Jesus God to be Believed and Obeyed (Mark 9.2-50)

Scripture: Mark 9.2-50

Translation: ^9.2And after 6 days, Jesus took Peter and James and John along with Him and brought them up into the high mountain by themselves alone. And He was transformed before them. ³And His clothes became shining, very white, which no cloth refiner on earth can whiten so much! ⁴And Eljiah was seen by them with Moses and they were having a conversation with Jesus. ⁵And responding Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it’s good we’re here. And we should make tents, one for You, and one for Moses and one for Elijah!” ⁶because he didn’t know what he was saying in response, because they were terrified. ⁷And a cloud came shadowing to them. And a Voice came from the cloud, “This is My Loved Son! Listen to Him!” ⁸And suddenly when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone, but Jesus alone with themselves. ⁹And while they were going down from the mountain, He ordered them that they should not tell anyone what they saw, except whenever the Son of Man had raised from the dead. ¹⁰And they held on to the message, while discussing among themselves what “rising from the dead” was. ¹¹And when they asked Him by saying, “Why do the scholars say that it’s necessary that Elijah come first?” ¹²And He said to them, “On the one hand, Elijah who comes first will restore all things.  And how it is written about the Son of Man that He would suffer many things and be treated like a nobody? ¹³But on the other hand I say to you that indeed Elijah has come and they did whatever they wanted to him, just like it was written about him.”

¹⁴And coming to the followers they saw a huge crowd around them and scholars arguing with them. ¹⁵And immediately the whole crowd, because they saw Him, were really excited and running to [Him] they said hello to Him. ¹⁶And He asked them, “Why are you arguing with them?” ¹⁷And one of the crowd answered Him, “Teacher, I’m bringing my son who has a speechless spirit to You. ¹⁸And wherever it seizes him it throws him down and he foams at the mouth and he gnashes his teeth and is paralyzed. And I said to Your followers that they should throw it out, but they weren’t strong enough.” ¹⁹And to answer He said to them, “Oh faithless generation, how long will I be with you? How long will I put up with you? Bring him to Me!” ²⁰And they brought him to Him. And when He saw him, the spirit immediately sent him into convulsions. And falling on the ground he rolled around foaming at the mouth. ²¹And He asked his father, How much is the time that this has been happening to him?” And he said, “From the childhood. ²²And many times it even throws him into fire and into water, so that it can destroy him. But if anything is possible, help us because you have compassion on us!” ²³And Jesus said to him, “‘if it is possible’ all things are possible for the person who believes!” ²⁴Immediately, the father holding his son tightly said, “I believe! Help my unbelief!” ²⁵And when Jesus saw that the crowd was running together, He reprimanded the unclean spirit by saying to it, “Speechless and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and don’t go into him anymore!” ²⁶And screaming and sending [him] into many convulsions, it came out. And he became like a dead person, such that many people were saying that he died. ²⁷But Jesus holding his hand, raised him and he stood up. ²⁸And when He came into a house, His followers privately were asking Him, “Why couldn’t we throw it out?” ²⁹And He said to them, “This kind is not able to be thrown out by anything, except by prayer.”  ³⁰And going away from there, they traveled through Galilee, and He didn’t want anyone to know, ³¹because He taught His followers and said to them that the Son of Man will be handed over into the hands of men, and they will Him, and when He was killed after three days He will be raised up. ³²And they didn’t know what He was saying, and they were scared to ask Him. ³³And they came into Capernaum. And when He came in the house, He asked them, “What were you arguing about on the way?” ³⁴And they were silent, because they were arguing with one another on the way about who was greater. ³⁵And sitting down He called the twelve and said to them, “If anyone wants to be first, he will be last of all and a servant of all.” ³⁶And taking a child, He stood him/her in the middle of them and hugging him/her, He said to them, ³⁷“Whoever welcomes one of these kind of children on the basis of My Name, welcomes Me. And whoever would welcome Me, doesn’t welcome Me, but the One Who sent Me!” ³⁸And John said to him, “Teacher, we know someone throwing out demons in Your Name and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” ³⁹And Jesus said, “Don’t try to stop him, because there is no one who will do a miracle in My Name and will quickly say bad things about Me, ⁴⁰because whoever is not against us is for us! ⁴¹Because whoever would give you a cup of water to drink in [My] Name, because you are the Messiah’s, Amen I say to you that he won’t ever lose his reward! ⁴¹And whoever would trip up on of these little ones who believe in Me, it is good for him rather if a donkey’s millstone was put around his neck and he was thrown into the sea! ⁴³And if your hand trips you up, chop it off! It is good that you enter into life deformed than while having two hands to be go away into hell, into the inextinguishable fire! ⁴⁵And if your foot would trip you up, chop it off! It is good that you go into life crippled than although having two feet to be thrown into hell! ⁴⁷And if your eye would trip you up, throw it out! It is good that you go into the Kingdom of God one-eyed than although having two eyes to be thrown into hell, ⁴⁸where their worm doesn’t end and the fire doesn’t get put out. ⁴⁹You see everyone will be salted with fire. ⁵⁰Salt is good, but if the salt becomes saltless, what do you season it with? Have salt in yourselves and be at peace with one another!”

Interpretation

1.      Structure

a.       Jesus is Transformed on the Mountain (vv.2-8)

b.      The Conversation on the Way Down the Mountain (vv.9-13)

c.       Jesus Exorcises a Possessed Boy His Followers Couldn’t Exorcise (vv.14-29)

d.      Jesus Prophecies His Suffering, Death, and Resurrection (vv.30-32)

                                                              i.      Jesus prophesies

                                                            ii.      His Followers don’t get it

e.       Jesus Teaches on What is Really Important (vv.33-50)

                                                              i.      Jesus teaches on humility and leadership (vv.33-37)

1.      Jesus calls out His disciples lack of humility

2.      Jesus tells them the first rank person is a servant

3.      Jesus shows them children are important

                                                            ii.      Jesus teaches on humility and mission (vv.38-41)

                                                          iii.      Jesus Warns about What’s Better (vv.42-50)

1.      Death is better than wrecking the faith of a child (v.42)

2.      Losing a hand is better than going to hell because of sin (v.43)

3.      Losing a foot is better than going to hell because of sin (v.45)

4.      Losing an eye is better than going to hell because of sin (vv.47-48)

                                                          iv.      Jesus tells His followers to be Salty (vv.49-50)

2.      Themes

a.       Resurrection

b.      Jesus as Yahweh

c.       Jesus as Teacher

d.      Jesus as Lord over all

                                                              i.      Jesus as Lord over Knowledge

                                                            ii.      Jesus as Lord over Demons

                                                          iii.      Jesus as Lord over Faith (cf. Help my unbelief assumes Jesus can change his unbelief)

e.       Mission

f.       Humility

g.      What is better

3.      Doctrines

a.       Jesus is Yahweh

b.      Jesus is the Ultimate Prophet, Lord over the Bible

c.       Jesus is Lord over all

d.      Jesus is humble

e.       Being a leader is about humility, without humility we will subvert the mission and fight with each other

f.       Hell is a real place and going there is a real possibility for those who trip up on sin or cause others, especially kids, to be tripped up in sin

g.      Unity and peace is a really necessity

h.      Our common mission should give us some unity and humility and concern for other people serving and preaching and healing in Jesus’ Name

i.        Jesus really did raise from the dead, and it guarantees our own resurrection in Him!

4.      Notes

a.       Everyone will be salted with fire or everyone in the fire will be salted, it is hard to choose between seeing fire as testing that gives believers a salty quality or if it is saying that our lives as living sacrifices to God need to be salty, holy and reflective of Jesus and His transformative distinctness

Applications

1.      Jesus is the Ultimate Prophet, the Final authority on the Bible, because He is no mere prophet He is Yahweh, God Himself! Jesus tells us what the Bible means, because ultimately He is its Author!

2.      This means that when we seek to understand the Bible, we should go to Jesus for insight and understanding and correct application

3.      Jesus is Yahweh, so obey Him and worship Him

4.      Jesus’ resurrection really did happen, so we can trust that if we trust in Him we too can have resurrection

5.      Jesus really does care, He cares what you are going through, even if it is really bad, He cares if you are neck deep in sin, or being afflicted by demons, He cares! So come to Him for help, come to Him in faith!

6.      Jesus is the Lord over faith, so if you feel like you need faith, if you have secret doubts that you don’t know what to do with, come to Jesus, because He is the Lord over faith and will give faith!

7.      Hell is the destiny of all who love sin more than Jesus, it is a real place that really hurts, it doesn’t matter how much it hurts, make sure you don’t go there! Do drastic things to draw close to Christ if that is what it takes!

8.      Be like Jesus, be salty! Make a difference in your schools, among your friends, in your family, in this church!

9.      We need to be unified, not trying to compete with other churches and ministries, but partnering with them!

10.  We need to be humble, if you want to be a real leader, someone who is really important, someone Jesus will put in charge, then be a servant, be last!