A preview is not the same thing as the main event. In our world, we use “warm up” acts in live musical concerts, or stand-up comedian acts to get the audience in the mood for what will come next. In boxing, there is such a thing as the “under-card” which is usually a series of fights that take place before the main event bout. Obviously these previews are not what we paid to see or were most looking forward to, but there have been a fair number of musicians, comedians, and fighters who transitioned from being the warm-up act to being the main act because of the exposure they got during their entertainment previews. And the previews themselves do serve to get the audience properly prepared for what comes next, in order to heighten the experience of the main event. No one knows how far back this practice dates, but given that Jesus had one, we can say at least 2,000 years.
Peter records how it all started as he recited it to John Mark to transcribe beginning in the gospel of Mark chapter nine, and verse 1 saying … “And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power.” In these words, Jesus is talking to His disciples. He has just given them a sort-of salvation tutorial in the previous verses. That was a detailed explanation of what it means to be able to be like Christ is, to follow Jesus where He was going. Now Jesus is taking that idea a bit further, He is telling them, that at least some of them will not die until they have seen Him as God, and His Kingdom coming here with power. Of course our human minds, which live nearly 2,000 years since those words were spoken, immediately “wants” to interpret them as being a promise of a quick second return by Christ to take us all home. But as 2,000 years has passed since then, we know that is not the case. Further, since the laws of aging were not suspended for the disciples (allowing them to live until now without getting old), we can further conclude that the “main event” of His return was also NOT what He was talking about.
So what was Jesus referring to? The answer can be found in the texts immediately following these remarks and continuing this story. Mark continues writing in verse 2 saying … “And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them.” Note this is the very next verse following the lead-in written above. You don’t need to search through scriptures to find an event that may somehow fulfill the words of Christ, it is the very next thought. What happens in only six days, is that Jesus takes Himself, Peter, James, and John up into a high mountain in order to be alone with them (out of the reach of the crowds). He then “transfigures” Himself before them, or in other words, He reveals the “God” portion of who He is. He takes the mask of humanity off for a few moments and reveals the God side, the infinite side, of who He really is. Up to now, this has never happened. Up to now, and since His birth, there have only been a few incidents where God the Father’s voice was heard acknowledging Jesus as His son. Even when Jesus performs miracles for us, it is always with Jesus cloaked in humanity, never showing anyone what is under the veil.
Imagine the brilliant light that emerges from Jesus when Peter sees more God than man standing before him. Imagine the purity of Christ’s love and brilliance of the Creator now shining through in this lonely place high on a remote mountain top. I can imagine that even here, Jesus must hold back the fullness of who He is, or the disciples would perish at the sight. But I can also imagine that for these 3 men, who will ever be only human, the plain sight of His divinity would have overwhelmed them. They may well have prostrated themselves on the ground at His first revealing. This was no small event, and it was not one that would be repeated often or with casual regard. This was an epic event. This was the true revelation of God underneath the human form. The power that emanated from that purity was beyond our words to relate. But yet here it was. None of us could ever do this. No other wanna-be Messiah could come close to doing such a thing. This distinction between man and God was forevermore marked here.
Peter tries to describe what he saw to John Mark in verse 3 saying … “And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them.” Perhaps doing his best to look at Jesus once the God identity has been unveiled, Peter can only see his robe which up to now, has been a home spun garment, full of the dirt and sweat that comes from climbing a high mountain. Up to now, the robe of Jesus was not especially different from Peter, or James, or John. But look at it now. It is a brilliant white, a white more white than anything Peter has ever seen. It shines. The robe now gives off a light Peter cannot explain. This brilliance is not something mankind is possible of duplicating or making. Peter takes special note to call out that no “fuller” (a profession of clothing cleaner) could ever make a robe as white as this one is. Indeed the beginnings of the Kingdom of God are being revealed, for this is clearly a picture of God being revealed to His three disciples.
Then comes the fullness of a kingdom’s description as John Mark continues in verse 4 saying … “And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus.” And thus the remainder of the kingdom appeared: mankind with God. That is what the Kingdom of God was all about, reconciling mankind with God. Here were both groups of mankind represented in this first preview of the coming of Christ in His second return to earth. Elias or Elijah had never died but was fully transformed in character before his earthly death and taken to heaven by angels pleased to carry out that job. Moses had died, and was raised from the earth fully transformed in character, ready to greet his Lord in the air, carried to heaven by angels glad to have been assigned that task. Mankind was here now, in the form of both of these saved groups, talking plainly with Jesus. These were not ghosts, or disembodied spirits, they were men like you and I. They were there right now, united with their Savior. This was the first preview of the Kingdom of God, beheld in power as was promised by Christ only six days earlier.
As usual Peter is not quite sure what to do, or say, but as usual Peter has to say something. That boisterous personality cannot just keep still at the sight of something that overwhelms the others. So he recalls to John Mark his best efforts at the time picking up in verse 5 saying … “And Peter answered and said to Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. [verse 6] For he wist not what to say; for they were sore afraid.” No human had ever experienced what was going on at this moment, nobody, ever. There was no basis in scripture to have studied. There were no stories handed down from father to son. In the 4,000+ years of earth’s history, nothing like this had ever occurred. So Peter tries to make conversation by offering to build 3 tabernacles on that ground one for Jesus, Moses, and Elias. A normally flattering offer, but none of them are interested in the attempted flattery of Peter. There are no ego’s here to stroke, only a continued united mission to redeem mankind from itself. But there was still one thing missing from the definition of His Kingdom, a unity between God and man.
John Mark continues transcribing in verse 7 saying … “And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him. [verse 8] And suddenly, when they had looked round about, they saw no man any more, save Jesus only with themselves.” God the Father had come, He masked Himself in a cloud, for even here in this preview event, He could not reveal His glory to those who were still marked by sin lest He destroy the object of His love. But God the Father had a message for those three disciples, that Jesus was indeed His only Son, and that they should hear Him. Almost as quickly as these events began, they were ended. As the disciples looked around they saw only themselves, and Jesus as He had been before. His robe was as dirty and sweaty as theirs. No Moses, or Elias, just the four of them. At this point, each disciple must have wondered if they were hallucinating. But then how could all 3 of them have seen exactly the same thing at the same time in their respective hallucinations. No, it had to have been real. It was after all the preview event Jesus had promised that some of them would see.
In the aftermath of this event Jesus charges them with a familiar charge. John Mark records in verse 9 saying … “And as they came down from the mountain, he charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the dead. [verse 10] And they kept that saying with themselves, questioning one with another what the rising from the dead should mean.” Jesus again asks for secrecy, but this time only until He is risen from the dead. This is a new condition, and the disciples have no idea what it means. They still cling to a false idea of the role of the Messiah. Having seen Him transfigure and get the support of Elijah and Moses, only deepens the false idea they cling to. If Jesus has access to all this power in heaven, surely He will use it to accomplish creating His kingdom here on earth. The preview they just got, must be a prelude to an anti-Roman paradise, what else could it be? So they decide to change the subject slightly and see if they can get more information out of Him. They ask a different question.
John Mark continues writing in verse 11 saying … “And they asked him, saying, Why say the scribes that Elias must first come? [verse 12] And he answered and told them, Elias verily cometh first, and restoreth all things; and how it is written of the Son of man, that he must suffer many things, and be set at nought. [verse 13] But I say unto you, That Elias is indeed come, and they have done unto him whatsoever they listed, as it is written of him.” The disciples ask why the Pharisee leadership and scribes think that Elijah must come before the Messiah fulfills His role. Jesus answers that again they have a mistaken interpretation (how like us), but if you examine it … Elias just did come in the flesh, and in the message of John the Baptist. Both in person and in truth has Elias come ahead of the fulfillment of the Messiah’s role, albeit, not the role the disciples wanted Jesus to fulfill.
When we read scripture, we do what the disciples did. We read it from a preconceived set of traditions, and personal hopes. We read the scriptures that support our ideas, and ignore the texts that do not fit them well. We, like the disciples, cling to our ideas and views of the role of Christ, despite what He directly tells us that we simply do not understand. This is all because like our Pharisee forefathers, we do not seek Christ to lead us to truth, we instead attempt to tell Jesus what our truth is and expect Him to conform to it. If we are even to read rightly, we must learn to submit ALL our ideas to Jesus first. We must read through the lens of Jesus where loving others is the primary concern. Only after full submission, and being led by Christ, can we begin to understand what was written, and what it means to each of us. To distinguish between previews and main events, and to understand what Jesus asks of us, we must read through the lens of Jesus Christ and after submitting our will to His. And there will be far more Peter has to say to us …
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