山上的荣耀
马可福音九章1至8节
1耶稣又对他们说:我实在告诉你们,站在这里的,有人在没尝死味以前,必要看见神的国大有能力临到。
2过了六天,耶稣带着彼得、雅各、约翰暗暗地上了高山,就在他们面前变了形像,
3衣服放光,极其洁白,地上漂布的,没有一个能漂得那样白。
4忽然,有以利亚同摩西向他们显现,并且和耶稣说话。
5彼得对耶稣说:拉比(就是夫子),我们在这里真好!可以搭三座棚,一座为你,一座为摩西,一座为以利亚。
6彼得不知道说甚么才好,因为他们甚是惧怕。
7有一朵云彩来遮盖他们;也有声音从云彩里出来,说:这是我的爱子,你们要听他。
8门徒忽然周围一看,不再见一人,只见耶稣同他们在那里。
信息分享
此刻,我们的主正面临人生中的另一个转捩点。现在离开祂受死的时间还有半年,但在祂的眼中,十字架的影像已经由模糊渐变为清晰。按照路加福音的记述,主在登山变像后,便再次向门徒预言祂的死;而马可福音的记述也是一样。
耶稣带了三位门徒一同上山,让他们看见祂改变形像。我们不知道祂为甚么邀请彼得、雅各和约翰,而不邀请其他门徒。神从来不偏待人,祂不会厚此薄彼:可是,真诚地回应神及神话语的人,却的确会获得神赐下更多锻炼信心和学习事奉的机会。
在这荣耀的山上发生了甚么事呢?耶稣在他们面前改变形像,岂不是要借此显出祂作为神儿子的荣光吗?彼得在彼得后书一章16至18节,便提及他曾亲眼见过主的荣光。
以利亚和摩西与耶稣谈些甚么呢?也许,最逼切的事情莫如耶稣即将受死了。路加福音记载他们谈论耶稣「去世」的事;当中采用的字词,正是出埃及的「出」字。这个字意味着出去是为了进入新生──这观念后来已演变为基督徒对死亡看法,正是出死入生。
此外,我们亦看到神的心意,是要人将全部注意力集中在祂儿子的身上。当彼得说完话后,留意神做了甚么和说了甚么。神立即召回以利亚和摩西,并且说:「这是我的爱子,你们要听他。」神的心意至今没有改变。祂要耶稣基督成为我们人生的中心焦点,祂要耶稣基督成为万主之主。对于每个神的儿女来说,我们该如何在每天的生活中尊主为大呢?
THE GLORY MOUNTAIN
Mark 9:1-8
1 And He said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power.”
2 Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up on a high mountain apart by themselves; and He was transfigured before them.
3 His clothes became shining, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them.
4 And Elijah appeared to them with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus.
5 Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”—
6 because he did not know what to say, for they were greatly afraid.
7 And a cloud came and overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son.Hear Him!”
8 Suddenly, when they had looked around, they saw no one anymore, but only Jesus with themselves.
Message
Here is one of the turning points in the earthly life of our Lord. It was still six months before his death, but from the human standpoint, the cross was more in view than ever. In the gospel of Luke, the writer takes us in a direct line from the Mount of Transfiguration to Mount Calvary. Mark does very much the same thing.
Jesus took three of his disciples with him to see this amazing transfiguration. It isn't easy to know why he invited Peter, James and John instead of any of the other disciples. God has no favourites. He is no respecter of persons. But it is always true that when anyone responds warmly to God and his Word, he leads that one on to further opportunities for faith and service.
What happened on Glory Mountain? Was it just the breaking through, the shining out of his own glory as God's Son? Peter spoke of it like that in his second epistle in chapter 1, verses 16-18.
What did Elijah and Moses talk to Jesus about? The most important subject they could think of was his own coming death. Luke says they spoke of his departure and used the word 'exodus'. That word means a going out into a new life. That really has become the Christian view of death - a going from this life into the next.
It is also clear that God wanted all the attention to be on his Son. Notice what God did and said when Peter spoke. God pulled back the other two men and said 'It's my Son I want you to listen to'. He is still doing that. He wants Jesus Christ to be the centre of our lives. He wants him to be Lord of all. What do you think this means for each of his children today?

