And he said to them: Amen f say to you that there are some of them that stand here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God coming in power.
9 Church Fathers comment on this verse
After discussing His glory and intending to convey that He speaks of it purposefully, the Lord declares that “there are some of those who stand here,” specifically referring to Peter, James, and John, who will not experience death before they witness His glory in the event of His transfiguration. This transfiguration serves as a prelude to His second coming. At that time, He will radiate with brilliance, and the righteous will share in that glory as well.
Setting aside the day Jesus made this statement and the day of the significant transfiguration on the mountain, there are, as it is mentioned, six days separating these events. However, Luke, by including both the initial and final days, refers to eight days, thereby representing part of a larger timeframe.
The pursuit of wisdom serves as a solid foundation for the soul's salvation, as the Lord spoke to Moses, affirming, ‘You have stood up together with me.’ It is essential to recognize the distinctions among those who are faithful to the Lord. For the discerning heart, His words carry great significance: “There are some of those standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God come in power.” The Lord does not reveal His glory to everyone surrounding Him; rather, He presents Himself to those who are newly acquainted with Him in the guise of a servant (Philippians 2:7). However, to those who can truly follow Him and ascend the heights of His transfiguration, He manifests in His divine form, the same as existed before creation.
It is within His power to reveal Himself in various ways to those close to Him—some in one manner and others differently—based on each individual's capacity for understanding, which is dictated by their faith.
In the Gospel, it is proclaimed: Truly I say to you, there are some of those standing here who will not taste death until they see the Kingdom of God come in power. The Word of God transcends mere historical events; it is perpetually active and radiates light like the sun. Therefore, the Lord’s statement applies not only to the disciples in a historical context but also encompasses all virtuous individuals akin to them, suggesting that their righteousness earns them a place beside Him. The phrase ‘they shall not taste death’ initially pertains to the Apostles, as they will not experience physical death until they witness the splendor that awaits the saints through the Transfiguration. The mind comprehends different forms of death; indeed, the slaying of one’s passions can be regarded as a kind of death. Furthermore, an individual engaged in an active life who conquers their passions and shifts to a state of natural contemplation undergoes metaphorical death, surrendering their former self. The one who transcends natural contemplation leaves behind all causes and reaches the ultimate Cause through theological negation, dying in relation to their previous state, for they no longer dwell among created things but direct all motion towards the Creator.
Thus, regarding death as an abstraction from everything, the Lord indicates that those virtuous individuals equivalent to the Apostles will not experience this until He is transfigured and reveals Himself, no longer asserting His existence through affirmations based on created things but demonstrating the incomprehensible mystery of the Godhead through apophatic theology. One Evangelist proclaims the Son of Man coming in His glory, while another states they will see the kingdom of God arrive in power. This signifies that, by His divine nature, He is the Son of God, yet, for our sake, He took on humanity as the Son of Man. Thus, possessing glory as the Son of God and coming in glory as the Son of Man reflects how He has glorified the human nature He assumed. Just as He appeared transfigured in a suffering body on the mountain, we too shall be resurrected and restored to our incorruptible bodies. The term ‘come in power’ suggests that the anticipated eternal kingdom of the saints has not yet materialized.
If those who err seek justification for perceiving the spiritual realm with physical eyes, they should also provide justification for the existence of the incarnate essence of the Only Begotten as realized through the earthly nature of the Theotokos. If this matter transcends human understanding, let them acknowledge it, for it is declared to be miraculous. “And they shall not taste death till they have already seen the kingdom of God come in power,” asserts Christ (Mk. 9:1), illustrating that the eternal joy reserved for the righteous after death is a glimpse of what they can experience in this life. By this means, they were selected in honor above others.
He referred to the magnificence of His transfiguration as the kingdom of God. During His transformation on Mount Tabor, a beam of divine splendor radiated, reflecting the glory of the Father, with which He will return to judge both the living and the dead; that same glory will allow the righteous to share in the heavenly realm. His countenance shone like the sun, and His garments became dazzling white (Matthew 17:2). Unable to withstand such a radiant and divine illumination, His disciples collapsed in fear (Matthew 17:6). He proclaimed that this is the glory of God, which some present—specifically Peter, James, and John—would witness before experiencing death. The three apostles beheld this divine glory on Mount Tabor, manifesting the power of the Godhead of Jesus Christ. They also heard a voice from heaven declaring, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; listen to Him" (Matthew 17:5).
The evangelists provide a clear timeline for the event, noting that it occurred six days after Peter's confession, though Luke mentions it as happening eight days later. He includes both the day of Peter's declaration and the day of the Lord's Transfiguration in his account. This attention to detail suggests that the Evangelists aimed to recount a pivotal moment in the life of the Lord, remembering it with all its particulars. They do not specify the location, generally referring to it as a mountain (Luke) or a high mountain (Matthew and Mark). Ancient tradition identifies Mount Tabor, the tallest peak in Galilee, as the Mount of Transfiguration.
Jesus ascends this mountain accompanied by Peter, James, and John, His closest disciples. Their experience of witnessing His celestial glorification serves two purposes: it affirms the truth of their faith in Him as the Son of God, a truth Peter had recently vocalized, and it fortifies their belief in the face of the impending trials and death of Jesus Christ.
According to Hebrew Luke, Jesus is acknowledged as the Son of God. Luke records that Jesus ascended the mountain to pray, and His Transfiguration occurred during prayer (Lk. 9:28-29). The Evangelists portray this Transfiguration in several ways: Matthew and Mark both note the event in more general terms, stating that He was "transfigured" (μετεμορφωθη) before them, while Luke elaborates that His face appeared differently during this transformation. Matthew describes His face shining like the sun, while they also describe the change in Jesus’ garments: Matthew notes that His clothes became "white as light," and Luke observes that His garments shone. Mark, although not detailing the transformation of Jesus' face, vividly depicts the radiance of His garments, stating that they were "shining, white as snow," emphasizing that no earthly means could achieve such brilliance; it represented the luminosity of divine light that enveloped Christ.
To alleviate any concerns the Apostles might have, He quickly reassured them by stating that some of those present would witness the Kingdom of God manifesting in power (Mk. 9:1). Interpreters of the Gospel such as John Chrysostom, Theophylact, and Bishop Michael believe that Jesus referred to His Transfiguration when He claimed that some there would see the Kingdom of God in power. However, given the prophetic nature of Christ's words, which were undeniably focused on a future only a few would live to experience, and noting that the Transfiguration was just six days away, this interpretation seems tenuous.
Among the apostles to whom this promise was made, John lived the longest; by the end of his days, the community of believers, united in their love for God and for one another, had grown significantly despite facing persecution, allowing him the honor of witnessing the Kingdom of God in power.
The statements from Jesus regarding His impending suffering and crucifixion, along with the trials awaiting His followers, must have deeply impacted the apostles. They struggled to separate themselves from the long-held expectations of the Jewish people, particularly the troubling notion that the expected Messiah who would liberate them from oppression would Himself endure suffering and death on a cross. Such turmoil likely led to feelings of shame: a person may begin with doubt, which can lead to a complete rejection of past beliefs; this rejection is often followed by remorse, creating a cycle where shame engulfs the one who once held those beliefs. Understanding the inner struggles of the Apostles, Christ cautioned them against the perilous emotion of shame that can arise from doubt: Whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man will also be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels (Mark 8:38).
After unveiling to His disciples the mystery surrounding the impending tribulations of His earthly conclusion, the Savior did not abandon them in despair. Instead, He strengthened their faith through a subsequent magnificent revelation of the greatness of His divine nature.
He spoke to them, and the remarks in this verse serve as the conclusion to Christ's preceding address (see Matt. 16:28). They can be connected to the subsequent account of the Lord's transfiguration in relation to the three witnesses of this extraordinary event, as suggested by some scholars (refer to comment on Matt. 16:28). The phrase "of the kingdom of God come in power" refers to the early Church of Christ, which at that time was still in its infancy, marginalized by the misguided leaders of Jewish orthodoxy.
However, it was destined to flourish, gain strength, spread rapidly, and ultimately shine in great glory—an outcome realized through the resurrection of the Lord, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit's gifts on the Apostles during Pentecost, and the Apostles’ proclamation of the Gospel to all nations. This occurred in a time when many who listened to Jesus’ words had not yet experienced death, as they were still young.
THEOSIS