jesus. “Go and tell My brothers to go to Galilee. There they will see Me.” While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests all that had happened. And after the chief priests had met with the elders and formed a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money and instructed them: “You are to say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole Him away while we were asleep.’ If this report reaches the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” So the guards took

Mark 9:2-13 · BSB

²After six days Jesus took with Him Peter, James, and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There He was transfigured before them. ³His clothes became radiantly white, brighter than any launderer on earth could bleach them. ⁴And Elijah and Moses appeared before them, talking with Jesus. ⁵Peter 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.” ⁶For they were all so terrified that Peter did not know what else to say. ⁷Then a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is My beloved Son. Listen to Him!” ⁸Suddenly, when they looked around, they saw no one with them except Jesus. ⁹As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus admonished them not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. ¹⁰So they kept this matter to themselves, discussing what it meant to rise from the dead. ¹¹And they asked Jesus, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” ¹²He replied, “Elijah does indeed come first, and he restores all things. Why then is it written that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected? ¹³But I tell you that Elijah has indeed come, and they have done to him whatever they wished, just as it is written about him.”

Jesus

The disciples had likely gone on several hikes with Jesus around the Judean mountains and hills, this may have seemed like a normal outing. And then, without warning, Jesus changed before their very eyes. This man that they have been traveling with, eating with, now reveals that He is much more than they thought. In the previous chapter, Peter declared that Jesus was the Messiah, yet we see Jesus is more than their definitions of the Messiah.

Jesus’s physical appearance changed before their very eyes. Matthew’s account of this event mentions how His face shone like the sun in addition to His clothes becoming radiant white. Normal people don’t do this. We are not able to flip a switch and glow in radiance. Jesus is altogether different from us. There is mention of Moses’s face radiating from spending time with God, yet never have we seen one's garments change brilliant white.

Jesus, in His radiance, is also seen with Moses and Eliajah at His right and left. Peter’s mind was likely blown with the notion that Jesus could be equal to these heroes of the faith. God used Moses to rescue Israel from slavery and the giving of the law, and Elijah was a prophet who performed many awe-inspiring miracles. Peter’s suggestion to build shelters for them seems to reveal the thought that Jesus was among equals. This odd suggestion may have been the only way Peter could offer some sort of hospitality and service. Verse 6 reveals that this suggestion came out of the terror they felt in witnessing this massive display of glory.

Just when you think it could not get any more glorious, a cloud covers them. This cloud that enveloped the disciples aligns with the cloud that covers Mt Sinai with the glory of God at the giving of the commandments. Now in the presence of Moses and Elijah, Jesus is elevated as superior to them as the voice of God thunders fourth. “This is My beloved Son. Listen to Him!”.

In being superior to Moses and Elijah, He is also superior to the law and the prophets as these men both signify. Jesus is not only superior, but both the law and the prophets testify about Him.

His Desires

Listen to Him! God speaks in a cloud, just like on Mt. Sinai, and gives us a clear command to listen to Jesus. What further direction do we need? God Himself is elevating the words of Christ as ultimate, fulfilling the law and the prophets. This moment fulfills the prophecy of Moses in Deuteronomy 18:15, “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers. You must listen to him.”

Jesus desires the will of the Father perfectly. So, if God says to listen to Jesus, Jesus also wants us to do this. As disciples we should set out to listen and understand the words of Jesus.

Follow Through

Read, and reread the gospels attentively.
Elevate and revere the words of Jesus.
Seek to truly understand and live out what He is saying.
The Boy with an Evil Spirit (Matthew 17:14–18 ; Luke 9:37–42)

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