GOSPEL OF MARK - CHAPTER 9
Jesus Makes a Promise 9:1
v1 Jesus said to them, ‘I am telling you the truth. Some men who are standing here will see God’s kingdom come with power. And they will not die before they see it.’
Commentary
Verse 1
Jesus is probably describing His resurrection. Also, he is describing the time when the Holy Spirit would come at Pentecost and the spread of the gospel. Thirty (30) years after Jesus’ death on the cross, the message about the kingdom had spread everywhere where the Romans ruled. A small group of disciples had become the beginning of a worldwide church. The kingdom did come with power in the lives of many people who were listening to Jesus. But perhaps Jesus was talking about what happens in verses 2-13. That is what some other Christians think.
Jesus’ Face and Clothes Become Very Bright 9:2-13
v2 After six days, Jesus took Peter, James, and John with him. He took them up a high mountain all alone by themselves. He changed in front of them. v3 His clothes became so white that they shone. They were whiter than anyone on earth could wash them white. v4 Elijah and Moses appeared to Jesus and the disciples. The two of them were talking with Jesus. v5 Peter said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.’ v6 Peter said this because he did not know what to say. That was because they were extremely frightened. v7 Then a cloud came and it covered them with its shadow. A voice came from the cloud. The voice said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him.’ v8 They looked round. At once, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus.
v9 As they came down the mountain, Jesus gave them an order. He ordered them not to tell anybody what they had seen. He told them to wait until the Son of Man had risen from death. v10 So they kept the matter to themselves. But they asked each other what ‘risen from death’ meant. v11 They asked Jesus, ‘Why do the scribes say that Elijah has to come first?’ v12 Jesus replied, ‘Elijah does come first. He makes everything new again. But the Scriptures truly say that the Son of Man will suffer much. And they say that people will not accept him. v13 But I tell you that Elijah has come. They did to him everything that they wanted to do. It was exactly as the Scriptures said about him.’
Commentary
Verse 2 The mountain was probably Mount Hermon because that mountain is very high.
Mark does not say how Jesus changed. Matthew says that his face shone like the sun (Matthew 17:2).
Verse 3
It was difficult for Mark to describe how white the clothes of Jesus were. They were very, very white. So he could only think that they shone like gold or the light of the sun.
Verse 4
Elijah was a great prophet. Moses had received the Law from God. Their appearance showed that Jesus made the promises of the Old Testament come true. He is greater than the prophets, and he explained the Law more completely. Mark does not say what they were talking about. Luke tells us that they were talking about Jesus’ death in Jerusalem (Luke 9:31).
Verses 5-6
Peter offered to build three shelters. That shows how confused and frightened he was. He had been asleep and he had just woken up. He was thinking of all three as if they were the same. But Jesus is different from Moses and Elijah. He is much more important. Perhaps Peter wanted to stay on the mountain, where there would not be any more work or pain. But it was a practical thought in their situation. It was dark and therefore cold. They might need shelter! Luke tells us that they did not come down from the mountain until the next morning.
Verse 7
A cloud was the sign that God was there. Moses went up to Mount Sinai in order to receive the Law. Then, the cloud covered the mountain for six days. Then the Lord called to Moses from out of the cloud (Exodus 24:15-16). God spoke out of the cloud to the three disciples. He spoke in words like those at Jesus’ baptism (1:11). Moses told the people to ‘listen’ to the prophet like himself whom God would send (Deuteronomy 18:15). God told the disciples to ‘listen’ to Jesus. The disciples learned something. They were right to believe that Jesus was the Messiah. What he told them was true.
Verses 9-10
The three men obeyed Jesus’ instructions not to tell anyone about their experience until after the resurrection. Peter later wrote about it in his letter (2 Peter 1:16-18). But they did not understand it when Jesus talked about death and resurrection.
Verse 11
The scribes taught that Elijah would return. And he would prepare people for the Messiah (Malachi 4:5). The disciples wanted to ask Jesus this question: ‘Why has Elijah not arrived, if you are the Messiah?’
Verses 12-13
Jesus explained that Elijah had come already. He did not mean that Elijah himself had come into the world again in John the Baptist. He meant that John the Baptist was a prophet like Elijah. He had the same bold courage as Elijah and he was as loyal to God. Queen Jezebel wanted to kill Elijah (1 Kings 19:1-2). Herodias wanted the death of John the Baptist (Mark 6:19). The man who had prepared the way for the Messiah had suffered. And he had died. Jesus was therefore telling them that the Messiah Himself would suffer too. And he would die.
Jesus Cures a Boy With an Evil Spirit 9:14-29
There is a reason why Mark describes this incident in detail. It is not first of all to show the authority and power of Jesus. It is to show the importance of faith and the lesson that the disciples had to learn about prayer.
v14 When Jesus and the three disciples returned to the other disciples, they saw a great crowd round them. The scribes were arguing with the disciples. v15 As soon as the crowd saw Jesus, they were astonished. They ran up to him and they greeted him. v16 Jesus asked, ‘What are you arguing about?’ v17 A man in the crowd answered him, ‘Teacher, I brought my son to you because he has a spirit. The spirit makes him unable to speak. v18 Wherever he is, it gets hold of him. It throws him down on the ground. Bubbles come from his mouth and he bites his teeth together. He becomes stiff. I asked your disciples to send it out, but they could not do it.’ v19 Jesus answered them, ‘You people without faith! It is hard for me to stay with you. It is hard for me to be with you. Bring him to me.’ v20 So they brought the boy to Jesus. As soon as the spirit saw Jesus, it shook the boy hard. He fell on the ground. He rolled about and bubbles came from his mouth. v21 Jesus asked the boy’s father, ‘How long has he been like this?’ He answered, ‘Since he was a child. v22 The spirit has often thrown him into the fire or into water to kill him. But if you can do anything, pity us. Please help us.’ v23 Jesus said to him, ‘If you can! Everything is possible to him who believes.’ v24 At once the boy’s father cried out, ‘I do believe! Help me to overcome my doubts!’
v25 Jesus saw that a crowd was running towards them. They were running to see what was happening. Then he ordered the evil spirit to leave the boy. ‘You, spirit that makes him unable to hear or speak! I order you, come out of him. And never enter him again.’ v26 The spirit screamed and it shook the boy in a terrible way. Then it came out of him. The boy looked so still and pale, like a dead person, that many people said, ‘He is dead.’ v27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up. And the boy stood up. v28 When Jesus had gone into the house, his disciples asked him in private, ‘Why could we not send out the evil spirit?’ v29 Jesus replied, ‘This kind can come out only by prayer.’
Commentary
Verse 14
The scribes were probably taking the opportunity to laugh at Jesus because they were laughing at his disciples. Because the disciples had failed, they were perhaps trying to defend themselves against the scribes’ remarks.
Verse 15
Jesus’ sudden arrival may have surprised the crowd. But Mark writes that they were ‘astonished’. This was a word that he usually put at the end of an incident. When Moses went down from Mount Sinai, his face shone (Exodus 34:30). The disciples had seen the great honor and beauty of Jesus on the mountain. It is possible that there was still evidence of that on Jesus. He had ordered his three disciples not to say anything. But there may have been some sign in his face of what had happened to him on the mountain.
Verse 16
Jesus sometimes asked for information. He may have known the answer to his question. If so, he wanted to give them a chance to be honest. See Mark 9:33-34, too.
Verses 17-18
The boy’s father described what happened to his child. Doctors today might say that he suffered from an illness called ‘epilepsy’.
Verse 19
Jesus spoke to all the people, not to the disciples only. He felt despair at the lack of faith of people at this time. But he ordered them to bring the boy to him.
Verse 20
As soon as the boy came near Jesus, the evil spirit tried to control the boy again.
Verses 21-22
The father replied to Jesus’ question. He said that the boy had been like this since he was a child. He had often fallen into a fire or into water because the evil spirit had tried to kill him. The father asked Jesus for his help, ‘if’ Jesus had the power to cure his son.
Verse 23
Jesus repeated the father’s words. He meant, ‘You should not say "if" I can. That shows that you do not believe in me. You do not believe that I have the power.’ He was suggesting that the father needed faith. With faith, everything becomes possible.
Verse 24
The father’s cry, ‘I do believe! Help me to overcome my doubts!’ describes what many Christians feel. They trust Jesus. But they are not sure that they trust him completely.
Verses 25-26
People are always curious when something unusual is happening. Some of the crowd rushed to see what Jesus was doing. Jesus gave an order that the evil spirit should leave the boy for always. There was a struggle. It left the boy very weak. So people thought that he was dead.
Verse 27
Jesus helped him to stand up. There is no record by Mark of the father’s joy or the crowd’s reaction. The important matter in the incident was what Jesus taught about faith.
Verses 28-29
The disciples wanted to know why they could not throw out the evil spirit. Jesus had given them authority to throw out evil spirits when he had sent them out in pairs (Mark 6:7). They may have forgotten that their success then was not because of their own power. The disciples should have prayed. But they had argued with each other instead. Jesus emphasized the need for prayer. The prayer of faith is necessary before anyone can defeat the power of evil things. When they are fighting evil things, Christians need spiritual resources (2 Corinthians 10:4).
Jesus Speaks About His Death for the Second Time 9:30-32
v30 They went on from there through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were. v31 This was because he was teaching his disciples. He told them, ‘They will hand the Son of Man over to men. They will kill him. After three days he will rise from death.’ v32 But they did not understand what he meant. And they were afraid to ask him.
Commentary
Verses 30-31
The period when Jesus was teaching publicly in Galilee was over. He wanted to avoid crowds so that he could train his disciples. ‘Hand over’ means that someone would make it possible for the authorities to arrest Jesus. The words ‘hand over’ might also mean that God would allow Jesus to die. That was the only means by which God could save people.
Verse 32
The disciples were too frightened to ask Jesus to explain. On a previous occasion, Jesus had told them that he would suffer. They had opposed the idea then and Jesus had blamed them. Perhaps they did not want to risk such a severe reply again (8:32-33). They might also have learned something worse, and perhaps they preferred not to know.
Real Greatness 9:33-37
v33 They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, Jesus asked his disciples, ‘What were you talking about on the way?’ v34 But they kept quiet because, on the way, they had argued. They had argued about which disciple was the most important. v35 Jesus sat down and he called the 12 men to come to him. Then he said, ‘If you want to be first, you must be last of all. You must be everyone’s servant.’ v36 Jesus took a child and he made the child stand among them. Then he took the child in his arms. He said to them, v37 ‘Anyone who welcomes (gives a welcome to) one of these little children in my name welcomes me. And anyone who welcomes me does not welcome me only. He welcomes the Person who sent me.’
Commentary
Verses 33-34
Perhaps some of the disciples were jealous of the three men who had been alone on the mountain with Jesus. But they were all still thinking about a political kingdom in which Jesus would give them important places. Jesus had taught them that he would suffer. And he would die. But that had not changed their wrong idea about the Messiah’s purpose. The disciples kept quiet because they were ashamed to tell Jesus.
Verse 35
Jewish teachers sat to teach their pupils. The fact that Jesus sat down showed that he was going to teach his disciples. If they wanted greatness in his kingdom, they must not try to take the most important place. They must not be proud and expect to be the masters. They must be willing to serve everyone.
Verse 36
In order to emphasize this need for service, Jesus acted a parable. He used a little child as an example. The Aramaic word ‘talya’ can mean both ‘child’ and ‘servant’. Children have no power and they have to depend on the help of adults. The disciples must serve even little children. But ‘children’ includes all people who are weak and in need of help. Paul said, ‘As for the man who is weak in faith, give him a welcome’ (Romans 14:1).
Verse 37
‘In my name’ means ‘with my authority and for me’. Humble service is service to Jesus himself. ‘As you did it to one of the least .... you did it to me’ (Matthew 25:40). Jesus was working for God, who had sent him. Therefore, whenever people serve him, they are serving God.
There were already arguments in the early church about leadership when Mark was writing his book. Mark probably recorded this incident for that reason.
When to Accept Other People 9:38-41
This passage has a link with the previous one because it also contains the phrase ‘in my name.’
v38 John said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, we saw a man who was sending out evil spirits in your name. We told him to stop because he was not a member of our group.’ v39 But Jesus said, ‘Do not stop him. Nobody who does such a powerful work in my name will soon after be able to speak against me. v40 Anyone who is not against us is on our side. v41 I tell you the truth. Perhaps someone will give you even a cup of water to drink because you are disciples of Christ. That person will certainly receive a reward.’
Commentary
Verses 38-39
John spoke for himself and the other disciples. The man was not in their group. So, they told him to stop sending evil spirits out of people ‘in the name’ of Jesus. Some Jews in Ephesus tried to use ‘the name of Jesus whom Paul preaches’. They failed. They thought that Jesus’ name might be a magic way to send an evil spirit out of a person (Acts 19:13-16). But Jesus told the disciples not to stop a man with faith who was working for him.
Christians should be glad when other people are successful. They should not be jealous of those who worship and serve God in a different way.
Verse 40
A man is either on Christ’s side or against him. When he is doing good deeds, he is on God’s side.
Verse 41
A person may give help to a disciple of Christ. God will reward that person. ‘A cup of water’ shows that the help need not be in an important matter. It can be a small act of kindness.
Jesus Warns Against Temptation 9:42-50
Jesus warns us about two things:
--- 1. We must not cause other people to sin - verse 42.
----2. We must be strict with ourselves - verses 43-50.
v42 ‘It will be terrible for anyone who causes one of these young believers to sin. It would be better for him if someone put a large millstone around his neck. People would then throw him into the sea. v43-44 If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It would be better for you to enter life with only one hand than to go to Gehenna with two hands. That is where the fire never goes out.
v45-46 If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. You do not want God to throw you into Gehenna with both your feet. To enter into life on one foot is better than that. v47 If your eye causes you to do wrong things, pull it out. You do not want God to throw you into Gehenna with your two eyes. To enter the kingdom of God with one eye is better than that. v48 There the worm (small long thin animal) does not die and the fire never goes out. v49 Fire will salt everyone. v50 Salt is good. But if it loses its true salt taste, you can never make its flavor come back. Have salt in yourselves and live at peace with each other.’
Commentary
Verse 42
The disciples are responsible for those who are young spiritually as well as for children. It is better to drown than to make a child or a young or weak Christian sin. A disciple must be careful about what he teaches. A disciple’s bad or careless behavior may make a young believer imitate him. Disciples must not cause young believers to lose their faith. They must not do it by what they teach. And they must not do it by their example.
To drown someone with a large weight round his neck was a way to punish people in those days. A millstone turned wheat into flour. A large millstone was a big round stone with a hole in the middle. A donkey pulled the stone round over the wheat by a bar of wood through the hole. If someone put a person’s head through the hole of this heavy stone, he would certainly drown.
Verses 43-48
The hand, the foot, and the eye can cause a disciple to do wrong things. The fruit that tempted Eve was ‘a delight to the eyes’ (Genesis 3:6). It is possible to do something or to go somewhere which may cause you to sin. Jesus did not mean that a disciple must remove parts of his physical body. He was using picture language. Disciples must be willing to sacrifice anything that stops their spiritual life from growing. The sacrifice may be as painful as it would be to lose a limb. Christians do not only have to give up bad things. Often, they have to give up good things as well. It may be a job, a pleasure or a friendship. It will not be the same for each disciple. Each disciple must decide for himself what may be preventing him from obeying God completely.
To enter ‘life’ and to enter the ‘kingdom’ mean the same. ‘Life’ is to enjoy a friendship with God by giving him honor as king. ‘Gehenna’ was the name of a valley outside Jerusalem that had become the city’s rubbish heap. Worms (small long thin animals) lived on the rubbish, and a fire was always burning there. These words about worms and fire come from Isaiah 66:24. Gehenna was such a terrible place that the Jews started to use the name for a place of punishment. It was a place where God would destroy wicked people. People usually translate the word ‘Gehenna’ as ‘hell’.
Verses 49-50
contain three separate things that Jesus said about ‘salt’. Jesus may have given them on separate occasions. But together they remind his disciples of the necessity of pure lives that will help themselves and other people.
---1. The Jews put salt on a gift to God (Leviticus 2:13). It was a sign of the agreement between God and his people. Disciples should remember to be loyal to God. Also, fire makes things clean and pure. It might therefore mean any experience that makes a Christian pure. We should obey God and we should accept pain and trouble. That is like the ‘fire’ that makes a Christian life a pure gift to God.
---2. Salt gives food flavor. It also prevents things going off. The disciples of Jesus should make a difference to the world. It should be a better place to live in, as salt gives food a better taste. They should also stop wrong things that are making society bad. Salt that came from the Dead Sea sometimes had other substances in it. Although it looked like salt, it had lost its proper salt taste. Some disciples may lose their desire to give God’s message. Then they are of no use as the ‘salt of the earth’ (Matthew 5:13).
---3. People who were together sometimes put salt on their food as a sign. It was a sign that they trusted each other. Jesus said that the disciples must have the ‘salt’ of friendship. He may have said it when they were arguing with each other.
|
|
