The Word Made Fresh
1Jesus told them, “This is the truth; some standing here will not suffer death until they see that the kingdom of God has arrived in power.”
2Six days later Jesus took Peter, James, and John with him up a high mountain, where he was transfigured before them. 3His clothes became bright white, whiter than anyone on earth could bleach them. 4Elijah and Moses appeared, talking with Jesus. 5Then Peter said to him, “Rabbi, it’s a good thing we are here. Let us make three shelters, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 6He was so terrified he didn’t know what he was saying.
7But then a cloud engulfed them, and they heard a voice saying, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him!”
8Suddenly when they could see around them, they saw that there was no one there with them but Jesus alone. 9When they started down the mountain, Jesus ordered them not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10So they kept it to themselves, but they wondered what his reference to rising from the dead could possibly mean.
11Later they asked him, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must return first?”
12Jesus explained, “Indeed, Elijah is coming first to restore everything. And it has been written that the Son of Man is going to suffer many things and be hatefully treated 13But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did whatever they wanted to him just as it has been written.”
14When they returned to the other disciples, they saw that a huge crowd had gathered around them. Some scribes were arguing with them. 15But when the people saw him they were in awe, and ran to greet him.
16Jesus asked, “What is all this arguing about?”
17One of the people in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought my son to you. He has an evil spirit that has taken away his ability to speak. 18Whenever it comes upon him it throws him down and he foams at the mouth and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to cast it out, but they couldn’t do it.”
19Jesus said, “How long do I have to remain with this faithless generation? How much longer must I put up with this? Bring the boy to me!”
20They brought the boy to him, and when the spirit that possessed him saw Jesus, it shook the boy and threw him to the ground rolling about and foaming at the mouth. 21Jesus asked the father, “How long has this been going on?”
“Since he was a child,” the father answered. 22“Sometimes it tries to kill him, and throws him into the fire or the water. Please help us if you can.”
23Jesus said, “If I can? Anything can be done for those who believe.”
24The boy’s father cried in tears, “I believe! Help my unbelief!”
25Jesus saw a crowd running toward them, and he reprimanded the spirit, saying, “Spirit! You have been preventing this boy from speaking and hearing. I order you to come out of him, and never bother him again!”
26The spirit cried out and made the boy shake violently, but then it left him, and the boy lay still like a corpse. Most of the bystanders thought he was dead. 27But Jesus took the boy’s hand and lifted him up and helped him stand.
28Later, when he was in the house his disciples discretely asked, “Why couldn’t we get rid of the evil spirit?”
29Jesus said, “This kind of spirit can only be removed through prayer and fasting.”
30They left there and passed on privately through Galilee. He didn’t want anyone to know where they were 31because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of those who wish to put him to death. Three days after he dies, he will rise again.” 32But they didn’t understand what he meant, and were afraid to ask him.
33They arrived at Capernaum, and when they were in the house he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the way here?” 34They didn’t answer, because while they were on the road they had been arguing about which one of them was the most important. 35Jesus sat down and called the twelve to him. He said, “Whoever wants to be first must be last and serve all the others.” 36A child was there with them, and Jesus took the child in his arms and said to them, 37“Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me also welcomes the one who sent me.”
38John said, “Teacher, we saw a man who hasn’t been traveling with us cast out demons in your name. We tried to prevent him because he wasn’t one of us.”
39“Don’t try to stop him,” said Jesus. “No one who does things like that in my name can speak evil of me later. 40Whoever is not against us is for us. 41I tell you this truly; whoever offers you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will certainly be rewarded. 42Whoever causes one of these little ones to sin would be better off if a heavy millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea. 43If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It’s better to enter heaven with one hand than to go to hell 44with two hands where the worms never die, and the fires never go out. 45And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off; it is better to enter heaven lame than to have two feet and be thrown into hell 46where the worms never die, and the fires never go out. 47And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better to enter God’s kingdom with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell 48where the worms never die and the fires never go out.
49“Everyone will be seasoned with fire. 50Salt is good, but if it has lost its flavor it can’t be restored. So, be seasoned within, and be at peace with one another.”
Commentary
1: The promise that some will live to see the “kingdom of God come with power” is often interpreted to be a reference to the transfiguration scene described in the next paragraph.
2-8: Peter, James, and John are the three who were with Jesus when he brought Jairus’ daughter back to life (5:37), and now Jesus chooses them to accompany him to a remote mountain in Galilee, thought by most to be Mt. Tabor in the Plain of Jezreel. The scene of the transfiguration is reported a number of times in the New Testament — see Matthew 17:1-8, Luke 9:28-36, 2 Peter 1:17-18. The story implies that Jesus went to the mountain specifically to confer with Moses and Elijah (though we wonder how the disciples recognized them), but Mark does not offer any explanation about what they talked about or why he chose the three to go with him. The appearance of the cloud is reminiscent of Old Testament stories of God’s appearances to the Hebrew people in the wilderness of Sinai.
9-13: The experience obviously made an indelible impression on the three disciples. When Jesus invokes their silence about the scene they witnessed on the mountain, they have a question I’m sure any first century Jew would have wanted to know given what they had just witnessed: what connection does the appearance of Elijah have to the expected coming of the Messiah? Jesus does not directly answer the question; rather he emphasizes that the Messiah and Elijah (and he is referring to John the Baptizer here) both must suffer the contempt of the crowds.
14-29: Mark tells this story with an unusual amount of detail. Jesus comes down from the mountain to find his other disciples arguing with the legal experts (or “scribes”). The argument is over their inability to cast out a demon that has afflicted a young man for years, with behavior that is akin to epileptic fits. Jesus calls out the demon, the boy at first faints, but then is fully restored to health. Mark sees the entire incident as evidence that the disciples are woefully inept. They don’t even know how to pray!
30-32: Jesus continues to insist that he will be crucified and then will rise after three days. The disciples don’t know how to respond. Indeed, they’ve given up trying to respond.
33-37: His death and resurrection simply don’t fit into their plans. They are interested in other things, like pecking order. Jesus sees a teaching moment and, using a child as an object lesson, explains to them that pecking orders are reversed in the kingdom of God.
38-41: This little incident was an important example to the early church. Most people readily recognize the saying, “Whoever is not against us is for us,” but far more important is the assurance that “whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward.” Note also how quickly the disciples pass over the “whoever” saying in verse 37 about welcoming children. John wants to get back to that all-important pecking order. Surely the twelve are better than some guy who isn’t part of their entourage, even if he is casting out demons. Remember, the disciples themselves were unable to cast out the demon that possessed a young man back at verse 18.
42-48: Jesus, however, wants to return to the subject of how they treat “little ones.” Grownup disciples can do a lot more with their hands and feet, and see (understand) more with their eyes than little children can, but Jesus wants them to understand that those attributes are absolutely useless in the kingdom of God.
49-50: These are famous but inscrutable sayings. Salt and fire were common ways of preserving food and common elements in the offering of sacrifices in the temple. Perhaps what Jesus meant was that, if the disciples were properly “seasoned” they would not be arguing with each other about who was the greatest among them.
Takeaway
The “transfiguration” is the turning point. From here Mark will emphasize the coming suffering of God’s only begotten Son. If God was willing to make that sacrifice for us, what should our response be in terms of making sacrifices to God?