Mark9

Jesus is transfigured before Peter, James, and John, revealing His glory alongside Moses and Elias, with a voice from heaven declaring Him God's beloved Son. Descending, Jesus heals a demon-possessed boy whom His disciples could not help, emphasizing the need for faith and prayer. He then teaches His disciples about His impending suffering and resurrection, and the importance of humility, service, and avoiding causing others to stumble.

The Kingdom Coming with Power

1
Yes!" he went on, "I tell you that there are some people standing here who will not experience death until they see the Kingdom of God come in a powerful way!" ​

The Transfiguration of Jesus

2
Six days later, Yeshua took Kefa, Ya`akov and Yochanan and led them up a high mountain privately. As they watched, he began to change form, ​
3
and his clothes became dazzlingly white, whiter than anyone in the world could possibly bleach them.
4
Then they saw Eliyahu and Moshe speaking with Yeshua. ​
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Kefa said to Yeshua, "It's good that we're here, Rabbi! Let's put up three shelters -- one for you, one for Moshe and one for Eliyahu."
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(He didn't know what to say, they were so frightened.)
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Then a cloud enveloped them; and a voice came out of 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 Yeshua.
9
As they came down the mountain, he warned them not to tell anyone what they had seen until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead. ​
10
So they kept the matter to themselves; but they continued asking each other, "What is this `rising from the dead'?"
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They also asked him, "Why do the Torah-teachers say that Eliyahu has to come first?" ​
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"Eliyahu will indeed come first," he answered, "and he will restore everything. Nevertheless, why is it written in the Tanakh that the Son of Man must suffer much and be rejected?
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There's more to it: I tell you that Eliyahu has come, and they did whatever they pleased to him, just as the Tanakh says about him." ​

Jesus Heals a Demoniac Boy

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When they got back to the talmidim, they saw a large crowd around them and some Torah-teachers arguing with them.
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As soon as the crowd saw him, they were surprised and ran out to greet him.
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He asked them, "What's the discussion about?"
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One of the crowd gave him the answer: "Rabbi, I brought my son to you because he has an evil spirit in him that makes him unable to talk.
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Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground -- he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth and becomes stiff all over. I asked your talmidim to drive the spirit out, but they couldn't do it."
19
"People without any trust!" he responded. "How long will I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring him to me!" ​
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They brought the boy to him; and as soon as the spirit saw him, it threw the boy into a convulsion.
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Yeshua asked the boy's father, "How long has this been happening to him?" "Ever since childhood," he said;
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"and it often tries to kill him by throwing him into the fire or into the water. But if you can do anything, have pity on us and help us!"
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Yeshua said to him, "What do you mean, `if you can'? Everything is possible to someone who has trust!" ​
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Instantly the father of the child exclaimed, "I do trust -- help my lack of trust!" ​
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When Yeshua saw that the crowd was closing in on them, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, "You deaf and dumb spirit! I command you: come out of him, and never go back into him again!"
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Shrieking and throwing the boy into a violent fit, it came out. The boy lay there like a corpse, so that most of the people said he was dead.
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But Yeshua took him by the hand and raised him to his feet, and he stood up.
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After Yeshua had gone indoors, his talmidim asked him privately, "Why couldn't we drive it out?"
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He said to them "This is the kind of spirit that can be driven out only by prayer." ​

Jesus Predicts His Death Again

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After leaving that place, they went on through the Galil. Yeshua didn't want anyone to know,
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because he was teaching his talmidim. He told them, "The Son of Man will be betrayed into the hands of men who will put him to death; but after he has been killed, three days later he will rise." ​
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But they didn't understand what he meant, and they were afraid to ask him.

True Greatness: Servant of All

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They arrived at K'far-Nachum. When Yeshua was inside the house, he asked them, "What were you discussing as we were traveling?"
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But they kept quiet; because on the way, they had been arguing with each other about who was the greatest. ​
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He sat down, summoned the Twelve and said to them, "If anyone wants to be first, he must make himself last of all and servant of all." ​
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He took a child and stood him among them. Then he put his arms around him and said to them,
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"Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the One who sent me."

Tolerance and Inclusion in Ministry

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Yochanan said to him, "Rabbi, we saw a man expelling demons in your name; and because he wasn't one of us, we told him to stop."
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But Yeshua said, "Don't stop him, because no one who works a miracle in my name will soon after be able to say something bad about me.
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For whoever is not against us is for us. ​
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Indeed, whoever gives you even a cup of water to drink because you come in the name of the Messiah -- yes! I tell you that he will certainly not lose his reward.

Warnings Against Sin and Stumbling

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"Whoever ensnares one of these little ones who trust me -- it would be better for him to have a millstone hung around his neck and be thrown in the sea. ​
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If your hand makes you sin, cut it off! Better that you should be maimed but obtain eternal life, rather than keep both hands and go to Gei-Hinnom, to unquenchable fire! ​
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Not present in the manuscripts this translation follows.
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And if your foot makes you sin, cut it off! Better that you should be lame but obtain eternal life, rather than keep both feet and be thrown into Gei-Hinnom!
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Not present in the manuscripts this translation follows.
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And if your eye makes you sin, pluck it out! Better that you should be one-eyed but enter the Kingdom of God, rather than keep both eyes and be thrown into Gei-Hinnom,
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where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched. ​
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Indeed, everyone is going to be salted with fire. ​
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Salt is excellent, but if it loses its saltiness, how will you season it? So have salt in yourselves -- that is, be at peace with each other." ​

Study Notes for Mark 9

Verse 1

This verse concludes the teaching from 8:34-38, assuring the disciples that some of them would witness a powerful manifestation of God's rule. This promise is immediately fulfilled in the Transfiguration (v. 2).

Verse 2

The phrase 'after six days' links this event directly to Peter’s confession and the first passion prediction (8:29-31). The 'high mountain' setting evokes Mount Sinai, symbolizing divine revelation.

Verse 4

The appearance of Moses (representing the Law) and Elijah (representing the Prophets) affirms that Jesus is the fulfillment of the entire Old Testament covenant and prophetic expectation.

Verse 7

The heavenly voice is the Father's testimony, echoing the baptism (1:11) but adding the crucial command: 'hear him,' establishing Jesus' supreme authority over the Law and Prophets.

Verse 9

Jesus maintains the Messianic Secret, commanding silence until after the resurrection. Only the resurrection would fully explain how the glorious Messiah must also be the suffering servant.

Verse 11

The disciples raise a common scribal question based on Malachi 4:5, which prophesied that Elijah must return to prepare the way before the great day of the Lord.

Verse 13

Jesus identifies John the Baptist as the promised Elijah, noting that just as John was rejected and suffered (Mark 6:14-29), so too must the Son of Man suffer.

Verse 19

Jesus’ sharp rebuke, 'O faithless generation,' is likely aimed not only at the doubting crowd and antagonistic scribes but also at the disciples who failed to cast out the spirit (v. 18).

Verse 23

Jesus shifts the focus from his own capability to the father’s belief. This teaching emphasizes that faith is the necessary human response required to activate God's power.

Verse 24

The father’s honest plea, 'help thou mine unbelief,' is a profound theological statement recognizing that even imperfect human faith must be aided and perfected by divine grace.

Verse 29

The disciples’ failure was due to spiritual deficiency. Jesus indicates that some powerful demonic forces require a deepened state of dependence on God achieved through dedicated prayer and spiritual discipline.

Verse 31

This is the second of three clear Passion Predictions (8:31; 9:31; 10:33) in Mark, emphasizing that suffering and death are central to the Messiah's mission, followed by resurrection.

Verse 34

The disciples’ argument about who is greatest, immediately following the prediction of Jesus’ suffering, illustrates their persistent misunderstanding of the Kingdom’s nature.

Verse 35

Jesus radically inverts common understanding of status: true authority and greatness in the Kingdom are found only through humility and sacrificial service (*diakonos*).

Verse 40

This statement establishes a principle of tolerance and generosity, advising the disciples against sectarianism. Those who perform good works in Christ’s name should not be hindered.

Verse 42

The 'little ones' refers to new or vulnerable believers. To 'offend' (Gk. *skandalizō*) means to cause someone to lose their faith or fall into sin, incurring the severest judgment.

Verse 43

The graphic imagery of cutting off a hand or foot emphasizes the necessity of radical self-discipline to eliminate sources of sin, avoiding eternal consequences.

Verse 48

The description of hell (Gehenna) as a place where 'their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched' is drawn from Isaiah 66:24, depicting irreversible and eternal judgment.

Verse 49

This difficult verse suggests two types of 'salting': purification through fire (judgment/trial) for believers, and the necessary preservation/consecration of every 'sacrifice' (life) dedicated to God.

Verse 50

Salt represents moral and spiritual influence. Disciples must maintain their purity and distinctiveness ('saltness') to be effective in the world, while also maintaining peace and harmony among themselves.

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