The Glory of the Sovereign Servant
A Lesson on Hope – A Longing Heart
When we trace the pathway of the person of Christ during His time here below, we observe His steps of humiliation, commencing in the cradle at Bethlehem and ending on the cross at Golgotha. Yet, how uplifting it is to our hearts to see Him return to the place where He was eternally, for He brought back to heaven what had never been there before – a glorified body. His glorification began with His resurrection from the dead, followed by His ascension to His Father’s right hand. We will see Him in His glory at the Rapture, but that will not be the climax of the display of the greatness of His glory, for at the end of the great tribulation He will appear in a full radiating blaze of that glory to establish His kingdom “and to be admired in all them that believe” (2Th 1:10).1 What a blessed day that will be.
It is interesting, then, to note that while He was here, He manifested His glory to those who followed Him. In John’s introduction to his Gospel he wrote, “We beheld his glory” (1:14). Then in the next chapter, after the miracle of turning water into wine, John wrote, “This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory” (2:11). This was not an isolated event but something they had the privilege of witnessing repeatedly. However, there was a unique occasion when three of the disciples caught a glimpse of His coming glory. Peter, writing years after the event, said, “We … were eyewitnesses of his majesty” (2Pe 1:16). That reference goes back to the Mount of Transfiguration, when Peter, James and John were taken by the Saviour and “he was transfigured before them” (Mar 9:2).
In His travels, the Saviour had come north from Galilee to the region of Caesarea Philippi (Mar 8:27). On His way, with His disciples, Peter made his confession, “Thou art the Christ” (v29). Following that statement, the Lord Jesus began to tell them of His course, speaking openly of His rejection, crucifixion and resurrection. Then He gave this challenge to His followers, “Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (v34). We live in a world where everyone seeks “their own things” (Php 2:21 JND), and yet, contrary to the culture around us, we are to be marked by self-denial, seeking those things which bring honour to the person of our Lord Jesus Christ. Instead of pursuing temporary trinkets, we should pursue eternal treasures. But what motivates a believer to live this kind of life? It is really about grasping the reality of a brighter, better world ahead, fixing our eyes on the hope of the glory of Christ!
Now, with that challenge fresh in their minds, the Saviour said, “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” (Mar 9:1). The disciples were likely confused by what the Saviour had said, wondering how this would happen and who would be the ones to see it. But three of them would experience it, which would leave a deep and lasting impression upon them.
The Place
Six days later, the Lord took Peter, James and John and led them to a “high mountain apart by themselves” (v2). Although it is uncertain which mountain this was, we know it was a lofty mountain, a fitting place for the Lord to reveal His majestic, messianic glory.
The Presentation
It must have been quite an experience for these three as they watched the Lord Jesus being transfigured before them. Outwardly and visibly, He was changed into another form.2 Both Matthew and Luke mention His face and His garments, but Mark only tells us about His garments. He writes that “his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them” (v3). Naturally and humanly speaking, there was nothing whiter than this! Oftentimes, garments reflect someone’s character, and perhaps Mark is highlighting the character of this Sovereign Servant. His purity was shining forth.
The Preview
What the Lord Jesus gave to these disciples in the holy mount was a foretaste of the kingdom of God when it arrives with power. Elijah appeared along with Moses, representing “the law and the prophets” who bore testimony to the Lord Jesus as the Messiah,3 and were conversing with Him about His exodus.4 We think of that day when saints of all ages – those who experienced death like Moses and those who will bypass death like Elijah – will be with Christ as He establishes His kingdom and sits “upon the throne of David” (Isa 9:7). When Peter saw the Lord’s glory, along with the presence of Elijah and Moses, he probably thought the kingdom had come. Immediately, he wanted to build booths in accordance with Zechariah 14:16 (cf. Lev 23:40), and his words seem to place Moses and Elijah on equal footing with the Lord Jesus. However, Christ alone “shall bear the glory” (Zec 6:13). It is no wonder, then, that the voice from heaven declared, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him” (Mat 17:5).
The Purpose
“They saw no man any more, save Jesus only” (Mar 9:8). Moses and Elijah vanished out of sight; the voice from heaven ceased, but Christ remained. The lesson we learn here is that our hope is not merely a great coming event but a Person. Christ is “the hope of glory” (Col 1:27), and it is only when our focus is on Him that we will have the desire to live now, with all the hardships and difficulties of life, for the glory to come.
Peter was certainly the apostle of hope. Throughout his two epistles, he makes references to that great expected day when Christ shall come in glory. When he was on the mount, he thought the Saviour could bypass the cross and receive the crown, but he learned the lesson, appreciating what the Spirit of Christ made clear through the testimony of Scripture, “the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow” (1Pe 1:11). May the Lord help us to live now in light of the hope of the glory of Christ.
1 Bible quotations in this article are from the KJV unless otherwise noted.
2 W.E. Vine, Merrill F. Unger and William White Jr., Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (Nashville, TN: T. Nelson, 1996), 639.
3 Moses represented the law and Elijah represented the prophets. See D. Edmond Hiebert, The Gospel of Mark: An Expositional Commentary (Greenville, SC: Bob Jones University Press, 1994), 245.
4 Note Luke 9:31, “His decease.” That word conveys the thought of departure or exodus, suggesting the death of Christ in Jerusalem and His ascension to glory.
