Mark 9
FortnerMark 9:1-13
CHAPTER 38 Lessons from the Transfiguration “And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power. And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them. And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them. And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus. And Peter answered and said to Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. For he wist not what to say; for they were sore afraid.
And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him. And suddenly, when they had looked round about, they saw no man any more, save Jesus only with themselves. And as they came down from the mountain, he charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the dead. And they kept that saying with themselves, questioning one with another what the rising from the dead should mean. And they asked him, saying, Why say the scribes that Elias must first come? And he answered and told them, Elias verily cometh first, and restoreth all things; and how it is written of the Son of man, that he must suffer many things, and be set at nought.
But I say unto you, That Elias is indeed come, and they have done unto him whatsoever they listed, as it is written of him.” (Mark 9:1-13) We must never fail to consider the context in which something is revealed in Holy Scripture. In Mark 9 we are given a description of our Lord’s transfiguration before Peter, James, and John. It is a passage full of instruction and inspiration. But we are sure to miss much if we do not remember that this story follows, by divine arrangement, our Lord’s comments in Mark 8 about his own suffering and death, and his teaching that if we would be his disciples we must deny ourselves, take up our cross, lose our lives to his dominion, and follow him even unto death. Now, lest we grow weary in well doing, lest we be tempted to lay down the cross, lest we think self-denial is too demanding, our Lord follows those strong, demanding words with the promise of his kingdom and a sight of his own glory in that kingdom, even giving us a foretaste of the glory awaiting us when our warfare here is ended. When we are tempted to give up the fight and turn from the battle, we ought to seek a fresh vision of Christ’s great glory and of the glory promised to us in him. May God the Holy Spirit enable us to see and hear those things which Peter, James, and John saw and heard when they were with the Lord in the holy mount. Taste of Death “And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power” (Mark 9:1). What a blessed thing it is to read those words “taste of death!” God’s elect only “taste of death.” The wicked are swallowed by it. They are “killed with death” (Revelation 2:23). Believers shall never die (John 11:26). Actually, for the believer death is not death at all, but the beginning of life. The death of a believer’s body is the liberation of his soul; and as soon as our souls are freed from this body of sin and death we shall enter heaven.
This is the doctrine of God’s Word (Isaiah 57:1-2). When the righteous perish from the earth, they live in uprightness forever. Those who have been made righteous by the grace of God, being made the righteousness of God in Christ, when they die are taken away from evil. They enter into a world of peace. They rest in their beds, their bodies in the grave and their souls in the arms of Christ. And they live in the uprightness of glorified spirits forever. As soon as the believer dies he is carried by the angels of God into heaven, “Abraham’s bosom” (Luke 16:22-25), the place of endless comfort. At death every repentant sinner is taken to be with Christ in paradise (Luke 23:43). Paradise is heaven, the garden of God (Revelation 2:7). It is that place of assured blessedness promised to sinners who seek the mercy of God in Christ. Our Savior said to the dying thief, “Today,” immediately, “shalt thou,” assuredly, “be with me,” in endless company, “in paradise,” heavenly glory. Death for the believer is infinite, immeasurable, immediate gain (Philippians 1:21-23). Believers, upon leaving this world, lose nothing but sin and sorrow and gain everything good and glorious. What is the state of the saints’ life between death and the resurrection? I will not say more than God has revealed; but we are assured that God’s saints are not floating around in the sky sleeping! They have gone to a specific place called Heaven where Christ is. There they are assembled as a glorified Church (Hebrews 12:22-23). And their souls exist in a recognizable form, just as surely as Lazarus, Moses, and Elijah exists in a recognized form (Luke 16:23; Mark 9:4). Do God’s saints have a body between death and the resurrection? — A physical body?
No. — A spiritual body, a heavenly form, a house for their souls? Most definitely! Read 2 Corinthians 5:1. Every believer as soon as he leaves this body of flesh enters into heaven with Christ. It is this assurance that makes death a desirable thing for the believer to taste.The Coming of the Kingdom “And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power” (Mark 9:1). — The disciples were terribly perplexed by our Lord’s declaration described in verse thirty-one of chapter eight that he must be rejected and killed. I do not doubt that they were very concerned about the demands of true discipleship described in the last few verses of that chapter. Here the Lord Jesus promised them that he is indeed God’s Messiah and that the kingdom of God was at hand, so very near at hand that some of them would still be living upon the earth when it came. Our Lord plainly told his disciples that his kingdom was about to be established. He was not talking about a literal, earthly, millennial kingdom to be established in Israel at some distant time in the future. He was talking about something that was about to happen at the time. It is a great mistake to miss the teaching of Scripture regarding the spiritual, present nature of Christ’s kingdom. We do not look for some future time when the Lord Jesus will establish a carnal millennial kingdom on earth. We who believe are the Israel of God. God’s church is his kingdom, the true Zion. Believers are the children of Abraham. This kingdom began when Christ entered into his glory.
All the fanciful nonsense about a secret rapture, a future, literal seven-year tribulation period, a 1000 year Jewish kingdom, the return of Jewish sacrifices, etc. is nothing but human invention, tradition, and religious escapism. When Christ comes the second time, it will not be in secret, it will not be to give the Jews a second chance to receive him, or to rebuild the Jewish priesthood and temple services! When the Son of God comes again, it will be with power and great glory for the ultimate salvation of his people and the destruction of his foes. The Word of God never speaks of Christ coming secretly, or of a secret rapture of the church (2 Thessalonians 1:6-10). In this opening verse of Mark 9 our Lord Jesus tells us three things specifically about his kingdom. First, the Savior declared that the kingdom of God would come, and would come so as to be seen. The kingdom of the Messiah was to be set up in the world by the utter destruction of the Jewish nation, both physically and spiritually. In Genesis 49:10 we are told that the scepter of power and the lawgiver would depart from Judah when Shiloh was come. Here Shiloh declares, I have come and the scepter of power as well as the lawgiver shall now depart from Judah. In Romans 9-11 the Holy Spirit explains that it was necessary for God to destroy the Jewish nation and send blindness to that one nation, so that he might send the gospel into all the world and gather his elect out of every nation, kindred, tribe, and tongue. Matthew Henry correctly observed, “This was the restoring of the kingdom of God among men, which had been in a manner lost by the woeful degeneracy both of Jews and Gentiles.” Second, our Master asserted that his kingdom would come with power, power to make its own way and overcome all the opposition that might stand in its way. It came with power when the Holy Spirit was poured out upon it on the day of Pentecost. It came with power when God sent the Roman armies under the command of Titus through Jerusalem in 70 AD. It came with power when the gospel was brought to chosen, redeemed sinners among the Gentiles, breaking the chains of sin, idolatry, and superstition. And the kingdom of God still comes with power every time the Holy Spirit conquers a rebel sinner’s heart by the gospel. Third, our Lord Jesus asserted that some who stood with them on the earth at that time would continue to live until he had fulfilled his purpose in coming to the earth in human flesh and returned to glory and poured out his Spirit as the ascended, enthroned King of Zion (Acts 2:36-37). There were some standing there, that did not taste of death, until they saw it. This is virtually the same thing he said in Matthew 24:34. These very same disciples, though they saw and understood very little at this time, he promised would see the kingdom of God, when the others could not discern it to be the kingdom of God, for it comes not with observation. The only people in all the world who can see and enter into this kingdom are those who are born of God (John 3:3-7). Having made this promise, a promise which seemed altogether unbelievable, six days later our Savior took Peter, James, and John up into a high mountain and showed them some things which they later looked back upon as convincing proofs of his kingdom and glory. The Transfiguration In Mark 9:2-10 we see where Mark describes the Savior’s transfiguration. Though there was an interval of six days, it seems clear that Mark was inspired by the Holy Spirit to give his account of the transfiguration as a prophetic vision of that which our Savior declared in verse one. It is given here as a representation of the coming of the kingdom of God and of Christ’s exaltation and glory as our King. Though they were commanded to say nothing about it at the time, both Peter and John gave very clear accounts of what they had seen later (2 Peter 1:16; 1 John 1:1-3). Mark 9:2-10 is a picture of the glory our great and glorious Savior now has as our exalted Mediator and King. The days of his sorrow and humiliation are over forever. Our Lord Jesus is crowned with glory now. When the Scripture says here that he was transfigured before these disciples, the word “transfigured” is translated from the word from which we get our word metamorphosis. It means that he changed before their very eyes. Thus, our Lord showed his disciples the glory awaiting him when he had finished his work of redemption. I am not guessing about this. Peter, James, and John, as they watched this, heard Moses and Elijah talking to him about the death he was to accomplish at Jerusalem (Luke 9:29-31). The Savior’s transfiguration “testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow” (1 Peter 1:11). This vision of Christ’s transfiguration was also a gracious pledge of glorious things which are in store for God’s elect (Colossians 3:1-4). Though reviled and persecuted in this world, though despised and hated for the gospel’s sake, there is a day coming when we shall be clothed with majesty, honor, and glory forever (Ephesians 2:7). I must not pass this opportunity to point out the fact that Moses and Elijah knew each other, and were known by these disciples, though they lived hundreds of years apart and the disciples had never seen them or even a picture of them before. I am often asked, “Will we know one another in heaven?” Obviously, the answer is, “Yes.” As soon as these bodies close their eyes in death, believers enter into “an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” In that house we will know and converse with one another, as well as with Christ himself. And the primary subject of conversation in heaven will be the death accomplished at Jerusalem by our most glorious Christ. This vision of our Lord’s transfiguration is also a picture of the fact that Moses and Elijah, the law and the prophets, find their fulfillment in the substitutionary sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ at Calvary. The law was not given to be nothing more than a code of ethics. It was given to point to Christ. The prophets were not written merely to foretell future events. The books of the prophets were written to proclaim the coming of Christ and to verify his claim as the Christ when he did come. What great comfort and consolation a sight and apprehension of glory gives to troubled believers! When Peter, speaking for himself, as well as James and John, said, Lord, let us stay right here forever, there is much in the statement which is reprehensible. It showed a terrible slowness to hear the Word of God and great ignorance on his part. The Lord Jesus had just told him a few days earlier that he must be killed at Jerusalem. It showed a very regrettable forgetfulness of his brethren and selfishness on his part. It certainly showed the folly of popping off about things of which we are ignorant.
Yet, if I had been there, indeed, if I could be there now, I think I would want the same thing Peter wanted. I would say, “Let’s stay right here on this mountain. I don’t ever again want to go back down to where I was.” Be that as it may, it will do our hearts good to look forward, and try to get some apprehension of the indescribable pleasure and glory awaiting us when we meet our Savior to part no more. What shall we say when we are made partakers of his glory? What emotions will flood our souls when we enter into his holy company and know that we shall go out no more? What shall it be to enter into his glory? Peter had a foretaste of these things. I suspect that when we experience them we will say with one heart and one voice, “It is good for us to be here.” Further, the transfiguration gives us another of those plain, clear declarations of our great Savior’s eternal Godhead.
While they were with the Savior in the mount, with Moses and Elijah standing in front of them, the Lord God spoke from heaven and said, “This is my beloved Son.” Moses, Elijah, Peter, James, and John were all like us, sinners saved by grace, the sons of God by adoption and grace. Jesus Christ is distinctly God the Son, the Son of God by nature. The man Christ Jesus is himself God! He is God manifest in the flesh. His name is Immanuel, God with us. None but God could redeem us.
None but God could put away our sins. None but God could save us by his grace. And in this vision we are clearly and distinctly taught that all power and authority are in the Lord Jesus Chris, our Savior and King. That same Voice which spoke from heaven at our Master’s baptism and declared our Savior to be God the Son, spoke again at his transfiguration. On both occasions the Voice was the same. On both occasions, the Father owned the Son as the Son. But here two very important words are added. — “Hear him!” In the Church and Kingdom of God there is no voice of authority but his voice. He is our Teacher.
If we would be wise, we must learn of him. He is the Light of the world. If we would walk in the light, we must follow him. He is the Head of the church. If we would be members of his body, we must be joined to him. He alone is the Savior of men.
If we would be saved, we must look to him. Blessed, eternally blessed are all those sinners who upon this earth are graciously taught of God and learn by his grace to look to Christ and “hear him” (John 10:27-28). Elijah must Come The disciples, as they came down off the mountain after seeing the Lord Jesus transfigured before them, after seeing and hearing Moses and Elijah, after hearing God the Father speak from heaven, were specifically told to tell no one about the things they had seen until the Lord Jesus was risen from the dead. Hearing that, they seemed to forget everything else and returned to their usual questions and debates about what the Lord meant. This time, they debated about what he meant by rising from the dead. They still did not believe that the Lord Jesus was really going to die (Mark 9:9-10). They were, indeed, coming down! “And they asked him, saying, Why say the scribes that Elias must first come? And he answered and told them, Elias verily cometh first, and restoreth all things; and how it is written of the Son of man, that he must suffer many things, and be set at nought. But I say unto you, That Elias is indeed come, and they have done unto him whatsoever they listed, as it is written of him” (Mark 9:11-13). We must never attempt to interpret the Word of God carnally. The Pharisees believed and taught, as many do today, that before Christ comes in his glory and establishes his kingdom Elijah must literally come to the earth again. The disciples were familiar with and confused by the influence of the Pharisees. The prophecy of Malachi certainly tells us that Messiah’s coming must be preceded and introduced by the coming of Elijah. “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.”(Malachi 4:5-6) But we know Malachi’s prophecy did not refer to Elijah literally coming back to the earth, because the Lord Jesus tells us plainly in Mark 9:13 that Malachi’s prophecy was fulfilled in the ministry of John the Baptist. John the Baptist came not in the body of Elijah, but in the spirit and power of Elijah. That was the meaning of Malachi’s message. Let us never attempt to interpret the Word of God carnally. And we should always beware of the influence of false religion. There is no hindrance to the understanding of the Word of God like the prejudice of false religion. Seldom, very seldom is the majority, or the historical opinion of things right. These disciples misunderstood Malachi’s words, because they allowed themselves to be influenced by the carnal doctrine of the Pharisees.
Mark 9:14-29
CHAPTER 39 A Welcome Intrusion “And when he came to his disciples, he saw a great multitude about them, and the scribes questioning with them. And straightway all the people, when they beheld him, were greatly amazed, and running to him saluted him. And he asked the scribes, What question ye with them? And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit; And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not. He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me. And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming.
And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child. And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us. Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him.
And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead. But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose. And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out? And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.” (Mark 9:14-29) When our Lord Jesus came down off the mount of transfiguration, he found his disciples being harassed by the scribes, apparently because they were not able to perform the miracle of casting out the demon which possessed a young man who was brought to them. When the Lord Jesus saw what was going on, he immediately stepped in to defend the nine disciples who were baffled by their inability to perform this miracle and baffled by the learned scribes who were disputing with them. He asked the scribes why they were disputing with (questioning) his disciples. But, before the scribes said anything, before any of the disciples said anything, a man butted into the conversation. Normally, in polite society, such an intrusion is looked upon as rudeness and is disdained. However, this man’s intrusion was most welcome because it was the intrusion of a desperate, loving father for his demon possessed son. This poor man cared nothing for the dispute between the scribes and our Master’s disciples. His son was possessed of the devil! His son was pining away under satanic influence. His son was perishing and he was helpless. Therefore, he came directly, as soon as he had opportunity, to the only One who could help. He brought his son to the Son of God, seeking mercy, grace, and life for his son by the power of our great and glorious Savior. Mountain-top Experiences The first thing I see in this passage is the fact that mountain-top experiences seldom last very long. The contrast between this paragraph and the one preceding it is striking and must not be overlooked. We move from the mount of transfiguration to the valley of sorrow, from the vision of Christ’s glory to a sad, sad history of Satan’s power and influence in the life of one young man. Peter, James, and John had been in the blessed company of Moses and Elijah. They had just heard God the Father speaking from heaven. They had just seen the Son of God transfigured before their eyes. Now they come into the scene of conflict, pain, weakness, and misery. Here is a boy in agony, tormented by the devil. Here is a father with a broken heart, in deep distress. Here is a band of weak disciples baffled by Satan’s power and unable to help. That is a fairly vivid picture of every Christian’s life in this world. Mountain-top experiences are delightful, blessed times; but we must not expect them too often or expect too many of them. Most of the believer’s life is spent in conflict with the world, the flesh, and the devil. Our blessed visions of glory, those sweet foretastes of heaven, those seasons spent on the holy mount with the Lord are to be seized and enjoyed when God gives them. But that is the exception, not the norm. When we are in the valley, let us try always to remember that the Lord Jesus comes to his disciples in the valley, just as he does in the mountain.
He always comes, manifesting himself to us at precisely the right time. And the sorrows and conflicts of our valleys are as much by divine arrangement as the joys of our mountain-tops. Utterly Dependent We are also reminded by this story that we are utterly and entirely dependent upon our Lord Jesus Christ. This is brought out very clearly in these verses. Like Moses when he came down from Mt. Sinai, our Lord found his disciples in a state of complete confusion. They were under the assault of a malicious group of scribes. The occasion of this was the fact that they had attempted to cast the demon out of this man’s son without success. These are the same men who had, just a short time earlier, done many miracles and cast out many devils. Yet, before this man and his son, they were utterly helpless. These disciples learned by humble experience a very needful lesson. It is a lesson we must learn, a lesson that must be burned into our hearts. You will find it in the words of our Lord Jesus Christ to his chosen disciples in John 15:5. He said, “Without me ye can do nothing.” This is a lesson contrary to our flesh and bitter. But it is a lesson demonstrated over and over again in Scripture. We must not forget it.
If the Lord leaves us to ourselves, we have no strength to do anything or in any way resist the devil. The experience of Noah, Abraham, Lot, David, and Peter are written in bold letters to remind us of this fact. May God the Holy Spirit teach us daily that we are weak, weakness itself, and utterly helpless without the wisdom, presence, and grace of Christ, which he alone can give us. Satan’s Power This story is also recorded upon the pages of Holy Scripture to teach us and warn us of the horror of satanic power. Let no one imagine that Satan is a fictional force of evil. Let none laugh and think that Satan is just a religious boogie man conjured up by crotchety old men to scare little children. In this inspired narrative we hear a father describe the power and influence of Satan over his son as a foul spirit and a destructive spirit. The demon that controlled this young man was a deaf and dumb spirit. And the demon possessing this child possessed his heart as well as his body as a lunatic spirit (Matthew 17:15). Matthew describes his condition as a form of epilepsy, which causes fainting and dumbness, which John Gill identifies as, “a delirium of the heart.” This demon took possession of this young man as a mere child. This is a matter of deepest importance. We must labor to do good to our children and to serve the interests of their souls, even from their earliest years. If Satan begins early to destroy them, we must begin early to save them. We must, to the best of our ability, control who has influence over them, choosing their friends and companions, instruct them in the Scriptures and the blessed gospel of Christ, and pray for them. Weak Faith, but True Faith We also see in this passage another of the numerous examples given in Scripture of the dual nature of the believer. Who can read this paragraph and fail to see that faith and unbelief, righteousness and sin are found in the same person? The father of this child said, “Lord, I believe, help thou mine unbelief.” He believed. Yet, he had some doubts. He brought his child with hope. Yet, he was fearful. He seems to express this honestly in Mark 9:22. He said to Christ, “If thou canst do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” You may think, “That’s not much faith.” You would be right in your thinking if you did. But it was enough. He took his son home completely freed of the demon’s power. He had faith as a grain of mustard seed; but it was true, God-given faith. None of God’s people in this world are perfect, not even in a single area. It is not our faith, neither its strength, nor its quality, nor its quantity that matters, but Christ, the Object of our faith. Though this man’s faith was weak, it was true. It was the gift of God in him. He shows us by example that though our faith may be weak, we have cause, as Robert Hawker observed, “to bless God, for the smallest degree of faith than for all the riches of the world.” Faith brought him to Christ. His faith caused him to confess his conscious weakness of faith before the omnipotent One who had given him faith. And his faith obtained the mercy he needed. Do you have such faith, even as a grain of mustard seed?
If so, bless God for it. Faith in Christ is the evidence of our union with Christ and of our salvation by him (Acts 10:43; Acts 13:48; Hebrews 11:1-2). Let us desire and pray for greater faith, while we cherish the smallest measure of faith, by which our calling and election are proved and made sure to our souls. Christ’s Dominion We are taught here, by vivid example the totality of Christ’s dominion. There are many who foolishly imagine that Satan and the demons of hell are rivals to God, that they are somehow out of control. Nothing could be further from the truth. The devil is God’s devil. He is under God’s control. God uses him to accomplish his own purposes. And when he gets done with him, he will destroy him. Do you see this? Our Lord Jesus Christ exercises total dominion over Satan and his agents at all times. He speaks with almighty, sovereign authority, and Satan and his demons immediately, implicitly, and totally obey his voice. Satan is strong, malicious, and busy. We are no match for him. But the Lord Jesus Christ is yet able to save to the uttermost all who come unto God by him. He saves his elect from Satan’s power. Satan can never snatch us from our Savior’s almighty, omnipotent hands. And, soon the God of peace will bruise Satan under our heels (Romans 16:20). Believing Parents No doubt, this story is recorded upon the pages of Inspiration to remind us again of the privileges and responsibilities of believing parents. We cannot save our children. We cannot change their nature. We cannot give them life and faith in Christ. Many believing men and women have raised a house full of rebels. Let none of us arrogantly and ignorantly imagine that because children are wicked something must be amiss with the parents. Such talk betrays the pride and stupidity of a man who has never raised a family! Yet, there are some things we can and must do for our children. We can do for our sons and daughters what this man did for his son. He brought his son to the Savior, to the place where Christ was to be found. We can and must bring our children with us to the house of God. He brought the Savior to his Son by fervent prayer. He acknowledged his son’s condition to the Lord Jesus. He told the Lord Jesus plainly that his son, the child he dearly loved, was deaf and dumb, a lunatic, wicked to the core of his being, and dying. He added that he had always been like that from his youth. His son’s desperate need was his need. His prayer was not, “Have compassion on him, and help him.” His prayer was, “Have compassion on us, and help us!”His son did not believe God; but he believed God for his son. He could not believe instead of his son as a proxy. There is no such thing as proxy faith. But he did believe for his son. This man understood that foolishness is bound in the heart of every child. The rod of correction must be used to drive it from him; but only the grace of God can effectually deliver a sinner from the foolishness that is in him and from the power of Satan that rules him. God’s Operations This passage of Scripture is also an instructive, beautiful picture of God’s mighty operations of grace. Whenever God saves a sinner, there are certain things you can expect to see, and certain things you can expect to happen. I do not suggest by any means that all who are saved have the same experiences; but every believer’s experience is similar. Death is death. Life is life. Grace is grace. And salvation is salvation. This is how God performs it. This is how the Lord God performs his mighty operations of grace in us. First, when God saves a sinner, there is a divine call. The Master said, “Bring him unto me” (Mark 9:19). So it is with all to whom God is gracious. He commands them to come to Christ and commands all creation to bring them to him, saying, “Bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth” (Isaiah 43:6). Whenever the Lord Jesus calls sinners to himself, as they are coming to him, there is usually a satanic throw (Mark 9:20). When the Savior calls the sinner to himself, Satan is now in a rage because he knows his time is short (Revelation 12:12). Third, when the Lord comes to give eternal life, there is a hopeful slaughter. He kills before he makes alive. He brings us down before he lifts us up. That is vividly set before us in Mark 9:25-26. “When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him. And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead.” Then, blessed be his name, when the Lord Jesus comes in saving power, there is a resurrection from the dead. — “Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose” (Mark 9:27). The new birth is a resurrection from spiritual death to life eternal by the power and operation of God’s omnipotent mercy (John 5:25; Ephesians 2:1-5; Revelation 20:6).
Mark 9:30-37
CHAPTER 40 Matters of Tremendous Importance “And they departed thence, and passed through Galilee; and he would not that any man should know it. For he taught his disciples, and said unto them, The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise the third day. But they understood not that saying, and were afraid to ask him. And he came to Capernaum: and being in the house he asked them, What was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way? But they held their peace: for by the way they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest. And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all. And he took a child, and set him in the midst of them: and when he had taken him in his arms, he said unto them, Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me.” (Mark 9:30-37) The Greatest of All Doctrines“And they departed thence, and passed through Galilee; and he would not that any man should know it. For he taught his disciples, and said unto them, The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise the third day. But they understood not that saying, and were afraid to ask him” (Mark 9:30-32). The doctrine taught in these verses is the blessed gospel doctrine of substitutionary atonement, the satisfaction of divine justice for our sins by the blood atonement of our Lord Jesus Christ as the sinners’ Substitute. This is the doctrine of the Bible. It is the universal theme and message of Holy Scripture. This is the doctrine God’s servants are sent to preach. This is the message by which the holy Lord God reveals himself to chosen sinners in saving mercy. This is the message by which God’s saints are edified, encouraged, instructed, challenged, and reproved. In Mark 9:30 we are given a display of divine sovereignty. We are told that the Lord Jesus, when he was passing through Galilee again, “would not that any man should know it. For he taught his disciples.” The Master taught the gospel doctrine concerning his sin-atoning death to his chosen disciples alone. God hides the gospel from some and reveals it to others, according to his own sovereign will and pleasure (Matthew 11:25-27). The Galileans had seen many mighty displays of our Savior’s person, power, and grace. Yet, they believed not. Therefore, he refused to make himself known to them. That fact is most solemn. I do not find in the Bible a single example of the Son of God crossing a sinner’s path repeatedly. Those who despise him despise life and court destruction. Christ was present, but unknown by the people of Galilee! How often that is the case! Be warned. If you refuse to believe the gospel that has been preached to you, that gospel which is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth, the gospel itself will be your eternal tormentor in hell (Proverbs 1:23-33). It is written, “He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy” (Proverbs 29:1). The glorious sovereignty of our God is also displayed in the sufferings and death of his dear Son. Our Savior here declares, “The Son of Man is delivered into the hands of men.” He spoke of it as a matter already done, because it was done from eternity by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God the Father. Nothing about the death of Christ was accidental. This was the reason why God created the universe. The Son of God came here in time to fulfill what he agreed upon in eternity as our Surety. This was the mission upon which he was sent into the world (Matthew 1:21; Matthew 20:28). The immense importance of Christ’s sin-atoning sacrifice apparently was not yet understood by the disciples. Though he spoke often about it, their religious prejudices and preconceived ideas about what Messiah would do blinded their minds to his doctrine. Do not let those things blind your mind to this glorious, gospel doctrine. Substitution is the sum and substance of the gospel (2 Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 3:13; Romans 5:6-8). Substitution is the only remedy for sin. The substitutionary sacrifice of Christ is the only hope for sinners.
It is the revelation of the glory of God (2 Corinthians 4:6) and the joy of redeemed sinners (2 Corinthians 9:15; 1 John 4:9-10; 1 John 4:19). The substitutionary sacrifice of our dear Savior is the motive for all worship, devotion, and service to Christ (2 Corinthians 8:9; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20), and the rallying point of all true believers (Colossians 3:11). When the Lord Jesus announced that after his death upon the cursed tree he would rise from the dead in three days, he was asserting that by his one great sacrifice for the sins of his people he would completely satisfy the justice of God for us and would thereby forever put away our sins. Whenever we think about this, the greatest of all doctrines, think of it under these terms: Sovereignty, Substitution, Satisfaction, and Success. The Greatest of All Deceivers “And he came to Capernaum: and being in the house he asked them, What was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way? But they held their peace: for by the way they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest” (Mark 9:33-34). What a strange, what a sad, sad thing this is to see! The Lord Jesus has just told these disciples the greatest of all truths, and they are fussing about who shall be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven! These simple fishermen, chosen, redeemed, and called by pure grace, are arguing with each other about something that is both in direct opposition to grace and in direct opposition to the teachings of Scripture. These brethren were divided because each had a secret longing for preference and pre-eminence! The sad fact is we are all proud, self-righteous Pharisees by nature. We all think far more highly of ourselves than we ought. We all think we deserve better treatment than we get. We are all easily deceived by this, the greatest of all deceivers, — Pride. The Scriptures warn us constantly about this thing called pride. There is nothing we more abhor in others and more carefully nurture in ourselves than pride. Pride is a very old sin. It was pride that destroyed Lucifer. It was pride that destroyed Adam and drove him from the garden. It was pride that ruined our race. And it is pride that keeps sinners from the Savior. Pride is a very blinding sin. These disciples could not understand the glorious gospel doctrine of substitutionary redemption because their minds were occupied with their own visions of grandeur about themselves in the kingdom of heaven! Pride is a very subtle sin. Where it is the strongest, it is the least detected. It rules multitudes without notice, often wearing the garb of humility. — “The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee.” Pride is a soul-robbing sin. How often men and women miss God’s blessings, especially under the ministry of the Word, because they secretly nurture their own pride. These disciples missed the blessing of Christ’s teachings because of their silly pride. Pride is the great dividing sin. “Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom” (Proverbs 13:10). “He that is of a proud heart stirreth up strife: but he that putteth his trust in the LORD shall be made fat” (Proverbs 28:25). In fact, the cause of all strife, contention, and division between brethren is pride. All hurt feelings are just injured pride. All gossip, the love of talking about people, is pride. Someone once said, “Great minds discuss great ideas and principles. Little minds talk about people.” If that is so, we appear to be living in a world full of mental pigmies. Pride is a soul-ruining sin. “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18). “A man’s pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit” (Proverbs 29:23). Pride keeps sinners from repentance. Pride keeps people from trusting Christ. Pride robs us of peace, personally and with one another. Pride destroys brotherly love. Pride builds fences. Pride promotes self and seeks to pull others down. Pride makes people malicious, uncaring about the feelings of others, self-centered, unforgiving, unbending, unyielding, critical, and volatile. Ever beware of pride. Nothing is more deceitful. Nothing is more disruptive. Nothing is more unbecoming men and women who belong to the Son of God. The Greatest of All Deeds “And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all. And he took a child, and set him in the midst of them: and when he had taken him in his arms, he said unto them, Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me” (Mark 9:35-37). “And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.” — This is our Lord’s standard of true greatness. The world says, “Greatness is ruling over others.” The Son of God says, “Greatness is serving others.” David was a great man, not because he was a mighty king, but because he served his generation by the will of God as their king. Let us not seek honor, attention, and power, but humility, love, and our place of service in Christ’s kingdom. Far too often, I fear, men confuse carnal ambition for a call to the ministry. Many want to preach because that is the place, they think, of pre-eminence. God’s servants are men who labor in the Word, addict themselves to the service of men’s souls, and seek to serve Christ by faithfully serving the souls of his people. There is a difference. Empty boasts of orthodoxy are useless. The mere love of good preaching and religious activity is a mockery. If our religion does not translate into serving one another, our religion is a delusion (James 1:25-27). People who are willing to be last of all, least of all, and servants of all for Christ’s sake are always few. But these are the people who do good, who break down prejudices, who build the kingdom of God. Just to make sure that we do not miss the meaning of his instruction, our Lord illustrates what he is talking about in Mark 9:36-37. “And he took a child, and set him in the midst of them: and when he had taken him in his arms, he said unto them, Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me.” Believers are often compared to little children, because children are easily taught, are not easily offended, forgive quickly, and are very trusting. Usually, unless taught otherwise, children are willing to share whatever they have with others. Anything done for or to one of God’s children is considered as being done for him or to him. Do we really believe that? If we did, we would be more thoughtful and caring about one another, and we would be far more guarded in our attitudes toward one another. This is true godliness. These are the things the Bible calls “good works”. Children of God, LOVE ONE ANOTHER!
Mark 9:38-50
CHAPTER 41 The Salt of Hell and the Salt of Grace “And John answered him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not us. But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me. For he that is not against us is on our part. For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward. And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea. And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt. Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.” (Mark 9:38-50) Blessed are they to whom God by his Spirit gives grace to “discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not” (Malachi 3:18). Our Savior’s language here is decisive. — “He that is not against us is on our part.” No one can be neutral. Either we serve Christ, or we are opposed to Christ. There is no middle ground. It was said of Solomon, “Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and that hear thy wisdom” (1 Kings 10:8). How much more must it be said of Christ our great King, “Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and that hear thy wisdom!” Other Brethren The first thing to be learned from this passage is the fact that all who truly serve the Lord Jesus Christ are brethren (Mark 9:38-42). How sad it is for brethren to isolate themselves from one another! And for brethren to oppose one another is utterly inexcusable. Yet, that is precisely what we see the Apostle John doing here. He said to the Lord Jesus, “Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not us.” The man was doing good. He was casting out devils in the name of Christ.
But he was not numbered among the Lord’s disciples. He was not a member of their little band. He was fighting the same war, but with a different battalion. That did not set well with John. Therefore he rebuked the man. John’s rebuke of this man did not set well with the Lord Jesus.
He said to John, “Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me. For he that is not against us is on our part.” It was an offense to John to see a man casting out devils in the name of Christ who was not numbered among his apostles, who was unknown to the Lord’s known disciples, and was not identified with them. It seemed strange to him that a man was casting out devils in the name of Christ, doing the same work they were doing, who was not associated in any way with the apostles of Christ. Perhaps this man was a disciple of John the Baptist. Perhaps not. We are not told. However, we are told that our Lord Jesus rebuked John for rebuking him. There is a reason for that. The sad fact is, we are all so proud that we are all prone to think that nothing good can be done unless it is done by us, or by one of those with whom we are identified. We must never be tolerant toward those who oppose the gospel of God’s free and sovereign grace in Christ. Let men call us bigots and slander us as narrow-minded sectarians, if they must. Our responsibility is clear with regard to every form of false religion, every form of freewill, works religion. Our God says to all who would follow him, “Come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you” (2 Corinthians 6:17; Revelation 18:4; Isaiah 48:20; Isaiah 52:11-12; Jeremiah 50:8; Jeremiah 50:45; Galatians 1:6-9; 1 John 4:1; 2 John 1:9-11). I say to all who embrace as brethren those who oppose our God and the gospel of his grace, “Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the Lord?” (2 Chronicles 19:2). There is absolutely no place for compromise with regard to the gospel of God’s free and sovereign grace in Christ. That is the cursed way of Balaam. We must never yield to it. Those who do not believe and preach the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ are not with us, but against us. They are not the servants of Christ, but the servants of Satan. They do not do good to the souls of men, but ruin them. With regard to such men, the Lord Jesus Christ spoke very plainly in Matthew 12:30. — “He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.” But here in Mark our Lord Jesus teaches us to bend over backwards and always to be lenient with those who preach the gospel, but, for some reason, do not identify themselves with us. Sometimes faithful men are divided. There came a time when Paul and Barnabas, both faithful men, had to part company. That is a sad fact, but a fact nonetheless. As was the case in Elijah’s day, so it is today. God still has his thousands who have not bowed the knee to Baal. Many of them are simply not known to one another. But if they preach the same message we preach and serve the same Master we serve, they are our brethren. Even if they act out of envy, jealousy, and strife, if they preach the gospel of Christ, let us never be found fighting against them. There are two relevant passages we should look at which will help us in understanding our Master’s proverbial statement here in Mark (Numbers 11:27-29; Philippians 1:15-18). “And there ran a young man and told Moses, and said, Eldad and Medad do prophesy in the camp. And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Moses, one of his young men, answered and said, My lord Moses, forbid them. And Moses said unto him, Enviest thou for my sake? would God that all the LORD’S people were prophets, and that the LORD would put his spirit upon them!” (Numbers 11:27-29) “Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will: The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds: But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel. What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.” (Philippians 1:15-18) Let us never be found opposing Christ (Mark 9:41-42). Those who serve Christ in any way, no matter how insignificant it may seem to be, shall be honored by Christ. — “For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward.” It is better that a person had never been born than that he be found persecuting and opposing the Lord’s children. — “And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea.” With those things in mind, let us learn always to be lenient and tolerant toward those who profess to be our brothers and sisters in Christ. We simply do not know who belongs to Christ and who does not. We do not have the ability to discern between sheep and goats, or tares and wheat. Remember, “He that is not against us is on our part.”Self-denial Immediately following this, our Lord Jesus shows us the necessity of rigorous self-denial. In Mark 9:43-48 our Savior tells us plainly that we must willingly give up anything and everything, which stands between us and him. The hand and foot which are to be cut off, and the eye that is to be plucked out, if they offend, if they keep us from following Christ, they are idols which we must destroy with our own hands. Though it is as dear to me as my right eye, my right hand, or my right foot, anything that stands between me and Christ, anything that keeps my soul from him, is to be cut off, no matter how painful and costly (Luke 14:26-27; Luke 14:33). If we would follow Christ, we must go to the cemetery and bury our idols, the sooner the better. At first sight, our Lord’s teaching in this regard may seem to be hard and rough. But there is a reason for it. Compliance is absolutely essential. If we do not tear every idol from its pedestal in our hearts, the idol we most cherish is sure to drag us down to hell. If we would follow Christ, if we would be his disciples, we must consecrate ourselves to him day by day with deliberate, unyielding determination (Galatians 5:24; 1 Corinthians 9:27). Hell’s Reality The third thing plainly revealed in this passage of Scripture is the reality of everlasting hell (Mark 9:43-49). I do not know what hell is, or where it is. I do not know what the fires of hell are, or what the blackness and darkness of hell are. But I do know this — The Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, warns us repeatedly of a place of torment reserved for the damned, a place where the worm never dies and the fire is not quenched. These are awful expressions. They call for meditation more than exposition. Ponder them. Consider them. Reflect upon them. Think about them. It matters not whether you regard the language as figurative or literal. If they are taken figuratively, the worm that never dies and the fire that is never quenched are figures of real things. There is a real place of eternal torment called hell. In hell, the gnawing worm of a guilty conscience never dies or is, to any degree, silenced. In hell the fire of God’s wrath is never quenched. The torments of the damned can never satisfy the wrath and justice of the holy Lord God for sin. Therefore, our Lord makes reference to the sacrifices of the Old Testament in which God required every sacrifice to be salted with salt. In Mark 9:49 he says, “For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt.” If you die in your sins, if you perish without Christ, you will be cast into hell to suffer the everlasting, indescribable horror of the wrath of God. There the worm of your tormenting conscience will relentlessly gnaw at your soul. There the fires of God’s wrath will burn forever. As salt preserves meat from corruption, the fire of hell is such that it preserves the damned from being consumed. Here, our Lord Jesus tells us that the fires of God’s wrath in hell will do the same thing that salt does to the flesh of slaughtered animals. As the salt preserves the flesh from putrefaction and corruption, so the fire of hell, while burning, torturing, and tormenting the damned, will preserve their bodies and souls in their being forever. In other words, the very fire that burns will keep them from being consumed. Their souls shall never die. Their bodies will not consume away. They will lose none of their powers, faculties, or senses. Rather, they shall all be intensified! That is what our Lord means by men being salted with fire and the fire being unquenchable! In hell there will be no mercy, no blood atonement, no grace, no Christ, and no hope! Salt of Grace In Mark 9:50 our Lord Jesus speaks about the salt of grace and peace. — “Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.” Let us make certain that we have the salt of God’s grace in us, that salt of grace which will preserve us and sanctify us in Christ. Do not be satisfied with a mere profession of faith. Make sure you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Do not be satisfied with a religious experience. Be sure you have the salt of God’s grace (2 Corinthians 13:5). And let the children of God have peace with one another. In the Old Testament the covenant of peace is called the covenant of salt (Numbers 18:19; Numbers 25:12). Here our Lord Jesus takes opportunity to admonish his disciples, who had just been disputing about who should be greatest, to promote and maintain peace among themselves. It is the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace which is the strength and preserving quality of Gods church in this world. If we would truly promote peace, we must always season our speech with the salt of grace (Colossians 4:6; Ephesians 4:29; Romans 12:18; Romans 14:19; 2 Corinthians 13:11).