God the Father has just commanded from the cloud, "This is My Son, whom I love. Listen to Him!" Immediately after this Mark tells us, "Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus." (Mark 9:8) I think the three disciples were getting carried away by the appearance of Moses and Elijah. Peter already suggested staying on the mountain and building shelters for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah as if these three men are of equal importance. God the Father reminded them that it's the Son they must listen to and follow, and suddenly the Son is the only one with them. There are many voices calling to us in this world. There are lots of things that are capable of taking our eyes off Jesus. But we can remain in the will of God by being focused on Jesus and on His words.
"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." (Mark 9:9-10) It's easy for us, looking back in time, to wonder why the disciples seem so slow to catch on, but we have an advantage over them. We get to view the completed plan of salvation as a whole, while they had to learn about it a bit at a time. Jesus doesn't overwhelm the disciples with information; He only tells them as much as they can handle for each day. Even on the night before the crucifixion Jesus will say, "I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear." (John 16:12) To paraphrase His words, He says, "You can't take in everything right now. You're sorrowful and frightened because I've told you I'm going to the cross. But after My resurrection and after I ascend to the Father, the Holy Spirit will come and teach you all the things you need to know. You will be able to understand then why all these things had to happen."
Why does Jesus tell the three disciples not to share what they've just seen with anyone until after the resurrection? I suppose because no one will be able to understand it until after the resurrection. The three who witnessed it don't understand what they've seen, so the other nine disciples can hardly be expected to make sense of it. In addition, it would only confuse the citizens who believe in Jesus and it would only make Jesus' enemies hate Him more when they hear the claims that the great men Moses and Elijah met with Him in person.
Another thing puzzles the disciples. The prophet Malachi foretold that Elijah would come before the day of the Messiah, yet they just saw Elijah with their own eyes for the first time on the mountain. He has not been going about Judea turning "the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents". (Malachi 4:6a) The three disciples believe Jesus is the Messiah, but they need further explanation, "And they asked Him, 'Why do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?'" (Mark 9:11) They are asking, "Why didn't we see Elijah before You came on the scene? We believe You are the Promised One, but why has Elijah only shown up now in private? Wasn't he supposed to be preaching to the people and helping them to make things right with each other and with God?"
"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.'" (Mark 9:12-13) Matthew adds this information in his account of the conversation, "Then the disciples understood that He was talking about John the Baptist." (Matthew 17:13)
By Jesus' day the scribes and the Pharisees and the teachers of the law had come to interpret the prophecy regarding Elijah to mean that he would return from heaven and appear to the nation before the Messiah came. I think we have to understand where they are coming from. There have been four hundred years of silence from heaven since Malachi made his prediction. There has been no prophet in Israel and no fresh word from the Lord. The religious leaders have given up on anyone alive being called to be a prophet, so the only way they can imagine an "Elijah" appearing is if Elijah himself returns. But the New Testament writer Luke makes it clear to us what the prophecy of Malachi really means. When the angel Gabriel appears to the elderly priest Zechariah in the temple to inform him his prayers for a son will at last be answered, the angel says of the one who will come to be known as John the Baptist, "He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous---to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." (Luke 1:16-17) John is not literally Elijah himself, but instead as predicted he comes onto the scene in the spirit and power of Elijah. He steps onto the stage looking and speaking like an Old Testament prophet, having the same powerful anointing of God that Elijah had.
Jesus assures the disciples, "The 'Elijah' you were looking for has already come and has fulfilled all that was written about him. The prophecies about Me will come true as well. Just as John has gone to his own death, I will go to Mine."
After witnessing the transfiguration, Peter appeared to be suggesting that Jesus avoid the cross and that they all stay on the mountaintop and bask in the glory of God. It is hard for Peter and the other disciples to accept Jesus' predictions of His death, but He reminds them that the word of God itself predicts His death. If they believe in God, they have to believe that every word spoken by Him is going to be fulfilled. If they believe in God, they should want every word He's spoken to be fulfilled, for that means He can be trusted. They should want the word of God concerning Jesus to be fulfilled more than they want their own wishes concerning Jesus to be fulfilled. God has a plan, and although they don't understand it yet, they need to get on board with it. They need to accept that God knows best and that, through the death of this man Jesus, He intends to offer salvation to the world.
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