Christopher Columbus reportedly remained convinced to the end of his life that he had reached India, he set out on a journey and never arrived where he intended. Many of us are similarly afraid to follow Jesus all the way, because we do not know where he will lead. This sermon climbs with Peter, James and John up the Mount of Transfiguration (Mark 9) to see Jesus in royal glory, and then descends with him into the valley, where real life waits with its pain and helplessness. Listen and find out where the road behind Jesus really leads.
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- In Mark 9:1-8 we see light, a cloud, a voice from heaven, Moses and Elijah. Which earlier encounters with God on a mountain does this scene echo, and what does it reveal about who Jesus is?
- Peter wants to put up three tents and stay on the mountain, and then the disciples see no one but Jesus. What does God's command, "This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him," mean for them and for us?
- The sermon said Jesus stops being just a historical figure or a baby in a manger and becomes a king who wants to bring order to your life. When do you experience your own "mountaintop encounter" like that?
- On the way down, Jesus overturns the disciples' expectations: the road to His kingdom leads through suffering and the cross. Which of your desires, ambitions or life plans are hardest to let go of in order to follow Him?
- Down below, the disciples are helpless before the boy's suffering, and the father cries out, "I believe; help my unbelief!" In what situations does your faith mix with helplessness, and how do you pray then?
- The elderly woman in Los Angeles and Alfred Lomas did not stay on the mountain but went down to people in the valleys. Who is suffering around you that you could go down to this week with practical help?
