Mar 9:1
And He said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power.": Jesus said this to all the people, including His disciples. But what does this mean? Where's the kingdom of God present with power? I think there's a reason why the book is laid out in this order. Jesus says that some people will see the kingdom of God present with power, followed by the transfiguration. It's not coincidence. There's also the events at Pentecost (Acts 2).
Mar 9:2
Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up on a high mountain apart by themselves; and He was transfigured before them.: Transfigured means changed. This happened six days after Jesus said some would see the kingdom of God present with power. Why these three? They were the leaders.
Mar 9:3
His clothes became shining, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them.: This brings to mind Zechariah 3:4 "Then He answered and spoke to those who stood before Him, saying, “Take away the filthy garments from him.” And to him He said, “See, I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with rich robes.”" These white garments were a representation of Jesus's sinlessness, and probably were meant to convince these apostles of Jesus's divinity. They were to be the leaders.
Mar 9:4
And Elijah appeared to them with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus.: This verse is why a lot of people believe that the two witnesses in the Great Tribulation (Rev 11:3-12) will be Elijah and Moses. I'm not sure about that because it's only appointed to people to die once (Heb 9:27). Because of this, I think it's more likely that Enoch and Elijah would be the two witnesses. But nobody really knows for sure.
Mar 9:5
Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah"—: We've all been in a situation like this. Where we feel like we need to say something, but we don't know what to say. Peter here doesn't know what to say and just says something.
Mar 9:6
because he did not know what to say, for they were greatly afraid.: I wouldn't know what to say either, and would likely respond in the same way. I can't fault Peter for babbling.
Mar 9:7
And a cloud came and overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!": Many times in the Bible, God appears in a cloud. I'm pretty sure it's to show the definite distinction between Jesus and the Father, even though they are one. God the Father tells the disciples that Jesus is His beloved Son and to Hear Him. What did Jesus say? That we are to believe in Jesus, and that there is salvation in no other. He came to bring an end to sin for those who put their trust in Him, by sacrificing Himself on our behalf. He paid the price for us. If we believe this, we'll be saved.
Mar 9:8
Suddenly, when they had looked around, they saw no one anymore, but only Jesus with themselves.: As quickly as it began, it ended.
Mar 9:9
Now as they came down from the mountain, He commanded them that they should tell no one the things they had seen, till the Son of Man had risen from the dead.: I'm not sure why Jesus told them not to say anything. Some of the commentaries say that it's so the other disciples wouldn't become jealous, but I don't think it would be that simple.
Mar 9:10
So they kept this word to themselves, questioning what the rising from the dead meant.: They didn't understand that Jesus had to die. They believed He was the Messiah, and as far as they knew, the Messiah was to set up an earthly kingdom, not die. Even to this day, Jews do not accept Isaiah 53 and refuse to read it. The prophecies of the suffering Messiah were ignored then, just as they are today. The focus was on the Messiah setting up His earthly kingdom.
Mar 9:11
And they asked Him, saying, "Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?": Peter, James, and John were probably confused because they just saw Elijah at the transformation.
Mar 9:12
Then He answered and told them, "Indeed, Elijah is coming first and restores all things. And how is it written concerning the Son of Man, that He must suffer many things and be treated with contempt?: Mal 4:5 was the prophecy referenced here. This was fulfilled by John the Baptist. On top of that prophecy of Elijah coming, Jesus tells the disciples that He must suffer as well. He keeps telling them over and over. It seems like this is written in the form of a rhetorical question. Somehow, Jesus is tying these two things together. I think the key here is to notice the tense of the wording, and to tie in Mat 11:14, "And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come." Jesus agrees that Elijah is coming first and restores all things. It's future tense. In Matthew, Jesus uses the same tense.
Mar 9:13
But I tell you that Elijah has certainly come, and they did to him whatever they wanted, just as it is written about him.”: John the Baptist fulfilled the prophecy of Elijah coming. Gotquestions.org has an interesting article about it. John the Baptist himself denied being Elijah, but Jesus says, "And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come." This really can only mean that the prophecy of Elijah coming is a dual prophecy. John the Baptist fulfilled it spiritually, and since more than likely Elijah will be one of the two witnesses (Rev 1:1-12), he will fulfill the literal part of the prophecy.
Mar 9:14
And when He came to the disciples, He saw a great multitude around them, and scribes disputing with them.: Jesus had left the rest of His disciples and taken Peter, James and John. He's now rejoining them, and there's a large group of people around them. And of course, the scribes were arguing with them.
Mar 9:15
Immediately, when they saw Him, all the people were greatly amazed, and running to Him, greeted Him.: The first thing that hit me about this verse was why would people be amazed that Jesus showed up? That didn't make any sense. I think it's a meaning that's not clearly articulated through the word amazed. It seems more likely that the scribes were disputing with the disciples, and the people were frightened by the appearance of Jesus in the sense of getting caught being naughty. The Strongs definition of the word used is, "to astonish utterly: - affright, greatly (sore) amaze."
Mar 9:16
And He asked the scribes, "What are you discussing with them?": Jesus asks what the scribes are disputing about.
Mar 9:17
Then one of the crowd answered and said, "Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit.: This person brought their son to Jesus, as so many others had done, but Jesus wasn't there.
Mar 9:18
And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not.": This is a fascinating description. Isn't it a perfect description of epilepsy? This must have been a particularly nasty demon, as the disciples were not able to cast it out. We find out why in verse Mar 9:29.
Mar 9:19
He answered him and said, "O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to Me.": This brings to mind Mark 6:5, "Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them." The people had no faith, including the man who brought his son. But notice that Jesus didn't turn the man away. He said to bring his son to Him.
Mar 9:20
Then they brought him to Him. And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth.: They brought the boy to Jesus and when he saw Jesus, he went into an epileptic fit. There is so much we don't know about the spirit world. How does a spirit inhabit a person and control their physical motions? How can they speak with our mouths? It's truly mind-boggling.
Mar 9:21
So He asked his father, "How long has this been happening to him?" And he said, "From childhood.: Here we learn that possession can happen to an infant. This possession appeared to be epilepsy. It's so strange. What exactly is spiritual sickness, and what is actual sickness? Is there a way to discern between the two? And if a person is spiritually sick like this little boy, what do medications actually do? Mind-boggling.
Mar 9:22
And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.": These demons hate us. When given the opportunity, the demon had thrown the boy into fire and water to try and kill him. From the commentaries, we learn that "But if You can do anything" has a meaning that the father had very little faith. The ASV and the KJV even translate it as "but if thou canst do any thing." The boy's father was almost saying that he didn't think Jesus could do anything, but in the off-chance that He could, he'd accept the help.
Mar 9:23
Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.": This is an interesting saying from Jesus because He's telling the father of the boy that his belief can help his son. This reinforces what we've been seeing throughout Jesus's ministry. Jesus can only act upon faith.
Mar 9:24
Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!": This is the position that most of us find ourselves in, if we're honest with ourselves. We know we should have faith, and that we should believe, but we don't. At least this man realized that He didn't have the faith that he knew he should, and so did the right thing and asked Jesus to help him. I find myself in this situation a lot, and in my mind I feel like I believe, but I know that deep down I have doubts. Going forward, I am going to make this my battle cry.
Mar 9:25
When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, "Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!": It seems like the father caught the attention of people nearby and they all came running. And Jesus says something very interesting, "Deaf and dumb spirit," and casts it out, never to return. What does "deaf and dumb spirit" mean? Does it mean that the spirit itself was deaf and dumb, or did it cause this affliction on the boy? Likely, it was the spirit that was deaf and dumb because the only thing mentioned concerning the son was a description of epilepsy. If the spirit was deaf and dumb, how did Jesus tell it verbally to come out? There is so much about the spirit world that we just don't know.
Mar 9:26
Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, "He is dead.": This must have been a powerful spirit to do this when commanded to leave the boy. This is another thing that we don't understand about the spirit world. The spirit obeyed Jesus, but he threw a fit while doing it. He caused so much damage when leaving that the child appeared dead. The wording makes it clear that the boy didn't die, but that he appeared dead.
Mar 9:27
But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.: Jesus then picked up the boy from the ground.
Mar 9:28
And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, "Why could we not cast it out?": More things we don't know about the spirit world. Apparently, the disciples had been casting out demons but couldn't cast this one out.
Mar 9:29
So He said to them, "This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.": From this teaching, we can clearly see that there are different types of demons. Some are more powerful than others, and some require prayer and fasting. Like I keep saying, there is so much we don't know about the spirit world. All we can do is put our faith in Jesus, and apparently, pray and fast when dealing with demonic forces sometimes.
Mar 9:30
Then they departed from there and passed through Galilee, and He did not want anyone to know it.: Jesus left Caesarea Philippi with His disciples and headed for Jerusalem. We find the reason why Jesus didn't want anyone to know about His travels in the next verse.
Mar 9:31
For He taught His disciples and said to them, "The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him. And after He is killed, He will rise the third day.": The reason why Jesus didn't want anyone to know about their travels is because Jesus was heading to Jerusalem to be crucified, and He didn't want to be delayed. Jesus also told His disciples again about Himself being killed and resurrected, and again, the disciples didn't get it.
Mar 9:32
But they did not understand this saying, and were afraid to ask Him.: The disciples still didn't understand that Jesus had to die for the sins of the world. They believed that He was to set up an earthly kingdom and overthrow the Roman government.
Mar 9:33
Then He came to Capernaum. And when He was in the house He asked them, "What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road?": Jesus clearly didn't need to ask what they were talking about but wanted to show them an important misunderstanding they had about His coming, while at the same time affirming that He is God.
Mar 9:34
But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest.: The disciples still didn't understand that Jesus wasn't going to set up an earthly kingdom and were arguing about who was going to be the greatest when Jesus set up His earthly kingdom. They believed that Jesus was going to overthrow the government and set up His kingdom then.
Mar 9:35
And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, "If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.": Jesus tried to explain to them their misunderstanding of His kingdom that would be set up. It wasn't about greatness, but about Jesus. They didn't understand that Jesus would be crucified, and Jesus spoke about receiving Him in the present tense. This probably wouldn't have clicked until after Jesus was dead and resurrected. After the resurrection, all people who believed could be received to Him, and that ended up being the mission of the apostles. The apostles understood this teaching well, and you can witness their transformation in their other writings.
Mar 9:36
Then He took a little child and set him in the midst of them. And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them,: This is a beautiful picture. The creator of everything showing love to a small child. He picks up this child and holds him in His arms.
Mar 9:37
"Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me.": Jesus explains what it means to be great in His kingdom. I do believe that Jesus is saying that if we take in a Child because of our love for Jesus, that Jesus will accept us. But I think it goes beyond that and relates spiritually too. It's our doing these things out of our love for Jesus that matters. That's what makes us great in His kingdom, not a position, or any tangible thing in this world, or even the acts themselves. The disciples were arguing about earthly things, but Jesus is saying that His kingdom isn't an earthly kingdom and is open to even children. Also, Jesus makes Himself one with the Father again here. If we receive Jesus, we receive the Father. How can we receive Jesus, and not Jesus but the Father? Only if they are one and the same.
Mar 9:38
Now John answered Him, saying, "Teacher, we saw someone who does not follow us casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow us.": Clearly John makes a connection between what Jesus had just taught and an experience they had when Jesus sent them out in pairs to teach of the kingdom of God. They had encountered someone who was successfully casting out demons in Jesus's name, but because this man wasn't one of the disciples, they told him to stop. The connection seems to be doing the acts in Jesus's name. Jesus had just told them that He would accept them if they received a child in Jesus's name, setting up the standard of what makes a person great in His kingdom. If they want to be great, they should act in the name of Jesus.
Mar 9:39
But Jesus said, "Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me.: Casting out demons is equated to working a miracle by Jesus here. That's interesting. 1Co 12:4-11 says that working miracles is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, so apparently, there are those who the Spirit will grant the ability to cast out demons, even today. Jesus tells John that if someone is doing works in His name, to leave them alone. The reason is that if they're doing works in His name, they can't very well speak ill of Jesus while doing so. Also, with the benefit of hindsight, we Christians know that this power is granted by the Holy Spirit, and Jesus denies that demons cast out demons (Mat 12:24-30).
Mar 9:40
For he who is not against us is on our side.: Seems like a simple clear statement. Don't read into it.
Mar 9:41
For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.: Jesus makes it clear that these people He's referring to are the ones that do these things in His name.
Mar 9:42
"But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea.: Jesus then contrasts the receiving of a child in His name to causing one of them to stumble. It would be better for that person if they were to have a stone tied around their neck and thrown into the sea, so they'd be drowned.
Mar 9:43
If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched—: Jesus addresses the seriousness we should be addressing sin. We should rather cut off our hand and go into the afterlife maimed than willingly sin. That's how serious we should be taking sin. The punishment for sin is hell, and those who are not forgiven will be cast into the lake of fire that "shall never be quenched." It's a small price to pay to go through this life without a hand and spend eternity in Heaven with Jesus.
Mar 9:44
where 'THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED.': Jesus quotes Isa 66:24 here. I wonder if this means that not only will the fire burn those in hell for eternity, but also continually have worms gnawing away at them forever in addition. Hell is terrible to imagine, and throwing in that worms may eat away at us forever in addition to fire makes it that much more horrible. We need to take sin very seriously. Can there be anything more serious?
Mar 9:45
And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame, rather than having two feet, to be cast into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched—: Again, Jesus repeats the sentiment that we need to take sin so seriously that it would be better for us to cut off our foot than to willingly use it to sin. This world just isn't worth it. We should want to spend eternity with Jesus so much that we will be willing to do anything to keep from sinning.
Mar 9:46
where 'THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED.': Jesus repeats Isa 66:24 again to drive the point home.
Mar 9:47
And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire—: This verse shows that Jesus is explaining the seriousness which we should take sinning. Notice, removing one eye still won't stop you from seeing. If Jesus were seriously telling us to remove body parts to stop ourselves from sinning, He would have said to remove both eyes.
Mar 9:48
where 'THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED.': For the third time, Jesus repeats Isa 66:24.
Mar 9:49
"For everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt.: Jesus seems to be saying that our discipleship will not be easy. Remember, Jesus says that He disciplines those He loves (Heb 12:6), or as He says here, seasoned with fire. Our bodies are to be as sacrifices to the Lord (Rom 12:1), so we should be spiritually salting our bodies in preservation. We are to be the salt of the earth (Mat 5:13), holding back evil, and be engaged in the business of gathering people to Jesus until He returns.
Mar 9:50
Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another.": Salt preserves, and it makes food taste good, but if salt loses its flavor, can you make it salty again? Salt is the seasoning, so how can you season the seasoning with the seasoning itself if the seasoning itself has lost the seasoning? Just as ridiculous as that sentence is, is the idea that those who have no salt flavor within themselves can be salt to the earth. The evidence of having salt within a person will be peace, and within a group, there will be peace within that group.
No comments:
Post a Comment