Tell No One May 7
Mark 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. 10 So they kept this word to themselves, questioning what the rising from the dead meant.
Jesus cautions the three fishermen to tell no one of what they have just witnessed until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead. This brings to their minds two issues.
First, what have they just witnessed?
The implications of this appearance of Moses and Elijah, followed by a strict command from God to listen to the words of His Son, are literally beyond the grasp of mortal minds. The miracles of Jesus have amazed all who have been witnesses, but these three men have now had a glimpse into the larger picture, the larger power behind their Teacher.
The second issue of speaking of this to no one until after the Son of Man is risen from the dead also has two parts.
Not to speak of the transfiguration of Jesus and the spiritual vision and words that followed may have been reassuring in one sense. After all, who would believe their report? They have no evidence, only their firsthand experience. Even three witnesses – more than the law required - to such an event would be arrested and tried as blasphemers!
They have recently been told that Jesus must die soon, and now they are told that He will rise from the dead. Believing the words that came from heaven is not hard for them. They have seen Jesus raise the daughter of Jairus from the dead. But if Jesus is dead, who will raise Him?
How can all of these things be?
Elijah Has Come May 8
Mark 9:11 And they asked Him, saying, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”
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? 13 But I say to you that Elijah has also come, and they did to him whatever they wished, as it is written of him.”
The disciples must be full of questions! The question recorded is to know why the scribes say that Elijah/Elias must come before the Messiah.
The disciples know their Scripture. They are aware of Malachi 3:1, and of Malachi 4:5, which states:
“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet
Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he will turn
The hearts of the fathers to the children,
And the hearts of the children to their fathers,
Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.”
Their real question is, “You are the Messiah, but how is it that Elijah has not yet come?”
Jesus gives an answer that is not clear. He states “that Elijah has also come, and they did to him whatever they wished, as it is written of him.”
John’s call to repentance was meant to change the hearts of the people, and he was murdered while in the task of restoring all things.
Jesus could have stated clearly that the prophet had come in the form of John the Baptist, but He uses His characteristic teaching method of letting the disciples find the answer to their question.
Concerning the Son of Man May 9
Mark 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?”
In confirming the Scripture’s prophesy of the coming of Elijah, Jesus also puts a question to the disciples: And what is in the Scriptures concerning the Son of Man? He gives them the answer: that He must suffer many things and be treated with contempt.
Isaiah 53 speaks most clearly to Jesus’ question, but Jesus could have reasoned with them on all of the Scriptures prophesying His life and death as He did with two disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:25-27).
Mark asks his readers to answer this question, as well.
For those of us unfamiliar with the Scripture of Jesus’ day, we take it on faith the identity of Jesus fulfilling ancient prophecy. For the unbelieving or the new convert of Mark’s time period, knowledge of these Scriptures can confirm Jesus’ identity. This issue for the people of Mark’s day is the expectation of a political Messiah.
Substantial redefining of expectations to a spiritual Messiah is a difficult task alone. An unhardened heart open to new understanding with the help of the Holy Spirit was – and is – required.
An Arbiter May 10
Mark 9:14 And when He came to the disciples, He saw a great multitude around them, and scribes disputing with them. 15 Immediately, when they saw Him, all the people were greatly amazed, and running to Him, greeted Him. 16 And He asked the scribes, “What are you discussing with them?”
Jesus, Peter, James, and John come down the mountain to find the other nine disciples in a dispute with some scribes in front of a large crowd. Seeing Jesus, the people run to Him as to an arbiter in a dispute, someone who will reconcile the feuding factions.
Was Jesus’ countenance still reflecting the glory of His mountaintop experience, the radiance and brightness of the transfiguration? This would explain the “amazement” of those who saw Him
Jesus first asks the scribes to give their version of the dispute. This is an important lesson in itself. Rather than defending friends and allies without an understanding of both sides, learn the arguments against the ones you instinctively favor.
This is not disloyal. One must understand the opposing arguments before entering the dispute.
This is Jesus’ approach when confrontation is inevitable, as it will be each time He interacts with the scribes and Pharisees. He first determines the issue, and then proceeds to demonstrate the spiritual resolution.
In this particular dispute, we will see that the scribes who stand against the disciples are not the issue.
The Problem May 11
Mark 9:17 Then one of the crowd answered and said, “Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit. 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.”
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.”
The scribes do not answer Jesus’ question, but one of the crowd speaks.
A man describes how his son is inhabited by a mute spirit, one that renders his son speechless and sends him into convulsions. This may have been what we call epilepsy today. Jesus was not present, so he told Jesus’ disciples of his demon possessed son, but they were not able to cast out the demon.
Jesus speaks with sorrow – although this word and others is inadequate alone - against a faithless (or unbelieving) generation. Matthew 17:17 and Luke 9:41 add the words “and perverse” (figuratively, misinterpreting) against the generation of the present time.
Having so recently been in the presence of Moses and Elijah, Jesus finds himself among men whose understanding refuses to rise to the level of their senses – the truths that they have witnessed, seen and heard and felt and experienced in reality.
They have seen a multitude fed from little, the sick healed, spirits banished, Jesus walking toward them on the sea, and more. What else must He do?
How long must Jesus endure their persistence in bondage to the token realities of earth rather than soaring in spirit through heaven?
And of what generation, of what age are we, who have read and heard what the disciples saw and heard? No, we have progressed no further.
If You Can Believe… May 12
Mark 9:19 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.
21 So He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?”
And he said, “From childhood. 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.”
23 Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”
Jesus witnesses the son going through one of his fits as the spirit convulsed him.
Jesus asks the father how long this has been occurring to make a point. That this has occurred since the boy’s infancy. Disease was a punishment from God according to the Pharisees. Since the onset was before the child was able to sin, the disease is not a curse from God for a sin.
The response also indicates the issue is chronic, has been prolonged and without relief, and is hopeless – until this moment. The man has come in search of a greater power.
The man’s lack of full faith is in his question, “If you can (are able to) do anything….” Jesus responds with His own “if:” “If you can (are able to) believe…,” all things are possible to him who believes.”
Is Jesus’ faith the issue, or is it the man’s faith that must come first?
Some manuscripts omit the first “believe” in verse 23 so that it reads, If you can! All things are possible to him who believes.”
This puts a different perspective on the question. Jesus states that belief (or faith) is all that is required for anyone.
Yes, that is a remarkable statement, a claim that each one of us could refute with examples from our own lives of healing not being accomplished.
Do we have a conditional “if” in our prayer, a requirement that if He is God, will He prove Himself? That is called tempting God.
Help My Unbelief May 13
Mark 9:24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”
The father accepts Jesus’ assurance that faith is all that is needed, but acknowledgment of a truth and believing it over all the evidence weighing against it being possible is hard.
If every prayer was answered in the affirmative, not only would the world be in chaos with conflicting demands, but time and chance would play no more role than the consequences of the actions of ourselves or of other people.
A physical world requires that events progress in a predictable and orderly manner. The spiritual world requires the same. But the predictability and orderly manner of the two worlds may collide, overlap with conflicting results. Only one result is allowed.
Whether the physical or the spiritual reality wins may come down to belief, the individual’s power that shifts the balance between the visible and the invisible worlds.
The father asks Jesus to help him tip the balance by adding Jesus’ faith to his own faith. With Jesus’ physical absence in our age, this is comparable to when we pray for the Holy Spirit’s power. We have not been left alone.
Next page
Mark 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. 10 So they kept this word to themselves, questioning what the rising from the dead meant.
Jesus cautions the three fishermen to tell no one of what they have just witnessed until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead. This brings to their minds two issues.
First, what have they just witnessed?
The implications of this appearance of Moses and Elijah, followed by a strict command from God to listen to the words of His Son, are literally beyond the grasp of mortal minds. The miracles of Jesus have amazed all who have been witnesses, but these three men have now had a glimpse into the larger picture, the larger power behind their Teacher.
The second issue of speaking of this to no one until after the Son of Man is risen from the dead also has two parts.
Not to speak of the transfiguration of Jesus and the spiritual vision and words that followed may have been reassuring in one sense. After all, who would believe their report? They have no evidence, only their firsthand experience. Even three witnesses – more than the law required - to such an event would be arrested and tried as blasphemers!
They have recently been told that Jesus must die soon, and now they are told that He will rise from the dead. Believing the words that came from heaven is not hard for them. They have seen Jesus raise the daughter of Jairus from the dead. But if Jesus is dead, who will raise Him?
How can all of these things be?
Elijah Has Come May 8
Mark 9:11 And they asked Him, saying, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”
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? 13 But I say to you that Elijah has also come, and they did to him whatever they wished, as it is written of him.”
The disciples must be full of questions! The question recorded is to know why the scribes say that Elijah/Elias must come before the Messiah.
The disciples know their Scripture. They are aware of Malachi 3:1, and of Malachi 4:5, which states:
“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet
Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he will turn
The hearts of the fathers to the children,
And the hearts of the children to their fathers,
Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.”
Their real question is, “You are the Messiah, but how is it that Elijah has not yet come?”
Jesus gives an answer that is not clear. He states “that Elijah has also come, and they did to him whatever they wished, as it is written of him.”
John’s call to repentance was meant to change the hearts of the people, and he was murdered while in the task of restoring all things.
Jesus could have stated clearly that the prophet had come in the form of John the Baptist, but He uses His characteristic teaching method of letting the disciples find the answer to their question.
Concerning the Son of Man May 9
Mark 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?”
In confirming the Scripture’s prophesy of the coming of Elijah, Jesus also puts a question to the disciples: And what is in the Scriptures concerning the Son of Man? He gives them the answer: that He must suffer many things and be treated with contempt.
Isaiah 53 speaks most clearly to Jesus’ question, but Jesus could have reasoned with them on all of the Scriptures prophesying His life and death as He did with two disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:25-27).
Mark asks his readers to answer this question, as well.
For those of us unfamiliar with the Scripture of Jesus’ day, we take it on faith the identity of Jesus fulfilling ancient prophecy. For the unbelieving or the new convert of Mark’s time period, knowledge of these Scriptures can confirm Jesus’ identity. This issue for the people of Mark’s day is the expectation of a political Messiah.
Substantial redefining of expectations to a spiritual Messiah is a difficult task alone. An unhardened heart open to new understanding with the help of the Holy Spirit was – and is – required.
An Arbiter May 10
Mark 9:14 And when He came to the disciples, He saw a great multitude around them, and scribes disputing with them. 15 Immediately, when they saw Him, all the people were greatly amazed, and running to Him, greeted Him. 16 And He asked the scribes, “What are you discussing with them?”
Jesus, Peter, James, and John come down the mountain to find the other nine disciples in a dispute with some scribes in front of a large crowd. Seeing Jesus, the people run to Him as to an arbiter in a dispute, someone who will reconcile the feuding factions.
Was Jesus’ countenance still reflecting the glory of His mountaintop experience, the radiance and brightness of the transfiguration? This would explain the “amazement” of those who saw Him
Jesus first asks the scribes to give their version of the dispute. This is an important lesson in itself. Rather than defending friends and allies without an understanding of both sides, learn the arguments against the ones you instinctively favor.
This is not disloyal. One must understand the opposing arguments before entering the dispute.
This is Jesus’ approach when confrontation is inevitable, as it will be each time He interacts with the scribes and Pharisees. He first determines the issue, and then proceeds to demonstrate the spiritual resolution.
In this particular dispute, we will see that the scribes who stand against the disciples are not the issue.
The Problem May 11
Mark 9:17 Then one of the crowd answered and said, “Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit. 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.”
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.”
The scribes do not answer Jesus’ question, but one of the crowd speaks.
A man describes how his son is inhabited by a mute spirit, one that renders his son speechless and sends him into convulsions. This may have been what we call epilepsy today. Jesus was not present, so he told Jesus’ disciples of his demon possessed son, but they were not able to cast out the demon.
Jesus speaks with sorrow – although this word and others is inadequate alone - against a faithless (or unbelieving) generation. Matthew 17:17 and Luke 9:41 add the words “and perverse” (figuratively, misinterpreting) against the generation of the present time.
Having so recently been in the presence of Moses and Elijah, Jesus finds himself among men whose understanding refuses to rise to the level of their senses – the truths that they have witnessed, seen and heard and felt and experienced in reality.
They have seen a multitude fed from little, the sick healed, spirits banished, Jesus walking toward them on the sea, and more. What else must He do?
How long must Jesus endure their persistence in bondage to the token realities of earth rather than soaring in spirit through heaven?
And of what generation, of what age are we, who have read and heard what the disciples saw and heard? No, we have progressed no further.
If You Can Believe… May 12
Mark 9:19 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.
21 So He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?”
And he said, “From childhood. 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.”
23 Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”
Jesus witnesses the son going through one of his fits as the spirit convulsed him.
Jesus asks the father how long this has been occurring to make a point. That this has occurred since the boy’s infancy. Disease was a punishment from God according to the Pharisees. Since the onset was before the child was able to sin, the disease is not a curse from God for a sin.
The response also indicates the issue is chronic, has been prolonged and without relief, and is hopeless – until this moment. The man has come in search of a greater power.
The man’s lack of full faith is in his question, “If you can (are able to) do anything….” Jesus responds with His own “if:” “If you can (are able to) believe…,” all things are possible to him who believes.”
Is Jesus’ faith the issue, or is it the man’s faith that must come first?
Some manuscripts omit the first “believe” in verse 23 so that it reads, If you can! All things are possible to him who believes.”
This puts a different perspective on the question. Jesus states that belief (or faith) is all that is required for anyone.
Yes, that is a remarkable statement, a claim that each one of us could refute with examples from our own lives of healing not being accomplished.
Do we have a conditional “if” in our prayer, a requirement that if He is God, will He prove Himself? That is called tempting God.
Help My Unbelief May 13
Mark 9:24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”
The father accepts Jesus’ assurance that faith is all that is needed, but acknowledgment of a truth and believing it over all the evidence weighing against it being possible is hard.
If every prayer was answered in the affirmative, not only would the world be in chaos with conflicting demands, but time and chance would play no more role than the consequences of the actions of ourselves or of other people.
A physical world requires that events progress in a predictable and orderly manner. The spiritual world requires the same. But the predictability and orderly manner of the two worlds may collide, overlap with conflicting results. Only one result is allowed.
Whether the physical or the spiritual reality wins may come down to belief, the individual’s power that shifts the balance between the visible and the invisible worlds.
The father asks Jesus to help him tip the balance by adding Jesus’ faith to his own faith. With Jesus’ physical absence in our age, this is comparable to when we pray for the Holy Spirit’s power. We have not been left alone.
Next page
