Written by: Alison Booker
Mark 8 v 34 – Mark 9
v 1
Then Jesus called the crowd to him, along with his followers. He said, “If people want to follow me, they must give up the things they want. They must be willing even to give up their lives to follow me.
Those who want to save their lives will give up true life. But those who give up their lives for me and for the Good News will have true life.
It is worth nothing for them to have the whole world if they lose their souls.
They could never pay enough to buy back their souls.
The people who live now are living in a sinful and evil time. If people are ashamed of me and my teaching, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes with his Father’s glory and with the holy angels.”
Then Jesus said to the people, “I tell you the truth, some people standing here will see the kingdom of God come with power before they die.”
Notes
It’s a funny thing isn’t it for someone to say that people must be willing ‘to give up their lives to follow me’. Is it like Hollywood when bodyguards ‘take a bullet’ for the president? I don’t think so. In Hollywood or in reality, bodyguards may well be willing to give up their lives but they do that hoping it will never happen and their motivation is money. Being a bodyguard is a job, you do it because you get paid. Jesus is not talking about that at all.
When someone employs a bodyguard they simply pay them to do the job. When Jesus says you must be willing to give up your life for me, he has earned the right to say it. Jesus has already given up his own life because of love for me and you. Jesus is saying I want you to love me like I love you. If as Christians we are willing to give up our lives it is because of our love for Jesus, nothing else could motivate us in the same way. The other difference is we live with the certainty that this will be asked of us, we never ‘hope’ that it won’t happen.
Giving up everything is part of the deal, but what we get back is worth so much more. We give up our lives and yet we get them back with extra!! Jesus promises us ‘true life’, life with meaning and purpose, in relationship with God. I find that I can’t just do it all at once, but if I ask God which little thing I must give up today I’ll get there in the end.
What is the little thing God is saying you need to ‘give up’ today. If you don’t know ask and God will tell you.
Mark 9 v 2-7
Six days later, Jesus took Peter, James, and John up on a high mountain by themselves. While they watched, Jesus’ appearance was changed.
His clothes became shining white, whiter than any person could make them.
Then Elijah and Moses appeared to them, talking with Jesus.
Peter said to Jesus, “Teacher, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
Peter did not know what to say, because he and the others were so frightened.
Then a cloud came and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”
Notes
Can you imagine what it must have been like to be there when this happened? It must have been fantastic to see Jesus your friend who you walk, talk and eat with suddenly in shiny white clothes chatting with the great Elijah and Moses. Peter was clearly bowled over by the whole experience. When people talk about this incident, Peter is often seen as being really silly when we read it from the 21st Century. I believe that although Peter’s conclusion was not based on the ‘understanding’ we have about what was happening, it does show that Peter recognised what he was seeing was amazing.
So why the sudden urge to build tents? I think it was because Peter wanted to ‘hold onto’ the moment. He recognised it as special and wanted somehow to keep it. The problem it seems to me is that it stands against what the Christian life is about. People talk about Christianity as a journey and I think that’s a really good picture.
The Bible talks about ‘walking with God’ and ‘being sent’, very little to do with Christianity is static. To hold onto things like Peter wanted to, is to stay in that place and not to move on. I think that being a Christian involves always being willing to ‘move on’ and to look for what God is doing next. Does this mean that we can’t enjoy what God is doing now? Not at all. God said “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!” not “get off that mountain now and get on with something!” It is good to spend time with God and to listen to God; it is just that we must be willing to hear when the voice comes that says “now get on with something”.
Mark 9 v 8-13
Suddenly Peter, James, and John looked around, but they saw only Jesus there alone with them.
As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone about what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
So the followers obeyed Jesus, but they discussed what he meant about rising from the dead.
Then they asked Jesus, “Why do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?”
Jesus answered, “They are right to say that Elijah must come first and make everything the way it should be. But why does the Scripture say that the Son of Man will suffer much and that people will treat him as if he were nothing?
I tell you that Elijah has already come. And people did to him whatever they wanted to do, just as the Scriptures said it would happen.”
Notes
Have you noticed that often when you have a great experience of God, it leaves you with more questions than answers? Peter, James and John come down the mountain having seen this amazing sight and Jesus says to them don’t tell anyone until the Son of Man has risen from the dead.
To me, reading that in the 21st Century, I know exactly what Jesus is talking about. I’ve lived through 27 Good Fridays and Easter Sundays. I’ve heard those readings more times than I can remember but just think about these three men - they didn’t have a clue all that was coming. Peter, James and John just had a great experience of God then Jesus says this weird thing. How do they cope with their questions? They talk amongst themselves about the rising from the dead. Jesus has said something they don’t understand so they talk about it. As for the Elijah question, they ask Jesus directly and he answers them (not so directly).
Perhaps today we need to think about what we do when we have questions. Do we have people we can talk to about it. Do we have people we can go and ask directly? It is important I think to find those places, if you don’t have them. Being a disciple means asking questions. If you haven’t got anywhere you can ask questions in safety, then perhaps you need to think about going somewhere that will let you do that. Being able to question is important; it is how our faith grows.
Mark 9 v 14-24
When Jesus, Peter, James, and John came back to the other followers, they saw a great crowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them.
But as soon as the crowd saw Jesus, the people were surprised and ran to welcome him.
Jesus asked, “What are you arguing about?”
A man answered, “Teacher, I brought my son to you. He has an evil spirit in him that stops him from talking.
When the spirit attacks him, it throws him on the ground. Then my son foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes very stiff. I asked your followers to force the evil spirit out, but they couldn’t.”
Jesus answered, “You people have no faith. How long must I stay with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.”
So the followers brought him to Jesus. As soon as the evil spirit saw Jesus, it made the boy lose control of himself, and he fell down and rolled on the ground, foaming at the mouth.
Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has this been happening?”
The father answered, “Since he was very young.
The spirit often throws him into a fire or into water to kill him. If you can do anything for him, please have pity on us and help us.”
Jesus said to the father, “You said, ‘If you can!’ All things are possible for the one who believes.”
Immediately the father cried out, “I do believe! Help me to believe more!”
Notes
Here we see Jesus beginning to talk about healing because a father brings his son to him. It must have been awful to be the father and watch your son tormented and endangered in this way. There are many debates about what we mean when we talk about ‘evil spirits’ today and how much, if at all, they interact with ‘illnesses’ which we understand. This is a complex argument but for the purpose of this passage we must, I believe, assume the Father is right and that the cause of his son’s distress is an ‘evil spirit’ as Jesus does not correct him.
It seems that the situation involved followers of Jesus already trying to deal with the situation and failing, so the father comes to Jesus himself. Jesus says a strange thing; he answers “you people have no faith”. From the passage it seems he is talking about the disciples; Jesus appears to be putting their lack of ability to help the boy down to a lack of faith. So often when people talk about healing today, the emphasis is put on the faith of the person who is sick. However in this story, Jesus makes no reference to that at all.
For me, personally, one of the most striking lines in today’s reading is the father’s cry at the end: “I do believe! Help me to believe more!”. This is at the heart of the Christian faith it seems to me. If we believe a little and cry out to God to give us the ability to believe more, then God will. Faith is a gift from God. To receive it, a person only has to ask and be willing to take it for themselves.
Mark 9 v 25-29
When Jesus saw that a crowd was quickly gathering, he ordered the evil spirit, saying, “You spirit that makes people unable to hear or speak, I command you to come out of this boy and never enter him again!”
The evil spirit screamed and caused the boy to fall on the ground again. Then the spirit came out. The boy looked as if he were dead, and many people said, “He is dead!”
But Jesus took hold of the boy’s hand and helped him to stand up.
When Jesus went into the house, his followers began asking him privately, “Why couldn’t we force that evil spirit out?”
Jesus answered, “That kind of spirit can only be forced out by prayer.”
Notes
Here we see Jesus actually deal with the problem we read about yesterday. Yesterday, a father brought his son to Jesus saying he has an ‘evil spirit’. Today, we read about how Jesus deals with it. This passage opens with Jesus noticing there was a crowd. The way in which Jesus responds is just typical; it does not say Jesus notices there was a crowd gathering so he hung on a few minutes until there were loads of people to see him do his stuff! Not at all, Jesus sees people gathering and so deals with the situation quickly so as to cause the least spectacle.
Jesus doesn’t seek attention. Often he is portrayed by the gospel writers as avoiding it. Once Jesus had dealt with the situation he went into the house, out of the way. When they were on their own, the disciples began asking Jesus “why couldn’t we do that”? You can imagine, can’t you, they had tried and failed to help the boy, the father takes him to Jesus and faster than you could turn around the boy is freed. The disciples must have felt a bit silly to say the least.
If they did feel silly watching, they may have felt worse on hearing Jesus answer “only by prayer”. Did that mean the disciples didn’t pray? I don’t know but I think this: they had fallen into a trap which I too have fallen into many times. I am convinced that I know how to do something and therefore I think I am able to do it. This incident illustrates that with some things only God can do it; there isn’t a way to be learned just God to be rested on. It is God’s power that heals. We ask through prayer and leave the work and responsibility to God.
Mark 9 v 30-32
Then Jesus and his followers left that place and went through Galilee. He didn’t want anyone to know where he was, because he was teaching his followers. He said to them, “The Son of Man will be handed over to people, and they will kill him. After three days, he will rise from the dead.”
But the followers did not understand what Jesus meant, and they were afraid to ask him.
Notes
Jesus didn’t want anyone to know where he was. Why? Was he hiding? Not at all. The passage today tells us that Jesus didn’t want anyone to know where he was because he was teaching his disciples. Jesus is talking about his death and resurrection.
This is important stuff and so he wanted to be on his own with them so that they were not interrupted. Jesus then sets aside this time and carefully explains to the disciples what is going to happen, but they don’t understand. Earlier we looked at the situation when Peter, James and John saw Elijah and Moses appear with Jesus. Then, the disciples asked Jesus their question directly and he answered it.
Here, Mark tells us they were afraid to ask. Jesus doesn’t challenge the disciples for either asking or not asking. It is an amazing thing that Jesus who is God (amazing and mighty creator and sustainer of the whole universe) can accept silly human beings who ask one day and are too scared to ask on another!
This gives me hope though, because the Jesus I read about in the gospels is the same Jesus I speak to when I pray.
If he was willing to put up with the inconsistencies of the disciples, then he won’t have a problem with mine. I can be sure that my relationship with God does not depend on my ability to always make the right decisions. That doesn’t mean I don’t try, but it does mean I don’t beat myself up if I get it wrong. I know God still loves me and still wants to be in relationship with me, nothing can change that.
Mark 9 v 33-37
Jesus and his followers went to Capernaum. When they went into a house there, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?”
But the followers did not answer, because their argument on the road was about which one of them was the greatest.
Jesus sat down and called the twelve apostles to him. He said, “Whoever wants to be the most important must be last of all and servant of all.”
Then Jesus took a small child and had him stand among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said,
“Whoever accepts a child like this in my name accepts me. And whoever accepts me accepts the One who sent me.”
Notes
The great thing about the disciples is that they are very human! When the gospels were being written, they didn’t only put the ‘good stuff’ in, they tell it how it is. I mean, here we have a passage admitting that the disciples argued over who was the best. Not very holy!! It even admits that when Jesus asked them what they were arguing over, they would not answer because they didn’t want him to know. It seems funny that the disciples who travelled everywhere with Jesus hadn’t worked out that Jesus seemed to know anyway. Perhaps they got closer to figuring it out after this!
Imagine they argue about who is the greatest, won’t tell Jesus, then the next thing he says is “Whoever wants to be the most important must be last of all and servant of all”. That must have given them a real shock. This idea that Jesus puts forward - if you want to be top put yourself on the bottom - is a perfect example of the topsy-turvy kingdom of God.
The idea that God knows absolutely every failing, every wrong thought, word or action that we have or will ever think, say or do and yet God loves us so much that Jesus gave up his life for us is definitely topsy-turvy!! From today’s reading, there are two things which I am really encouraged by. The first is that God knows everything, and still loves me. The second is that accepting Jesus doesn’t mean doing anything difficult, it simply means accepting like a small child. Actually, that is the easiest thing in the world, but with all our ‘worldly’ ways of thinking and clever talking we have often made it more difficult than it needs to be.
word-on-the-web uses the Scripture text taken from the Youth Bible, New Century Version
(Anglicised Edition) copyright 1993 by Word Publishing Milton Keynes