Mark 9

Mark 9:1

M 21-28; M 31-38; 1; L 22-27.       [ from the time of Peter’s confession, and about three-quarters of a year before the crucifixion] [Since the apostles, by the mouth of Peter, had just confessed Jesus as Christ, it was necessary that their crude Messianic conceptions should be corrected and that the true Christhood–the Christhood of the atonement and the resurrection–should be revealed to them. In discourse and parable Jesus had explained the principles and the nature of the kingdom, and now, from this time forth, he taught the [414] apostles about himself, the priestly King] [The Jewish Sanhedrin was generally designated by thus naming the three constituent parts. See , , ), but these had not been understood by either friend or foe. Now that he thus spoke plainly, we may see by Peter’s conduct that they comprehended and were deeply moved by the dark and more sorrowful portion of his revelation, and failed to grasp the accompanying promise of a resurrection.] [Evidently Peter regarded Jesus as overcome by a fit of despondency, and felt that such talk would utterly dishearten the disciples if it were persisted in. His love, therefore, prompted him to lead Jesus to one side and deal plainly with him. In so doing, Peter overstepped the laws of discipleship and assumed that he knew better than the Master what course to pursue.

In his feelings he was the forerunner of those modern wiseacres who confess themselves constrained to reject the doctrine of a suffering Messiah.] [Jesus withdrew from Peter and turned back to his disciples. By the confession of the truth Simon had just won his promised name of Peter, which allied him to Christ, the [415] foundation.

But when he now turned aside to speak the language of the tempter, Peter receives the name Satan, as if he were the very devil himself. Peter presented the same temptation with which the devil once called forth a similar rebuke from Christ . He was unconsciously trying to dissuade Jesus from the death on which the salvation of the world depended, and this was working into Satan’s hand. Peter did not mind or think about the Messiah’s kingdom as divinely conceived and revealed in the Scriptures.] [despite the efforts of Jesus to seek privacy, the people were still near enough at hand to be called and addressed] [comp. , ] [For comment, see , , , ] [see ] [Peter had just been ashamed of the words in which Christ pictured himself as undergoing his humiliation. Jesus warns him and all others of the dangers of such shame.] [The Father’s glory, the angels, and the rendering of universal judgment form a threefold indication that Jesus here speaks of his final coming to judge the world.] [The mention of his final coming suggested one nearer at hand which was to be accomplished during the life of most of those present, since none but Jesus himself and Judas were to die previous to that time. The kingdom was to come and likewise the King.

The former coming was literal, the latter spiritual. Those who refer this expression to the transfiguration certainly err, for no visible kingdom was established at that time.

The expression refers to the kingdom which was organized and set in motion on the Pentecost which followed the resurrection of Jesus. It was set up with power, because three thousand souls were converted the first day, and many other gospel triumphs speedily followed.] [417] [FFG 414-417]

Mark 9:2-13

(A Spur of Hermon, near Cæsarea Philippi.) M 1-13; M 2-13; L 28-36.       [Mark agrees with Matthew in saying six days. Luke qualifies his estimate by saying “about.” But if we regard him as including the day of the “sayings” and also the day of the transfiguration, and the other two as excluding these days, then the three statements tally exactly. The “sayings” referred to were the words of Jesus with regard to his suffering at Jerusalem] [These three, as leaders among the apostles, needed the special encouragement which was about to be given. For further comment, see ). Moreover there is little doubt that at that time and for centuries previous there was an inhabited fortress upon Mt. Tabor ( ; Jos. i. 8, 7; 37). Moreover, Mt. Tabor is not a high mountain, its elevation above the sea being but 1,748 feet.

Hermon, on the contrary, is the highest mountain in Palestine, its elevation, according to Reclus, being 9,400 feet. It was Jesus’ custom to withdraw for prayer by night and the transfiguration took place at night.] [ transformed; the description shows to what extent] [418] [We may conceive of the body of Jesus becoming luminous and imparting its light to his garments. The Christian looks forward to beholding such a transfiguration and also to participating in it– .] [The three apostles could identify Moses and Elijah by the course of this conversation, though it is possible that miraculous knowledge may have accompanied miraculous sight.] [ Moses and Elijah] [The word for decease is “exodus,” an unusual word for death. It means a departure and is, as Bengel says, a very weighty word, since it includes the passion, crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension.] [it being night] [Peter’s fears overcame his discretion, but did not silence his tongue. Though he trembled at the fellowship of Moses and Elijah, he also realized the blessedness of it and could not let them depart without an effort to detain them, though the best inducement that he could offer was to build three booths, or arbors, made of the branches of trees, for their and Christ’s accommodation. By thus speaking, Peter placed Jesus upon the same level with Moses [419] and Elijah–all three being worthy of a booth.] [Clouds often roll against the sides of Mt.

Hermon, but the brightness of this cloud and the fear which it produced suggests that it was the Shekinah, or cloud of glory, which was the symbol of God’s peculiar presence– , , , , , , , .] [This command contains the chief significance of the entire scene. Spoken in the presence of Moses and Elijah, it gave Jesus that pre-eminence which a son has over servants.

He is to be heard. His words have pre-eminence over those of the lawgiver and the prophet . Peter recognized Jesus as thus honored by this voice– .] [As every man is who hears the voice of God.] [As mediator between man and God, Jesus removes fear.] [Leaders and prophets depart, but Christ abides– , .] [The people were not ready for the publication of such an event. To have told it now would only have been to raise doubts as to their veracity.] [420] [Jesus spake so often in parables and made so frequent use of metaphors that the apostles did not take his words concerning the resurrection in a literal sense. They regarded his language as figurative, and sought to interpret the figure.] [They were puzzled by the disappearance of Elijah. They looked upon him as having come to fulfill the prophecy of Malachi , but they marveled that, having come, he should so soon withdraw, and that they should be forbidden to tell that they had seen him, since the sight of him would be some sign of Jesus’ Messiahship.] [this sentence leads some to think that Elijah will appear again before the second coming of our Lord, but the words are to be interpreted in connection with the rest of the passage] [If the writings concerning Elijah perplexed the apostles, those concerning the Messiah perplexed them also.

From one set of prophecies they might learn something about the other. Elijah came, but the Scriptures concerning him were so little understood that he was put to death.

The Messiah also came, and the prophecies concerning him were so little understood that he, too, would be set at naught.] [Malachi used the name of Elijah figuratively to represent John the Baptist. [421] See , . That there shall be a second coming of Elijah in fulfillment of this prophecy is hardly possible, for the office of Elijah is prophetically outlined as that of the restorer. But Elijah could not restore Judaism, for that dispensation had been done away with in Christ. He could hardly have chosen to restore Christianity, for even if it should need such a restoration, a Jewish prophet would be ill-suited to such an office. One of the apostles would be vastly preferable.] [FFG 418-422]

Mark 9:14-28

(Region of Cæsarea Philippi.) M 14-20; M 14-29; L 37-43.       [the nine apostles which had been left behind] [We last heard of the multitude at . See ), but this can hardly have been so, for it would have been at variance with the secrecy which Jesus enjoined as to his transfiguration. Moreover, so important [422] a feature could hardly have escaped from the narratives of all three evangelists. Undoubtedly the amazement was caused by the sudden and opportune return of Jesus. Those who urge that this was not enough to produce amazement show themselves to be poor students of human nature. The multitude had been listening to and no doubt enjoying the questions of the scribes.

The unexpected appearance of Jesus therefore impressed them with the sudden sense of having been detected in wrong-doing which invariably leads to amazement. Moreover, those who remained loyal to Jesus would be equally amazed by his approach, since they could not but feel that an exciting crisis was at hand.] [ when Jesus and the multitude met] [He surprised the scribes by this demand and they saw at once that he knew all and they felt rebuked for their unwarranted exultation, and so kept silent.] [When the scribes did not answer, the father of the demoniac boy broke the embarrassing silence by telling Jesus about the matter in question.

His child was deaf, dumb, and epileptic, but all these physical ailments were no doubt produced by the demon or evil spirit which possessed him. The phrase “hardly departeth from him” rather suggests the continual unrest in which the demon kept his victim rather than that the demon ever really relinquished his possession of him. Pauses in the delirium of agony were regarded as departures of the [423] demon.] [As there was no reason to accuse the apostles of perversity, it is evident that the rebuke of Jesus is addressed generally to all and not particularly to the disciples. The perverse faithlessness and infidelity of the scribes had operated upon the multitude, and the doubts of the multitude had in turn influenced the apostles, and thus, with the blind leading the blind, all had fallen into the ditch of impotent disbelief. The disbelief of the people was a constant grief to Jesus, but it must have been especially so in this case, for it fostered and perpetrated this scene of weakness, mean-spiritedness, misery, and suffering which stood out in such sharp contrast with the peace, blessedness, and glory from which he had just come.] [saw Jesus] [By causing the long-standing nature of the case and the malignity of it to be fully revealed, Jesus emphasized the power of the cure] [Jesus echoed back the “if thou canst” which the man had uttered. If Jesus marveled at the faith of a Gentile which trusted the fullness [424] of his divine power, he also marveled at the disbelief of this Jew which thus coolly and presumptuously questions the sufficiency of that power.

In the remainder of his answer Jesus shows that the lack of power is not in him, but in those who would be recipients of the blessings of his power, for those blessings are obtained by faith.] [He confessed his faith, but desired so ardently to have the child healed that he feared lest he should not have faith enough to accomplish that desire, and therefore asked for more faith.] [Jesus had found the multitude when he came down from the mountain, but the excitement in this multitude was evidently drawing men from every quarter, so that the crowd was momentarily growing greater. A longer conversation with the man might have been beneficial, but to prevent the gathering of any larger company Jesus acted at once and spoke the words of command.

Since the demon was manifestly of a most daring, impudent, and audacious nature, Jesus took the precaution to forbid it attempting to re-enter its victim, a precaution which the conduct of the demon abundantly justified.] [The malicious effrontery and obstinacy displayed by this demon stands in marked contrast to the cowed, supplicating spirit shown by the Gergesene legion. See ). Faith has such power with God that even little faith becomes well-nigh omnipotent in an age of miracles.] [Prayer was the means of increasing faith. Demons, like spirits in the flesh, have different degrees of will force, some being easier to subdue than others, and this once, being particularly willful and obstinate, required more faith to expel it.] [FFG 422-426]

Mark 9:30-32

M 22, 23; M 30-32; L 43-45.       [from the region of Cæsarea Philippi] [on his way to Capernaum] [He was still seeking that retirement which began on the journey to Tyre. See , . See .] [426] [the reason for his retirement is here given: he wished to prepare his disciples for his passion] [the present tense is used for the future to express the nearness and certainty of the event] [We have here two notes of time during which Jesus spoke of his passion. It was all the while he was in Galilee, between his return from Cæsarea and his departure into Judæa, for which see . The length of time suggests that the sad lesson was oft repeated, but was at a time when the marvels of his works strengthened the faith of the disciples so as to enable them to bear the instruction.] [For comment on similar language see .] [Peter’s experience taught them not to attempt to correct Jesus while thus speaking, so there was nothing left for them but to grieve at his words.] [What was told to them was not for their present but their future benefit, and therefore they were left to puzzle over the words of Jesus] [Not so much from any awe with which they regarded him, as from the delicacy of the subject itself, and their own sorrow, which shrank from knowing it more fully.] [427] [FFG 426-427]

Mark 9:33-50

(Capernaum, Autumn, A. D. 29.) M 1-14; M 33-50; L 46-50.       [probably Simon Peter’s house] [The Lord with his disciples was now on his way back to Galilee from Cæsarea Philippi, where, some ten days before, he had promised the keys of the kingdom to Peter, and where he had honored Peter and the sons of Zebedee by a mysterious withdrawal into the mount. These facts, therefore, no doubt started the dispute as to which should hold the highest office in the kingdom. The fires of envy thus set burning were not easily quenched. We find them bursting forth again from time to time down to the very verge of Christ’s exit from the world– , .] [The spirit which proudly seeks to be first in place thereby consents to make itself last in character, for it reverses the graces of the soul, turning love into envy, humility into pride, generosity into selfishness, etc.] [Not comprehending our Lord’s answer and wishing to have him definitely point out the honored person, they now come asking this question. Had Jesus wished to teach the primacy of Peter, no better opportunity [430] could have been found.] [Jesus told them plainly that they must turn from their sin of personal ambition or they could not be his disciples–part of his kingdom–and he pointed them to a little child as the model in this particular, because the humble spirit in which the child looks up to its parents stood out in sharp contrast with their self-seeking, self-exalting ambition.] [Greatness does not consist in place. Disciples who receive those of a childlike spirit and disposition that they may thereby honor the name of Christ are honored of Christ as the greatest.

The words “in my name” probably suggested to John the incident which follows.] [Was not one of our immediate company. This man’s actions had excited the jealousy of John.

Jealousy as to official prerogative is very common. His zeal for Jesus reminds us of the friends of Moses . But Jesus shows that one who knows enough of him to use his power is not apt to dishonor him.] [431] [The converse of this statement is found at . The two statements taken together declare the impossibility of neutrality. If a man is in no sense against Christ, then he is for him; and if he is not for Christ, he is against him.] [Jesus here returns to the discussion of greatness, and reasserts the doctrine that the smallest act of righteousness, if performed for the sake of the King, shall be honored in the kingdom. For comment, see , and refers to those worms which feed upon the carcasses of men.

The fire and worm can hardly be taken literally, for the two figures are incompatible–worms do not frequent fires. The two figures depict hell as a state of decay which is never completed and of burning which does not consume.

Some regard the worm as a symbol of the gnawings of remorse, and the fire as a symbol of actual punishment.] [At this point many ancient authorities add, “and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt.”] [We have here one of the most difficult passages in the Bible. If the word “fire” were found in an isolated text it might be taken as a symbol either of purification or of punishment. But the context here determines its meaning, for it has just been taken twice as a symbol of punishment. Salt is a symbol of that which preserves from decay. Now, Jesus has just been talking about the future state, with its two conditions or states [433] of bliss and punishment. In both of these states the souls of men are salted or preserved.

Every one of the wicked is preserved by a negative or false salt–a worm which feeds but does not die, and a fire which consumes but refuses to go out. Though this state is a condition of life, it is such a negative and false condition that it is elsewhere termed a second death.

It is therefore rightly called a “salted” or preserved condition, yet it contradicts the symbolic idea of saltness. As we understand it, the difficulty of the passage lies in this contradictory sense in which the term “salt” is used–a contradiction in which the term “eternal life” also shares, for eternal life is the constant contrast to life in hell, though that life also is spoken of as eternal. The true Christian–the man who offers his body as “a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God”–is preserved by the true salt or element of preservation, which is a divinely begotten life of righteousness within him. This is the good state of preservation which a man is counseled to obtain, and not to lose, since it will not be restored to him. The passage summarizes and contrasts the two states of future preservation, one being the salt of eternal life which preserves a man to enjoy the love of God in heaven, and the other being the salt of fire which preserves him in hell to endure the just punishment of God. The “every one” in refers to the sufferers mentioned in .] [Jesus here resumes his warning against that pride which exalts itself and despises the humble; disclosing the fact that the ministration of angels is not only general but special, certain angels being entrusted with the care of certain individuals, and all of them supplementing their own wisdom and power by direct access to the presence of God.] [434] [Those who have led highly moral lives have a tendency to despise those who have been defiled by gross sin.

This truth is abundantly illustrated by the conduct of the Pharisees, but that such little ones should not be despised Jesus speaks this warning parable. Though the sheep in the fold and the one that is lost have, as individuals, the same intrinsic value, yet this even balance of value is somewhat modified by the sentiments and emotions incident to loss and recovery.

Moreover, the anxiety and trouble caused by the sheep’s wandering do not but rather the value of that sheep, because the heart of the Shepherd is so replete with goodness that the misbehavior of the sheep prompts him to feel pity and compassion, rather than to cherish resentment and revenge. Sin does not add to a man’s intrinsic value in God’s sight–nay, it detracts from it; but it excites in the heart of God pity, compassion, and other tender emotions which make it extremely dangerous for those who hinder his reformation and imperil his soul by despising him.] [FFG 430-435]