Loving God, you reveal your Son to us through the Scriptures and grant us glimpses of your glory.  Fill our hearts with the gifts of faith and love by your Holy Spirit, and help us to know you better; through Jesus Christ our Saviour.  Amen.

            Throughout the entire gospel of Mark, the underlying question is, Who is this man Jesus of Nazareth, really?  Although he is identified as both Messiah and Son of God at the very beginning of the gospel, the disciples and the crowds of people who throng about him don’t know this most of the time.  In fact, any time the disciples or anybody else seem to get an inkling as to Jesus’ true identity, he orders them not to tell anyone.

         In today’s gospel, which falls almost exactly half way through the gospel of Mark, this happens again.  When Peter says, “You are the Messiah,” all of the disciples get a stern order not to tell anybody (Mk. 8:29-30).  The same thing happens after the amazing experience that Peter, James and John are part of on the mountain top.  Once again, they are ordered not to tell anybody about it until after Jesus has risen from the dead (Mk. 9:9).

         And so, we have this big secret throughout a gospel that is gradually revealing, not only who Jesus is, but also what God’s purpose for Jesus is going to be.  As for Jesus’ identity, today’s gospel begins with what people are saying about him.  Some think he might be John the Baptist (apparently back from the dead), and some think he might be Elijah (who was supposed to reappear), and some think that he might be one of the prophets (from which time period, we’re not sure).  At any rate, this is what “people” in general are saying.

         As for the disciples, Peter is so bold as to say, “You are the Messiah” (Mk. 8:29).  We are not told exactly what Peter means by this, but we can gather from the rest of the Scriptures what he might have had in mind.  He certainly identifies Jesus as God’s Anointed One (which is what Messiah means), as well as a descendant of King David.  He also had some idea that Jesus would save the people, possibly from the Romans.  And so, while Peter is on the right track, he still hasn’t grasped what kind of a Messiah Jesus will be.

         Fortunately, however, we also get to hear today who Jesus is according to God.  In fact, today’s reading is the second time in the gospel of Mark that a voice speaks from heaven.  The first time was at Jesus’ baptism, when the voice says, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased” (Mk. 1:11).  This time, however, the voice also speaks to the disciples: “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!” (Mk. 9:7).

         Each time the voice speaks, the words come from other places in the Scriptures.  “You are my son” comes from a Psalm that addresses God’s Anointed King (Ps. 2:7).  The beloved or chosen one with whom God is well pleased is found in Isaiah’s description of God’s Servant (Is. 42:1).  And, “listen to him” is thought by some to recall the promise of a new prophet like Moses that is given in Deuteronomy (18:15).

         Thus, not just the words themselves but the Scripture passages behind them give us a fuller picture of who Jesus is according to God.  He is Messiah and King, but also a Servant.  He is the Son of God, but will also be a Suffering Servant.  He is a prophet like Moses, which simply means that he speaks God’s word and has seen God face to face.  It also hints at a new covenant and new commandment.

         As we see in today’s gospel, however, the disciples had no idea what God’s purpose for Jesus really was or what it was going to mean for them.  Jesus was going to suffer and be put to death.  They would be asked to carry their own crosses in order to follow Jesus.  Many of them would lose their lives for Jesus’ sake, and in the process would find life and salvation.

         The thing that the disciples don’t understand at this point in the gospel is that the suffering and death that Jesus talks about are part of God’s purpose for him – a purpose that may not have been carried out if they had gone announcing him as the Messiah.  It is human sinfulness that has necessitated Jesus’ coming, and it is that same sinfulness that will nail him to the cross.  He will break the power of sin and death, not by zapping all of the sinners, but by taking their sin with him to the cross.  As Son of God and also fully human, Jesus is uniquely suited to this particular mission.  His triumph will only come after enduring the worst that human beings can throw at him.

         We have the benefit of hindsight in order to know these things, and so can also ask, “Who is Jesus to us?”  Do we view him as our Lord and Saviour?  Do we see him as a good man and a great teacher?  Do we believe him to be both the Messiah and the Son of God?  Do we see him as one of the prophets?

         How we answer these questions will determine how Jesus affects our lives.  Those who see Jesus simply as a good man or even a prophet will not see much of an impact on their lives.  Those who have certain intellectual beliefs about Jesus but haven’t grasped that he gave himself for us will also be mostly unaffected by him.  However, those who know that Jesus came for them and bore their sins upon the cross will live in thankfulness and praise, looking to Jesus for all that is needed from day to day.

         It is an amazing thing to know how broad and deep and high God’s love for us through Jesus really is.  It is also an amazing thing to know him as our Lord and Saviour, taking direction from him in all that we do.  May it be so for us as well.  Amen.

Transfiguration (NL 2)                                 Mark 8:27 – 9:8

February 23, 2020

St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church

Pastor Lynne Hutchison

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