Mark 9:9-13 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. They kept the matter to themselves, discussing what “rising from the dead” meant. And they asked him, “Why do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?” Jesus replied, “To be sure, Elijah does come first, and restores all things. Why then is it written that the Son of Man must suffer much and be rejected? But I tell you, Elijah has come, and they have done to him everything they wished, just as it is written about him.”
The disciples pondered what Jesus said about rising from the dead. They also must have wondered why Jesus said Elijah would restore all things, yet He then said the Son of Man must suffer much and be rejected. Why would the Messiah suffer in a perfect kingdom set up for him to reign supreme? These ruminations of the disciples must have been a part of their daily journey with Jesus, for he had told them of his fate before such as after Peter said He was the Christ: He (Jesus) then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. (Mark 8:31) How could Jesus talk about his suffering when surely God's purpose for Jesus was to lift him up and bring salvation to the Jewish people? However, the apostles missed the truth of what Jesus was saying because their ears remained stopped to the perspective of an eternal God. They had human ears but not spiritual ears to hear clearly the voice of the Spirit speaking truth to their inner ears. Consequently, Jesus often explained his parables to them, even though they walked with him and heard his every word. Their spiritual ears were mostly inoperative, dysfunctional. Their perspective of the world was flesh-centered, not Spirit-centered. Their flesh-centered view based on their senses and experiences defined the parameters of what was possible or probable. Because they were thinking in the terms of their human understanding, Jesus' words about dying after Elijah comes confused them. They kept the matter to themselves, discussing what “rising from the dead” meant. The disciples were walking by sight in the flesh and not by faith with the Spirit's perspective. Of course they marveled at Jesus' miracles, but they could not place these marvelous acts in the context of an eternal, heavenly kingdom according to Jesus' real purpose. They probably surmised that Jesus' main purpose was to overthrow the Romans and establish a physical kingdom for the Jews on earth. When Jesus did that, they would be his entourage, experiencing the blessings and perks that come from being close to the Messiah. Perhaps that is partly why Peter and the rest of the apostles claimed they would never abandon Jesus and they would defend him to the death. They may have written themselves a grandiose part in their plans for the future as God set his Son up in a glorious kingdom on Earth.
In the scripture previous to the above scriptures, we hear Jesus telling the disciples to tell no one of what transpired on the Mountain of Transfiguration until He, Jesus, has risen from the dead. They were to remain silent. Why? Probably because their understanding of what happened on that mountain was too fixated on their preconception of what Jesus should do now following God's affirmation of him as his Son. They might have relayed this wonderful message to the people, inspiring them to revolt against the Roman occupation. If Jesus is the Son, then all things are possible, for who can conquer God? They may have stirred up people to believe: If God is for us, who can stop us from setting up the kingdom of the Messiah here on earth? As with Joshua, let's take the land by force. But Jesus confuses them by saying, don't tell anyone about this until I am raised from the dead. What? Dead? How can the Messiah die? How can Jesus the Messiah die after God affirms him as his Son: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!” None of this makes sense to them, for their ears are still unable to take in God's truth. They were hearing with their natural ears. The Kingdom of God for all eternity, for all people, was a concept beyond their hearing frequency. No, the kingdom is not for just the Jewish people, but for all people. God is establishing a family of adopted sons and daughters, bought by the blood of Jesus Christ. Jesus knows that after He is raised from the dead, after their personal temples are cleansed by the blood, that the Spirit will come and indwell them. Their inner ears will be unstopped. He knows that his domain will become real, life-giving after the Spirit makes his beloved disciples new creations through the cross. Everything Jesus said will fall in place. After Pentecost, they will minister the Good News to the whole world. In Acts 10 we see Philip ministering to the hated Samaritans; later on we see Paul sent out to the Gentiles of the world. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. (John 3:16-17) Whosoever will, will receive freedom from sin. Whosoever will, will become the saints of God. Whosoever will, will receive new life. Whosoever will, will receive adoption from the hands of God.
The kingdom has come, and now dwells in the temples of the redeemed. We who are washed by the blood of the Lamb are the temples of God where the Spirit abides. No longer is our frequency of self-talk attuned only to our fleshly pursuits. No, we can hear the words of God within us. We can leave that airway of conversation in our minds to our fleshly self or we can give that avenue of communication to God. In the inner ear, we can hear the words of God and prophesy of his goodness and love. We can be his instruments here on earth. Paul say, do not forsake prophesy. Do not stop your mouth from speaking forth that which is of the inner man from the Spirit. Jesus said, What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. (Matthew 10:27) God has come down to earth through the Son to fellowship with mankind, to bridge the great gulf of separation between a loving God and his creation. God has come in the form of a dove, a priceless dove, that landed on Jesus at the River Jordan, declaring God's love for the Son. The disciples could not understand what was happening that day in the context of eternity, but their lack of intuition and faith did not affect the Father's love or the Son's commitment to Calvary. They could not understand why Jesus talked about dying; but today, dear friends, you know why Jesus spoke of his death. His death has brought the resurrection power of the Holy Spirit to every believer who calls upon his lovely name. Christ's death has brought righteousness, eternal life in God to you, the words of God to you. Now, beloved of God, do not be double-minded, wandering about and wondering whether you should be all in for your Lord; for as the Word says, a double-minded person is unstable in all his ways. Believe the word of God; believe that you are a new creature through Christ in you; believe that the word of God rests upon you. Be his servants, do his will, for you are greatly blessed. When Jesus warned the people against having calloused hearts, He said, But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it. (Matthew 13:16-17) Amen and Amen!
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