The Transfiguration and Conflicts of Jesus
Mark keeps asking: who is Jesus? On a mountain his glory is revealed at the Transfiguration; in Galilee a run of conflicts shows the authority he claims. Learn both, and what they mean for Christian belief.
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Who is Jesus?
Mark's Gospel keeps asking one question: who is Jesus? Two very different episodes help answer it. On a mountain, three disciples see his glory revealed at the Transfiguration. In Galilee, a series of conflicts with the religious leaders shows the authority he claims - and stirs up deadly opposition. (All quotations here are from the public-domain King James Version.)
Conflict and Transfiguration words
Four terms run through both episodes.
Match each part of the Transfiguration to its meaning
- Moses appears
- Elijah appears
- The dazzling white clothes
- The voice from the cloud
- Represents the Law given to Israel
- Represents the Prophets
- Shows Jesus' divine glory
- God confirming Jesus as his Son
Up the mountain
Which three disciples did Jesus take up the high mountain at the Transfiguration?
- Peter, James and John
- Matthew, Mark and Luke
- Judas, Thomas and Andrew
- All twelve disciples
The voice from the cloud
At the heart of the Transfiguration a cloud overshadows them and a voice speaks. In the King James Version the words are: "This is my beloved Son: hear him." (Mark 9:7) For Christians this is God himself confirming that Jesus is his divine Son, and commanding the disciples to listen to him. It echoes the voice at Jesus' baptism earlier in Mark. Edexcel expects you to weigh a named non-religious argument here too. Humanists point out that only three people saw anything, that a private experience cannot be checked from the outside, and that people in every religion report visions that contradict each other - so a vision, they argue, cannot establish who someone is. A grade-9 evaluate answer states that objection fairly and then answers it, rather than writing only from inside Christian belief.
What the Transfiguration reveals
Select the TWO things the Transfiguration reveals about Jesus.
- His divine glory
- That he is God's Son
- That he was only an ordinary teacher
- That he was Elijah brought back to life
Could it just be a vision?
A Humanist argues that a private vision seen by three people cannot show that Jesus is the Messiah. In an evaluate answer, what earns the most marks?
- State the objection fairly, then answer it and reach a judgement
- Leave it out, because the question is about Christian belief
- Say the Humanist is simply right and stop there
- Say non-religious people cannot understand religious events
Two ways of revealing Jesus
The Transfiguration and the conflicts answer "who is Jesus?" from opposite directions - one by glory, one by opposition.
Match each conflict to the issue it raised
- Forgiving the paralysed man's sins
- Eating with tax collectors
- Picking grain on the Sabbath
- Healing the withered hand on the Sabbath
- Claiming an authority the scribes said belonged only to God
- Mixing with people the leaders called sinners
- Breaking the leaders' rules about resting on the Sabbath
- Doing good on the Sabbath, which made the Pharisees plot against him
Why blasphemy?
When Jesus told the paralysed man his sins were forgiven, why did the scribes accuse him of blasphemy?
- Because they believed only God can forgive sins
- Because the man was not really ill
- Because forgiving sins broke Roman law
- Because Jesus refused to heal him
Order the Transfiguration
Put the events of the Transfiguration into the order Mark gives them.
- Jesus takes Peter, James and John up a high mountain
- Jesus is transfigured and his clothes become dazzling white
- Moses and Elijah appear and talk with Jesus
- A voice from the cloud declares Jesus is God's Son
- Suddenly the disciples see only Jesus with them
The story in words
In the _____, a voice from the cloud confirms Jesus is God's Son. Later, when Jesus forgives the paralysed man's sins, the scribes call it _____ because they think only God can do this. He also clashes with the _____ over healing on the _____. Together these events reveal Jesus' _____.
What does it show?
Three moments from Mark's Gospel. Pick what each one shows about Jesus.
- At the Transfiguration a voice from the cloud says Jesus is God's beloved Son. What does this show?
- Jesus tells the paralysed man his sins are forgiven, then heals him. What is he showing?
- Jesus says, "The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath." What is he claiming?
Your turn: explain the Transfiguration
Explain the significance of the Transfiguration for Christians. Refer to what happened and to what it reveals about who Jesus is.
- Briefly describe what happened at the Transfiguration
- Explain what the voice from the cloud reveals about Jesus
- Explain what the appearance of Moses and Elijah suggests
- Explain why the event matters to Christian belief about Jesus
- Give the non-religious argument that a vision proves nothing, and answer it
Event, then significance
Always link the event to its significance. The Transfiguration is not just a strange scene - the dazzling glory and the voice from the cloud reveal Jesus as the divine Son of God, with Moses and Elijah showing that the Law and the Prophets point to him. The conflicts are not just arguments - by forgiving sins and calling himself Lord of the Sabbath, Jesus claims an authority the leaders believed belonged to God alone. That claim is exactly why the opposition grows.