The Way It Is

Mark 9:1-13

Jesus brings His disciples to the brink of desperation, realizing they have left all to follow Him - and He is going away. And not in a good way.

“What have we done?!” I can imagine them thinking to themselves. Peter even had the audacity, (and the love for Jesus,) to take Jesus aside and rebuke Him for His proclamation He (Jesus,) “would suffer many things, be rejected by the chief priests and scribes and be killed…”

Oh, and by the way, “…and after three days rise again.”

The rising after three days part was the bit the disciples seemed to miss, or even worse dismiss, every time Jesus said it, but particularly this first time.

How could it be that Jesus would even think of allowing Himself to be killed? The fact He said it the way He said it even made it appear as if it were part of some plan that He had, as if it were certain, as if He would make sure it was certain. Is this just the way it is? The way it is going to be? Irreversible? Surely not!

Surely yes.

To offset the news of His soon and certain suffering, Jesus had an amazing revelation to share with His closest followers. Indeed, another promise was made which would seem designed to allay the news of His suffering – and this news was that certain ones of them would see Him in His glory prior to tasting death. After six days Jesus made good on His promise.

Jesus’ transfiguration is one of the greatest, most amazing, most meaningful revelations in all of God’s Word. It must have been impossible to explain, and impossible to even begin to take in all that was being explained in Christ’s transfiguration.

Sometimes people ask if Jesus Himself knew He was God in the flesh. His transfiguration is Exhibit A that He was self-aware of being our All In All. That’s just the way it is. Take it for ALL it means.

-Pastor Bill