Tyndale Open Study Notes

Verse 1

9:1-6 Jesus now sent his twelve disciples to announce the Kingdom of God and demonstrate its authority by casting out demons and healing the sick. Jesus was training them to carry on his work after he was gone.

Verse 3

9:3 Take nothing for your journey: They were to live in dependence on God and on the charity of those to whom they ministered.

Verse 4

9:4 stay in the same house: They were to develop lasting relationships and be content without seeking better lodging or provisions.

Verse 5

9:5 shake its dust from your feet: Using a symbol of rejection, they were to leave such a town to the judgment it deserved.

Verse 8

9:8 Jews expected that Elijah would come prior to God’s final judgment (see study note on 1:17). Some Jews expected that a prophet like Moses would come (Deut 18:15).

Verse 9

9:9 I beheaded John: See Mark 6:14-29.

Verse 10

9:10-17 The feeding of the 5,000 recalls God’s miraculous feeding of Israel with manna in the wilderness (Exod 16; see also 2 Kgs 4:42-44). It points forward to God’s final salvation as a great feast for all nations (Isa 25:6-8; 65:13-14; Luke 14:15-24).

9:10 he slipped quietly away: Jesus knew that the disciples needed a time of spiritual retreat. • The town of Bethsaida was located on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee, east of the Jordan River. It was the hometown of Peter, Andrew (John 1:44), and Philip (John 12:21).

Verse 11

9:11 He welcomed them: Although Jesus wished to retreat with his disciples, he had compassion on the crowds and ministered to them.

Verse 13

9:13 You feed them: After their ministry of healing the sick and casting out demons, Jesus wanted the disciples to demonstrate faith in God’s ability to feed the crowds.

Verse 17

9:17 twelve baskets of leftovers: God abundantly provides for his people.

Verse 18

9:18-27 Peter’s confession that Jesus was the Messiah marked a turning point, as Jesus moved from demonstrating his messianic authority through miracles to explaining the unexpected suffering of the Messiah. Jesus accepted the confession but clarified that his being the Messiah would involve suffering and death. He called his disciples to follow him regardless of the cost.

Verse 19

9:19 some say Elijah: See study note on 9:8.

Verse 20

9:20 the Messiah: The phrase could be translated “the Lord’s Anointed,” a designation for the king of Israel (1 Sam 24:6, 10; 2 Sam 19:21; Ps 2:2). David was the Lord’s anointed, as was the Messiah.

Verse 21

9:21-22 not to tell anyone who he was: Jesus did not want to encourage a popular uprising; his calling was not to overthrow Rome, but to suffer and die.

Verse 22

9:22 must suffer many terrible things: This was the first of Jesus’ prophecies concerning his coming death in Jerusalem (see 9:44; 17:25; 18:31-34). Jesus would fulfill Isa 52:13–53:12, in which the servant of the Lord (the Messiah) became a saving sacrifice for God’s people. These events were part of God’s purpose and plan. Despite opposition from human beings and from the spiritual forces of Satan, God works through the actions of human beings to accomplish his purposes. Though wicked men plotted against Jesus and put him to death, God accomplished salvation by raising Jesus from the dead (Luke 24:7, 26-27, 44-47; Acts 2:23-24; 3:18; 4:28). • leading priests: Though Israel had only one high priest, the upper-class priests were the aristocracy; they served on the Sanhedrin and held positions of power in Jerusalem.

Verse 23

9:23-27 If any of you wants to be my follower: After predicting his own suffering and death, Jesus taught that all who follow him must also experience death to self.

9:23 take up your cross daily: This did not simply mean carrying a heavy burden, but suffering a violent death by crucifixion. Believers must be completely willing to die to themselves and to live for God, even at the cost of their lives.

Verse 24

9:24 hang on to your life: Placing oneself on the throne denies Jesus. The result is to lose one’s life, mainly at the last judgment (9:26; John 12:25).

Verse 26

9:26 the Son of Man . . . when he returns in his glory: See Dan 7:13-14; “The Son of Man” Theme Note.

Verse 27

9:27 This difficult verse has been interpreted as referring to: (1) the second coming of Christ; (2) the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70; (3) the resurrection of Jesus; or (4) the transfiguration, which follows in 9:28-36. The last possibility is the most likely.

Verse 28

9:28-36 At the transfiguration, Jesus’ true glory was unveiled for three disciples to witness, confirming Peter’s confession that Jesus was the Christ. Moses and Elijah confirmed that Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah.

9:28 About eight days later: Mark says “after six days,” referring to full days, while Luke includes parts of days. • Peter, John, and James were the inner circle of Jesus’ disciples (see also 8:51; Mark 14:32-33). • a mountain: The site of the transfiguration is traditionally regarded as Mount Tabor in southern Galilee. Some have suggested Mount Hermon, which is closer to Caesarea Philippi, where Peter’s confession (Luke 9:18-27) took place.

Verse 29

9:29 his clothes became dazzling white (literally became bright as a flash of lightning): Jesus’ glory shone through his human body (cp. Ezek 1:4; Dan 7:9; see also Exod 34:29).

Verse 31

9:31 his exodus from this world: The Greek word exodos means “departure.” As the exodus from Egypt was God’s great act of deliverance in the Old Testament, so Jesus’ exodus from this world—his death, resurrection, and ascension—was God’s great act of deliverance in the New Testament. Jesus would accomplish a new and greater exodus.

Verse 33

9:33 Let’s make three shelters as memorials: The Greek word translated shelter (skēnē) is the same word used in the Greek Old Testament to refer to the Tabernacle, Israel’s portable temple in the wilderness, and for the portable shelters Jews lived in during the Festival of Shelters (Lev 23:42; Neh 8:14-17). Peter might have wanted to prolong the event by giving Jesus, Moses, and Elijah a place to stay.

Verse 34

9:34 a cloud overshadowed them: Clouds often veil the presence of God (Exod 16:10; 19:9; 24:16).

Verse 35

9:35 The voice from the cloud recalls God’s voice at Jesus’ baptism (3:22). • My Chosen One alludes to Isa 42:1, identifying Jesus as the suffering servant of the Lord. • Listen to him is from Deut 18:15, identifying Jesus as “the prophet like Moses” (see Acts 3:22; 7:37).

Verse 38

9:38 my only child: The loss of an only son was especially tragic, since this left no one to carry on the family name (cp. 7:12; see Gen 22:16; 1 Kgs 17:17-24; Jer 6:26; Amos 8:10; Zech 12:10).

Verse 39

9:39 An evil spirit keeps seizing him: Demons sometimes inflict physical illnesses such as lameness (13:11) and muteness (11:14).

Verse 41

9:41 You faithless and corrupt people: It is unclear whether Jesus was speaking to the disciples or to the people as a whole.

Verse 44

9:44 See study note on 9:22.

Verse 45

9:45 Its significance was hidden from them: The disciples were often slow to understand, partly because their eyes were blinded to the truth until after the resurrection (see study note on Mark 6:52).

Verse 46

9:46-50 The disciples’ failure to apprehend Jesus’ impending death was now illustrated by their pride and selfishness.

9:46 Jesus had just predicted his own suffering and death, so the disciples’ arguing about which of them was the greatest showed astonishing pride and insensitivity.

Verse 47

9:47 Jesus knew their thoughts: See 5:22; 7:39-40.

Verse 48

9:48 Anyone who welcomes a little child: To welcome means to bestow honor and to treat as a social equal. The statement is shocking, since children in Jesus’ day had no social status in the community and were viewed as their parents’ property. Jesus took the lowest and most vulnerable members of society and announced that welcoming them was equivalent to welcoming him. • on my behalf (literally in my name): This means “as my representative.” • Whoever is the least among you is the greatest: True leadership in Jesus’ Kingdom is achieved through sacrificial service, not the exercise of power (see also Mark 10:42-45).

Verse 50

9:50 Anyone who is not against you is for you: Though not one of the Twelve, the man who was casting out demons was not to be discouraged since he, too, was proclaiming the message of the Kingdom. The statement was proverbial, however, and not an absolute truth, as Jesus made the inverse statement in 11:23. Wisdom is needed to apply a proverb properly in a given situation.

Verse 51

9:51–19:44 Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem was a new phase in the suffering mission of the Messiah. In this section, Jesus prepared his disciples for what was to come, while the opposition from the Jewish leaders increased.

9:51 Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem: Though the route was indirect, Jerusalem was Jesus’ ultimate destination.

Verse 52

9:52-53 a Samaritan village: Jews and Samaritans had a history of conflict and racial prejudice; they hated each other (see study note on 10:33). The Samaritans, who worshiped on Mount Gerizim, probably assumed that Jesus was traveling to Jerusalem to worship there.

Verse 54

9:54 call down fire from heaven to burn them up: Some manuscripts add as Elijah did. Three times, Elijah called down fire from heaven against the enemies of God (1 Kgs 18:38; 2 Kgs 1:1-17). In their zeal, James and John wanted to do the same.

Verse 57

9:57-62 As he traveled toward Jerusalem to suffer and die, Jesus explained the cost to those who wished to follow him.

Verse 58

9:58 no place even to lay his head: Any disciple of Jesus must be ready to go anywhere and to give up home and security.

Verse 59

9:59 let me . . . bury my father: Respect for parents was a very important value in first-century Israel. Among other things, this meant providing them with an honorable burial. Jesus called for a commitment that took precedence over all human relationships.

Verse 61

9:61-62 let me say good-bye to my family: The statement echoes Elisha’s request of Elijah (1 Kgs 19:19-20). Jesus required an even more complete commitment from his disciples. • puts a hand to the plow and then looks back: The ancient farmer guided a light plow with his left hand and his oxen with the right. Looking away would turn the plow out of its path. For a believer, looking back meant placing earthly concerns ahead of God.