SCRIPTURE: Mark 9:9-13
Jesus wants His disciples to stay quiet about His identity as God’s Messiah (the Son of Man of Daniel 7:13-14).
He knows that the people do not understand God’s kingdom; they expect a worldly victory over the Romans.
But Jesus will accomplish a spiritual victory over sin, death and hell through His death and resurrection.
The disciples don’t understand this ‘rising from death’ victory; to them the Roman oppressors were to die, not Jesus.
They ask the question about Elijah, a common expectation of the Jews based on Malachi 4:5-6.
A prophet like Elijah (not literally Elijah raised from the dead) will come to prepare people spiritually for the coming Messiah; this is what John the Baptist does through his call to repentance.
Turning hearts of parents and children to each other is calling people to repent of their oppression and rebellion, and return to God’s call to love, obedience and servanthood (Luke 1:17).
What happens to both John and Jesus (their being rejected, persecuted, killed) shows how God’s message of spiritual restoration is unpopular… people want God to serve them, not change them.
This raises the question as to our understanding of Jesus: is it possible that Christians today need to be silenced in their talking about Jesus, because they are sending wrong messages about who Jesus is, and why He came?
Do I recognize my need for inward, spiritual transformation, am I genuinely repenting and allowing God to change my heart and life… or am I, like the Jews, just looking for a Saviour to make me happy and guarantee me heaven?
What do you sense the Lord saying to you?
PRAYER
Lord, for a long time I have sensed that the Christian Church today doesn’t get You, that we have misunderstood Your glory and rejected your call to repentance and transformation. Not just the church, but me too. Forgive me for misrepresenting You, and help me know You for Who You really are!
Jesus follower
trying to find His way
Observations/Application
Jesus told the disciples not to tell anyone what they had experienced. Who would believe them anyway? They themselves did not understand what ‘rising from the dead’ meant. Their vision still was not 20/20. Neither is mine. I still see through a glass darkly , struggling what the passage is saying such as Elijah in this passage.
Jesus Christ will come and restore all things one day, but in the mean time there are events yet to happen before all this to take place.
Prayer
Open my eyes Lord that I might see You and understand what is happening in Your timeline today. This is Your world and You will come again in glory to reclaim it. Help me to be an instrument of Your peace.
Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.
Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.