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So, you’ve decided to read the Bible. You open the passage. You read it a couple of times and you notice some interesting things. Your curiosity takes over. Why is that there? Why is it phrased that way? Why didn’t they say this instead? Before you know it, you’ve spent the entire time you had set aside for Bible study going down rabbit holes and, in the end, learning very little about what God was likely trying to teach you. I had an experience like this yesterday. And it reminded me how critical it is to look for the right things and ask the right questions as you read the Word of God. Missing the forest for the trees is a real danger in Bible study and it’s one that we can all avoid. Let me explain.
The passage I was reading was Mark 9:1-13, where Jesus is transfigured on the mountain before Peter and James and John. Somebody asked me why it was Moses and Elijah who appeared to Jesus and not one or more of the other great figures of the Old Testament. I decided to investigate.
One of the most common solutions is to suggest that Moses represents the Law and Elijah the Prophets. In that case, the entire Old Testament might be seen to be pointing to Jesus or informing his mission. But if that was true, Elijah is a poor choice because, while he may be a prophet, he didn’t write any of the Old Testament. Moses and Isaiah would have been a much better pairing.
Other people have suggested that the reason is that both Moses and Elijah met with God on Mount Sinai. Now they are meeting with Jesus on a mountain. But did God really send them because of their previous experience with mountains? Unless they needed to explain how to handle the altitude or the rocky terrain, this solution seems unlikely, too.
Some people have said that both Moses and Elijah are noted for their mysterious deaths. Elijah, after all, was taken directly up into heaven (2 Kings 2:11). While Deuteronomy 34:6 says that the place of Moses’ burial is unknown, there isn’t otherwise anything mysterious about his death. Even if there was something more unusual about his passing, are we really to believe that their mysterious deaths would uniquely qualify them to prepare Jesus for what He would face?
The final solution that people give is that Moses and Elijah were both considered end-times figures. Malachi had promised that Elijah would be sent before the day of the Lord (Malachi 4:5), and as they were coming down the mountain the disciples’ minds seemed to turn there with their question about Elijah’s coming (Mark 9:12). This still doesn’t make sense of Moses’ appearance, however, and Jesus explicitly equates the prophecy of Elijah’s coming with John the Baptist (Mark 9:13). Elijah’s appearance on the mountain wasn’t in fulfillment of Malachi’s prophecy at all.
After spending too much time considering all of the possibilities, I came to the conclusion that God chose Moses and Elijah for His own purposes and He didn’t intend for us to find any particular significance in their selection other than the fact that they are prominent leaders from the Old Testament.
Why do I mention all of this? Because in speculating about something that I don’t think God wanted us to give a second thought to, I had missed what was there in front of me. Jesus’ glory is revealed so intensely that He shines with dazzling brightness (Mark 9:3). It so stuns the disciples that they don’t know what to say (Mark 9:6). In fact, when one of them does open his mouth, he speaks nonsense (Mark 9:5). Then an ominous-looking cloud sets in and the Father speaks, declaring Jesus to be His beloved Son and charging the disciples to listen to Him (Mark 9:7). I realized that instead of speculating about Bible trivia, I should have been worshipping, glorying in Jesus, and expressing my commitment to Him.
Curiosity has its place in Bible study, but it’s important to give your attention to what the text actually emphasizes. In this passage, I would have been helped by asking the two questions that it always helps to ask when reading the Scriptures:
What does this passage reveal about the God I’m called to worship?
What does this passage reveal about the way I’m called to follow Him?
Learning about who God is leads me to respond in thanksgiving, worship, and praise. God wants us to know Him so we should look for Him when we read and respond to Him in prayer.
Learning about what God wants me to do helps me to see where I’ve gotten off track and need a course correction. Sometimes, there’s an area I need to change. Other times, there’s encouragement that I’m on the right path. Either way, God strengthens me in the life He has purposed for me.
May God help you to focus on the right things as you look to His Word today!
In awe of Him,
Paul
