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NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Mar_9:2-8
2Six days later, Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John, and brought them up on a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them; 3and His garments became radiant and exceedingly white, as no launderer on earth can whiten them. 4Elijah appeared to them along with Moses; and they were talking with Jesus. 5Peter said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three tabernacles, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah." 6For he did not know what to answer; for they became terrified. 7Then a cloud formed, overshadowing them, and a voice came out of the cloud, "This is My beloved Son, listen to Him!" 8All at once they looked around and saw no one with them anymore, except Jesus alone.
Mar_9:2 "six days" Luk_9:28 has "eight days." Such a specific time designation is very unusual in Mark's Gospel.
▣ "Peter and James and John" This is the inner circle of disciples who were always present at major events (cf. Mar_5:37). This event was as much for them as for Jesus.
▣ "on a high mountain" Tradition (i.e., the non-canonical Gospel of Hebrews) says it was Mt. Tabor, but probably it was one of the foothills of Mt. Hermon.
One wonders if this experience was a typological way of mirroring Moses' Mt. Sinai experience.
1. a high mountain
2. the cloud
3. faces glorified (Exo_34:29)
4. a six-day period (cf. Exo_24:16)
This Exodus motif (i.e., Jesus as the new Moses, giving the new covenant, bringing His people out of the slavery of sin) is a recurrent allusion in Mark. In Luke's Gospel, it says Jesus, Moses, and Elijah discussed Jesus' exodus.
▣ "by themselves" Luk_9:28 states the purpose as "to pray." Jesus wanted to get away from the crowds to teach the disciples privately. In this instance it was this inner circle of leadership.
▣ "He was transfigured before them" This is an aorist passive indicative of a compound term meta (i.e., after) and morphoô (i.e., form), with the resulting meaning of "to change one's appearance." We get the English term "metamorphosis" from this Greek term. Jesus' radiant pre-existent glory shows through His fleshly body. The radiance of His true divine self was visible to these disciples (cf. 2Pe_1:16-18). The term morphç (cf. Php_2:6-7) denotes the unchanging essence of something or someone (the opposite of schçma, cf. Php_2:8, the changing outward form).
This same transformation is possible for His followers (cf. Rom_12:2; 2Co_3:18). In a sense this refers to the restoration of the divine image in mankind, damaged in the Fall of Genesis 3. Jesus enables us to become truly human, truly Christlike.
Mar_9:3
NASB "His garments became radiant and exceedingly white"
NKJV "His clothes became shining, exceedingly white"
NRSV "his clothes became dazzling white"
TEV "his clothes became shining white"
NJB "his clothes became brilliantly white"
Mat_17:2 adds that "His face shone like the Sun." This is surely an aspect of Jesus' glory, which often has a brightness component (cf. fuller notes at Mar_8:38).
NASB, NKJV "no launderer on earth can whiten them"
NRSV "such as no one on earth could bleach them"
TEV "whiter than anyone in the world could wash them"
NJB "whiter than any earthly bleacher could make them"
This refers to a worker who cleaned cloth.
It is in verses such as this that history books are so helpful. Let me mention several that have helped me understand Ancient Near Eastern culture.
1. Roland de Vaux, Ancient Israel, two vols.
2. Fred H. Wright, Manners and Customs of Bible Lands
3. James M. Freeman, Manners and Customs of the Bible
4. Jack Finegan, Light From the Ancient Past, two vols.
5. James S. Jeffers, The Greco-Roman World of the New Testament Era
6. K. A. Kitchen, Ancient Orient and the Old Testament
7. Edwin M. Yamauchi, The Stones and the Scriptures
Mar_9:4 "Elijah. . .Moses. . .Jesus" This shows God's continuing revelation. Notice they apparently already had their resurrection bodies, which is surprising in light of 1Th_4:13-18. These were two major figures in the Old Testament who had an eschatological prophetic aspect (i.e., Elijah before the Messiah and Moses, a Prophet like Jesus).
▣ "appeared" This term is used of angelic appearances in Luk_1:11; Luk_22:43, and of Jesus in Luk_24:34.
▣ "they were talking with Jesus" This is a periphrastic imperfect, which implies a long conversation. Luk_9:31 says they were discussing Jesus' departure (i.e., exodus) from Jerusalem. There is an amazing corollary between this passage and Exo_24:12-18.
1. the time element of "six days" (Mar_9:2)
2. the place, "on a high mountain" (Mar_9:2)
3. the presence of a cloud and God's speaking from it (Mar_9:7 )
4. the mention of glory on Moses' face and here Jesus' face (Luk_9:29; Exo_34:29-30)
Mar_9:5 "Peter said to Jesus" Luk_9:32 says the three disciples were asleep after a long day and a hard climb and Peter woke up just in time to see Elijah and Moses departing.
▣ "'Rabbi'" The Matthew parallel has "Lord" and the Luke parallel has "Master."
▣ "it is good for us to be here" What an awesome spiritual and physical experience this must have been; what a confirmation of the person of Jesus as the promised OT Messiah.
▣ "tabernacles" This would have been a structure similar to the temporary thatch huts used during the Festival of Booths. The implication of Peter's statement was that if the glorified OT visitors would stay a while, they could stay a while longer, too!
Mar_9:6 Whenever Peter did not know what to do, he talked!
Mar_9:7 "cloud" This was the symbol of YHWH's presence in the exodus (cf. Exodus 13-14). The rabbis called this "the Shekinah cloud of Glory," meaning YHWH dwelt visibly and permanently with Israel.
▣ "overshadowing them" This term reflects the OT sense of the special cloud of YHWH's presence providing shade (i.e., protection) and guidance to the people of God during the Wilderness Wandering period (i.e., 38 years). This cloud reappears three times related to Jesus.
1. at His conception Mary is overshadowed by the Spirit (cf. Luk_1:35)
2. at His baptism Jesus is addressed by a voice from heaven (the cloud itself is not specifically mentioned, cf. Mat_3:17)
3. at the Transfiguration a voice is heard (cf. Mat_17:5; Luk_9:34)
This term is used two other times in the NT, once in relation to Peter's shadow falling on people and resulting in their healing (cf. Act_5:15) and a compound form of the term in Heb_9:5, referring to the Cherubim overshadowing the Mercy Seat on the Ark of the covenant.
▣ "a voice" This is either (1) related to YHWH speaking out of the cloud in the wilderness or (2) a Bath Kol (i.e., a voice from heaven), which was God's way of revealing YHWH's will during the intertestamental period when there was no prophet (cf. Mar_1:11).
▣ "My beloved Son" The term "son" in this OT phrase was used for (1) Israel as a whole; (2) the Israeli King as YHWH's representative; and (3) the promised, coming Messiah (cf. Psa_2:7). This is the second time that the Father has addressed the Son in this special way, by this special title (cf. Mat_3:17; Mat_17:5). See fuller note at Mar_1:11 and Special Topic at Mar_3:11.
▣ "listen to Him" This is a present active imperative, which reflects the prophecy of Deu_18:15. The Father's ultimate revelation is to be acknowledged and obeyed (cf. Luk_6:46).
Mar_9:8 This verse implies either that (1) this experience was a vision or (2) a rapid change back to the visible realm occurred.