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.”
- Mark 9:1-13
Jesus, as he often does, takes his three closest disciples, Peter, James and John with him during what is soon to be, a very special event. At the top of this high mountain, something happens that we call the transfiguration. Jesus is revealed in all his divinity and radiance as he glows intensely bright and white. Two significant figures from Israel's history, Elijah and Moses appear and talk with Jesus. Peter in awe and fear of whats happening suggests creating three monuments to commemorate what they just witnessed, but before he gets an answer. God speaks from above, solidifying Jesus as His son and the Messiah, and just like that, things go back to the way things were as the disciples are left stunned. As they walk down Jesus tells them to not speak about what happens until he has risen from the dead.
So who were these two men that appeared with Jesus at the top of the mountain? Elijah and Moses are some of the most revered and honored figures in the history of God's people. Moses delivered the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt and brought the 10 Commandments straight from God and Elijah was a faithful prophet who stood in the face of evil rulers to represent God against false idols. You can easily say that they were Hall of Famers, the GOATs, the Mt. Rushmore of Israel without exaggeration.
When verse 6 says, "For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified", it makes sense. These two heroes were long dead, yet here they stood right in front of them talking to Jesus. They were stunned and rightly so, Peter wanted to set up something there to mark what had just happened. Imagine if George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, or Michael Jordan and LeBron James, or Drake and Jay-Z popped up in your backyard, you'd want to do something special too.
But there was a third person there, Jesus. Now looking back we know Jesus is the main guy. He's the Messiah, Christ, our Savior, but at the time, the disciples didn't fully understand everything that Jesus was and would do. They were so shocked when they saw Moses and Elijah but they've had someone more important than either with them this entire time. Jesus, though sometimes seemed unassuming, is the Son of God yet why don't the disciples react the way they just did every time they're with Jesus?
This whole event that happened reveals to us the authority of Jesus, his divinity and his Lordship. We are blessed with hindsight to know who Jesus is and what he has done for us. We know he is our savior because of the sacrifice he made on our behalf, yet just like the 3 disciples, we lower him to the same tier or even below some of the other things that we find valuable or are excited by.
Don't get me wrong, Elijah and Moses were incredible people and are worth the excitement and respect but we need to be reminded that in the end there is only one God and one Savior who should rightfully stand head and shoulders above all else. As you read this passage, pray and mediate, be reminded that only Jesus is worthy to be praised, to be exalted, to be held up high as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Jesus is number one. There's a lot of fancy catch phrases and words that come with that but thats just our way of trying to describe someone so great thats they're basically indescribable. It's a simple lesson, but it's a lesson that we need to constantly relearn. Pray that as our faith grows, our understanding of how great Jesus is also grows. May He alone stand above all else.
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