LISTENING TO UNDERSTAND
Opening Prayer
Lord, show us Your glory.
Read MARK 9:2–13
The Transfiguration
2 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 covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”
8 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. 10 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.”
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Meditate
“The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like[Moses] … you must listen to everything he tells you” (Acts 3:22;Deut 18:15).
Think Further
Having addressed the disciples’ poor vision in 8:22–26, Jesus now turns to their hearing impairment. We noted earlier that His healing of a deaf man in 7:31–37 probably symbolizes the disciples’ healing, but today’s reading will verify this. Jesus’ transfiguration is undeniably spectacular and serves to further address the disciples’ lack of understanding. Clearly, Peter’s blabbering demonstrates his non-comprehension of what he has witnessed, so a second object lesson is in order.
Various details of this event echo the giving of the Law to Moses at Mount Sinai: first, the six days in verse 2 resemble Moses’ preparation in Exodus 24:16; second, Jesus’ transfiguration on a high mountain parallels Moses’ transformed appearance on Mount Sinai in Exodus 34:30; and third, the voice from a descended cloud echoes God speaking to Moses from a cloud in Exodus 24:16 (CA Evans, Mark 8:27–16:20, Word, 2001, p34). So, the transfiguration resembles an Old Testament theophany, and Jesus is presented as the new Moses. The divine voice, “Listen to him!”, in verse seven echoes Deuteronomy 18:15, announcing a future prophet-like-Moses who will provide divine teaching. This allusion confirms that Jesus is the new Moses, whose teaching is the new law.
The exhortation to listen to Jesus is repeatedly stressed in Mark 4 (3,9,12, 15–20, 23, 24, 33). To “hear” Jesus calls for more than the literal hearing of His words; rather, the disciples are urged to understand and heed them. Up to this point, they have shown a lack of understanding – or partial understanding at best (Mark 4:10–13; 6:52; 8:17–21,29). Even after this event, they continue to struggle to understand (Mark 9:10, 18,32, 34, 38, 39; 10:13,14, 35–45). Surprisingly, Mark’s Gospel does not resolve the disciples’ cognitive struggle; understanding comes after the Master’s resurrection and the coming of the Spirit.
Apply
Reflect on John 10:1–5, which says that His sheep will hear the voice of the Good Shepherd. Consider how you can ‘hear’ and understand Jesus’ words better.
Closing prayer
Lord, we have heard the voice of the Father, and we do indeed listen to You, as He has commanded.
Book and Author Intros
Click here to sign up to receive the EXTRAs via email each quarter.
© 2024 Scripture Union U.S.A. All rights reserved. Reproduction of the whole or any part of the contents without written permission is prohibited.
Encounter with God is published in the USA under license from Scripture Union England and Wales, Trinity House, Opal Court, Opal Drive, Fox Milne, Milton Keynes, MK15 0DF.