The Mountain of Authority Text: Mark 9:1-13
Introduction: Misunderstanding the Kingdom
We live in an age that is profoundly confused about the nature of power and authority. On the one hand, you have secularists who believe that ultimate authority resides in the autonomous individual, or in the democratic consensus, or in the raw power of the state. On the other hand, you have a great deal of pietistic Christianity that has effectively surrendered the world, believing that the kingdom of God is something entirely ethereal, something reserved for a future escape from this material world. It is a "pie in the sky when you die" sort of arrangement, with very little to say to the here and now.
Both of these views are catastrophic errors, and they are errors that the disciples themselves were prone to. They were expecting a political kingdom, a glorious coup that would overthrow Rome. And when Jesus began speaking of suffering and death, they were bewildered. They had a category for glory, but not for the cross that must precede it. They had a category for a king, but not for a suffering servant. Modern Christians often have the opposite problem; we are comfortable with a suffering servant, but we are embarrassed by a reigning King who makes absolute claims on every square inch of His creation.
The passage before us is a direct and powerful corrective to all such confusion. On this high mountain, the curtain of history is pulled back for a moment. The disciples are given a glimpse of the true nature of Christ's authority, the foundation of His kingdom, and the means by which it would come. This is not just a spectacular light show. This is a constitutional moment. This is the Old Covenant, represented by its two greatest figures, formally and finally deferring to the New. This is the Father Himself identifying the ultimate and final source of all authority. And it is a preview of the kind of power that would definitively establish Christ's kingdom within that very generation.
If we misunderstand this passage, we will misunderstand the nature of the kingdom we are a part of. We will be tempted either to seize worldly power in a worldly way, or to abdicate our responsibility to disciple the nations, retreating into an irrelevant spiritual ghetto. But if we see what is happening here, we will understand that the glory of the King and the suffering of the cross are not in conflict. They are the two-stroke engine of cosmic redemption.
The Text
And Jesus was saying to them, "Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God having come in power."
And six days later, Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John, and brought them up on a high mountain alone by themselves. And He was transfigured before them; and His garments were shining intensely white, as no launderer on earth can whiten them. And Elijah appeared to them along with Moses and they were conversing with Jesus. And Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three booths, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah." For he did not know what to answer; for they became terrified. Then a cloud formed, overshadowing them, and a voice came out of the cloud, "This is My beloved Son, listen to Him!" And all at once when they looked around, they saw no one with them anymore, except Jesus alone.
And as they were coming down from the mountain, He gave them orders not to recount to anyone what they had seen, until the Son of Man rose from the dead. And they seized upon that statement, arguing with one another what rising from the dead meant. And they began asking Him, saying, "Why is it that the scribes say that Elijah must come first?" And He said to them, "Elijah does first come and restore all things. And yet how is it written of the Son of Man that He will suffer many things and be treated with contempt? But I say to you that Elijah has indeed come, and they did to him whatever they wished, just as it is written of him.
(Mark 9:1-13 LSB)
The Coming in Power (v. 1)
We begin with a startling and specific prophecy from Jesus.
"Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God having come in power." (Mark 9:1)
Now, we must handle the Word of God with precision. Jesus makes a time-sensitive promise to a specific group of people. Some of the individuals standing right there would live to see this event. What is it? Many have suggested it was the Transfiguration itself, which happens six days later. But that makes little sense of the language. "Some of you" would still be alive six days later? Of course all of them would be. Others say this refers to the Second Coming at the end of history. But this does violence to the plain meaning of the words, forcing us to believe that Jesus was simply mistaken, a position no Christian can hold. It also ignores the fact that John, the last of the apostles, has been dead for nearly two millennia.
The key is to ask what event, within that generation, would constitute the kingdom of God "having come in power." The answer is the cataclysmic judgment that fell upon Jerusalem and its temple in A.D. 70. That event was not merely the end of a local rebellion. It was the definitive, public, historical end of the Old Covenant age. It was the vindication of Jesus as the true King and the temple as obsolete. It was Christ, ruling from heaven, dismantling the scaffolding of the old world to make way for the new. The destruction of Jerusalem was the coming of the Son of Man in judgment and power, just as He predicted (Matthew 24). This was the great transition of the ages, and some of those disciples, most notably John, lived to see it. This is not some fringe interpretation; it is the key to understanding New Testament eschatology. We are not waiting for the kingdom to come in power; we are living in the reality of its arrival.
A Preview of Glory (vv. 2-8)
Six days after this prophecy, Jesus gives His inner circle a foretaste of the glory associated with this powerful kingdom.
"And six days later, Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John, and brought them up on a high mountain alone by themselves. And He was transfigured before them; and His garments were shining intensely white, as no launderer on earth can whiten them." (Mark 9:2-3 LSB)
This is not Jesus' divinity suddenly leaking out. Jesus is, and always was, "very God of very God." This is a glimpse of the glory of His perfected and resurrected humanity. This is what humanity was always intended to be, reunited with God. His clothes become supernaturally white, whiter than any earthly bleach could accomplish. This is a picture of ultimate purity and holiness, the state of the saints in glory.
"And Elijah appeared to them along with Moses and they were conversing with Jesus." (Mark 9:4 LSB)
This is the theological heart of the event. Why these two? Because Moses represents the Law, and Elijah represents the Prophets. Together, they embody the entire Old Testament revelation. And what are they doing? They are not lecturing Jesus. They are not co-equals. They are "conversing with" Him. Luke tells us they were speaking of His "exodus," His departure, which He was to accomplish at Jerusalem (Luke 9:31). The Law and the Prophets find their entire purpose and fulfillment in the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ. They are here to bear witness to Him, to affirm His mission, and to hand over all authority to Him.
"And Peter answered and said to Jesus, 'Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three booths, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.'" (Mark 9:5 LSB)
Peter, as is often the case, speaks from a place of terrified and enthusiastic confusion. His impulse is good, he wants to honor this moment. But his theology is terrible. By suggesting three equal booths, or tabernacles, he puts Jesus on the same level as Moses and Elijah. He is trying to manage the glory, to institutionalize it, to create a new religious structure where Jesus is simply one great teacher among others. This is the constant temptation of the church: to domesticate Jesus, to make Him a part of our system, rather than submitting all our systems to Him.
"Then a cloud formed, overshadowing them, and a voice came out of the cloud, 'This is My beloved Son, listen to Him!'" (Mark 9:7 LSB)
The Father Himself intervenes to correct Peter's blunder. The cloud is the Shekinah, the very presence of God that filled the tabernacle and temple. And from that glory comes the ultimate decree. "This is My beloved Son." This sets Jesus apart, in a category all by Himself. He is not another Moses or another Elijah. He is the Son. And the command is unambiguous: "Listen to Him!" The era of listening to the Law and the Prophets as the final word is over. From now on, the Law and the Prophets must be heard through the Son. He is the definitive interpreter, the final revelation, the ultimate authority.
And then, the scene resolves. "And all at once when they looked around, they saw no one with them anymore, except Jesus alone" (v. 8). The witnesses have departed. The Old Covenant representatives have faded. The only one left standing is Jesus. He is all that is needed. He is sufficient.
The Descent and the Doctrine (vv. 9-13)
As they come down the mountain, the theological debriefing begins.
"He gave them orders not to recount to anyone what they had seen, until the Son of Man rose from the dead. And they seized upon that statement, arguing with one another what rising from the dead meant." (Mark 9:9-10 LSB)
Why the secrecy? Because a gospel of pure glory, without the cross, is a false gospel. They could not properly preach the Transfiguration until they understood it through the lens of the Resurrection. The glory they saw on the mountain was the destination, but the cross was the non-negotiable path to get there. Their confusion about the resurrection shows just how earthbound their thinking still was. They were still thinking in terms of political power, not cosmic victory over sin and death.
"And they began asking Him, saying, 'Why is it that the scribes say that Elijah must come first?'" (Mark 9:11 LSB)
Having just seen Elijah, their theological checklists are buzzing. They are trying to reconcile what they saw with what they were taught. This is a good impulse, but their understanding was wooden. Jesus affirms their premise but corrects their conclusion.
"And He said to them, 'Elijah does first come and restore all things... But I say to you that Elijah has indeed come, and they did to him whatever they wished, just as it is written of him.'" (Mark 9:12-13 LSB)
Jesus confirms the prophecy from Malachi. The pattern is true. But the fulfillment came in a way the experts did not expect. John the Baptist was the promised Elijah. He came in the spirit and power of Elijah, and the establishment rejected him and had him killed. The religious leaders were so busy looking for a fulfillment that fit their traditions that they missed the man God sent. And Jesus immediately connects Elijah's fate to His own. The way they treated the forerunner is the way they will treat the King. The path to glory for the Son of Man is to "suffer many things and be treated with contempt."
Conclusion: Jesus Alone
This entire episode serves to establish one central, non-negotiable truth: the absolute and unrivaled supremacy of Jesus Christ. He is the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets. He is the beloved Son, designated by the Father as the final authority. His kingdom is not a future, ethereal hope; it is a present reality that came in power with the destruction of the old world order.
Our task is the same as the one given to the disciples. First, we must see His glory. We must understand that He is not one option among many. He is the King of kings. Second, we must understand that His kingdom advances through the pattern of suffering and vindication. We should not be surprised when the world treats the servants as it treated the Master. Third, and most importantly, we are to "listen to Him."
This means our lives, our families, our churches, and our cultures must be brought into submission to His Word. We are not to build three booths, trying to synthesize Christ with the spirit of the age. We are to enthrone Christ over every aspect of our lives. When the clouds of confusion clear, when the voices of Moses and Elijah and all the other commentators fade, we are to be left with Jesus alone. He is the center, He is the circumference, and He is everything in between. Listen to Him.