Chapter Nine

1–13. The Transfiguration of the Lord Jesus Christ. – 14–29. The healing of the demon-possessed boy. – 30–32. The repetition of the prediction about death and Resurrection. – 33–50. On the relations of the disciples to one another: humility, love. Discourse on temptations to sin.

Mark 9:1. And He was saying to them, “Truly I say to you, there are some of those standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power. (Cf. Matt 16:28.) These words represent the conclusion to the speech of the Lord contained in Mark 8:34-38. The evangelist Matthew expresses himself far more concretely than Mark (and Luke with him). He speaks precisely of the coming of Christ as a mighty King, while Mark speaks of the coming of the kingdom of God in general. Regarding the fulfillment of this prophecy of Christ, one must say the following. The kingdom of God “in power,” that is, the spreading of the gospel throughout the entire then-known world (Rom 1:8; Col 1:6; 1 Thess 1:8), was seen by some of those who were listeners of Christ. They saw how the kingdom of God penetrated into the hearts of people, renewing them and endowing them with new life-giving powers—in a word, displaying all its miraculous power.

Mark 9:2. And after six days, Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves alone; and He was transfigured before them. The narrative of the Transfiguration of Christ that begins here is on the whole similar to the narrative in the Gospel of Matthew (Matt 17:1-13), but it also has certain distinctive features.

Mark 9:3. His garments became shining, exceedingly white, as no fuller on earth can whiten them. Without mentioning the “change of Christ’s face” (cf. Matt 17:2), the evangelist Mark speaks particularly carefully about Christ’s garments, which were illuminated by an extraordinary light. This light itself was of heavenly origin, as appears from the fact that, the evangelist says, it could not be compared with the brightness of garments cleansed by a fuller “on earth.”

Mark 9:4. And Elijah appeared to them along with Moses; and they were talking with Jesus. The evangelist Mark places Elijah in the first position (and not Moses, as Matthew does), perhaps because the conversation about Elijah follows later (verse 11 and onward).

Mark 9:5. Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three tabernacles: one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah. “Rabbi.” This word in meaning equals the expression: Lord (Matt 17:4; cf. John 20:16: “Rabboni”). “It is good for us to be here”—better rendered: “It is good that we are here!”

Mark 9:6. For he did not know what to answer; for they became terrified. Peter was accustomed to acting as the representative of the apostles. But now he did not know what to say, because what had happened had filled him with fear. His speech shows that he and the other disciples were not yet able to imagine their Teacher in His glory.

Mark 9:7. Then a cloud appeared, overshadowing them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is My beloved Son; listen to Him! Mark 9:8. And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus alone. Mark 9:9. As they were coming down from the mountain, He gave them orders not to relate to anyone what they had seen, until the Son of Man should rise from the dead. Mark 9:10. And they seized upon that saying, questioning among themselves what rising from the dead meant. “Seized upon that saying.” It is quite likely that this alludes to the silence which the disciples were required to observe regarding the great event on the mountain (cf. verse 9). The evangelist Luke directly states that the apostles “kept silence” about what had happened (Luke 9:36). “What does it mean...” The apostles were undoubtedly not puzzled about resurrection of the dead in general, but about the resurrection of the Messiah, to whom, according to their understanding, it was not supposed to be necessary to die (cf. John 12:34).

Mark 9:11. They asked Him, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first? The thought contained in the question of the disciples is as follows. The scribes, who said much about the signs of the coming of the Messiah, drew the attention of their listeners to the prophecy of Malachi, according to which Elijah the prophet should appear before the coming of the Messiah and prepare the Jews for receiving the Messiah (Mal 4:5 and onward). Now the disciples had already seen Elijah—he came from heaven and would certainly prepare the Jews for receiving Christ, when Christ deigns to reveal Himself to the world. Why, then, should Christ suffer and die? Who would raise a hand against Him if Elijah prepares everyone for faith in Christ?”

Mark 9:12. And He said to them, “Elijah indeed comes first and restores all things; and yet how is it written of the Son of Man that He will suffer many things and be treated with contempt? The Lord here repeats the question of the disciples, revealing its meaning. “If it is true that Elijah should prepare the Jews for receiving Me as the Messiah, then how—and herein lies the substance of your perplexity—can this be reconciled with what is written concerning the Son of Man, namely those prophecies that speak of the hostile attitude of the Jews toward the Messiah, of His great sufferings and humiliation?”

Mark 9:13. But I say to you that Elijah has indeed come, and they did to him whatever they wished, just as it is written of him. To settle the confusion in which the disciples found themselves, Christ says: “Yes, so it is written! But I explain to you that even Elijah himself, My forerunner, who has already come, men hostile to Me treated harshly. They did with him as they wished—precisely as the Scripture foretold concerning the Son of Man, regarding how men would treat Him.”

Mark 9:14. When they came to the disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and scribes arguing with them. The evangelist Mark’s account of the healing of the demon-possessed boy is far more detailed than Matthew’s account (Matt 17:14-21). First of all, he reports that the crowd and scribes were arguing with the disciples when Christ, after the Transfiguration, came to the disciples. The debate, of course, was about whether Christ truly gave wonder-working power to the disciples. The disciples, it turned out, were not able to heal the brought boy.

Mark 9:15. Immediately, when the entire crowd saw Him, they were amazed, and ran up to greet Him. The crowd was amazed or, more precisely, was struck with astonishment mixed with fear (ἐκθαμβεῖσθαι). They were struck by the unexpected appearance of Christ and perhaps by some lingering radiance that was on Christ’s face during the Transfiguration.

Mark 9:16. And He asked them, “What are you discussing with them? The Lord asks what the scribes were arguing about with the people (“with them”). But the scribes fell silent: evidently, they were speaking disparagingly of Christ and now they were ashamed to repeat their words to the people.

Mark 9:17. One of the crowd answered Him, “Teacher, I brought You my son, possessed by a dumb spirit; Then, on behalf of the crowd, the father of the boy makes a declaration. He explains that the demon deprived the boy of the gift of speech and threw him into the falling sickness.

Mark 9:18. and wherever it seizes 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, and they could not do it. Mark 9:19. And He answered them and said, “O faithless generation! How long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him to Me. Mark 9:20. They brought the boy to Him. When he saw Him, immediately the spirit threw him into a convulsion, and falling to the ground, he began rolling around and foaming at the mouth. Mark 9:21. And He asked his father, “How long has he been like this?” And he said, “From childhood; Like a physician, Christ asks the father how long his son has been ill. He does this in order to bring the father to the realization of how serious his son’s condition is and how helpless he had been up to that point.

Mark 9:22. and it has often thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us. The father of the boy does not have sufficiently strong faith in Christ, even though he brought his son to Him. He says: “if You can...”

Mark 9:23. Jesus said to him, “’If you can!’ All things are possible to him who believes. Then the Lord impresses upon the father the necessity of faith in Him. “If you can!...” Better translated: “What is this: ‘if you can’?” (the word “believe” in the best manuscripts is not read). All things are possible to one who believes, that is, if you have true faith, you will obtain all that you need, and not merely “something” or “partly.”

Mark 9:24. Immediately the boy’s father cried out with tears and said, “I believe, Lord! help my unbelief. The father understood the reproach contained in Christ’s words and began to confess his little faith, asking Christ to strengthen him in faith.

Mark 9:25. When Jesus saw that a crowd was running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You deaf and mute spirit, I command you, come out of him, and do not enter him again. Mark 9:26. Crying out and throwing him into terrible convulsions, it came out; and the boy became so lifeless that most of them said, “He is dead. Mark 9:27. But Jesus took him by the hand and raised him; and he got up. Mark 9:28. When He came into the house, His disciples began asking Him privately, “Why could we not drive it out? Mark 9:29. And He said to them, “This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer. The ones who brought the sick man evidently forewarned the crowd, which only now began to gather in masses around Christ. Now, in front of the entire crowd, the Lord found it beneficial to perform the miracle of healing the boy: the crowd must not think that this healing presents difficulty for Him, as it had been difficult for the apostles. There were no other reasons compelling Christ precisely at this moment to perform the healing, for example, fear of the Pharisees and scribes who might incite the people against Christ (as Bishop Michael suggests)—there were none here.

Mark 9:30. They went out from there and passed through Galilee; and He did not want anyone to know about it. Mark 9:31. For He was teaching His disciples and saying to them, “The Son of Man is to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill Him; and when He is killed, after three days He will rise again. Mark 9:32. But they did not understand the statement, and they were afraid to ask Him. (Cf. Matt 17:22-23). The evangelist Mark remarks that at this time Christ passed through Galilee unrecognized, because His activity here was already drawing to a close. The miracle which He performed after the Transfiguration was the last in Galilee. The people must now seek instruction not from Christ, but from the apostles. At this time Christ devoted Himself entirely to preparing His disciples for their future activity (taught them) and especially impressed upon them the thought of His forthcoming violent death. If in Mark 8:31 Christ also spoke of the death awaiting Him, there He spoke of it as something that must come to pass (“must”), while here He speaks of His death as a fact which is, so to speak, about to happen (“the Son of Man is to be delivered”). “They did not understand” (cf. Matt 17:23).

Mark 9:33. Then they came to Capernaum; and when He was in the house, He asked them, “What were you discussing on the way? Mark 9:34. But they kept silent; for on the way they had discussed with one another who was the greatest. Mark 9:35. Sitting down, He called the twelve and said to them, “If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all. Mark 9:36. Taking a child, He set him before them, and taking him in His arms, He said to them, Mark 9:37. “Whoever receives one of such children in My name, receives Me; and whoever receives Me does not receive Me, but Him who sent Me. (Cf. Matt 18:1-5). The evangelist Mark notes that Jesus held this conversation with the disciples in Capernaum. In all likelihood, the evangelist, having mentioned Capernaum only at the beginning of Christ’s activity in Galilee (Mark 1:21), mentions it again now to hint that the Galilean activity of Christ had come to an end. The Lord, in Mark’s conception, wishes to show final honor to the house of Simon, where He had always found a warm reception. “He asked them.” Thus from this it is evident that the question posed by the disciples, which the evangelist Matthew reports (Matt 18:1), was preceded by a question with which Christ addressed them. From Mark’s Gospel it is clear that the disciples were discussing with one another about who among them was greater. Their silence testifies that they were ashamed, understanding that their conversation, which they were conducting among themselves, was nevertheless known to Christ. Silently they, so to speak, confessed their sin before Him. Verse 35 cf. Matt 20:26. “Taking him in His arms.” More accurately translated: “He took him into His arms.” Between verses 36 and 37 there is a certain lack of connection. Namely, in verse 37, the discourse is evidently about children in a figurative sense, that is, about Christians who, by their humility, resemble children and generally occupy inconspicuous places in the Church. But in verse 36, the discourse is about an ordinary child. Evidently, the evangelist here abbreviates Christ’s speech, which undoubtedly explained to the apostles that by “child” He meant humble people. Only in this way can one explain the appearance of the expression: “one of such children” (verse 37).

Mark 9:38. John said to Him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we tried to prevent him because he was not following us. Mark 9:39. But Jesus said, “Do not hinder him, for there is no one who will perform a miracle in My name, and be able soon after to speak evil of Me. Mark 9:40. “For he who is not against us is for us. Mark 9:41. “For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because of your name as followers of Christ, truly I say to you, he will not lose his reward. Hearing Christ’s speech about condescension toward those standing at the first stage of Christian life, the apostle John recalled a recent incident in which the disciples of Christ had acted, it appears, contrary to the fundamental outlook contained in Christ’s just-spoken words (verse 37). They forbade a certain man to cast out demons in Christ’s name because this man, perhaps out of some fearfulness, did not join the circle of Christ’s disciples. The apostles, so to speak, regarded the performance of miracles in Christ’s name as their own personal privilege, and they were displeased that someone else, who apparently had not received authority from Christ, nevertheless performed such miracles as they did. Christ instructs them that when they encounter this wonder-worker again, they should not repeat their former action toward him. Such a person cannot soon become hostile to Christ: he sees in Him God’s messenger. Then Christ points out that in the present situation of the disciples, when representatives of the Jewish people are openly hostile to Christ and the apostles, the disciples regard it as valuable that at least someone among the people does not go against them—this means such a person sympathizes with them in his heart; otherwise he would certainly have gone with his leaders, the scribes and Pharisees. Earlier it was different. Then, when popular sentiment was on the side of Christ (Matt 12:23), direct following of Christ was required, and whoever was not with Him was evidently hostile to Him (Matt 12:30). Finally, if one who gave a cup of water to a disciple of Christ will not lose his reward, then certainly one who works miracles in His name—one who glorifies Christ—has more right to a reward and consequently more right to enjoy the wonder-working powers brought to earth by Christ (cf. Matt 10:42).

Mark 9:42. “And whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck, and he had been thrown into the sea. Mark 9:43. “If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life crippled, than, having your two hands, to go into Gehenna, into the unquenchable fire, Christ continues His interrupted discourse on the manner in which the apostles should regard the weak in faith (see Matt 18:5-6).

Mark 9:44. where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched. (See comments to Isa 66:24). Blessed Theophylact understands by “worm” and “fire” the pangs of conscience which a sinner will feel after death. These torments will continue eternally.

Mark 9:45. “If your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame, than, having your two feet, to be cast into Gehenna, into the unquenchable fire, Mark 9:46. where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched. Mark 9:47. “If your eye causes you to stumble, throw it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be cast into Gehenna of fire, Mark 9:48. where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched. Mark 9:49. For everyone will be salted with fire, and every sacrifice will be salted with salt. Mark 9:50. “Salt is good; but if salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another. Verses 49–50 represent what is called a crux interpretum. It is unclear why the Lord bases His teaching on the need to avoid temptations by pointing to the seasoning of all things with some sort of fire and every sacrifice with salt. In view of the impossibility of giving a natural explanation to this text, found only in the evangelist Mark, some scholars (for example, Kdeneke in Beiträge z. Förder. Th. 1908, 1) make such a correction of this passage. They transpose the words of verse 50 to the beginning of verse 49 in place of the expression “for everyone will be seasoned with fire,” which seems unauthentic to these scholars. Thus, verse 49 has the following form: “salt is a good thing, for (see Lev 2:13) every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt.” Professor Bogdashevsky, however, finds this new attempt at interpretation leads nowhere, since it leaves unexplained the connection of verse 49 with verse 48, and moreover has no basis in the most reliable manuscripts of the Gospel, in which the most accepted form is our version of verse 49. According to Professor Bogdashevsky, the thought contained in verses 48 and 49 can be expressed as follows. “Do not be afraid,” says Christ, “of spiritual self-denial. To avoid temptations, do not spare any member of your body that tempts you, for the path of a true follower of Mine, as a true spiritual sacrifice to God, is the path of seasoning with fire—that is, with the fire of self-sacrifice, self-denial, spiritual purification. It is necessary in general to have ‘salt’ in yourself, that is, the Christian spirit, a Christian constant disposition, Christian principles of faith and life, and once this ‘salt’ loses its strength in us, we can no longer influence others. There will be no peace among us, and we will quarrel about who is greater among us” (“Proceedings of the Kiev Theological Academy,” 1909, July–Aug., pp. 485–487). With such an interpretation one can fully agree: one only needs to place verse 49 in connection with the entire section of verses 37–48. Indeed, it is very plausible that the Lord at the end of His discourse on temptations returned to His main point—the need for humility in His disciples—and to prove this necessity pointed out that His disciples must advance to perfection through various trials. However, we would prefer to express the meaning of verses 49–50 thus: “Why should you fear to sacrifice any attachment? (cf. Matt 5:29). After all, none of My followers can escape the fire of suffering, which God will send them so that they may become hardened in virtue. Indeed, not in vain was every sacrifice in the Old Testament salted with salt—this had a special spiritual significance, since salt gave a certain flavor to the sacrificial meat. So in Christ’s followers there must be preserved the salt of self-denial, without which they will not find God’s favor. If this self-denial disappears, then Christian life will decline. But having self-denial, Christians will be able to have peace among themselves, not exalting one another by their advantages.”