NIV Application Bible Podcast: Episode 21 (Mark 9)

• There’s no shame in saying, “I believe, but Jesus, I am only human.” So, I need your Holy Spirit to help me in my unbelief. I think those are the prayers that lead to miracles. [Music] Welcome back to the NIV Application Bible podcast. I’m going to dive right into the story because this is an awesome story in Mark’s Gospel account.
• Y’all know I love Mark because the narrative voice here is Peter. And Peter is my favorite of the disciples because he is the one most likely to step in it. He is a redeemed hot mess. So, he’s the one I identify with the most. Uh the story is usually called the transfiguration. And I’m going to start in verse two of Mark chapter 9.
• After six days, Jesus took Peter, James, and John with him and led them up a high mountain where they were all alone. Then he was transfigured before them. Don’t you wish we had pictures in our Bibles? I mean, I love the NIV application Bible. The only thing that would have been better if Holy Spirit had had a Polaroid camera because wouldn’t you love to see Jesus on this huge high hill in the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee Shazam transfigured? He’s glowing white.
• His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses who were talking with Jesus. We need to take a redemptive rabbit trail. Remember this is centuries after Moses died on Mount De Nebo. Remember how Moses died on Mount Nebo before they crossed over into the promised land? That has always stuck in my crawl.
• I I thought, goodness gracious. I mean, I know he got mad and God disciplined him because he hit the rock. I would have hit some Israelites. They were so obnoxious and rebellious. I think goodness gracious all he did was was smack a rock. I I feel like that was kind almost. Y’all, our God is so good. Don’t for a moment think his actions are punitive.
• It’s just we’re bound by time and space. Remember how we keep saying on this this podcast that God is always in the process of redeeming our inherent dignity as his image bears. Here stands Moses centuries after he died a natural bodily death. And he’s standing on this prominent point. I’ve stood there at least close to this place four different times when I visited Israel.
• And you can see from where they believe the Mount of Transfiguration took place or right near it. You can almost see the whole Sea of Galilee. It’s one of the most scenic points in in all of Israel. There stands Moses centuries after he died of bodily death next to a radiant Jesus. If we were to have a little talk show here on the podcast and Moses was sitting here and there was a somebody sitting here asking Moses questions and they said, “Moses, would you rather have gone into the promised land in your jar clay body with
• all those millions of sweaty ingrate Israelites or door number two? Would you rather have trusted in the divine providence of God who works outside of time and space as we know it? Would you rather have God’s ending for your story or your own? You know, he’d say door number two because he got to stand in the promised land next to a glorified Jesus.
• Mark 9 proves that Romans 8 isn’t hyperbolic. Ultimately, ultimately everything will work out for our good in God’s intended purposes. That’s free. That’s not where we’re going. So Moses and Elijah, they’re standing on the Mount of Transfiguration next to Jesus. And then Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here.