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I remember in one Welcome service like this I interviewed a guy called Patrick or Pat. He was a medical student and his early years here were not a good time. He had a series of bad relationships, a developing drink problem, and when I first met him he said to me, ‘I’m scared because I’m out of control.’ But over the next year, he came to church, came to accept Jesus as Lord of his life, and he changed. And when I interviewed him I remember asking what he now thought of his pre-Christian life. And he said (I quote), ‘It was like eating vegetarian food – however much of it you get, it never really fills you up.’ And I thought, ‘Great. We’ve now offended all the veggies here; who else can we put off?’ What he didn’t say much about was what a hard time he’d had since becoming a Christian. Eg, he came back after his first uni holiday as a Christian and told me that his old drinking mates at home had basically disowned him. The first time they all met up for the usual binge, Pat drew the line at one pint and they couldn’t cope with it – they cold-shouldered him the rest of the holiday.

Now that’s the level of difficulty we face for following Jesus as Lord. It’s not the kind of persecution you’d report to Amnesty. But it is pressure and it’s not pleasant and it begs the question: is it worth following Jesus if that’s the kind of reaction you might get? After all, we all want friends and want to be liked and accepted – and you certainly feel that in freshers’ week. And if following Jesus puts that at risk – well, is it worth it?

Well that’s what tonight’s Bible passage is out to answer. So would you turn in the Bibles to Mark 8. Last week, we looked at the end of this chapter, where Jesus asks his disciples (and us) the two biggest questions of life: ‘Who do you believe Jesus to be?’ and, ‘Are you going to live for him?’ So look down to Mark chapter 8, v29:

29"But what about you?" [Jesus] asked. "Who do you say I am?" Peter answered, "You are the Christ." [ie, God’s King, sent by God to restore his rightful rule over our lives. Look on to v31:] (8.29)[Jesus] then began to teach them that the Son of Man [which is another title Jesus used for himself] must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. 32He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. (8.31-32)

Because Peter wasn’t stupid. He could see that if his leader was going to suffer rejection, so would he. Isn’t that what Labour MPs are uptight about right now? If Ed Miliband is a loser, they’re all going to lose with him. And Peter didn’t want to lose. Like us, he wanted friends, he wanted to be liked and to be accepted. But skip to v34:

34Then [Jesus] called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "If anyone would come after me, [here’s the deal. No.1:] he must deny himself [ie, say to him or herself, ‘I am no longer ruler of my own life; Jesus is’] and [No.2: he must] take up his cross… (8.34)

And ‘take up his cross’ means ‘be willing to suffer rejection for following Jesus as and when necessary’. Which might lose us some friends – at least, cause us some discomfort. But in some parts of the world, it might lose you your life. The lowest estimate is that 55,000 Christians a year are killed for their faith – that’s three in the space of this sermon. Which really focuses the issue, doesn’t it? Is anything that might lose you not just things in this life, but life itself, worth it?

Well, look at why Jesus says, ‘Yes’. Look on to v35:

35For whoever wants to save his life [that is, protect it from rejection by not following Jesus] will lose it [that is, ultimately, beyond this life], but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel [ie, gives it over to me whatever the consequences] will save it [again, ultimately, beyond this life]. 36What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? 37Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? 38If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels." (8.35-38)

So why is it worth losing things in this life, even life itself, to follow Jesus? Well, because there’s an eternal life beyond this one – and how we respond to Jesus will determine how we spend it. You see, at the end of v38, Jesus claims that (in a way we can’t fully get our heads around) he’s going to come again to wrap up human history. And he says if I’ve been ashamed of him – unwilling to side with him because of the possible cost – then he will be ashamed of me – unwilling to let me into his kingdom. After all, you can’t be part of a kingdom if you haven’t accepted the King.

We run a course for people either just looking into Christianity or wanting a better foundation for their faith. It’s called Christianity Explored. And after doing this passage with one group, I said, ‘So what do you think about the choice between accepting Jesus or not?’ And to my surprise the self-confessed sceptic of the group said, ‘Well, it’s a no-brainer, isn’t it?’ And then he added, ‘If it’s true.’ And that’s right. If what Jesus says in v38 is true – if that is really going to happen – then it is a no-brainer. It would be a crazy exchange to choose the acceptance of those around us in this life and forfeit the acceptance of Jesus in the next. You may remember Skoda jokes from when they were laughing stock cars. You know, why do Skodas have heated rear windows? To keep your hands warm while you’re pushing. What do you call a Skoda with twin exhausts? A wheelbarrow. My favourite was about the man who goes into a garage and says, ‘Can I have a new petrol cap for my Skoda?’ And the guy thinks for a moment and says, ‘OK. That sounds like a fair exchange.’ But it would be a crazy exchange to choose the acceptance of those around us in this life and forfeit the acceptance of Jesus in the next.

So the question ‘Is it worth it?’ really becomes the question, ‘Is it true?’ And that’s where Mark goes next. Have a look down to chapter 9, v1:

1And [Jesus] said to them, "I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God come with power." (v1)

So Jesus has just said that he will come again in future in full-blown power as Judge and King. And now he says that some of them will actually see something of his full-blown power and identity in their own lifetime – so that they can be sure he really is who he says he is. So what do they see? The answer is: a glimpse of the future. And that’s my first point of two for the rest of our time:

Firstly… A GLIMPSE OF THE FUTURE (vv2-10)

Look down to v2:

2After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. 3His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. (vv2-3)

One of the top brand washing powders used to have a three part advert. On the left was a picture of dirty white laundry. In the middle, a picture of a washing machine. And on the right, a picture of the brilliant white results. And underneath was simply the brand name.

The ad did really well here; but they then used it in the far east and sales nose-dived – which was a total mystery until they remembered that in the far east, people read from right to left. So they’d been advertising something that transformed brilliant whites into a complete mess.

Well what happened here to Jesus was not so much a transforming as an unveiling. Christmas will soon be here and we’ll be singing ‘Hark the herald angels’ again. In which there’s that brilliant line, ‘Veiled in flesh the godhead see.’ And that’s who Jesus was: God the Son veiled in flesh. So that if you’d been there, you could have mistaken him for just an ordinary human being. Because he had no dinner plate halo like in the renaissance paintings. He had no visible aura of divinity like the glow round the kids in the ReadyBrek advert. Yes, he did the miracles you read about in the Gospels – the healings and so on. But that isn’t knock-down proof of divinity: after all, Old Testament (OT) people like Moses and Elijah – who were very definitely just ordinary human beings – did miracles. That may show that God is working through you; but it isn’t knock-down proof that you are God.

Whereas in the transfiguration, the veil is lifted and they get a glimpse of Jesus in his true glory – the glory he left in order to come into this world – and the glory he’s about to go back to via his death and resurrection. So look on to chapter 9, v4:

4And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus.

And Elijah and Moses represent the whole OT which pointed forward to Jesus. They’d been just ordinary human signposts pointing forward to when God himself would step into the world, in the person of Christ, to restore his rightful rule in our lives. And here they are as if to say, ‘This is the one we were pointing to.’ Verse 5:

5Peter said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters – one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah." [Much ink has been spilt over what on earth he was thinking there, but it seems to me that v6 answers that:] 6(He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.)7Then a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and a voice came from the cloud: "This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!" (vv5-7)

So you’ve got not just Moses and Elijah saying, ‘This is the one’, but God the Father saying, ‘This is my Son – so listen to him. Listen to him when he tells you that there is an eternal life beyond this to gain or forfeit. Listen to him when he tells you that he will come again in full-blown power as Judge and King. Listen to him because he knows what he’s talking about when he tells you about realities you can’t see. Listen to him because he is my Son – which I’ve just given you a glimpse of.’

Now you might be thinking, ‘Hold on. Is this incident the most solid reason the Gospel gives for believing that Jesus is the Son of God? You know, if miracles aren’t knock-down proof of divinity, is this – along with Jesus’ claims to be God – the best we’ve got?’ Well the answer is: no, this incident points forward to the most solid reason for believing that Jesus was and is the Son of God – namely, that he rose from the dead. Look down to v8:

8Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus. [So no Moses, no Elijah, no cloud, no more transfiguration – just godhead veiled again.]9As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man [ie, Jesus himself] had risen from the dead. 10They kept the matter to themselves, discussing what "rising from the dead" meant. (vv8-9)

Now they understood what rising from the dead meant in the OT. The OT says that all people – including all of us here tonight – will rise from the dead at the end of time and be judged by God as to whether we lived on his side or not. But Jesus wasn’t talking about that. Jesus was talking about rising from the dead himself within time, within the lifetime of these eyewitnesses. And that’s what they couldn’t get their heads around at this point.

But: read to the end of the Gospels, and you find that Jesus died on a cross for the forgiveness of our sins and that he was buried; but that three days later his tomb was empty and multiple eyewitnesses saw him alive again – bodily risen from the dead. And that’s the way above all that God has said to us, ‘This is my Son.’ That’s what Jesus claimed to be. By rejecting and crucifying him, men were saying, ‘We don’t believe you are.’ And by raising him from the dead, God the Father was saying, ‘You’re wrong. He is my Son. And sooner or later you are going to have to deal with him as your rightful King.’ So now look back to v9:

9As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until [he] had risen from the dead.

Why not? Because they’d only fully understand the transfiguration after his resurrection. Because after his resurrection and return to heaven they’d realise that the transfiguration had been a kind of sneak preview, a trailer, of the glory Jesus had now returned to, and in which he will one day come again.

So the question, ‘Is it worth it?’ becomes the question, ‘Is it true?’ which becomes the question, ‘Did Jesus really rise from the dead?’ And you may need to do more thinking on that. You may just have arrived from a Christian background, with part of you wanting to walk away from Christianity – because you think you’d feel freer; you think it would make fitting in easier. But the question is: is it true? You’d be crazy to walk away from it if it is. Or you may just have arrived, and want to follow Jesus here, but you feel the foundation of your faith isn’t very deep, not very thought-out-for-yourself. And you need to become more sure that it’s true – especially to be able to talk to others about it. Or this may be the first time you’ve ever given Christianity a look and you don’t even really know what it’s saying, let alone whether it’s true. Well, whoever you are, we believe that part of what a church should do is to give people the space and opportunity to think through their questions; that takes time – convictions don’t grow overnight – and we’d love you to settle with us so that God can do that work in you.

So the transfiguration was a glimpse of the future – of Jesus’ future glory. My other, shorter, point is:


Second, A TASTE OF THE PRESENT (vv11-13)

So in v2, Jesus takes Peter, James and John up the mountain to see something to assure them that he is who he says he is. And I guess for that time their doubts and questions would have receded. And maybe that’s your experience, coming to church. Maybe that’s been your experience tonight: we’ve stepped out of everyday life to look at the Bible and at Jesus and his resurrection, and it does make sense, there is solid evidence, it is believable – and doubts and questions do recede. And church is meant to encourage our faith like that, which is why it’s vital, if you’re a newly arrived Christian in town, that you choose and settle quickly into a good, Bible-centred church. But then look at v8 again:

8Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus. (v8)

So the assurance has happened; the transfiguration is over and, v9, all too soon, they’re ‘coming down the mountain’ again. And Jesus’ godhead is veiled again. And they’re stepping back into everyday life where we do find ourselves with doubts and questions because we can’t see Jesus in his glory right now, and we have to hold on by faith to what we know about him from the Bible. But in addition to that, they’re also stepping back into a world where Jesus will be rejected and so will they – which they’ve got to get their heads around, which is the point of the conversation on the way down the mountain. Look on to v11:

11And they asked [Jesus], "Why do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?

Now that’s a reference to that OT reading we had from Malachi (see Malachi 4.1-6). Malachi said ‘Elijah’ – meaning a prophet like Elijah – would appear to get people ready for when God himself would step into the world, in the person of Christ, to restore his rightful rule in our lives. So the timetable in the disciples’ heads went something like this: Elijah-type prophet appears – Christ arrives – God’s rightful rule over human lives is instantly restored. To which, v12:

12Jesus replied, "To be sure, Elijah does come first, and restores all things. [And elsewhere Jesus says that John the Baptist was that Elijah figure, who announced Jesus’ first coming. So Jesus says, ‘You’ve got that bit of the timetable right. But read on:] Why then is it written that the Son of Man must suffer much and be rejected?

Ie, what you’ve missed in your reading of the OT timetable is that everything isn’t going to be sorted out instantly. Everyone isn’t going to bow the knee instantly to Jesus as King. He’s going to be crucified and rise from the dead. And then, until he comes again, people are going to reject him in every generation, because of the freedom he gives us to make a genuine choice for or against him. That’s the present we’re going to have to taste if we accept Jesus as Lord. And to rub that in, Jesus reminds them of what’s just happened to John the Baptist, v13:

13But I tell you, Elijah [ie, John the Baptist, the Elijah-type prophet] has come, and they have done to him everything they wished, just as it is written about him.

And John the Baptist had just been killed for his preaching (see Mark 6.14-29). And Jesus is saying we have to face the fact that if his forerunner was rejected, and he himself was rejected, then we are also going to experience some level of rejection if we follow him. But even if the majority around us don’t believe – some of them very clever people – we mustn’t fall into the trap of thinking that truth lies with the majority or the clever. Because most of them have never given Christianity a serious look: they’re simply the crowd following the crowd. Most of the unbelief in Christianity that you’ll meet around you this week is not the result of people looking at the evidence and finding it wanting; but the result of people who’ve failed to look at the evidence and to think independently of the mood around them.

So that’s the taste of the present. And it brings us back full circle to the issues we began with in chapter 8, v34 where Jesus said:

“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross…”

Is that worth it? Yes it is – because it’s true: true that Jesus rose from the dead; true that he is the Son of God; and true that he is going to come again as Judge and King.

Is that what you believe?