1 And he said unto them, 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. 2 And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them. 3 And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them. 4 And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus. 5 And Peter answered and said to Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.
6 For he wist not what to say; for they were sore afraid. 7 And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him. 8 And suddenly, when they had looked round about, they saw no man any more, save Jesus only with themselves. 9 And as they came down from the mountain, he charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the dead.
10 And they kept that saying with themselves, questioning one with another what the rising from the dead should mean. 11 And they asked him, saying, Why say the scribes that Elias must first come? 12 And he answered and told them, Elias verily cometh first, and restoreth all things; and how it is written of the Son of man, that he must suffer many things, and be set at nought. 13 But I say unto you, That Elias is indeed come, and they have done unto him whatsoever they listed, as it is written of him. (Mark 9:1-13 KJV)
The Transfiguration
Here is a prediction of Christ’s kingdom now near approaching (Mark 9:1). What is foretold is that the kingdom of God would come, and come visibly—the kingdom of the Messiah would be established in the world by the destruction of the Jewish system, which stood in its way. This would be the restoration of God’s kingdom among people, which had been nearly lost through the deep corruption of both Jews and Gentiles. It would come with power, strong enough to overcome opposition.
This power was seen when judgment fell on the Jews for crucifying Christ and when the gospel triumphed over Gentile idolatry. The kingdom would come while some of those present were still alive: “There are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God come with power.” This is the same as Matthew 24:34, “This generation will not pass away until all these things have happened.” Those standing with Christ would witness it, even if others failed to recognize it as the kingdom of God, for it would not come with visible signs.
This prediction is followed by a glimpse of that kingdom in the transfiguration of Christ, which took place six days later. Christ had begun to tell his disciples about his coming death and sufferings, and to prevent them from being discouraged, he gave them the transfiguration as a glimpse of his glory to show that his sufferings were voluntary. The transfiguration occurred on the top of a high mountain, reminiscent of when Moses conversed with God on Mount Sinai or viewed Canaan from Mount Pisgah. Tradition identifies the mountain as Tabor to fulfill Psalm 89:12: “Tabor and Hermon shall rejoice in your name.” However, Dr. Lightfoot, noting that Christ had last been seen near Caesarea Philippi, far from Mount Tabor, suggests it was a high mountain mentioned by Josephus near Caesarea.
The witnesses of the transfiguration were Peter, James, and John—three to bear witness on earth, corresponding to Moses, Elijah, and the heavenly voice—three witnesses from above. Christ did not take all the disciples with him, for this event was to be kept private. As some favors are given to disciples and not the world, some are also given to some disciples and not others. All saints are near to Christ, but some are especially close. James was the first of the twelve to die for Christ, and John outlived them all to be the last eyewitness of his glory (John 1:14; 2 Peter 1:16-18).
He was transfigured before them—his appearance changed, though his essence remained the same. It was a miracle. It shows how greatly human bodies can be transformed when God honors them, as he will do for believers’ bodies in the resurrection. The change likely happened gradually, from glory to glory, so the disciples, watching the entire time, had no doubt this glorious figure was Jesus himself. John may refer to this in 1 John 1:1, when he speaks of seeing the Word of Life. His clothes became dazzling white—whiter than any launderer on earth could make them.
His companions in glory were Moses and Elijah (Mark 9:4). They appeared talking with him, not to instruct him, but to testify to him and be taught by him. This shows that glorified saints can communicate with one another, though we do not understand how. Moses and Elijah lived many centuries apart, but in heaven, all are one in Christ.
The disciples’ joy in seeing and hearing all this is voiced by Peter: “Master, it is good for us to be here” (Mark 9:5). Though Jesus was transfigured and speaking with Moses and Elijah, he allowed Peter to speak freely with him. Christ, even in his glory, remains approachable to his people. Earthly greatness often distances friends, but the glorified Jesus still welcomes boldness and openness from believers. Even in this heavenly scene, Peter could speak: “Lord, it is good to be here; let us make three tents—for you, Moses, and Elijah.” If it is good to be with Christ transfigured on a mountain with Moses and Elijah, how much better to be with him glorified in heaven with all the saints!
But note, while Peter wanted to stay, he forgot how much people needed Christ and his disciples in the valley (Mark 9:14). When we are doing well, we often forget others’ needs. It was a weakness in Peter to prefer personal communion over public ministry. Paul, seeing the church’s need, was willing to stay in this life rather than go to glory (Philippians 1:24-25). Peter also proposed separate tents for Christ, Moses, and Elijah, not realizing that the law, the prophets, and the gospel all dwell in perfect harmony and unity. He may be excused because they were all terrified, and he did not know what to say (Mark 9:6).
The voice from heaven was a confirmation of Christ’s mediatorship (Mark 9:7). A cloud overshadowed them, providing shelter. While Peter spoke of making tents, God sent a cloud instead—a tabernacle not made with hands (Isaiah 4:5). From this cloud came the voice: “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.” God declares Christ his beloved Son, accepted and approved, and we must accept him as our Savior and submit to his authority. The vision ended after the voice was heard (Mark 9:8). When they looked around, everything was gone—Moses and Elijah had vanished, and only Jesus remained, looking as he usually did.
As they came down from the mountain, Christ talked with his disciples. He told them to keep this event private until after his resurrection, which would fully confirm his divine mission (Mark 9:9). This command would also help the disciples avoid pride by keeping them from boasting about their special experience. Being unable to speak of one’s privileges can help suppress pride. The disciples didn’t understand what “rising from the dead” meant; they couldn’t imagine the Messiah dying (Luke 18:34). So, they assumed he meant rising from his current low condition to a position of power.
But that raised another question for them (Mark 9:11): Why do the scribes say Elijah must come first? Elijah and Moses were gone. The scribes taught that the actual person of Elijah would return, but the prophecy meant someone in the spirit and power of Elijah. Misunderstanding Scripture is a major obstacle to receiving the truth.
Christ explained the prophecy about Elijah (Mark 9:12-13): “Elijah does come first and restores all things. But the Scriptures also say the Son of Man must suffer and be rejected. The scribes don’t tell you this, but the Scriptures do. And Elijah has come, though you haven’t recognized him. They did to him whatever they wanted”—referring to John the Baptist. Many ancient and Catholic writers believe Elijah himself will return with Enoch before Christ’s second coming to fulfill Malachi’s prophecy more completely than John did. But this is baseless. The true Elijah, like the true Messiah, has already come, and we are to look for no other. The phrase “as it is written of him” refers not to the mistreatment he received (which is in parentheses) but to his coming—he came and fulfilled what was written of him.
Mark Chapter 9
- The Transfiguration, Mark 9:1-13
- Jesus Heals a Boy with an Unclean Spirit, Mark 9:14-29
- Jesus Again Foretells Death, Resurrection, Mark 9:30-32
- Who Is the Greatest?, Mark 9:33-37
- Anyone Not Against Us Is for Us, Mark 9:38-40
- Helping or offending the followers of Christ, Mark 9:41-42
- Temptations to Sin, Mark 9:43-50