Mar 9 | TNotes | STEP | 9:1 The introductory I tell you the truth indicates that the promise in this verse is important, but the meaning of the promise is much debated. It might suggest that some of the disciples will (1) witness Jesus’ resurrection from the dead (ch 16 ); (2) experience the coming of the Spirit upon the church (Acts 2 ); (3) see the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70; or (4) witness Jesus’ transfiguration as a foretaste of God’s coming Kingdom. Mark’s placement of the promise right before the transfiguration account (Mark 9:2-8 ) indicates that he probably meant the transfiguration as the fulfillment (see 2 Pet 1:16-18 ).

9:1 ^a The introductory I tell you the truth indicates that the promise in this verse is important, but the meaning of the promise is much debated. It might suggest that some of the disciples will (1) witness Jesus’ resurrection from the dead (ch 16 ^b); (2) experience the coming of the Spirit upon the church (Acts 2 ^c); (3) see the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70; or (4) witness Jesus’ transfiguration as a foretaste of God’s coming Kingdom. Mark’s placement of the promise right before the transfiguration account (Mark 9:2-8 ^d) indicates that he probably meant the transfiguration as the fulfillment (see 2 Pet 1:16-18 ^e).
Summary for Mark 9:2-8: 9:2-8 ^f This account is tied to 8:27–9:1 ^g both chronologically (six days later) and thematically (9:7 ^h).

• The presence of Peter, James, and John (see also 5:37 ⁱ; 13:3 ^j; 14:33 ^k) might be the fulfillment of 9:1 ^l (“some standing here”). Some interpreters believe that the pre-incarnate glory of the Son of God broke through the veil of his humanity (John 1:14 ^m; 17:5 ⁿ) at the transfiguration. It is more likely that this event was an advance glimpse of the Son of Man’s future glory (see Matt 16:28 ^o; 2 Pet 1:16-18 ^p; cp. Exod 34:28-35 ^q; 2 Cor 3:7-18 ^r).
9:4 ^s The appearance of Elijah and Moses might indicate the fulfillment of the law and the prophets in Jesus (see Matt 5:17 ^t; cp. Mal 4:4-5 ^u).
Summary for Mark 9:5-6: 9:5-6 ^v The suggestion to build three shelters as memorials (see Lev 23:33-43 ^w; Num 29:12-34 ^x) places Moses, Elijah, and Jesus on the same footing. The suggestion ignores Peter’s own earlier confession (Mark 8:29 ^y) and the fact that only Jesus had been transfigured (9:2-3 ^z).
9:7 ^aa a cloud: Cp. Exod 40:34-35 ^ab.

• The voice from the cloud issued a stern rebuke of Peter’s suggestion: This is my dearly loved Son—not an equal of Moses and Elijah. God’s voice also confirmed Peter’s earlier confession (Mark 8:29 ^ac), and it indirectly rebuked Peter for rejecting Jesus’ prediction of his suffering (8:32 ^ad) by telling him and the other disciples to listen to him.
9:8 ^ae Only Jesus remained, not Moses or Elijah. Jesus was clearly superior to Elijah and Moses.
9:9 ^af Secrecy would no longer be necessary after the Son of Man had risen from the dead, because Jesus the Messiah would then be clearly understood as apolitical and non-militaristic, so he could be proclaimed openly to all (see Acts 2:36 ^ag; 3:6 ^ah).
9:10 ^ai Only after the fact did the three disciples understand what Jesus meant by “rising from the dead.”
9:11 ^aj The disciples wanted to understand the prediction that Elijah must return before the Messiah comes (see Mal 4:5-6 ^ak). How did this prediction fit with Jesus’ proclamation of God’s Kingdom and his prediction of his own death, resurrection, and return (Mark 8:31 ^al, 38 ^am; 9:9 ^an)?
9:12 ^ao The teachers of the law were correct: Elijah must return before the consummation of God’s Kingdom, but Scripture also said that the Son of Man would suffer greatly (e.g., Ps 22 ^ap; Isa 52:13–53:12 ^aq).
9:13 ^ar The teachers of the law erred by not realizing that Elijah had already come (see Matt 17:11-13 ^as; cp. Mal 4:5-6 ^at). As a result, they failed to recognize that the Kingdom of God had already come and that the Messiah’s suffering and death that were predicted in Scripture were about to take place.
Summary for Mark 9:14-29: 9:14-29 ^au This is the fourth and last exorcism in Mark (1:21-28 ^av; 5:1-20 ^aw; 7:24-30 ^ax). The disciples were unable to perform the exorcism, so Jesus performed it, emphasizing the necessity of faith (cp. 2:5 ^ay; 5:34 ^az; 10:52 ^ba). This is another example of Jesus’ great healing ability and of the disciples’ failure (8:32-33 ^bb; 9:5-7 ^bc). 9:14 ^bd Jesus and the three disciples (Peter, James, and John) rejoined the other disciples, the crowd, and the teachers of the law. This account is similar to the story of Moses descending from Mount Sinai to rejoin the people of Israel (Exod 34:29-35 ^be).
9:15 ^bf Some have suggested that just as Moses reflected God’s glory when he descended from the mountain, Jesus’ glorious transfiguration was still evident, so the crowds responded with awe. It is equally possible that Jesus’ arrival after being absent was enough to elicit the awe of the crowd.
9:18 ^bg These symptoms are often associated with epilepsy (see Matt 17:15 ^bh), but Mark emphasizes the demonic origin of the child’s problem (Mark 9:17-18 ^bi, 25-26 ^bj, 28 ^bk). The disciples’ inability to heal the child magnifies the effect of Jesus’ power (9:25-26 ^bl).
9:19 ^bm Jesus said to them: Jesus might have been speaking to the disciples, the father (9:22-24 ^bn), the crowd, or all present.

• How long? Their lack of faith was obstinate and hard-hearted (cp. 3:5 ^bo; 6:52 ^bp; 8:17 ^bq; 10:5 ^br).
9:20 ^bs The demon’s reaction was nonverbal (contrast 1:24 ^bt; 5:7 ^bu, 9-10 ^bv; see also 1:34 ^bw; 3:11-12 ^bx) but violent, as the father had described (9:18 ^by).
Summary for Mark 9:21-22: 9:21-22 ^bz The demon’s activity had been taking place since he was a little boy, and the demon had tried to kill the child in various ways.

• if you can: The father’s request indicates that his faith had been severely dampened (9:18 ^ca).
9:23 ^cb Jesus challenged the man to believe in the power of God—Anything is possible if a person believes (see 11:22-24 ^cc), while lack of faith can hinder God’s saving activity (see 6:5 ^cd).
9:24 ^ce In desperation, the father cried out that he believed, though weakly.
9:25 ^cf The crowd was approaching, so Jesus quickly proceeded with the exorcism.

• The I in the command to the demon is emphatic, dramatizing Jesus’ authority and power.

• never enter him again! At times exorcisms could be temporary (see Matt 12:43-45 ^cg; Luke 11:24-26 ^ch).
Summary for Mark 9:26-27: 9:26-27 ^ci The demon’s violent reaction revealed its strength and showed Jesus’ greatness (cp. 1:25-26 ^cj; 5:15 ^ck).
Summary for Mark 9:28-29: 9:28-29 ^cl The account ends, surprisingly, by stressing the importance of prayer rather than of faith (cp. 11:22-24 ^cm).
Summary for Mark 9:30-10:31: 9:30–10:31 ^cn This section is the second cycle (see study note on 8:27–9:1) containing a prediction about Jesus’ suffering (9:30-32 ^co), an error by the disciples (9:33-34 ^cp), and teaching about discipleship (9:35–10:31 ^cq).
9:31 ^cr Jesus continued to seek privacy (see 7:24 ^cs) for teaching the disciples about his coming suffering.

• The Son of Man is going to be betrayed: See 14:10-11 ^ct, 41-45 ^cu.
9:32 ^cv The disciples were still unable to accept Jesus’ teaching concerning his death or to recognize how it fit into God’s plan.
Summary for Mark 9:33-50: 9:33-50 ^cw Because the disciples did not understand Jesus’ prediction of his suffering, they were unable to see its implications for their own lives.
Summary for Mark 9:33-34: 9:33-34 ^cx Capernaum was Jesus’ home in Galilee (1:21 ^cy; 2:1 ^cz).

• Jesus’ disciples didn’t answer his question because they knew that he would disapprove of their discussion.

• about which of them was the greatest: This issue would come up again in 10:35-37 ^da.
9:35 ^db Jesus sat down, assuming the role of a teacher (see 4:1-2 ^dc; 12:41 ^dd; Matt 5:1 ^de; Luke 4:20 ^df; 5:3 ^dg). True greatness in God’s Kingdom involves being the servant of everyone else, not the master, as Jesus would make clear by his own example in Mark 10:45 ^dh.
Summary for Mark 9:36-37: 9:36-37 ^di In Jesus’ day, children were not romanticized as innocent and pure but were considered to be weak and inferior. Children were to be received on my behalf. Welcoming a child is an example of humbly taking the last place and serving everyone else (9:35 ^dj; cp. 10:13-16 ^dk). Other sayings about receiving or rejecting Jesus also involve receiving or rejecting his followers (Matt 10:40 ^dl; 25:31-46 ^dm; Luke 10:16 ^dn; John 13:20 ^do).
Summary for Mark 9:38-41: 9:38-41 ^dp An unknown exorcist was casting out demons in Jesus’ name though he was not one of the twelve disciples (9:38-40 ^dq). John objected, but Jesus corrected him.

• we told him to stop: Cp. 10:35-43 ^dr; Luke 9:51-55 ^ds.

• The success of the unknown exorcist is contrasted with the failure of the disciples in the previous account (Mark 9:14-29 ^dt).
9:40 ^du The negative parallel to this proverb is found in Luke 11:23 ^dv. These two proverbs should be understood as complementary, not contradictory, for Luke includes them both (Luke 9:50 ^dw; 11:23 ^dx). The exorcist casting out demons in Jesus’ name was not against Jesus, but for him.
Summary for Mark 9:42-50: 9:42-50 ^dy if you cause ... sin: The consequences of causing sin ties these verses together (9:42-43 ^dz, 45 ^ea, 47 ^eb). These sayings were not meant to be interpreted literally, for carrying them out would not prevent sin (see Matt 15:10-20 ^ec). What Jesus conveys by these warnings is that no sin is worth going to hell for. It is better to repent—even if repenting is as painful as cutting off a hand, foot, or eye—than to suffer the punishment of hell.
9:43 ^ed hell: Greek Gehenna, referring to the Valley of Hinnom, which bordered Jerusalem on the southwest. It was a garbage dump for the city, and the continual burning of refuse there became a metaphor for the final place of judgment for the wicked.
Summary for Mark 9:43-48: 9:43-48 ^ee Most of the best manuscripts do not include 9:44 ^ef, 46 ^eg, but a few include them. These two verses were almost certainly copied from 9:48 ^eh and were not in the original text of Mark.
9:48 ^ei The eternality of hell is emphasized by the phrases never die and never goes out (cp. 9:43 ^ej). The horror of hell is emphasized by its portrayal as a place of everlasting fire, and of decay and corruption where maggots eternally eat everything away. The putrid smell of decay and the presence of maggots in the Valley of Hinnom may lie behind this imagery (see study note on 9:43). This imagery is a powerful warning for people to repent in order to escape the punishment of hell.
Summary for Mark 9:49-50: 9:49-50 ^ek tested with fire: Literally salted with fire. The fire of testing has a purifying effect, like salt (see also 1 Pet 1:7 ^el; 4:12 ^em; Rev 3:18 ^en). Salt also refers to Christian character. Genuine Christian character will have a genuinely purifying influence.

• But if it loses its flavor: The salt mined from the Dead Sea often contained gypsum, so although it looked like perfectly good salt, it was useless. It did not taste salty, and it created a disposal problem.