Good morning,
Praise the Lord for this Friday. This coming Sunday is the Transfiguration Sunday in the Church calendar. In Mark 9 we read that Jesus had taken his inner circle of three disciples, Peter, James, and John, up on the mountaintop where He was transfigured before them. We discovered that being transfigured means that Jesus became on the outside what he was on the inside. For a brief moment the veil of His flesh was put aside and the disciples were able to see the glory of his deity. The disciples also saw Moses and Elijah and listened as they talked with Jesus about his impending death on the Cross. They even heard the voice of God the Father as He said, “This is my beloved Son, Hear Him.” The disciples must have been almost beside themselves with excitement as they came down the mountain. They certainly did not understand everything that had happened to them, but they were, no doubt, full of joy.
Suddenly the disciples found themselves in the real world. Verses 14 and 15 describe the situation, “And when He came to the disciples, He saw a great multitude around them, and scribes disputing with them. Immediately, when they saw Him, all the people were greatly amazed, and running to Him, greeted Him.”
When Jesus and the disciples came down from the mountain they found the other nine disciples engaged in an argument with some scribes. It was a noisy scene. The nine disciples who had remained behind in the valley were being heckled and mocked by a group of smug and sneering scribes. It seems that a desperate father had brought his demon possessed son to Jesus for healing, but when he had arrived Jesus had already gone up on the mountain, so he asked the disciples to heal his son. They had been unable to cast out the demon and the scribes are contemptuous of them for their lack of power. No doubt the scribes were delighting in the failure of the disciples and were using the opportunity to put down the Savior. They were probably using the failure of the disciples to argue that Jesus was also lacking in power. The crowd judged Jesus by His disciples, and they still do.
When the people saw Jesus the text tells us that they were “amazed.” I believe that they were amazed because the sudden appearance of Jesus was at the very moment that His disciples needed him most. Jesus appeared almost out of nowhere, at a time when he was not expected, yet at the very moment that He was needed. When Jesus arrived on the scene He asked for an explanation. In verse 16-18, “And He asked the scribes, "What are you discussing with them?" Then one of the crowd answered and said, "Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit. And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not."
Mountaintop spiritual experiences are wonderful, but there comes a time when we must go back down into the valley because that’s where we live. In the valley, the challenge is to translate those mountaintop experiences of intimate communion with God into valley living, where people are hurting and need our help. In fact, what we have received from God on the mountain is empty and meaningless if it does not translate into service in the valley among men.
God gives us those mountaintop experiences in order to equip us to minister in His name. The father’s cry for help with his faith is verse 24 is, in fact, a cry of faith. “Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!"
This is one of the most honest and transparent responses recorded in the bible. The man's faith was imperfect, but it was real. He both declared his faith publicly and he recognized its weakness, and in his weakness he pleaded for the Lord’s help. But Jesus took the boy by the hand and lifted him to his feet. Luke added that Jesus “…gave him back to his father. And they were all amazed at the majesty of God.” (Luke 9:42-43) The Lord did more than depose a demon; he gave this boy back his life.
On the mountaintop is the presence of a radiant Savior; in the valley messed up people are crying out for help. On the mountaintop is worship; in the valley is work. On the mountaintop there is power and purpose; in the valley there is frustration and failure. Everyone wants to stay on the mountaintop because in the valley there are demons, disease, and even death.
Praise the Lord that we can live in the valleys knowing that the Radiant and the Glorious Savior is with us. As it is written, "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me".
Suddenly the disciples found themselves in the real world. Verses 14 and 15 describe the situation, “And when He came to the disciples, He saw a great multitude around them, and scribes disputing with them. Immediately, when they saw Him, all the people were greatly amazed, and running to Him, greeted Him.”
When Jesus and the disciples came down from the mountain they found the other nine disciples engaged in an argument with some scribes. It was a noisy scene. The nine disciples who had remained behind in the valley were being heckled and mocked by a group of smug and sneering scribes. It seems that a desperate father had brought his demon possessed son to Jesus for healing, but when he had arrived Jesus had already gone up on the mountain, so he asked the disciples to heal his son. They had been unable to cast out the demon and the scribes are contemptuous of them for their lack of power. No doubt the scribes were delighting in the failure of the disciples and were using the opportunity to put down the Savior. They were probably using the failure of the disciples to argue that Jesus was also lacking in power. The crowd judged Jesus by His disciples, and they still do.
When the people saw Jesus the text tells us that they were “amazed.” I believe that they were amazed because the sudden appearance of Jesus was at the very moment that His disciples needed him most. Jesus appeared almost out of nowhere, at a time when he was not expected, yet at the very moment that He was needed. When Jesus arrived on the scene He asked for an explanation. In verse 16-18, “And He asked the scribes, "What are you discussing with them?" Then one of the crowd answered and said, "Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit. And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not."
Mountaintop spiritual experiences are wonderful, but there comes a time when we must go back down into the valley because that’s where we live. In the valley, the challenge is to translate those mountaintop experiences of intimate communion with God into valley living, where people are hurting and need our help. In fact, what we have received from God on the mountain is empty and meaningless if it does not translate into service in the valley among men.
God gives us those mountaintop experiences in order to equip us to minister in His name. The father’s cry for help with his faith is verse 24 is, in fact, a cry of faith. “Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!"
This is one of the most honest and transparent responses recorded in the bible. The man's faith was imperfect, but it was real. He both declared his faith publicly and he recognized its weakness, and in his weakness he pleaded for the Lord’s help. But Jesus took the boy by the hand and lifted him to his feet. Luke added that Jesus “…gave him back to his father. And they were all amazed at the majesty of God.” (Luke 9:42-43) The Lord did more than depose a demon; he gave this boy back his life.
On the mountaintop is the presence of a radiant Savior; in the valley messed up people are crying out for help. On the mountaintop is worship; in the valley is work. On the mountaintop there is power and purpose; in the valley there is frustration and failure. Everyone wants to stay on the mountaintop because in the valley there are demons, disease, and even death.
Praise the Lord that we can live in the valleys knowing that the Radiant and the Glorious Savior is with us. As it is written, "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me".
In Christ,
Brown
