Daily Bible Reading (Tuesday, February 20th)
16Mark 9 (ESV)
And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power.”
The Transfiguration
2 And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, 3 and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one[a] on earth could bleach them.4 And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus.5 And Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi,[b] it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 6 For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified. 7 And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son;[c] listen to him.” 8 And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only.
9 And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10 So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead might mean.11 And they asked him, “Why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?”12 And he said to them, “Elijah does come first to restore all things. And how is it written of the Son of Man that he should suffer many things and be treated with contempt? 13 But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written of him.”
Jesus Heals a Boy with an Unclean Spirit
14 And when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them. 15 And immediately all the crowd, when they saw him, were greatly amazed and ran up to him and greeted him. 16 And he asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?” 17 And someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him mute. 18 And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able.” 19 And he answered them, “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.” 20 And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. 21 And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. 22 And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” 23 And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” 24 Immediately the father of the child cried out[d] and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” 25 And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.” 26 And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, “He is dead.” 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. 28 And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” 29 And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.”[e]
Jesus Again Foretells Death, Resurrection
30 They went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he did not want anyone to know, 31 for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise.” 32 But they did not understand the saying, and were afraid to ask him.
Who Is the Greatest?
33 And they came to Capernaum. And when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?” 34 But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. 35 And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” 36 And he took a child and put him in the midst of them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them, 37 “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.”
Anyone Not Against Us Is for Us
38 John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name,[f] and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” 39 But Jesus said, “Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. 40 For the one who is not against us is for us.41 For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward.
Temptations to Sin
42 “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin,[g] it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. 43 And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell,[h] to the unquenchable fire.[i]45 And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell. 47 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, 48 ‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’ 49 For everyone will be salted with fire.[j] 50 Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”
Footnotes:
- Mark 9:3 Greek launderer (gnapheus)
- Mark 9:5 Rabbi means my teacher, or my master
- Mark 9:7 Or my Son, my (or the) Beloved
- Mark 9:24 Some manuscripts add with tears
- Mark 9:29 Some manuscripts add and fasting
- Mark 9:38 Some manuscripts add who does not follow us
- Mark 9:42 Greek to stumble; also verses 43, 45, 47
- Mark 9:43 Greek Gehenna; also verse 47
- Mark 9:43 Some manuscripts add verses 44 and 46 (which are identical with verse 48)
- Mark 9:49 Some manuscripts add and every sacrifice will be salted with salt
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16 Comments
Stanley family Feb 20, 2018 @ 7:23 pm
To be a servant requires thought- what are the needs of others around me? How can I be a slave to God by sacrificing something of myself for others? Christ is the perfect example. He died on our behalf; He washed the disciples feet as an example of humility; He helped heal and teach even when tired and weary; He served with compassion and with the purpose to point others to the Lord......At the beginning of the chapter we see the glory of the Son of God and at the end of the chapter we see how we are to respond in light of God's glory by dealing with our sin seriously.
Dee Escobedo Feb 20, 2018 @ 1:28 pm
Thanks Pastor for that answer. It makes a lot of sense.
Cindy Lutz Feb 20, 2018 @ 11:53 am
29 And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.” James 5:16 says "Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much." I don't have the power to physically heal someone with a touch the way Jesus did, but I can pray. Lord, help to remember what power there is in prayer and to remain faithful to do so..
Bruce Blakey Feb 20, 2018 @ 11:38 am
There is much in this chapter that I need to take note of:
“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin,[g] it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea." My sin can lead others into sin. This is a powerful warning.
“If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” I always know how much of a servant's heart I have when I get treated like a servant. I must resolve to serve no matter what.
And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.” We live in a "this kind" of culture. I need to be serious about prayer.
Dee - the answer is we don't know what the demon might have said that was not recorded or why he might not have asked to be able to enter someone or thing else. All we know is what is in Scripture.
“‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” This is the one that hit the hardest. How often do I insult the Lord by not believing in His power.
Dee Escobedo Feb 20, 2018 @ 10:56 am
Question: When the demon came out of the boy mentioned in this chapter, why didn’t he ask permission to enter into something else, like the demons that entered the swine?
Anna Sobel Feb 20, 2018 @ 8:31 am
I love verse 35 and the importance of having a servants heart! We are called to serve one another and love other before our selves Lord help me to be a better servant for you and that you would create in me a more loving heart towards others!
Tommy Hard Feb 20, 2018 @ 8:18 am
Theme Summary:
After warning (in Mk 8:38) of his coming in judgment in the glory of his Father with the angels upon any who are ashamed of him and his words, Jesus promises that there were some standing there who would not taste death till they saw the kingdom of God after it had come with power, and three disciples saw a taste of that in the transfiguration. The law and the prophets testify to Jesus, as did John the Baptist (like Elijah) and the disciples are again afraid. Jesus again teaches that he will be killed and rise again from the dead after three days, but the disciples did not understand and were afraid to ask, with the fear of the disciples being a recurring theme. Yet they were not afraid to argue about who was the greatest among them, to which Jesus teaches that the last shall be first, and first last; that the greatest among them must be the servant of all.
Side note: Peter, James, and John, beholding the glory of God in Jesus, wanted to make tents[tabernacles] for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. Years later, John writes that "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us [lit. 'Tabernacled among us'], and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth." John must have this event in mind. No need to make a tabernacle for Jesus: his very body is the tabernacle, the place where God had come to dwell among his people.
Art Wachdorf Feb 20, 2018 @ 7:51 am
Radical hatred of our sin. That's what Jesus is calling us to do. Amen Sarah and Colin. We must be careful we never cause anyone else to stumble and we must radically remove sin from our lives.
Chance Hunt Feb 20, 2018 @ 7:41 am
What an amazing picture of Christ we get from vv. 2-13! Our risen and glorified savior and king radiates holiness and power. Only one man, Peter, was able to speak up and even here we read that "he did not know what to say, for they were terrified" (v. 6). All will stand speechless one day before this great King and on that day the only refuge from Him will be in Him.
Tyler T. Bull Feb 20, 2018 @ 7:29 am
And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out[d] and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”
This man has unbelief festered in his heart regarding Jesus' omnipotence. What attribute of God, what truth of scripture do I yet fester unbelief? Which one will shake when tested?
I want to believe, the things I claim to believe. So maybe a helpful practice is to think through what we believe, think through the many applications of these things (maybe like the partners manual does in the attributes chapter) and pray for the Lord to help our remaining unbelief.
For example: I believe God is sovereign, and yet I have regular anxiety. That would uncover some disbelief either in God's goodness, or His sovereignty.
I pray that we would believe the things we profess, with deep conviction.
Jason Adam Feb 20, 2018 @ 7:01 am
Interesting contrast between verse 40 and Matthew 12:50. Matthew tells the Jews that if they are not for Jesus than you are against him, but Mark tells his gentile readers that those who are not against Jesus are for him. My thought is that it has something to do with the knowledge of God that the Jewish people had as the chosen ones of God, compared to the pagan Gentiles, but I could be way off on that. I will have to do more looking into that.
Regardless, praying that I will always be “for Jesus”, encouraging others who are as well, and calling those who are against him to repentance and belief.
Dottie McLeese Feb 20, 2018 @ 6:33 am
I pray when the time of Jesus second coming is upon us that we see and understand what is happening. Lord, don’t allow us to be blinded by the world and our flesh. Let your children be prepared and waiting for your return.
Keagan McLeese Feb 20, 2018 @ 6:17 am
v7: I am cut to the heart when I read this to think of God the father shouting audibly, “Listen to Him!“ Father, may the members of Believers Fellowship listen to your Son and obey Him fully. v9-13 & 31-32: Jesus has been speaking so plainly to them about his death and resurrection, and yet they appear to be unable to comprehend what He is saying. I believe the same to be true of His second coming; it is clearly spelled out in various parts of Scripture and yet we cannot seem to put into words how it will all play out exactly. He allows us to understand just what we need to until the time is right, just like the disciples until Christ’s death and resurrection.
Sarah Birch Feb 20, 2018 @ 6:03 am
Amen Collin
Sarah Birch Feb 20, 2018 @ 6:02 am
Verses 42 - 50 are so convicting! Christ expects us to take sin seriously; yet so often we decide to toy with sin and see just how close we can get without actually sinning... That is not a God honoring way to think about things! Oh Lord, help me to take my sin much more seriously...help my actions and thoughts to truly reflect a heart that has been transformed by you.
Colin Bradley Feb 20, 2018 @ 5:48 am
God I pray that I would not take sin in my life lightly. Your word is very clear with regard to a proper response of sin. Give me the courage to cut off or gouge out the things in my life that cause me to stumble so that I may be more conformed into your image.