TRANSFIGURATION
9 And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power.
2 And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them.
3 And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them.
4 And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus.
5 And Peter answered and said to Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.
6 For he wist not what to say; for they were sore afraid.
7 And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him.
8 And suddenly, when they had looked round about, they saw no man any more, save Jesus only with themselves.
9 And as they came down from the mountain, he charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the dead.
2 And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them.
3 And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them.
4 And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus.
5 And Peter answered and said to Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.
6 For he wist not what to say; for they were sore afraid.
7 And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him.
8 And suddenly, when they had looked round about, they saw no man any more, save Jesus only with themselves.
9 And as they came down from the mountain, he charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the dead.
At the beginning of Jesus's ministry, God the Father, the Holy Spirit and John the Baptist bore witness to Jesus as the Messiah. Here we see God the Father, Moses (The Law) and Elijah (The Prophets) bear witness of the Messiah. Jesus had asked the disciple's previously, " Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear ye not?". God the Father tells Peter, James and John to "hear him". The disciples will still not see or hear what Jesus is trying to get them to understand.
The first picture (left to right) is depicting the Cesarea Philippi to Mount Hermon. Many modern scholars believe this to be the Mountain of Transfiguration. The second picture is of the relation of Mount Tabor to Cesarea Philippi and is the traditional site of the Transfiguration since the 3rd century A.D. according to Catholic answers website. The third picture is of Mount Tabor.
ELIJAH MUST COME FIRST AND HE HAS
11 And they asked him, saying, Why say the scribes that Elias must first come?
12 And he answered and told them, Elias verily cometh first, and restoreth all things; and how it is written of the Son of man, that he must suffer many things, and be set at nought.
13 But I say unto you, That Elias is indeed come, and they have done unto him whatsoever they listed, as it is written of him.
12 And he answered and told them, Elias verily cometh first, and restoreth all things; and how it is written of the Son of man, that he must suffer many things, and be set at nought.
13 But I say unto you, That Elias is indeed come, and they have done unto him whatsoever they listed, as it is written of him.
Why do the scribes think Elijah must come first?
Malachi 4:5-6
5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord:
6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.
This is reinforced by the understanding that Isiah 61:1-2 is a Messianic prophecy.
61 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me;
because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek;
he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
2 to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord,
and the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all that mourn;
When Jesus reads this from the Prophets in Luke 4:16-19
16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. 17 And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, 18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 19 to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
Notice that Jesus only quotes Isiah 61:2 halfway through and then will proclaim that this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.
The second half of Isiah 61:2 that was omitted has great significance in the understanding and misunderstanding of Jesus's current mission on Earth. The religious leaders of the time believed that verse 2 represented one Messiah and that all of verse 2 would be fulfilled at one time, however, this was not the case. Jesus is one Messiah with two comings.
First to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and at his second coming he will usher in the day of vengeance of our God.
Malachi 4:5-6
5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord:
6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.
This is reinforced by the understanding that Isiah 61:1-2 is a Messianic prophecy.
61 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me;
because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek;
he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
2 to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord,
and the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all that mourn;
When Jesus reads this from the Prophets in Luke 4:16-19
16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. 17 And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, 18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 19 to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
Notice that Jesus only quotes Isiah 61:2 halfway through and then will proclaim that this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.
The second half of Isiah 61:2 that was omitted has great significance in the understanding and misunderstanding of Jesus's current mission on Earth. The religious leaders of the time believed that verse 2 represented one Messiah and that all of verse 2 would be fulfilled at one time, however, this was not the case. Jesus is one Messiah with two comings.
First to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and at his second coming he will usher in the day of vengeance of our God.
HELP MY UNBELIEF
14 And when he came to his disciples, he saw a great multitude about them, and the scribes questioning with them.
15 And straightway all the people, when they beheld him, were greatly amazed, and running to him saluted him.
16 And he asked the scribes, What question ye with them?
17 And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit;
18 And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not.
19 He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me.
20 And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming.
21 And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child.
22 And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us.
23 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.
25 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him.
26 And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead.
27 But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose.
15 And straightway all the people, when they beheld him, were greatly amazed, and running to him saluted him.
16 And he asked the scribes, What question ye with them?
17 And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit;
18 And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not.
19 He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me.
20 And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming.
21 And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child.
22 And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us.
23 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.
25 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him.
26 And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead.
27 But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose.
Verses 14-18 appear to occur at the base of Mount Hermon, where the remaining disciples were awaiting his return. Their inability to cast out the demon seems to have emboldened the scribes to question the authority and power of Jesus.
You can almost hear the questions from the scribes when the disciples fail to cast out the demon.
He cannot be the Messiah because he is from Nazareth, and everyone knows that the Messiah will come from Bethlehem.
He cannot be the Messiah because Elijah has not come.
He cannot be the Messiah because He has not recognized the religious leaders, whom would certainly be his allies in the overthrow of Rome, and thus the basis of the new government.
He cannot be the Messiah because you claim He gave you power to cast out demons, yet you have failed.
You can almost hear the questions from the scribes when the disciples fail to cast out the demon.
He cannot be the Messiah because he is from Nazareth, and everyone knows that the Messiah will come from Bethlehem.
He cannot be the Messiah because Elijah has not come.
He cannot be the Messiah because He has not recognized the religious leaders, whom would certainly be his allies in the overthrow of Rome, and thus the basis of the new government.
He cannot be the Messiah because you claim He gave you power to cast out demons, yet you have failed.
Verse 19 All of this generation has a box around Jesus in which their faith won't be complete unless he fits into it.
The scribes won't believe unless He recognizes them and begins to move to overthrow Rome. Until they see this, they will not trust Him. The disciples have the expectation of the coming rule of Jesus, however their trust in Him is growing, even if their understanding is not.
The scribes won't believe unless He recognizes them and begins to move to overthrow Rome. Until they see this, they will not trust Him. The disciples have the expectation of the coming rule of Jesus, however their trust in Him is growing, even if their understanding is not.
Verses 21-23 deal with belief. Belief and faith I will treat as synonymous. Jesus will confront the common understanding of the term, which is no different today. Faith with boundaries, belief that has limits. This is at the core of this generations' unbelief. They believe that the supernatural is possible, but only if it occurs within the limits they expect. The father has seen Jesus' disciples fail to cast out the demon, therefore He may be powerless to help. Jesus now expands the fathers faith to include his ability to cast out this demon. When Jesus speaks of a childlike faith, He speaks of a belief that is infinite. When we build walls and say, this is what defines faith, we set ourselves up for failure. Do we have ears and fail to hear? Do we have eyes and fail to see? With God all things are possible.. The importance of how we are to pray is perhaps no greater than in our acceptance of the words "Thy will be done on earth as in Heaven".
Verse 24 This fathers cry should be that of all of humanity. We are all imperfect in our faith, no matter where we are in our sanctification journey, we need his help.
Verses 25-27 Jesus once again proves his authority and power over demons. He once again proves that he is not the one that everyone expects. His power is used to save and deliver those that are dead to society in many different ways. Often those he heals are the outcasts and worthless to the politics of the day. He might even have been seen as wasting his time on those that cannot help with the true problems of the world. Here Jesus demonstrates what servanthood looks like.
This healing comes between the transfiguration and Jesus reiterating what his purpose will entail. The disciples still won't believe that Jesus came to die as a sacrifice for sins. They continue to insist he is the Messiah that will usher in the power of Gods Kingdom rule on the Earth. How hard do we try to make God fit into our idea of what he should be and do?
PRAYER AND FASTING
28 And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out?
29 And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.
29 And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.
Jesus has moved back south from Mount Hermon and Cesarea Philippi, probably to Peter's house in Capernaum.
Why prayer? The disciples had been granted power by Jesus in which to learn and train for when he would leave. They had exercised this power during their training and it was successful. Perhaps what they needed here is to realize that the power they had been granted came from above and was not contained within them, or this may have been the next lesson in their training.
JESUS AGAIN TELLS THE DISCIPLES WHAT IT MEANS TO BE THE MESSIAH
30 And they departed thence, and passed through Galilee; and he would not that any man should know it.
31 For he taught his disciples, and said unto them, The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise the third day.
32 But they understood not that saying, and were afraid to ask him.
31 For he taught his disciples, and said unto them, The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise the third day.
32 But they understood not that saying, and were afraid to ask him.
As we read that Jesus attempted to tell those closest to Him what was going to take place, and did so in plain language, I have asked myself in the past, "how can they not understand?". Today, with many years of observing behavior very similar to this I understand much better how it is possible. Knowledge is power, however understanding how much we don't know is more important. The idea of the Messiah being rejected, crucified and risen the third day was not something they could comprehend. When we believe we know something and trust in that knowledge, but it is incomplete, we essentially have chosen to believe a lie.
If I were one of the disciples, and heard Him speak these words, I would tell myself that is not possible. God would not allow His Messiah to be killed, and I would have limited God and believed a lie.
How this is manifest is important because, the religious leaders will choose to oppose and crucify Jesus, in this we see the darkness that we are capable of. The disciples will continue in faith to follow Jesus. They will choose to continue to believe in preconceived ideas and this will result in confusion until after Jesus's resurrection.
If I were one of the disciples, and heard Him speak these words, I would tell myself that is not possible. God would not allow His Messiah to be killed, and I would have limited God and believed a lie.
How this is manifest is important because, the religious leaders will choose to oppose and crucify Jesus, in this we see the darkness that we are capable of. The disciples will continue in faith to follow Jesus. They will choose to continue to believe in preconceived ideas and this will result in confusion until after Jesus's resurrection.
THE GREATEST IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD
33 And he came to Capernaum: and being in the house he asked them, What was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way?
34 But they held their peace: for by the way they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest.
35 And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.
36 And he took a child, and set him in the midst of them: and when he had taken him in his arms, he said unto them,
37 Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me.
34 But they held their peace: for by the way they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest.
35 And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.
36 And he took a child, and set him in the midst of them: and when he had taken him in his arms, he said unto them,
37 Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me.
What do we define greatest in our societies? Wealth, power, many that envy them.
Why does Jesus turn this on its head? I submit that when Jesus rebukes Peter for savoring the things that be of men, he is telling all of us that, servanthood to the least of these is what will build the Kingdom of God and glorify God.
Why does Jesus turn this on its head? I submit that when Jesus rebukes Peter for savoring the things that be of men, he is telling all of us that, servanthood to the least of these is what will build the Kingdom of God and glorify God.
ANOTHER CASTING OUT DEMONS IN JESUS NAME
38 And John answered him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not us.
39 But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me.
40 For he that is not against us is on our part.
39 But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me.
40 For he that is not against us is on our part.
The important thing to note is that the casting out of demons was done in the name of Jesus. Whoever is doing this, is pointing the people to Jesus, and in contrast to the disciples who were with Jesus, and failed to cast out a demon, this person was able to.
Mark is addressing the new believers in Rome, this message of faith and power in Jesus name would have a powerful impact.
Mark is addressing the new believers in Rome, this message of faith and power in Jesus name would have a powerful impact.
THE IMPORTANCE OF WHAT WE DO AND THE KINGDOM OF GOD
41 For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward.
42 And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea.
43 And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
44 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
45 And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
46 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
47 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire:
48 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
49 For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt.
50 Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.
42 And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea.
43 And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
44 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
45 And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
46 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
47 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire:
48 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
49 For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt.
50 Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.
Rewards and punishment. Jesus emphasizes the importance of our actions while we are here. We are either working for the Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of men.
In closing, He highlights to have peace with one another. In contrast earlier, the disciples were arguing who would be the greatest.
In closing, He highlights to have peace with one another. In contrast earlier, the disciples were arguing who would be the greatest.
Mark 9 is extremely important to understanding the movement from unbelief to complete faith.
We open the chapter with the transfiguration of Jesus, then down the mountain to the unbelief of the scribes and lack of power of the disciples and on to the father that recognizes his lack of faith. Then all the disciples grappling with Jesus's proclamation of his coming mission to Jerusalem. Faith is not static, it appears to be able to expand and contract based upon our relationship to God. This makes sense, because the closer our relationship the more we will seek his will. The more we do this, the more we will glorify Him.
We open the chapter with the transfiguration of Jesus, then down the mountain to the unbelief of the scribes and lack of power of the disciples and on to the father that recognizes his lack of faith. Then all the disciples grappling with Jesus's proclamation of his coming mission to Jerusalem. Faith is not static, it appears to be able to expand and contract based upon our relationship to God. This makes sense, because the closer our relationship the more we will seek his will. The more we do this, the more we will glorify Him.