Read Mark 9
1 And he said to them, “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see that the kingdom of God has come with power.”
The Transfiguration
2 After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. 3 His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. 4 And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus.
5 Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 6 (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.)
7 Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”
8 Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus.
9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10 They kept the matter to themselves, discussing what “rising from the dead” meant.
11 And they asked him, “Why do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?”
12 Jesus replied, “To be sure, Elijah does come first, and restores all things. Why then is it written that the Son of Man must suffer much and be rejected? 13 But I tell you, Elijah has come, and they have done to him everything they wished, just as it is written about him.”
Jesus Heals a Boy Possessed by an Impure Spirit
14 When they came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them. 15 As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him.
16 “What are you arguing with them about?” he asked.
17 A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. 18 Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.”
19 “You unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.”
20 So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.
21 Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?”
“From childhood,” he answered. 22 “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”
23 “‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.”
24 Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”
25 When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the impure spirit. “You deaf and mute spirit,” he said, “I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.”
26 The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, “He’s dead.” 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up.
28 After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”
29 He replied, “This kind can come out only by prayer.”
Jesus Predicts His Death a Second Time
30 They left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, 31 because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise.” 32 But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it.
33 They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?” 34 But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest.
35 Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.”
36 He took a little child whom he placed among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, 37 “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”
Whoever Is Not Against Us Is for Us
38 “Teacher,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.”
39 “Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, 40 for whoever is not against us is for us. 41 Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward.
Causing to Stumble
42 “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea. 43 If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. [44] 45 And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. [46] 47 And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, 48 where
“‘the worms that eat them do not die,
and the fire is not quenched.’
49 Everyone will be salted with fire.
50 “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again?Have salt among yourselves, and be at peace with each other.”
Go Deeper
In this chapter, we read that the people were “overwhelmed with wonder” (v. 15) as they followed Jesus, and yet at the same time they were filled with confusion. We see a number of instances in this passage where people close to Jesus can’t quite figure Him out. Peter, James, and John didn’t know what rising from the dead meant; a father isn’t so sure that Jesus can heal his son; the disciples argued about who was the greatest; John tells someone to stop driving out demons in Jesus’s name. It’s almost humorous how consistently this group of rag-tag disciples keeps tripping up. They have been with Jesus for a while now, and yet they still don’t understand who He truly is. In their overconfidence, they try to impress Jesus by running two steps ahead, but He has to keep correcting their missteps.
There are so many lessons we can learn from the mistakes of those who followed Jesus the closest. Even though they had lived a lot of life with Him, they still had a lot of room to grow. Similarly, we can never get so confident in our walk with Jesus to believe we have ever “made it.” We will never outgrow our need to learn about Jesus and from Jesus. As we look at the disciples in this chapter, we’re reminded that maintaining humility will keep us from a number of mishaps.
Questions
What are some things you notice about the disciples in this chapter? Where can you relate to them?
In verses 18-19, it says “He said to them, ‘The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise.’ But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it.” Why do you think the disciples were afraid to ask Jesus questions?
In verse 24, the father of the possessed boy exclaims, “I do believe, help me overcome my unbelief!” What are some areas in your life right now where you are doubting God’s ability? Where do you need Him to help you overcome your unbelief?
In the closing verses of this chapter, Jesus talks about the serious nature of sin. What are some steps you need to take in order to cut sin out of your life?
Did You Know?
The Gospels of Matthew (17:1-13), Mark (9:2-13), and Luke (9:28-36) all tell the story of the Transfiguration, when Jesus took Peter, James, and John to the top of the mountain. Luke’s account includes the detail that the conversation between Jesus, Moses, and Elijah was about Jesus’s impending death and resurrection.
1 thought on “Mark 9”
In a few short chapters in Mark, the disciples offer striking examples of belief and unbelief. Just one chapter ago, Peter declared emphatically of Jesus (Mark 8: 29), “you are the Messiah.” This is the faith that can move mountains (Mark 11:23), that acknowledges that “with God all things are possible (Mark 10:27), and that ultimately drove Peter and many of the disciples to give their life as martyrs rather than renounce their LORD. And yet, these same disciples, who had witnessed God’s provision and power and Jesus’ authority time after time, also denied Jesus repeatedly (Mark 14:68-72), and failed to have the faith (Mark 9:18-19) needed to drive out the evil spirit in Jesus’ name.
I find myself echoing the words of the boy’s father in this passage (Mark 9:24): “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”