Continuing a Bible study of the Gospels:
(Mark 9:1) And He said to them, "Verily, I say to you that there are some who stand here who shall not taste of death till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power."
This first verse actually is a proper ending for the message Jesus had been giving at the end of the last chapter. Jesus had been talking about what it meant to follow Him. He concluded with this statement that there were some people there among His disciples and the other people who were listening to Him, who would not die before they got to see the kingdom of God come with power on the earth. He was referring to the time when the Holy Spirit would descend upon three thousand in a baptism of fire that would ignite the Christian church.
(2) And after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up in a high mountain apart by themselves; and He was transfigured before them.
Six days after that Jesus took Peter, James, and John, apart from the other disciples, and led them up on a mountain. He was transfigured before them. It seems whenever Jesus desired two or three witnesses, He usually always took Peter, James, and John, who seemed to be His closest disciples. The original word used that was translated as "transfigured" is entirely recognizable as "metamorphoo." However, more than just a metamorphosis to another form, John Wesley, in his Notes on the Bible, stated that the word seemed to refer to a transformation into a form of God. Indeed, the only two other places in scripture it is used refer to a Godly transformation into the image and character of God. In 2 Corinthians 3:18, although the word is translated as "changed," the original is "metamorphoo" and speaks of us changing into the same image of Christ's glory. In Romans 12:2, Paul speaks of a transformation of our minds in opposition to conformity to the world to a Christlike mind that can discern the perfect will of God. In all three cases that the word "metamorphoo" was used, although it was translated three different ways, it does indeed seem to mean a Godly metamorphosis.
(3) And His clothing became shining, exceedingly white as snow such as no launderer on earth can whiten them.
In His transfiguration, Jesus's clothing became shining bright white, whiter than any white that could be produced by man.
(4) And there appeared to them Elijah and Moses, and they were talking with Jesus.
Not only was Jesus transfigured before the three disciples, but Elijah and Moses also appeared, and they were talking with Jesus. The account in Luke states they were discussing Jesus's "decease" that He would "accomplish" at Jerusalem.
(5) And Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Master, it is good for us to be here, and let us make three tabernacles, one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." (6) For he did not know what to say, for they were greatly afraid.
Peter spoke to Jesus and told Him how good it was to be there with Him and witness such a glorious event. Then he, rather oddly, added that they should make three tabernacles, one for Jesus, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. However, we are told that he really didn't know what to say for the three disciples were greatly afraid of what they were witnessing. What Peter failed to realize in his proposal to make three tabernacles was that what he was witnessing was the law, represented by Moses, and the prophets, represented by Elijah, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ being brought together in perfect unity. And isn't it interesting that the disciples knew it was Moses and Elijah they saw with Jesus? It's not as if they had ever seen photographs of them. It was surely by the Holy Spirit of God that they knew who they were witnessing, but they didn't quite grasp why they were witnessing them or rather, what was represented by it.
(7) And there was a cloud that overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son; hear Him."
A cloud overshadowed all of them, probably a cloud of glory such as accompanied Israel in the wilderness, and God's voice came out of the cloud proclaiming that Jesus was His beloved Son and that they hear Him, perhaps meaning in preference to Moses and Elijah who were just harbingers of the coming Christ the Messiah.
(8) And suddenly when they had looked around, they saw no one anymore except Jesus only with themselves.
The disciples apparently looked around or perhaps down, as indicated in Matthew 17:8, when they heard God speak, and when they looked up or back toward the transfigured trio there was no longer anyone there except for Jesus and the disciples themselves.
(9) And as they came down from the mountain, He charged them that they should tell no one what things they had seen till the Son of man was risen from the dead.
Jesus and the three disciples then came down from the mountain, and as they were coming down, Jesus instructed the three not to tell anyone of the things they had witnessed there until He was risen from the dead.
(10) And they kept it to themselves, questioning one another what the rising from the dead meant.
They indeed kept it to themselves, but they discussed with one another about what Jesus had meant by rising from the dead. It's not that the idea of resurrection was foreign to them; it was not. However, they probably pondered among themselves just what form it would take with Jesus.
(11) And they asked Him, saying, "Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?"
The three disciples did however ask Jesus a different question about why the scribes said that Elijah must come first, that is, before the Messiah.
(12) And He answered and told them, "Elijah indeed comes first and restores all things, and how it is written of the Son of man that He must suffer many things and be set as nothing."
Jesus confirmed that Elijah was indeed to come first and begin to set things right. Part of that restoring or fulfilling prophecy would include what had been written about the Son of man that He must suffer many things and be treated with contempt as if He were nothing.
(13) "But I say to you that Elijah has indeed come, and they have done to him whatever they wished, as it is written of him."
Jesus went on to tell the disciples that Elijah had indeed already come, and by that He meant in the form of John the Baptist, just as it had been written or prophesied about him. The clause "and they have done to him whatever they wished" was a parenthetical statement about what the powers that be had done to John the Baptist, an additional fact that proved that Elijah was John the Baptist who had already come and had been killed.
(14) And when He came to the disciples, He saw a great multitude around them and the scribes questioning with them.
When Jesus and the three disciples who had gone with Him came down from the mountain to the rest of the disciples, Jesus saw them with a great multitude of people around them and scribes were questioning and arguing with them.
(15) And immediately all the people, when they saw Him, were greatly amazed, and running to Him, greeted Him.
All the people who had surrounded the disciples were surprised when they saw Jesus coming and they ran to greet Him.
(16) And He asked the scribes, "What question have you with them?"
Jesus asked the scribes what they had been questioning the disciples about.
(17) And one of the multitude answered and said, "Master, I have brought to You my son who has a dumb spirit."
One among the multitude spoke up and told Jesus that he had brought his son to Him because he had a dumb or mute spirit that prevented him from speaking.
(18) "And wherever it takes him, it tears him and he foams and gnashes with his teeth and withers away; and I spoke to Your disciples that they cast it out, and they could not."
The man who spoke up to answer Jesus continued to tell Him about how the spirit would take hold of his son, thrashing him about and hurting him. He would foam at the mouth and gnash his teeth until he fell limp. The man had asked the disciples to cast out the evil spirit but they could not do it.
(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."
Jesus answered the man and spoke to him and all the people around him, calling them a faithless generation and asking how long He would have to bear with their faithlessness. He then told the man to bring his son to Him.
(20) And they brought him to Him, and when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming.
The people brought the man's son to Jesus, and as soon as the spirit saw Jesus, it convulsed the young man so that he fell rolling on the ground and foaming at the mouth.
(21) And He asked his father, "How long has it been since this came to him?" And he said, "As a child."
Jesus asked the father how long the evil spirit had possessed his son, and he told Him it had been with him since he was a child. We don't know how old the son was now, but it had evidently been a long time with him.
(22) "And often times it has cast him into the fire and into the waters to destroy him; but if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us."
The man continued to tell Jesus about how the spirit would often cast him into fire or into bodies of water in an effort apparently to destroy him. The man doesn't appear to have much faith; perhaps it had diminished because the disciples had been unable to help him. He asked "if" He could do anything, would He please have compassion on him and his son.
(23) Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes."
Jesus told the man that if he would only believe, all things would be possible to the one who would believe. The man had said "if" Jesus could help, and Jesus put it back on him that it was "if" the man had faith in Him, not that there was any power lacking in Jesus to heal the man's son.
(24) And immediately the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, "Lord, I believe! Help my unbelief!"
This is one of my favorite scriptures in the Bible! I guess because I have often felt this way. The man cried out that he did believe his Lord but asked Him to help with his unbelief. He did believe in the power of the Lord, but asked for help with any measure of unbelief that was blocking the healing of his son. Sometimes we want to put Jesus into a little human box of our understanding, and although we desire to believe all things, our human understanding of things sometimes gets in the way of believing that literally all things are possible. It's why we don't always observe incredibly great miracles in our modern civilized world like converts in simpler third world countries can. There are some amazing accounts of fantastic miracles in some isolated parts of the world when people are introduced to Jesus. They believe and don't have all the worldly garbage to get in the way of their belief.
(25) When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the foul spirit, saying to him, "Dumb and deaf spirit, I charge you, come out of him and enter him no more."
Jesus saw more people running toward them and the crowd was getting larger, probably because they heard the commotion and the man crying out. At that point He rebuked the demonic spirit and spoke to it directly, commanding it to come out of the man's son and never enter him again.
(26) And the spirit cried out and convulsed him greatly and came out of him, and he was as one dead, in that many said, "He is dead."
The spirit cried out and greatly convulsed the young man and came out of him so violently that it left him limp and looking as if he were dead. Actually, many people even said that he was dead.
(27) But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.
However, Jesus took the young man by the hand and lifted him up and he indeed arose and was not dead.
(28) And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, "Why could we not cast it out?"
Perhaps Jesus led the young man into his own house, or it could have been any house that Jesus entered to rest and refresh. The important point is that it was when they were in private that the disciples asked Jesus why it was that they were not able to cast the demon out of the young man.
(29) And He said to them, "This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting."
Jesus told the disciples that that particular spirit could only come out by prayer and fasting. In the account in Matthew Jesus additionally told them that it was because of their unbelief. The disciples surely believed they could cast the demon out, or else they wouldn't be asking why they were unable. This is similar to what the father of the possessed man had said. He did believe but he asked the Lord to help him with his unbelief that was hindering any healing. That is what the disciples should have done. Jesus was pointing out to them that not everything was free and easy and at their fingertips. That spirit had been with the young man a long time and was not so easily dispossessed. Jesus could do it with a word, but the disciples needed that strength from Jesus, what they could only get through prayer and fasting, and in close communion with God. It's important to stay rooted and continue to get our strength from the source; it is never of ourselves that miracles are performed and we must be made brutally aware of that fact sometimes. Another reason for staying rooted is to know the will of God. All things are possible to him who believes, yes, but it must be within the will of God. Belief must be in Him and in His will; it is never of ourselves or of our own selfish wills.
This is a rather long chapter, so I will end this post here for now, and continue with the ninth chapter of Mark in the next post.
No comments:
Post a Comment