Peter Shields His Eyes at the TransfigurationBible World
9:6Mark 9:6
For he wist not what to say; for they were sore afraid.
Peter speaks without understanding because he and the others awake from sleep to overwhelming wonder and sore fear at Christ's shining glory, the overshadowing cloud, and the Father's voice in majesty. In that amazement he proposes shelters for Jesus, Moses and Elijah, mistakenly thinking Elijah has come as foretold and the kingdom will soon be set up on earth to protect Jesus from death, forgetting that His suffering and death must complete salvation. The scene comes in the lonely night on the mountain where Jesus has gone apart to pray with strong crying for strength and for His disciples, having brought only Peter, James and John because they are to witness both this revelation and His anguish in Gethsemane. It is the transfiguration also told in Matthew 17:1-8 and Luke 9:28-36, when His veiled divinity shines through His humanity with face like the sun and glistening raiment while God proclaims Him the beloved Son to be heard. It fulfills His promise that some should see the kingdom come with power, giving a small-scale picture of it with Moses present for those raised from the dead and Elijah for those translated alive at His second coming. He arranges this manifestation with Moses and Elijah speaking of His coming death to remove doubt and strengthen them so that His humiliation and crucifixion will not destroy their confidence that He is the Messiah.
Mountain Setting and Fear
The scene belongs to the evening after a day of traveling and teaching, when Jesus leads Peter, James and John across the fields and far up a rugged path to a lonely mountainside, wearied by the ascent, while the setting sun dies out and night darkness wraps them in gloom matching their sorrowful lives. On the mountain Jesus steps aside to pray with strong crying and tears for strength to endure the test for humanity, to gain a fresh hold on Omnipotence and contemplate the future, and for the disciples that their faith may not fail in the hour of darkness. They at first join Him in devotion but fall asleep from weariness even though He told them of His sufferings and brought them to pray with Him.
Only Peter, James and John are present, because not all even of the twelve can receive the revelation to be given and because they are to witness His anguish in Gethsemane, and He longs to lighten their gloom with assurance that their faith has not been in vain. The account is the transfiguration, also recorded in Matthew 17:1-8 and Luke 9:28-36. There Christ's divine glory, normally veiled by His humanity, shines through it as much as human beings can bear, with His face lighted up and changed and shining like the sun and His raiment white and glistening, while God acknowledges Him as Son and raises Him above humanity to commune with Him.
An overshadowing cloud covers them and the Father's voice comes from radiant and excellent glory in fearful and terrible majesty, declaring Jesus to be the beloved Son to be heard, one of the occasions when God proclaims Christ as His Son. The disciples, having fallen asleep, awake to this divine glory and are overcome with wonder and sore fear at His majesty, the cloud, and God's voice, so that they are overwhelmed and Peter does not know what to say. Their fear leaves them unable to know what to say, and the favored disciples are filled with wonder and sore fear as they watch Jesus transfigured by the glory of God.
In amazement and fear without understanding what is happening, Peter proposes making shelters for Jesus, Moses and Elijah, mistakenly thinking Elijah has come as prophecy foretold and the kingdom will soon be established on earth. He also thinks the heavenly visitors might protect Jesus from death, forgetting that His suffering and death are necessary to complete the plan of salvation.
Kingdom Preview and Strength
The transfiguration fulfills the promise that some standing with Jesus would not see death until they saw the kingdom of God come with power, giving them a miniature and small-scale picture of Christ's kingdom with Jesus in heavenly glory proclaimed by the Father's voice to be the Son of God. It is a glimpse of that kingdom in which Jesus is clothed with the light of heaven and acknowledged from radiant glory, a small-scale picture of the kingdom of the redeemed. Moses is present representing those who will be raised from the dead at Christ's second coming, while Elijah, who was translated to heaven without seeing death, represents those who will be living on earth at His second appearing and will be changed from mortal to immortal and translated to heaven without dying.
Jesus arranges this manifestation of His glory and divinity to give unmistakable evidence that He is the promised Messiah, with God's voice declaring Him Son and Moses and Elijah honoring Him. It is meant to remove doubts and to strengthen faith for the coming trial of His humiliation, suffering and crucifixion, so that sorrow and disappointment at His death will not destroy confidence. In this way the disciples are helped to understand that His death is necessary for His own glory and the Father's glory and for humanity's sharing in that glory. Moses and Elijah are sent to speak with Him about His sufferings and death and to bear God's glory to Him. They are chosen rather than angels because they have experienced the trials of earthly life, and Moses had spoken with God face to face and been shown God's glory.
The Father's glorification strengthens Jesus Himself before His betrayal and crucifixion. Its glory also points to the glory that will strengthen God's faithful people in their final conflict. Within a short time the disciples witness both extremes, heavenly glory on the mountain and human misery below. When Jesus descends He stoops to lift the demon-tormented lunatic child wallowing on the ground with distorted countenance and restores him to his father freed forever from Satan's power, showing the contrast between glory and suffering.
Remembered Witness and Service
On the holy mount Peter saw the majesty of Christ and heard what pertained to the kingdom of God, including the power and coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. There Christ received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came from the excellent glory declaring Him the beloved Son in whom God is well pleased, which Peter and those with him heard. That seeing and hearing qualified Peter to speak as an eyewitness of God's purposes concerning the human race.
Peter was so afraid at that time that he did not know what to say, and the disciples were overwhelmed with fear, yet the glory they saw and the voice they heard made a deep impression upon them. They later remembered that glory and that voice, and the remembrance strengthened their faith that Jesus was the Son of God. They remembered it even when they afterward saw heavenly glory around Jesus in the garden. James also was there with Peter and John to witness the transfiguration, and he later understood more fully Jesus' words about sharing His cup and baptism when he himself faced imprisonment and death. The mountaintop experience was given to lead followers back down to serve suffering people below.
Peter speaks without understanding because he and the others awake from sleep to overwhelming wonder and sore fear at Christ's shining glory, the overshadowing cloud, and the Father's voice in majesty. In that amazement he proposes shelters for Jesus, Moses and Elijah, mistakenly thinking Elijah has come as foretold and the kingdom will soon be set up on earth to protect Jesus from death, forgetting that His suffering and death must complete salvation. The scene comes in the lonely night on the mountain where Jesus has gone apart to pray with strong crying for strength and for His disciples, having brought only Peter, James and John because they are to witness both this revelation and His anguish in Gethsemane. It is the transfiguration also told in Matthew 17:1-8 and Luke 9:28-36, when His veiled divinity shines through His humanity with face like the sun and glistening raiment while God proclaims Him the beloved Son to be heard. It fulfills His promise that some should see the kingdom come with power, giving a small-scale picture of it with Moses present for those raised from the dead and Elijah for those translated alive at His second coming. He arranges this manifestation with Moses and Elijah speaking of His coming death to remove doubt and strengthen them so that His humiliation and crucifixion will not destroy their confidence that He is the Messiah.
Mountain Setting and Fear
The scene belongs to the evening after a day of traveling and teaching, when Jesus leads Peter, James and John across the fields and far up a rugged path to a lonely mountainside, wearied by the ascent, while the setting sun dies out and night darkness wraps them in gloom matching their sorrowful lives. On the mountain Jesus steps aside to pray with strong crying and tears for strength to endure the test for humanity, to gain a fresh hold on Omnipotence and contemplate the future, and for the disciples that their faith may not fail in the hour of darkness. They at first join Him in devotion but fall asleep from weariness even though He told them of His sufferings and brought them to pray with Him.
Only Peter, James and John are present, because not all even of the twelve can receive the revelation to be given and because they are to witness His anguish in Gethsemane, and He longs to lighten their gloom with assurance that their faith has not been in vain. The account is the transfiguration, also recorded in Matthew 17:1-8 and Luke 9:28-36. There Christ's divine glory, normally veiled by His humanity, shines through it as much as human beings can bear, with His face lighted up and changed and shining like the sun and His raiment white and glistening, while God acknowledges Him as Son and raises Him above humanity to commune with Him.
An overshadowing cloud covers them and the Father's voice comes from radiant and excellent glory in fearful and terrible majesty, declaring Jesus to be the beloved Son to be heard, one of the occasions when God proclaims Christ as His Son. The disciples, having fallen asleep, awake to this divine glory and are overcome with wonder and sore fear at His majesty, the cloud, and God's voice, so that they are overwhelmed and Peter does not know what to say. Their fear leaves them unable to know what to say, and the favored disciples are filled with wonder and sore fear as they watch Jesus transfigured by the glory of God.
In amazement and fear without understanding what is happening, Peter proposes making shelters for Jesus, Moses and Elijah, mistakenly thinking Elijah has come as prophecy foretold and the kingdom will soon be established on earth. He also thinks the heavenly visitors might protect Jesus from death, forgetting that His suffering and death are necessary to complete the plan of salvation.
Kingdom Preview and Strength
The transfiguration fulfills the promise that some standing with Jesus would not see death until they saw the kingdom of God come with power, giving them a miniature and small-scale picture of Christ's kingdom with Jesus in heavenly glory proclaimed by the Father's voice to be the Son of God. It is a glimpse of that kingdom in which Jesus is clothed with the light of heaven and acknowledged from radiant glory, a small-scale picture of the kingdom of the redeemed. Moses is present representing those who will be raised from the dead at Christ's second coming, while Elijah, who was translated to heaven without seeing death, represents those who will be living on earth at His second appearing and will be changed from mortal to immortal and translated to heaven without dying.
Jesus arranges this manifestation of His glory and divinity to give unmistakable evidence that He is the promised Messiah, with God's voice declaring Him Son and Moses and Elijah honoring Him. It is meant to remove doubts and to strengthen faith for the coming trial of His humiliation, suffering and crucifixion, so that sorrow and disappointment at His death will not destroy confidence. In this way the disciples are helped to understand that His death is necessary for His own glory and the Father's glory and for humanity's sharing in that glory. Moses and Elijah are sent to speak with Him about His sufferings and death and to bear God's glory to Him. They are chosen rather than angels because they have experienced the trials of earthly life, and Moses had spoken with God face to face and been shown God's glory.
The Father's glorification strengthens Jesus Himself before His betrayal and crucifixion. Its glory also points to the glory that will strengthen God's faithful people in their final conflict. Within a short time the disciples witness both extremes, heavenly glory on the mountain and human misery below. When Jesus descends He stoops to lift the demon-tormented lunatic child wallowing on the ground with distorted countenance and restores him to his father freed forever from Satan's power, showing the contrast between glory and suffering.
Remembered Witness and Service
On the holy mount Peter saw the majesty of Christ and heard what pertained to the kingdom of God, including the power and coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. There Christ received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came from the excellent glory declaring Him the beloved Son in whom God is well pleased, which Peter and those with him heard. That seeing and hearing qualified Peter to speak as an eyewitness of God's purposes concerning the human race.
Peter was so afraid at that time that he did not know what to say, and the disciples were overwhelmed with fear, yet the glory they saw and the voice they heard made a deep impression upon them. They later remembered that glory and that voice, and the remembrance strengthened their faith that Jesus was the Son of God. They remembered it even when they afterward saw heavenly glory around Jesus in the garden. James also was there with Peter and John to witness the transfiguration, and he later understood more fully Jesus' words about sharing His cup and baptism when he himself faced imprisonment and death. The mountaintop experience was given to lead followers back down to serve suffering people below.