Mark 9, Part One

The nearness of the kingdom (v. 1)—This verse belongs in chapter 8, at the end of Jesus’ teaching there. But it’s an important verse, so let me get the whole of it before us: “And He said to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power.’" Note some crucial points. The kingdom would come in the lifetime of Jesus’ disciples; thus, it is not future from our time, as premillennialism teaches. Further the kingdom would come “with power.” This helps us narrow down even more when that kingdom would arrive. In Luke 24:49, Jesus said to His apostles, “Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high." “Power” would come upon the apostles in Jerusalem. Now let’s consider Acts 1:8, Jesus again talking to His apostles before His ascension: “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.” So, according to Mark 9:1, the kingdom of God would come in the lifetime of the apostles, and it would arrive “with power.” After Christ’s resurrection, the apostles were to remain in Jerusalem until they received “power” (Luke 24:49), a “power” that would come with the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8). When did the Holy Spirit come upon them? That event is recorded in Acts 2:1-4, the day of Pentecost. Peter preached to the multitudes, 3,000 were baptized, and the kingdom—the church—was established. “Kingdom” and “church” are two different terms for the people of God. “Kingdom” indicates the kind of government the Lord established for His people, and “church,” which literally (in the Greek) means “called out,” indicates our separation from the world. Other terms are also used for God’s people—body, sheep, saints, etc. All of these give us different perspectives on our relationship to God. To separate “kingdom” from all of these other designations is arbitrary, capricious, and has no authority in the Scripture. Premillennialism is a materialistic, worldly philosophy. And it has no sanction in the Bible.

The transfiguration (vs. 2-13)—This event is recorded in Matthew 17. Here are my comments there: “Jesus took Peter, James, and John to a high mountain for an event we call the “transfiguration.” “He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light” (Matt. 17:2). Moses, the great lawgiver, and Elijah, the great prophet, appeared and talked to Him. Peter spoke up, suggesting that three tabernacles be built, one each for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. But in Mark’s account of this event, we learn that Peter didn’t really know what he was saying because the three apostles “were greatly afraid” (Mark 9:6). Apparently the point of the transfiguration is found in [Matthew 17] verse 5: “While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!’" The authority of Jesus, above that of Moses and Elijah is established—hear Christ, not Moses.” Mark includes a discussion about Elijah in this location. The disciples asked Jesus about the coming of Elijah: “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” (v. 11). The scribes were correct. The next-to-last verse of the Old Testament (Malachi 4:5) reads, “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD.” Jesus indicated to them that “Elijah” had already come. Matthew 17:13, in the parallel passage in that gospel, says “Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist.”

The mute, epileptic boy (vs. 14-29)—Jesus comes upon His disciples disputing with some scribes with a large crowd around (v. 14-15). A man brought his epileptic son to Jesus (vs. 17-18). He had previously brought him to Christ’s disciples, but they had failed in their attempt to cast out the demon. Jesus shows a little irritation with them: “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me" (v. 19). It’s not terribly surprising that perfection in human form would occasionally get aggravated at imperfections, especially after they had been with Him for almost three years and were still so weak. Jesus ejected the demon (v. 25). The disciples asked Him why they had been unsuccessful (v. 28). Matthew has Jesus discussing their insufficient faith (cf. Matt. 17), but Mark omits that and only mentions the peculiarity about the kind of demon that inhabited the boy. Jesus told His apostles, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting” (v. 29).  We have no idea what He is talking about because demon possession doesn't happen today.  But apparently there were levels of strength within the demon populace.  Let us hope we never find out from personal experience.