MARK 9:2-13   Lesson 21

RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCES

I. Greetings:

II. Introduction: Tonight, we are going to read about an unusual spiritual experience. It is one of the classic ones described in the Gospels: the transfiguration. We often hear about religious experiences, but they often create questions, unease, and even skepticism, so…
Q What are religious experiences?
Q Do you know others who have sought after them?
Q Do some seek them to authenticate or validate their spirituality?
Let us see how one such experience is viewed in Mark.

III. The Transfiguration: Mark 9:2-8
A. The Event as a whole.
Q What are religious experiences for?
>>>> Have someone read Mark 9:2-8.
Note: This must have been an amazing experience.
Q Who went up the mountain with Jesus? Did all go up or just a few?
Q Do all good Christians have religious experiences of this stunning magnitude?
An = We hear of such events. In this particular case, not everybody experienced what the three disciples experienced.
B. The Event Itself.
>>>> Have someone re-read Mark 9:2-4.
Q What actually happened?
An = 1) Jesus changed. The Greek word used here is “metamorphoses”. Something outwardly visible happened. It was a theophany: literally a visible (phany) appearance caused by or of God (Theos).
2) Two ancient people appeared: Moses (the giver of the Law) and Elijah (the great prophet who never died).
Q Have you had an unusual experience that you would like to share?
C. The Aftermath of the Event.
>>>> Have someone re-read Mark 9:5-8.
Q What was Peter’s response? Do you like it?
An = His answer was a Title of Address (Rabbi or teacher) that basically lets us know that when in a panic he saw Jesus with respect, but as a teacher, not the divine Messiah. He then made two assertions about how good it was to be there and something about building monuments to all three.
Q Why did Peter want to build these tabernacles or monuments?
I think mankind would rather build monuments to great happenings or experiences than actually learn something from them. The religious world is full of monuments, but has few people who understand what the Lord would really have them know.
Q What did the voice of 9:7 say to Peter?
An = “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!” In other words, this is the One most close to Me; you will never hear a more important speaker. Listen to Him. Do not do anything religious, just listen. Remember, also, the word “listen” in Hebrew is the same word for “obey”.
Q Why were the disciples terrified?
An = When we really see God it is a tremendous experience, and we sense the majesty and Lordship of God. It is terrifying. Perhaps, Peter was running off at the mouth about monuments or shrines because he was a verbal person and was just talking in an attempt to keep control of his fear.
Q Why did Elijah and Moses appear?
An = 1) It could be that this was to help Peter understand that he was right not to confuse them with Jesus six days ago when he confessed that Jesus was not Elijah but the Messiah (8:28-29). 2) These two men honored Jesus and were in league with Him. Jesus was not at odds with the Law or the Prophets (in other words: the entire Old Testament), and this was proved by their appearance. Jesus is at one with the Old Testament witness. In those days they referred to the Old Testament as the “Law and the Prophets”.
Note: Be careful of those who throw out the authority of the Old Testament. To do so is to be at odds with our Lord.

IV. The Discussion on the Way Down the Mountain. Mark 9:9-13.
>>>> Have someone read Mark 9:9-13.
A. The Trigger of Discussion.
Q Who did the voice from the cloud want them to listen to?
An = God does not want us to build a monument, but to listen to His Son.
Q What did His Son say on the way down from the mountain that startled them?
An = Jesus mentioned rising from the dead. To rise from the dead means you first have to die.
Q Why did they ask a question about Elijah?
An = Popular opinion believed Elijah would announce the Messiah. They expected the coming to be glorious, so rising from the dead did not fit their understanding of the future, especially Jesus’ future. If Elijah was to come first, then why is rising from the dead mentioned? Implying Jesus would need to rise from the dead was not a welcome thought. Since to rise meant one had to first die, it must have disturbed them to think Jesus was going to die. Also, Elijah did not have to die, and the place where Moses was buried was unknown. It is said that angels buried Moses.
Note: In chapter 8:31-38, Jesus spoke about the necessity of His death and of our dying to ourselves. When “death to self” is mentioned today; it is often met with strong opposition. Usually from religious persons who want nothing to do with such “negative” language. At times we all seek a “comfortable religion” that allows us to be in control. At such times we want nothing to do with a faith that demands God is in control and that such control demands our death.
B. The Place and Role of Elijah.
Q How many times is Elijah mentioned in 9:2-13?
An = Five times: 4, 5, 11, 12, and 13. Have everyone turn to Malachi 3:1, 2 and 4:5, 6. >>>> Have someone read Malachi 3:1, 2.
>>>> Have someone read Malachi 4:5, 6.
Q Who did Jesus understand the coming Elijah to be?
An = John the Baptist. Not that Jesus believed John was a reincarnation of Elijah, but that John fulfilled the mission of Elijah: especially Malachi 4:5, 6 and John’s great preaching of repentance.
Note: Repentance is not just for drug addicts and prostitutes but good upstanding, strong Christians as well. If our group wishes to see the Lord and derive any good from it they must repent.
Note: John says that children and parents must have their hearts turned towards one another. Parents need to deeply love and forgive their children and children must forgive their parents and begin to love them. If spiritual perception, not just experiences, is to take place then dealing with our parents or children is vital to gaining such perception. We must obey (or listen) to the Son. The key to pleasing God is not having religious experiences but loving our parents (or our children if we are older).
>>>> Have someone read 9:13.
Q What did they do to John the Baptist?
>>>> You read Mark 6:27, 28
An = Those in power killed John, and those who did not repent did not see the Glory of the Son of God when He was right there in their midst. We will not see God here in this group, no matter what good and positive things are done, if we do not repent.
It might help to know that repentance in the Hebrew Old Testament came from a word meaning to “turn”. Maybe, there is something specific in our actual dealings with people that we need to literally turn from. In turning from that behavior we are turning to God.
Note: The disciples still do not want Jesus to die. They want glory, but Jesus reminded them that as the authorities did to John, they would do to Jesus. Mark 9:9-12 is the second announcement (of five) by Jesus that He must die.

V. Conclusion:
Q So, what is the purpose of true religious experiences?
An = They are to help us listen! This experience revealed that glory only came after humiliation. Jesus spoke of His humiliation. John the Baptist said our humiliation of repentance must be there if we are to truly see and understand Jesus Christ.
Peter soon forgot what God had showed him. God graciously tried to show him the proper perspective on the way down the mountain.
Note: Let me share with you two quotes in closing. One from Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest, July 29, says,
“In the Bible, clouds are always associated with God. Clouds are the sorrows, sufferings, or providential circumstances, within or without our personal lives which actually seem to contradict the sovereignty of God. Yet, it is through these very clouds that the Spirit of God is teaching us how to walk by faith. If there were never any clouds in our lives, we would have no faith…. They are a sign that God is there. What a revelation it is to know that sorrow, bereavement, and suffering are actually the clouds that come along with God! God cannot come near us without clouds….”
Note: He cannot always come near us with clear shining brightness; for we would never see what He wants us to see, and what we so desperately need to see. If we have clouds today, we can try to get away from them, but if we are disciples like Peter of old, Jesus will repeatedly bring us back to the necessity of the cross. If we have clouds right now then maybe God is truly near.

The second comes from the movie “Princess Bride”. There is a great quote in it towards the end: “If someone tells you there is no pain, they are either lying or trying to sell you something.”
Jesus Christ wants to give us the key to eternal life, and so He tells us the truth about pain. Maybe the first pain we need to face is the pain of repentance, finally admitting that we could be wrong, no matter how bad we may look in the community.
Q Speaking of religious experiences, after Paul had the tremendous experience on the road to Damascus what was revealed to him about his future?
An = See Acts 9:15-16.[:]