Chapter # 9 Paragraph # 1 Study # 8
January 31, 2023
Moss Bluff, Louisiana
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Thesis: Peter's reaction to his experience reveals how completely unprepared he was for it and Mark wrote this record to make that point.
Introduction: In our last study, we considered the significance of Jesus' use of a deliberately chosen "setting" to present Himself to Peter, James, and John as the King of the Kingdom of God.
In the study this evening we are going to look into Mark's record of just how ill-equipped Peter was to understand his experience so that we may be able to hold on to the "major" lesson of the experience and to also understand where Peter, James, and John were in their progress into discipleship.
- I. Even Without Clarity, The Major Impact Of Jesus' Transfiguration Was Significant.
- A. There are often major events that are able to carry their impact into the lives of those involved in them even when the lesser issues are not understood at all.
- B. Jesus had set the disciples up for the major issue before He exposed them to the "facts of the case".
- 1. His announcement of the experience by "some" that The Kingdom of The God was going to be shown to them addressed the key issue of both the past (demonstration of might) and the coming "apparent contradiction" in a demonstration of weakness.
- 2. There were some other significant factors involved -- pretty much missed by the disciples -- but the major point was established.
- II. However, With Clarity, A Great Deal Of Understanding Can Develop.
- A. The powerful brightness, combined with the visible presence of Moses and Elijah, made the "point": Jesus is the King of the Kingdom of God.
- B. The abject terror of Peter, James, and John also makes a critical "point".
- 1. The "terror" (Mark 9:6 and Hebrews 12:21) was caused by the inescapable reality of "brilliant whiteness" in contrast to the human condition.
- a. Daniel showed somewhat of this terror and its cause in Daniel 8:17, 18, 27 and 10:9.
- b. The apostle John showed the same terror in Revelation 1:17.
- c. The underlying cause is the awareness that such a contrast generates along with the "felt" reality of unworthiness that it imposes.
- d. The "point" here is basic "Gospel": men are not suited for Life by virtue of their ways of "living".
- 2. The problematical expectations of the flaws in the theology of men.
- a. First century expectations involved a "Messiah's kingdom is about to be established by power".
- 1) This was still being entertained by the disciples in Acts 1:6.
- 2) This was the assumed meaning of the Perfect Tense participle in Jesus' prophetic announcement.
- 3) This expectation caused Peter's "let us make three tabernacles" statement.
- b. The sharing of "glory" by Moses and Elijah generated a kind of "leveling" of significance so that the making of three tabernacles would be a legitimate action.
- 1) The New Testament theology of developing sanctification tends to go into the same idea (we are to be 'transfigured' from glory to glory: 2 Corinthians 3:18).
- 2) This confusion still exists when believers say "we will know everything when we get to heaven" because there is no awareness that the "glory" we are going to share is limited to pure hearts and functioning minds: we are never going to possess "infinite" glory of any kind.
- c. Mark deliberately says that Peter's statements were "ignorant".
- C. The Divine Response to Peter.
- 1. A shielding of the true glory of the Father by means of a cloud.
- 2. The emphatic elevation of the status of Jesus over Moses and Elijah.
