2025年9月21日 / グレース・トロント日本語教会
マルコの福音書 9章 1~13節
7 そのとき、雲がわき起こって彼らをおおい、雲の中から声がした。「これはわたしの愛する子。彼の言うことを聞け。」
8 彼らが急いであたりを見回すと、自分たちと一緒にいるのはイエスだけで、もはやだれも見えなかった。
9 さて、山を下りながら、イエスは弟子たちに、人の子が死人の中からよみがえる時までは、今見たことをだれにも話してはならない、と命じられた。
10 彼らはこのことばを胸に納め、死人の中からよみがえると言われたのはどういう意味か、互いに論じ合った。
11 また弟子たちは、イエスに尋ねた。「なぜ、律法学者たちは、まずエリヤが来るはずだと言っているのですか。」
12 イエスは彼らに言われた。「エリヤがまず来て、すべてを立て直すのです。それではどうして、人の子について、多くの苦しみを受け、蔑まれると書いてあるのですか。
13 わたしはあなたがたに言います。エリヤはもう来ています。そして人々は、彼について書かれているとおり、彼に好き勝手なことをしました。」
September 21, 2025 / Grace Toronto Japanese Church
Mark 9:1-13
1 And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power.” 2 And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, 3 and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them. 4 And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. 5 And Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 6 For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified. 7 And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.” 8 And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only. 9 And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10 So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead might mean. 11 And they asked him, “Why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?” 12 And he said to them, “Elijah does come first to restore all things. And how is it written of the Son of Man that he should suffer many things and be treated with contempt? 13 But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written of him.”
OPENING
I know a pastor. He claims (1) Jesus is not God. (2) Moses didn’t exist. Shocking, isn’t it? Especially his view of Jesus. But this has been an ongoing battle:
Jesus is fully divine and fully human (vs) Jesus is only human.
CONTEXT
Jesus will soon move down to Jerusalem. However, Jesus and the disciples are still in Galilee. And in today’s passage, Jesus said something to the disciples, and it was one of the most difficult things that Jesus ever said. What was it?
TEXT
He said, some of you will not die “until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power” (v. 1)
It is difficult to understand this because it is not clear what Jesus meant when he said, until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power. Of course, there are different kinds of interpretations. E.g.
- It meant some of the disciples would live to see Jesus’ resurrection.
- It meant some of the disciples would live to see Jesus’ ascension.
- or the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, etc.
However, I think that “seeing the kingdom of God coming with power” here was connected to vv. 2–13 (The Transfiguration): so, v. 1: Jesus meant to say: Some of you will soon see a remarkable thing. And after six days, Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John, and they went up to a high mountain. And there, three amazing things happened.
#1. “Jesus was transfigured before them” (v. 2): Jesus’ appearance was changed. How? “His clothes became radiant, intensely white” (v. 2). So, Jesus’ appearance was transformed into the heavenly form of glory.
#2. Elijah and Moses appeared, and they were talking with Jesus! (v. 4). You may wonder why these two men? We all know who Moses is. We know who Elijah is.
- Both were heroic and extremely faithful.
- They all encountered God on a high mountain.
- They all suffered, and they all were rejected by people.
However, a more important reason is probably Moses represented the Law and Elijah the Prophet. And Jesus often said, “the Law and the Prophets,” and it meant the Old Testament. So, it meant that the entire prophecy of the Old Testament was pointing to this man, Jesus Christ.
Seeing (1) Jesus transfigured and (2) Jesus talking with Moses and Elijah, the three guys Peter James and John were terrified. They were speechless. But of course Peter always had courage to speak first and speak anything. So he came forward and said, “Lord, let’s stay here, let’s make 3 shelters” (vv. 5–6). And a third amazing thing happened.
#3. A cloud came. And there was a voice from heaven: “This is my beloved Son, listen to him” (v. 7). This was God’s own confirmation that Jesus was the Messiah. Do you remember what happened when Jesus was baptized at the Jordan river? 1:11 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
After the voice, both Elijah and Moses disappeared (v. 8). And they were coming down the mountain, and Jesus commanded them to tell no one about the Transfiguration, “until the Son of Man had risen from the dead” (v. 9).
But Peter, James, and John had a question about what “this rising from the dead” meant (v. 10). Their focus was on the “rising” part, not on the “dead” part. Their focus was on the resurrection (living again), not on dying itself. And the rising from the grave reminded them of their end-time expectations in Judaism: In Judaism, they believed that Elijah would come back before the final judgment day (Mal 4:5). So, they wanted to ask Jesus about this return of Elijah: 11 And they asked him, “Why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?”
Do you see the excitement in Peter, James, and John? They just saw remarkable things on the mountain: (1) Jesus’ was transfigured; (2) Jesus was talking with Moses and Elijah; and (3) God’s voice confirmed that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God. They all meant one thing to them—Jesus is the Messiah who will recover the glory of Israel! They were certain that the time was near. So, they were excited and they asked Jesus about Elijah.
And Jesus confirmed their belief: 12b (Yes), “Elijah does come first to restore all things.”
However, Jesus added something—he connected the coming of Elijah to the suffering of the Messiah: 12c And how is it written of the Son of Man that he should suffer many things and be treated with contempt? That is, if Elijah is coming and restoring all things, why does the Bible speak of the suffering of the Son of Man? Are they contradicting each other? Elijah coming to restore things (vs) but the Messiah coming to suffer?
Here (like in Mark 8), Jesus is teaching them the same thing again:
- You are excited about Elijah’s coming and everything being restored,
- But let me teach you something different: there will be no restoration until the Son of Man will (1) be despised and rejected by men; (2) experience sorrow and grief; (3) carry our sorrows; (4) be stricken and smitten by God; (5) be pierced for our sins; and (6) be crushed for our iniquities!
And Jesus says, you’ve been expecting and waiting for Elijah: 13 But I tell you that Elijah has [indeed already] come, and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written of him.
What? Has Elijah already come? Really? Where? When?
Who was this Elijah? Jesus was talking about John the Baptist! Elijah has come in the person of John the Baptist!
- He came in the spirit and power of Elijah (Luke 1:17)
- They did to him whatever they pleased: John the Baptist was killed (Mark 6)
- 12b John the Baptist restored many people by leading them to repent from their sins—so, he was restoring people to relationship with God the Father. John the Baptist (Elijah) was restoring people from their broken relationships with God.
Now, if Elijah has already come restoring things, what’s next? It was the Son of Man (the Messiah). And it was Jesus the Messiah who was standing before them.
APPLICATIONS
Jesus Is God
e.g. Let’s go back to that pastor. When I saw his writing “I don’t think Jesus was God—he was just a human being,” do you know what filled my heart? Strangely, it was not anger—my heart was filled with fear. Absolute fear before God. What he said was one of the most terrible and dreadful things that a man can say. The apostle Paul was absolutely right when he said, “there is no fear of God before their eyes” (Rom 3:18).
God himself confirmed that Jesus was divine. When the cloud came and there was a voice from heaven, it was God the Father himself declaring that Jesus is not just a human being but was the divine Son of God—in other words, Jesus is the Messiah.
So, what does today’s Transfiguration passage teach us about Jesus?
- God himself confirmed that Jesus is divine. Jesus is the Son of God.
- Moses (Law) and Elijah (Prophets) confirmed that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Testament. And Jesus will soon move down to Jerusalem and accomplish this at Jerusalem by giving himself to death on the cross to rescue us from our sins.
The entire Transfiguration event shows us one important thing: Jesus is the divine Son of God; he deserves all glory, honor, and praise.
And if Jesus is the divine Son of God, the Lord and Messiah, what does it require of you?
Follow Jesus
In v. 7, God spoke from the cloud, “Listen to him” (v. 7). This is God’s command for them and for you and me to listen to his Son Jesus Christ. Listen for what?
- When he speaks of the suffering of the Messiah—listen to it (hear with understanding and trust it). The Messiah didn’t come for glory and honor; he came to die in our places.
- When Jesus speaks of the cost of discipleship—don’t just be excited about good things; but think about the difficult path of Jesus followers—it is not easy. You should take up your cross daily and follow him. Can you and are you willing to do it?
Peter, James, and John were still mistaken. Even after they saw the Transfiguration, when they were coming down the mountain, their question was only focused on good and positive things such as resurrection, coming of Elijah, and restoration (they skipped over the “dead” part in “rising from the dead”).
But Jesus’ message was clear:
- Elijah’s restoration is meaningless unless there is the suffering of the Messiah.
- In fact, Elijah has already come—he was John the Baptist. And he was killed.
- I am the Messiah, and I have come for the suffering, death, and resurrection to save you from your sins.
CLOSING
Brothers and sisters, eventually, the Transfiguration shows our ultimate victory and hope. The transformation that Jesus showed to Peter, James, and John—that’s the transformation that you and I will experience in Christ. That is our ultimate destiny.
Whatever the difficulties you face in life, remember: the Transfiguration is our ultimate state. God will restore those who are in Christ. God will reward those who are in Christ.
Rom 8:39b Nothing in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.