56: Peter’s declaration & Jesus’s transfiguration – Mark 8:27-9:13

8²⁷ 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 answered him, “John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” ²⁹ He asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Messiah.” ³⁰ And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him. 

³¹ Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. ³² He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. ³³ But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.” 

³⁴ He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. ³⁵ For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. ³⁶ For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? ³⁷ Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? ³⁸ Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” 

9And he said to them, “Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see that the kingdom of God has come with power.” 

Jesus’s Transfiguration

² Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, ³ and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. ⁴ And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. ⁵ Then Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” ⁶ He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. ⁷ Then a cloud over-
shadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, “This is mySon, the Beloved; listen to him!” ⁸Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus. 

⁹As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead. ¹⁰ So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead could mean. ¹¹ Then they asked him, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” ¹² He said to them, “Elijah is indeed coming first to restore all things. How then is it written about the Son of Man, that he is to go through many sufferings 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 about him.” NRSV

Get into the Word:

1. Who is with Jesus in this passage? What does he ask them? How do they respond? What does Peter say? How does Jesus respond to Peter’s answer? 

2. What does Jesus tell the disciples about his future? How does Peter react to this news? How does Jesus respond to Peter this time? How do you think the other disciples reacted to this exchange?

3. What does Jesus tell the crowd about following him? What does he say about a relationship with him? How do you suppose the crowd reacted to this advice? How might you have reacted? 

4. Who is with Jesus in the next incident? Where are they? What happens at this point? Who appears? What does Peter propose? Why do you think he does this? What happens after Peter’s proposal? 

5. What does Jesus tell the disciples? What do the disciples ask Jesus? Why would they have this question, [see Notes]? How does Jesus answer them? Who is he really talking about, [see Notes]?

Get Personal:

Have you had an “Aha!” moment in your walk with Christ? What did you see or understand about Jesus? How has it affected your faith adventure?

8:27. Caesarea Phillipi — a pagan city in northern Palestine.
8:28. Who do people say — in the first century there were many religious preachers, including Jewish zealots, in Palestine. Many people probably thought Jesus was “just another one of those.”
Prophet — Moses said, the Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own fellow Israelites. You must listen to that prophet, [Deut 18:15].
8:29. Messiah — literally “anointed one,” the Greek word is “Christ.” At this point Peter means the descendant of David who will restore the kingdom of Israel [as in Isaiah 9:6-7, or Psalm 2] – Peter’s response when Jesus describes his approaching death [8:31-33] confirms his misunderstanding.
8:31. Son of Man — Jesus takes the title from Daniel [7:13] and uses it of himself. He will tell the disciples twice more about his impending death and resurrection [9:31 and 10:33-34].
8:34. Take up their cross — crucifixion was Rome’s method of execution, particularly for anti-Roman zealots. The condemned person carried his own cross bar to the place of execution (the upright was usually already in place).

9:1. See that the kingdom of God has come — Jesus could be referring to his transfiguration (the next incident in Mark) or to his resurrection appearances.
9:2. Peter and James and John — were members of Jesus’s “inner circle” within the disciples – they were the first called [Mark 1:16-20] and almost always listed first in any roster.
9:4. Elijah with Moses — Moses represents the Law for the Jews and Elijah was considered greatest among the Old Testament prophets (and he did not die, but “ascended in a whirlwind into heaven,” [2 Kings 2:11].
9:7. This is my Son — God echoes his affirmation of Jesus at his baptism and confirms Jesus’s status as greater than either Moses or Elijah. 
9:10. Questioning — “rising from the dead” was a totally new concept for the disciples.
9:11. Elijah — In the last verses of the Old Testament, God says Look, I am sending you the prophet Elijah before the great and dreadful day of the Lord arrives, [Malachi 4:5].