Mark 9:5 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters | Metropolitan Tabernacle

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Mark 9:5

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Peter was overwhelmed; it was so humbling, so exhilarating, so astonishing. For a moment they were immune from the fears of walking with Christ, with all the threats and the plots that were going on, immune from the atmosphere of hatred and tension from the authorities. He was God. They were safe and high above all such things. Peter could address him, even in his glory. It was a glorious thing but they were certainly filled with awe and overcome. Peter says, ‘Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles [booths]; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias [Elijah].’ Luke’s Gospel says that he said this as they were disappearing, as they made to go, as it were. Peter just wanted the situation to stay and he says this rather foolish thing, you might think. But the words that come out of his mouth, they are gibberish, they are just tumbling out, he is so overwhelmed. Poor Peter: he doesn't understand it yet. When he sees the transfiguration of Christ and Elijah and Moses subservient to Christ – so that Christ is everything; he is the fulfilment of their worship and their prophecies, and their types and their shadows – he immediately goes back to the Old Testament and the Feast of Tabernacles, and says, ‘Well let us obey the Old Testament, and let us celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles, let us build you booths.’ No, Peter the whole idea of the transfiguration is to lift you out of the Old Testament. Not that the Old Testament is invalid: it is predictive and points to Christ and the New Testament. It is a curious thing for Peter to say, but he doesn't suggest that he builds booths for himself and the other two disciples. It's a very unselfish thing. It's a very reverent thing. He is thinking only of Christ and Elijah and Moses, but why build them booths? They are from glory; they are appearing clothed in robes of glory and eternity. But he didn't know what he said. He was overcome with astonishment and amazement. But his instinct is to go back to the Old Testament; he will soon lose that, and he'll see the message of the transfiguration.

Application

What a token for the future. While he was on earth the Lord talked with his disciples. What about when he is in glory, in heaven? Will he be approachable to us there? Yes, and here on that mountain Peter finds he can speak to him, he can address.

You have got to admire Peter. He was a man of action always. Oh, that we could be people of action and initiative like him. Even when he doesn’t know what he’s talking about, he is proposing something, which has some semblance of sense in it! But again that same Puritan, Joseph Hall, says, ‘What a situation in effect. Here is Peter gazing at glory and divine majesty and all he can think about is building something on earth.’ What a description of us. We can look to heaven and to the future and to a glorious eternity, and yet we can go straight back to building something in this world, something earthly, something very secular.

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Mark 9:5 Commentary and Bible Study