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SERMON TITLE: Jesus, why must you rise from the dead?
TEXT: Mark 9:2-13 (ESV)
SPEAKER: Josh Hanson
DATE: 8-15-21
As always it’s a joy to be with all of you this weekend at Gateway Church. And the one thing I always want you to know — and this is true if you’re worshipping with us in person at our North Main campus or are joining us online — the one thing I want you to know is that God loves you and that I love you too.
We’re returning to the gospel of Mark this week. This is another one of the books — in the Bible — that we’ve been going through for the past few years. Instead of staying in one book — from beginning to end — we spend a few weeks or months in a book and then move on to one of the other books we’re going through. And — if you’ve been here at Gateway — you know we’re going through Mark, Romans, and the book of Acts — in addition to our Finding Jesus series in the Old Testament.
Now — if you’re new to Gateway — I’d encourage you to go to our website — gatewayepc.org — and find the previous series we’ve done in Mark’s gospel. That way you can get all caught up as we’re already halfway through the book. And with that said — if you have your Bible — please turn with me to the gospel of Mark. We’ll be looking at verses 2-13 of chapter 9. We’ll be in Mark chapter 9 today.
Now — this year in Mark — what we’re going to find are people asking Jesus different questions. And these questions are going to be what we focus on — because — we’ve all got questions, don’t we? And many of the questions — that we’ll see Jesus get asked — are questions we’re still asking today. For example — in the coming weeks — we’ll see Jesus get asked questions like, “Can you help?” and “What about divorce?” and “Who can be saved?” and “Jesus, will you do what I want?” in addition to some other questions. And — each week — we’ll discover Jesus’ answer to these questions.
So let’s turn to our passage for today and the question we’ll be asking Jesus is this: “Jesus, why must you rise from the dead?” Today’s question is about Jesus’ death and resurrection. We’re in Mark chapter 9. Beginning in verse 2.
“And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, 3 and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them. 4 And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. 5 And Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 6 For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified. 7 And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.” 8 And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only. 9 And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10 So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead might mean. 11 And they asked him, “Why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?” 12 And he said to them, “Elijah does come first to restore all things. And how is it written of the Son of Man that he should suffer many things and be treated with contempt? 13 But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written of him.”” (Mark 9:2-13 ESV)
How relevant are the dead to you — well that’s kind of a crazy question to begin with, right? My guess — when it comes to the relevancy of the dead — is that it depends on who exactly we’re referring to. A parent — who’s died — or a spouse or child — a close friend or teacher — they may be very important and relevant to you. You miss them. You think about them. You tell stories about them. Though dead — they’re still relevant.
But what about George Washington — the first president of the United States. How relevant is he and his death for you? Or Mozart — one of the greatest musical composers in all of history. How often does his death cross your mind? Or Princess Diana? Some of us remember her death and the shock it brought on the world. But — today — I don’t know that her death is all that relevant for most of us. It’s hard to miss George Washington or Mozart or Princess Diana — why? Because we didn’t know them.
So what about the death of Jesus? How relevant is his death to you? Now — if you’re not a Christian — my guess is that his death is about as relevant to you as George Washington’s. “Josh, I didn’t know George Washington and I didn’t know Jesus. So their deaths are the same for me — irrelevant.”
And — let me say — it’s completely understandable to not miss someone you never knew — thus making their death irrelevant. Roughly 8,065 people die in the US every day — 153,425 people die every day globally. And yet the vast majority — if not all — of these deaths are irrelevant to us. It’s the deaths of people we know and love that are relevant.
And even when we hear statistics about death — we tend to move quickly on with our lives — don’t we? We quickly go back to focusing on our future. A future — which most of us think — will go on and on and on. For some reason — our own impending death isn’t that relevant to us either — which is kind of crazy, right? In fact — when most of us think about our own death — what we think about is “how will I die” — meaning — “I hope it’s going to be quick and not painful.” And maybe a few of us wonder, “Will I be forgotten once I die — will I become irrelevant?”
All that to say — if we have a hard time connecting the relevancy of our own death — to our everyday lives — it’s understandable if we have a difficult time connecting the relevancy of Jesus’ death to our everyday lives. But that’s what we’re going to do today. We’re going to answer the question, “How should Jesus’ death and resurrection affect my everyday life?”
And — again — I’m anticipating that — for some of us — this belief — in Jesus’ death and resurrection — is why you’re not a Christian. It’s just too far of a stretch for you. But I also know that — for others of us — who are Chistians — Jesus’ death and resurrection may have lost its relevance. So — Christian or not — we’re going to discover the relevancy of Jesus’ death for us.
Let’s go back to verse 2.
“And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, 3 and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them. 4 And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. 5 And Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 6 For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified. 7 And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.” 8 And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only.” (Mark 9:2-8 ESV)
So — before we get to the relevancy of Jesus’ death and resurrection — we have this story — from the life of Jesus — that’s unique in all of ancient literature. No other ancient writings have a story that’s comparable to what we’re seeing here in Mark’s gospel. (James Edwards, The Gospel According to Mark (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002), 269.) Yet all three synoptic gospels — that’s Matthew, Mark, and Luke — record the transfiguration of Jesus. So let’s take a look at what’s happening here.
First off, Jesus takes Peter, James and John — three of his disciples — up on a mountain. Now — about a week earlier, Peter had made an incredibly bold statement about Jesus. Here’s what happened. “And Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” 28 And they told him, “John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.” 29 And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.” 30 And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him.” (Mark 8:27-30 ESV)
So Peter — in this particular moment — made a monumental connection between the Old Testament promises — about the coming Messiah — and Jesus. “Jesus, you’re the promised Messiah — the Savior — the Rescuer of the people of God.” But Peter is going to move from this moment of great, bold faith — to days where doubt and confusion cloud his thoughts. And this happens to us today, doesn’t it? There are times when we speak out with great, bold, faith and then — on other days — our faith is small and our confidence and boldness is lacking. Thus, Jesus brings Peter, James, and John up on a mountain to reveal to them more of who he is to increase their faith.
Now — going up the mountain — is a crucial detail — especially given the fact that Moses and Elijah show up. Why? Well — both Moses and Elijah had significant experiences of God’s glory while on a mountain. For Moses — the mountain was Sinai — when God spoke to him, revealed his glory, and gave him the 10 Commandments. For Elijah — the mountain was Horeb — where God came and spoke to him — and passed by him not in the strong wind nor in the earthquake nor in the fire that passed by. God revealed himself to the prophet in the sound of a whisper and reminded Elijah that he was not alone. (R. E. Nixon, “Transfiguration,” in The New Bible Dictionary, 3rd ed. (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1996), 1200.)
The second thing we see — here — is Jesus being transfigured before the three men. So what does that mean — that Jesus is transfigured? The word “transfigured” means “to change” and the word only occurs four times in the Bible. Now — all four occurrences give the idea of a “radical transformation.” (Edwards, 263.) Twice — the word is used referring to what we’re reading about right now — Jesus’ transfiguration. The word is here — in Mark — and Matthew also uses the word. And neither Matthew nor Mark use the word simply to describe some sort of external change — this transformation is an uncovering — a revealing — of who Jesus truly is. So the transformation here — for Jesus — isn’t like a light switch being flipped on and now he’s God or something like that. The transformation is that who Jesus really is — the God who is man — who Jesus has and will always be has now been fully revealed to Peter, James, and John.
But let’s not forget that this word is found two more times in the Bible. Let’s take a look at the other two occurrences. In 2 Corinthians, the apostle Paul writes, “And the Lord — who is the Spirit — makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.” (2 Corinthians 3:18b NLT)
The word “changed” is the same Greek word translated as “transfigured” in Mark.
And — in Romans — Paul writes, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you (there’s our word) into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” (Romans 12:2 NLT)
Paul’s indicating the change — the transformation — that happens to a person when they believe in Jesus Christ. And this is a radical change. It’s a change where we go from following the behaviors and customs of the world — the world being those who are in rebellion against God — to being transformed into a completely new person — someone who follows the behaviors and customs of the One in whom they’ve been transformed into the glorious image of — Jesus Christ. A change God does on the inside that reveals itself in our outward behavior.
So — to pause for a moment — and show the relevancy of Jesus’ transfiguration in the lives of all of us — Christian or not — what Paul is saying is this: We all need a radical change — every single one of us. If you’re not a Christian, surely you recognize that there are things in your life that need to change. Things that you’ve tried and tried and tried to change — without success. Things that you know need to change — yet you feel pretty hopeless about anything changing because you know you don’t have the power to make the change happen. Well — good news for you — Jesus can change you!
And — for the Christian — this isn’t a one time change that’s needed, right? We need to be changed over and over and over again, don’t we? Jesus comes in and changes us — radically changes us — but because we find ourselves in a spiritual war — there’s always room for improvement. There are always parts of us in need of transformation. Addictions. Unloving attitudes. Impatience. A lack of joy. Divisiveness. All kinds of things in which we need God to change in us for we can’t make these changes happen on our own. Especially when we’re talking about something more than mere external change — we’re talking about a transformation that’s an uncovering — or a revealing — of who we truly are on the inside.
We’re on a mountain. Jesus is transfigured. And Moses and Elijah show up. Why are they here? I think it’s because Moses and Elijah are representing the Law and the Prophets — the Old Testament which had promised that the Messiah would come. Where — what’s happening here — is that these two men are representing the Old Testament and Jesus is showing that he’s the fulfillment of all that’s written in it. And — if you’re a regular at Gateway — this is what our Finding Jesus series is all about. Additionally, both of these men are mentioned in Malachi — they’re mentioned as being forerunners to the great and awesome day of the Lord.
And then — the final thing to notice about this moment on the mountain — is that God speaks. Now — God speaking here — connects the beginning of Jesus’ ministry — with the beginning of his passion — his journey to the cross. (Edwards, 270.) Do you remember how his ministry began? Jesus is baptized by John...“And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”” (Mark 1:11 ESV)
And now — as Jesus begins the final stage of his ministry — as he intentionally begins his journey to the cross — God speaks again and says, ““This is my beloved Son; listen to him.”” (Mark 9:7b ESV)
“Listen to my Son,” God says. There’s something practical for all of us in these words. Are we listening to Jesus — listening to his words to us as found in the Bible?
Now — I can only imagine how overwhelming this whole experience had to be for Peter, James, and John. So let’s see how they respond. We’re in verse 11.
“And they asked him, “Why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?” 12 And he said to them, “Elijah does come first to restore all things. And how is it written of the Son of Man that he should suffer many things and be treated with contempt? 13 But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written of him.”” (Mark 9:11-13 ESV)
So they respond with a question. Andwhat’s the question they ask and — by the way — we’ll see in a moment that this isn’t the only question on their minds. But what do they ask? They ask a question about Elijah. Which seems pretty random other than the fact that they just ran into Elijah on the mountain. But they ask about Elijah and here’s why.
The reason why they ask about Elijah is because of a misunderstanding they have about the coming Messiah. In fact — the rumor on the street — was that the “Messiah was going to be a warrior who would defeat the Romans and establish God’s kingdom on earth.” (Mark L. Strauss, “Mark: The Gospel of the Servant-Messiah,” https://bibleproject.com/blog/mark-gospel-servant-messiah/.) And — Elijah — was supposed to come and announce that God’s warrior — the victor over the Romans — had arrived.
But we’ll see in a moment that their real question is about Jesus’ comment about his suffering and death — but the misunderstanding they have — about the Messiah — is that he wasn’t going to suffer. And he especially wasn’t going to die. So they ask Jesus about Elijah because — what they really want to ask him about — has the potential to blow up their expectations of what it means for Jesus to be the Messiah.
And — sometimes we do something like this. We’ve got a question we want to ask Jesus — but we’re nervous about what his answer will be — so we ask him something else — we’ll actually look at this in a few weeks. Where — instead of asking Jesus our question directly — we ask a pastor, or a fellow Christian, maybe our mom or dad — and we end up asking a question that’s not the real question we want to ask. There’s another question — on our mind — but we’re afraid to ask it.
So please hear me out. Ask your questions. We’ll see — throughout this series — Jesus gets asked all kinds of questions — not just about his death and resurrection. Jesus can handle your questions — even the questions we’re afraid to ask. And — for Peter, James, and John — this question about Elijah isn’t what’s most pressing on their hearts and minds. There’s another question — a deeper question — a more disturbing question they’re wrestling with. But instead of asking Jesus that question — they ask him about Elijah.
So that’s the question they do ask Jesus. But — as I’ve said — they did have another question. A question they’re either too afraid or confused or — who knows what — but they don’t ask Jesus the real question on their minds. But let’s look at it. Back to verse 9.
“And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10 So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead might mean.” (Mark 9:9-10 ESV)
Jesus tells them to not tell anyone what they’ve just witnessed on the mountain. Why? Well — for now — the time had not come for his true identity to be revealed to the world. They’ve been given a glimpse of something the world would see in due time — but now’s not that time.
And — besides the timing — Peter, James, and John aren’t even sure what they’ve just witnessed. They have some questions — or at least a question. “Jesus, what’s the deal with you saying you must rise from the dead? What’s that all about? This doesn’t jive with our expectations of the Messiah.” But they don’t ask him this question.
Now — as I mentioned earlier — belief in the death and resurrection of Jesus may be what’s keeping you from becoming a Christian. Something I found interesting — though — is that according to recent research — research done in 2020 — “66% of American adults believe in the historicity of Christ’s resurrection. Around 20% of adults in America don’t believe the resurrection accounts are true. And 14% aren’t sure what they believe about the resurrection.” (Aaron Earls, “Which Americans Are Least Likely to Believe in Jesus’ Resurrection?,” September 16, 2020. https://lifewayresearch.com/2020/09/16/which-americans-are-least-likely-to-believe-in-jesus-resurrection/.)
Now — for sure — the popularity of a belief doesn’t make it true — our nation recently got excited because documents were going to be released about UFOs — remember that? Well guess what? Pretty much the same percentage of Americans believe in UFOs as do those who believe in the resurrection. Again, just because the majority of folks believe something doesn’t make it true. Evidence is needed — something more than “Yeah, there’s a bunch of stuff that we’re just gonna call unidentified flying objects” — which is basically what the UFO report told us. “Dear government, thanks!”
Yet the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is backed by incredible evidence and it has incredible relevance to our everyday lives. How so?
For starters(Some of these points come from (or are inspired by) Kevin Halloran, 10 Reasons the Resurrection of Jesus Christ is Important, https://www.kevinhalloran.net/meaning-resurrection-jesus-christ/), we’re justified before God by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. To be justified is to be “made right with God.” Due to our sin and rebellion we were all enemies of God — not friends — every one of us an enemy of God. Yet — through faith in Christ’s death and resurrection — God justifies us. He declares us to be not guilty of our sin. And this is one aspect of the radical transformation we experience. Though — we were once enemies — in being justified — we’re now friends of God.
Additionally, Jesus’ resurrection was death’s defeat. Death no longer has a sting of victory on God’s people. Instead, death is our defeated enemy. Our enemy — defeated — not by us — but by our victorious Savior and King. And even though — unless Jesus returns in our lifetime — we all will die — we live knowing that we’ll never be forgotten. For we are known by the One who created us, saved us, who’s called us for his purposes, the One who’s told us that we’re engraved on the palm of his hands and have our names written in his book of Life.
Finally, something that should be relevant to all of us is the fact that Jesus’ death and resurrection prove the reliability and truthfulness of the Bible. Prophecies — from centuries prior — predicted the death and resurrection of Jesus. No other book is like the Bible in this way. Though written over the course of centuries by many different authors — God’s Spirit guided each of the writers to tell one, complete, accurate, truthful, non-contradicting story — the story of Christ and what he’s doing in the world. Thus Jesus’ death and resurrection are completely relevant to our everyday lives — for when we read our Bibles — the best selling book year after year — by the way. Guinness World Records (https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/best-selling-book-of-non-fiction) estimates that over five billion copies of the Bible have been distributed since 1815 — which is amazing. But when we read our Bibles — we can know and have confidence in its trustworthiness and reliability and truthfulness because of the death and resurrection of Christ.
These are just three examples of why Jesus’ death and resurrection is relevant for all of us. If we had time — we could keep adding to the list — but know that it’s a long one. A long list of the ways that Jesus’ death and resurrection are relevant to our lives. And know that it’s a list full of reasons upon reasons upon reasons for God’s people to have hope. A hope being offered to all of us today — hope through the death and resurrection of Jesus.
For — as someone has said, “The resurrection of Jesus means the worst thing is never the last thing.” (Frederick Buechner) How about that for relevancy in your life? If the worst thing in all of human history — the death of God’s Son — is the means by which we have life and hope — well — that means — the worst thing in your life is never the last thing. The worst day of your life is never your last day. Through faith in Jesus — and remember his worst day was the beginning of our eternal days — because of our faith in Christ our worst days never have the last laugh. We get the last — most joy-filled and glorious laugh — that will last for all our eternal days — a laugh we will have with our Savior. What an eternal day that will be.
You know — honestly — I get why it’s easier to ask questions about Elijah than it is to wrestle with what the death and resurrection of Christ means for our lives. Maybe your questions aren’t about Elijah — but we all have questions we ask that — though they might be important — they’re not most important. I mean — it can be frightening to ask, “Jesus, why did you have to die?” But the reason why this question is both important — and frightening to ask — is because Jesus’ answer to this question changes everything for us. And — I think we all know — that if we dare to ask this question — and this is what can be scary — we all know that Jesus’ answer is going to change us. Things won’t remain the same. Things — for us — can’t stay the same once we receive his answer.
As a late Yale University professor said, “If Christ is not raised, nothing matters; [but] if Christ is raised, nothing else matters.” (Jaroslav Pelikan) And the death and resurrection of Christ puts the emphasis of the whole Bible — and all of life — yours and mine — on Christ and Christ alone. Not on Elijah. Not on Moses. Not on John the Baptist. Not on Peter, James, and John. Not even on you and me. The emphasis is on Christ.
And your life and my life — and our lives collectively — won’t ever experience the transformation that — deep down we know we need — without the emphasis of our lives being on Christ. And — this means — that the joy you long for, the peace you desire, the hope that’s been elusive to you, the wholeness in your relationships that you long for, the victory over that addiction, and so much more is possible — but only if Christ is the emphasis of your life — only if he is the center of your life. For — it’s by his death — that your sins have been paid for. It’s only by his death and resurrection that your brokenness can be restored. And it’s through his life, death, and resurrection that a new life is being offered to you. A life transformed by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Let’s pray and — as we do — I’m going to pray for all of us — that all of us would be transformed by the death and resurrection of Christ. Let’s pray.
Heavenly Father, in your wisdom you know that we can’t change ourselves. And — in your great love for us — you sent your Son to do for us what we can’t do for ourselves. Make change — real change — possible.
Jesus, what hope and potential we have because of your life, death, and resurrection. Restored marriages are possible. No longer being slaves to an addiction is possible. Being peace-makers is possible. Being generous, and kind, and patient, and loving, and gentle are all possible because of the transformation you’ve made possible through your death and resurrection.
Spirit of God, change us. Transform us. Renew our minds. Give life to our spirits. Change our priorities and values. Resurrect us. All so that we live how we were created to live. For your glory and for the good of others. And — for those who are in desperate need of being changed — which is all of us if we’re honest — God we open our hands and our hearts to you. We acknowledge our need of being changed and welcome you to come and do a powerful work of change in us. And we pray all of this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
May you go and live having been changed by the death and resurrection of Jesus. Amen.
God loves you. I love you. You are sent.
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