Three Disciples Question About The Transfiguration
May 11, 2021
Commentary
On the way down from the mountaintop experience, Jesus commands these three disciples not to tell anyone what they had seen “till the Son of Man be risen from the dead” (v. 9). It would not really be understood until after the resurrection, which would be proof that Jesus was truly the Son of God. These disciples had been so completely schooled in the idea that the Messiah would set up His kingdom on earth that they could not take in what Jesus had said (v. 10). The disciples still had to learn what Messiahship meant. There was only one thing that could teach them that—the Cross and the Resurrection to follow. When the Cross had taught them what Messiahship meant and when the Resurrection had convinced them that Jesus was the Messiah, then, and then only, could they tell of the glory of the mountain top.
Probably because of just seeing Elijah on the mountain these disciples questioned Jesus as to why the scribes say that Elijah “must come first” (v. 11). The Jews believed that before the Messiah would come, Elijah would come as a forerunner (Mal: 4:5,6). He answered them by saying that Elijah had come (vv. 12-13). It appears that He was referring to the imprisonment of John the Baptist at the hands of Herod (Matt. 17:11-13) and that he had fulfilled the role prophesied for Elijah. He leaves them with the question that if they have done this to the forerunner, what will they do to the Messiah. As we can see later on they still did not understand.
Application
I need to be careful that I am not blind to what God wants to do in and through my life because I have already decided how I want things to turn out. It is so easy to be blind to the truth when I already have a preconceived idea of how I want certain things to be.
Mark 9:9– 13 (NET)
9 As they were coming down from the mountain, he gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10 They kept this statement to themselves, discussing what this rising from the dead meant.
11 Then they asked him, “Why do the experts in the law say that Elijah must come first?” 12 He said to them, “Elijah does indeed come first, and restores all things. And why is it written that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be despised? 13 But I tell you that Elijah has certainly come, and they did to him whatever they wanted, just as it is written about him.”