Mark 8:31-9:50: Jesus Prepares His Disciples

8:31-33: The Christ Will Suffer and Die

The disciples now understand that Jesus is the Christ, but they do not understand who the Christ is. Jesus began to teach them that He must suffer and be rejected by the religious leaders, and ultimately die at their hands, but He would rise on the third day (31). Jesus spoke these things openly, but Peter took Him to the side to rebuke Him (32), but Jesus turned to the disciples and rebuked Peter (33a). Jesus wanted all the disciples to know that this was not His shame, rather it was His purpose. Peter was still thinking about the Christ having earthly glory, but Jesus rebuked him for not desiring God's purposes (33b).

8:34-9:1: Following Christ Means Doing the Same

Jesus' statement in 8:34 is not that the Christian is to carry his burden as Jesus did, rather "take up his [noose, shotgun, guillotine, any other instrument of one's death], and follow me". Those who want to have eternal life must lose his life for Christ's sake (35). Their are many things to which one can lose his life, but losing it to Jesus is the only way to have eternal life. The writer of Ecclesiates would confirm that gaining the whole world is worthless unless" he must gain God (36). There is nothing worth the cost of one's soul (37). Anyone who is ashamed to speak the words of Christ unto this wicked generation shall receive Jesus' shame in the day of judgment (38).

Jesus continues to tell them about His death and resurrection, but assures them of the coming of His kingdom. In fact, the kingdom of God would come during the lives of some of those with Him (1).

9:2-13: Jesus' Transfiguration

Six days after Jesus talked to them about His death and resurrection he takes Peter, James, and John to see Him being transfigured (2). To be transfigured means that Jesus' form was changed to a form in harmony with His glorious being. He then looked like the Christ, the Son of God. His glorious form was all the pureness of white and light (3). The significance of Moses' and Elijah's presence was that of the law and the prophets. Here, God the Father declares that Jesus the Christ is greater than the law and the prophets (4-8).

Jesus warned them not to tell of these events until after He raised from the dead. It's possible that this limitation was placed so that man would accept the humble, servant Christ. Had Jesus come to them in this sort of glory, they would not have rejected Him, but God's planned caused man to witness what was truly glorious about the Christ: His servitude and humility (9). His disciples didn't understand what Jesus meant by His raising from the dead. They were probably trying to assign it some figurative meaning (10). Seeing Elijah made them consider the prophecies that Elijah must come first. Jesus confirmed these referencing the work of John the Baptist as is recorded in the other gospel accounts (12-13).

9:14-29: Jesus Casts a Demon Out from a Boy

Jesus came down from the moutain to see His disciples surrounded by a great number of people. Jesus asked them [the KJV assumes "the scribes" though they are not specifically referenced] what they were asking His disciples (14, 16). [If it was the scribes, there is no response recorded here, but maybe the thought would be that Jesus was able to directly answer their questions, but they would not ask Him (16).]

A man brought his son who was demon-possessed since childhood (17, 21). The demon made the boy mute and continually worked to destroy him (17, 18a, 22). As was pointed out when "Legion" was allowed to enter the swine, the purpose of Satan has always been destruction. The man had brought the boy to the disciples, but they were unable to cast out the demon (18b). Jesus remarks regarding their faithlessness probably referenced both the disciples who could not cast out the evil spirit, and the people of that day as a whole who failed to recognize the presence of their long-awaited Christ (19).

The man said to Jesus, "if you can do something, ... help us", but Jesus responded, "if you can believe" (22-23). There has never been a question of God's ability, rather the limitations of God have always been a deficiency in man. The man cried out to God to help his unbelief. Men of any generation should make the same request of God (24). When Jesus commanded the spirit to come out, it left the boy appearing dead, but Jesus lifted him up (25-27).

Later, the disciples asked Jesus why they were unable to cast out the demon. Jesus points to their lack of prayer (fasting is added by later manuscripts). It is their lack of faith that was the limitation (28-29).

9:30-37: Greatness in the Kingdom

Jesus left Galilee and wanted to leave the crowds that were constantly surrounding them, presumably so He could spend more time preparing His disciples for the events which were to take place in Jerusalem (30). He told His discliples again about His death and resurrection, but they didn't understand and didn't want to ask (31-32). On their way to Capernaum, the disciples has been discussing who would be the greatest in the new kingdom, but Jesus instructed them on true greatness (33-34). Being a servant is true greatness. Jesus came to them in humility and in the power of His Father and called His disciples to receive Him and do the same (35-37).

9:38-50: Servant the Servant is Serving the Christ

The disciples forbade a man to cast out demons in the name of Jesus, but Jesus told them that one who acted in His name could not also speak evil of Him (39). This is the same lesson He taught when accused of casting out demons by the power of Satan (40). Anyone that serves one who is following Christ, ultimately is serving Him, but anyone who causes one of His servants to stumble is an offense against Christ (41-42). The disciple should take any necessary measure to ensure his salvation. There is no action too drastic to avoid eternal punishment (42-48).

The references in vs. 49-50 are difficult, but must elude to a constrast to eternal punishment. Every "one" is paralleled to every "sacrifice" before God. Every disciple of God will be "salted" with "fire"" he will be sprinkled with temptation, but will not be overwhelmed with it (49). Such temptation (salt) is necessary to prepare a soul to enter heaven. This "salt" should also lead men to unity and harmony with one another.