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Our notes on Mark 9 include:

An Overview: Topic, Themes, and Summary.
An Outline of our thoughts and questions.
Research on being salted with fire and seasoned with salt.
A Reflection on eternal consequences.
An Invitation to Respond to God's transcendency.

Mark 9

Sunset at Sea by kucukgulberkan at Pixabay

Overview

General Topic

Jesus reveals more truths of life beyond this world to the disciples.

Key Themes

Resurrection. Spiritual Warfare. Hell.

Summary

The disciples see more glimpses beyond the dark glass into the realm of the unknown. Jesus meets with Elijah and Moses and turns a radiant white. He further instructs on the faith that is required to cast out demons. Once again He foretells His death. He upends the disciples' idea of greatness by uplifting a child. He warns about sin and describes the eternal consequence of hell. The chapter ends with an exhortation to preserve your purity and to live peaceably.

Thoughts, Questions, and Connections

? Denotes a question, * a personal thought, x a cross reference, and ! a connection. Researched answers are in italics. Behold requires our attention; it marks our partnership with God.

On Jesus with Elijah and Moses (Mark 9:1-13)

Read Matthew 17:1-13 for another perspective. (See our Matthew 17 notes.)

Some of you will still be alive when God's kingdom comes.

*This verse seems to make more sense as the end to chapter 8.
* Indeed, the Kingdom of God is already here, and will come to its fulness after Jesus' resurrection.
A foreshadowing of what's about to happen: Jesus' transfiguration. NIV, Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible
! Browse an exploration of the meaning of generations in our Matthew 24 notes.

Jesus took Peter, James, and John with Him to the top of a mountain.

? Why is six days specifically mentioned here? Is it relevant? Peter recently identified Jesus as the Messiah. This, the transfiguration, is powerful confirmation of his declaration. The Voice. *Six days to let it work on Him, the seventh day to put the thoughts to rest?

There, He met Elijah and Moses. His clothes shone radiantly.

? Why clothes when it was Moses' face that shone? Robe of righteousness?
? Why were Moses and Elijah the two that met Jesus on the top of the mountain? The appearance of these two shows that Jesus is fulfillment of the law, Moses, and the answer to the promises of the prophets, Elijah. The Voice *What's more, Elijah never died and Moses was buried by God. In Jewish tradition, Moses never died. NIV, Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible
x The shining-greatness of the Lord rested on Mount Sinai. And the cloud covered it for six days. On the seventh day He called to Moses from the cloud. Exodus 24:16 NLV
x Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two stone writings in his hand. He did not know that the skin of his face was shining because of his speaking with the Lord. When Aaron and all the people of Israel saw Moses, they saw that the skin of his face was shining. They were afraid do come near him. Exodus 34:29-30 NLV
x As they went on and talked, a war-wagon of fire and horses of fire came between them. And Elijah went up by a wind-storm to heaven. 2 Kings 2:11 NLV
x And [God] buried [Moses] in the valley in the land of Moab, beside Beth-peor. But no man knows where he is buried to this day. Deuteronomy 34:6. Jewish tradition says Moses never died. NIV, Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible
x See, I will send you Elijah the man of God before the day of the Lord comes, that great day that will be full of much trouble. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers. Or else I will come and destroy the land with a curse. Malachi 4:5-6 NLV
x "The Lord your God will give you a man who speaks for God like me [Moses] from among your own brothers. You must listen to him." Deuteronomy 18:15-18.

Moses' return is also expected. NIV, Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible
*To me, it sounds like a foreshadowing of Jesus.

Afraid, and not sure how to react. Peter offered to make three tents so they could worship.

🎶Jesus, what can I give, what can I bring / To so faithful a friend, to so loving a King🎶"I Will Offer Up My Life" performed by Matt Redman
? Why tents? To show hospitality? (To learn about how God was looking for a people of hospitality and listen to "A Mission Realized", an Episode from the BEMA Discipleship Podcast.)

A voice from heaven came in a cloud pronouncing Jesus as His son with a command to listen to Him.

! A common way God talks to us:

x As soon as Jesus came up out of the water, He saw heaven open up. The Holy Spirit came down on Him like a dove. A voice came from heaven and said, "You are My much-loved Son. I am very happy with You. Mark 1:9-11 NLV (See our Mark 1 notes.)
x Then the Lord said to Moses, "Say this to the people of Israel: "You have seen for yourselves that I have spoken to you from heaven." Exodus 20:22 NLV
x Then Moses went up on the mountain, which was covered with a cloud. The shining-greatness of the Lord rested on Mount Sinai. And the cloud covered it for six days. On the seventh day He called to Moses from the cloud. Exodus 24:15-16 NLV
x "The Lord your God will give you a man who speaks for God like me [Moses] from among your own brothers. You must listen to him." Deuteronomy 18:15-18.

! Clouds often accompany God's presence.

x Clouds and darkness are all around Him. His throne is built upon what is right and fair. Psalm 97:2 NLV
x The Lord is slow to anger and great in power. The Lord will be sure to punish the guilty. The way He punishes is in the strong-wind and storm. The clouds are the dust under His feet. Nahum 1:3 NLV
x The Lord went before them, in a pillar of cloud during the day to lead them on the way, and in a pillar of fire during the night to give them light. So they could travel day and night. The pillar of cloud during the day and the pillar of fire during the night did not leave the people. Exodus 13:21-22 NLV
x I looked and saw a white cloud. Sitting on the cloud was One like the Son of Man. He had a crown of gold on His head. In His hand He had a sharp knife for cutting grain. Revelation 14:14 NLV
x Then, those of us who are still living here on earth will be gathered together with them in the clouds. We will meet the Lord in the sky and be with Him forever. I Thessalonians 4:17 NLV

During the descent, Jesus urged the three to stay silent about what they saw.
So they discussed the phenomena of resurrection.

? Was this the discussion because they had just seen a resurrected Moses and Elijah? They had also seen Jairus daughter's resurrection. Likely they were trying to process witnessing the impossible.

Then asked Jesus about the prophecy of Elijah coming first.
Jesus reiterated that Elijah will prepare the way for the Son of Man who will suffer and be rejected.
And that Elijah has come already and was treated according to the prophecy.

On Jesus Freeing a Boy from Possession (Mark 9:14-29)

Read Matthew 17:14-19 for another perspective. (See our Matthew 17 notes.)

At the bottom now, they encounter unrest.
Teachers of the law were arguing with the rest of the disciples about a man with a demon possessed boy.
The disciples were unable to remove the demon.
Jesus, distressed by the lack of faith, had the boy brought to Him.
The demon, recognizing Jesus, forced the boy to respond violently.
Jesus asked how long the boy had suffered.
Since he was a child (baby in one translation), the man then pled, "If you can," please free him from this demon.
What do you mean, "If I can?", with faith all things are possible.
The father of the boy reassured Jesus of his faith then asked Jesus for help with his unbelief (doubt or little faith).
Jesus commanded the demon out.
It left the boy, loudly and so violently that many believed it killed the boy.
But Jesus helped the boy rise up.

🎶Come on and rise up / Take a breath, you're alive now / Can't you hear the voice of Jesus calling us / Out from the grave like Lazarus🎵 "Rise Up (Lazarus)" performed by CAIN
If you, too, are ready to rise, find a month of daily faith-based exercises designed to help you RISE!

In private, the disciples who tried to free the boy asked why they were unable to.
And Jesus responded, "This kind requires prayer [and fasting]."

In many early manuscripts, fasting is omitted. The Voice
The disciples, at least at this point, were unprepared for the depth of spiritual evil residing in the world. The Voice
? Jesus calls them "faithless" then here adds instruction specific to this kind of demon. How were the disciples to know?
! So there are diverse kinds of demons. It's interesting to note that even the legion (A Roman legion of soldiers equaled 6,000 men.) of demons that were sent into the pigs were not as difficult to cast out. NIV, Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible
! Oh, the power of prayer.

On the Details of Jesus' Impending Death (Mark 9:30-32)

Read Matthew 18:1-5 for another perspective. (See our Matthew 18 notes.)

Then, Jesus again told the disciples of His upcoming death and resurrection.
They were confused and too afraid to ask for an explanation.

On Being the Greatest (Mark 9:33-37)

Following an argument on who was the greatest, Jesus instructs that the greatest is the one who serves everyone else.

This is completely countercultural and would be difficult for them to understand.

Then, holding a child, Jesus explains that if you receive a child in the way Jesus would expect of you, then you receive Him. And if you receive Jesus, you're really receiving the Father.

x Everything has been given to Me by My Father. No one knows the Son but the Father. No one knows the Father but the Son, and those to whom the Son wants to make the Father known. Matthew 11:27 NLV (See our Matthew 11 notes.)
* I must be open to valuing others with all my heart.

On Choosing a Side (Mark 9:38-50)

The disciples tell Jesus about a man who was casting out demons using Jesus' name. They told him to stop because the man was not a follower of Jesus.
But Jesus told them to let him because anyone who experiences the power of My name will soon believe in Me and any act done in My name will result in reward from the Father.

! So no authority needs to be given from God to cast out demons. (See Mark 6:7 and our Mark 6 notes.). All that's required is belief; just as it is faith that heals.
! Like the woman who gave up her bread to feed Elijah and God kept filling her jars of oil and flour so they could eat. (See I Kings 17:12-16.)
! Or the woman who fed and housed Elisha and was blessed with a son. (See II Kings 4:8-17.)

But anyone who leads a young one into sin will experience terrible destruction.
Avoid sin at all costs because it leads to hell.

Hyperbole was common rhetoric of the time. Jesus was not really instructing them to cut off their hand or foot, or to pluck out their eye. Instead, He illustrates the weightiness of your sinful choices. NIV, Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible

Hell is never-ending fire where your worm never dies.

This description is repeated three times. Yet many early manuscripts only include it the final time. The Voice
x "Then they will go out and look on the dead bodies of the men who have sinned against Me. For their worm will not die, and their fire will not be put out. And they will be a hated thing to all people." Isaiah 66:24 NLV (See our Isaiah 66 notes.)
? What is the worm? Never-ending torment brought on by shame? An uneasiness that results from separation from God. (From our Isaiah 66 research notes.)

Though salt can cleanse and fire can purify, if salt loses the quality that makes it salt, how can it ever be restored?

*We lost our initially intended state after the fall of mankind. How can we ever be restored? There is only one way, the only One who makes all things possible.

Stay pure, live in peace, preserve yourself by holding on to the enduring promise.

? What does it mean to be salted with fire or [with salt]? [Omitted in some manuscripts. The Voice] *It sounds like a purification process. *R
x You must bring [the animals for sacrifice] before the Lord. The religious leaders will throw salt on them, and burn them on the altar as a gift to the Lord. Ezekiel 43:24 NLV

Research

What is the meaning of "salted with fire" and "salted with salt"?

Verse of Reference

For every one shall be salted with fire [cleaned], and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt [strengthened]. Mark 9:49 KJV [NLV]

Verses Regarding Salt

Do you not know that the Lord God of Israel gave the rule over Israel forever to David and his sons by an agreement of salt? 2 Chronicles 13:5 NLV
You should add salt to all your grain gifts. The salt of the agreement of your God must be in your grain gift. Give salt with all your gifts. Leviticus 2:13 NLV (See also Ezekiel 43:24.)
Christian brothers, I ask you from my heart to give your bodies to God because of His loving-kindness to us. Let your bodies be a living and holy gift given to God. He is pleased with this kind of gift. This is the true worship that you should give Him. Romans 12:1 NLV
Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man. Colossians 4:6 KJV (Let your yesses be yes and your noes be noes. (See Matthew 5:37 and our Matthew 5 notes.)
"You are the salt of the earth. If salt loses its taste, how can it be made to taste like salt again? It is no good. It is thrown away and people walk on it." Matthew 5:13 NLV (See also Luke 14:34-35, Mark 9:50, and our Matthew 5 notes.)
*Salt is about promise. To lose your saltiness means to be deemed untrustworthy.

Verses Regarding Fire

Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. I Corinthians 3:13 KJV
These tests have come to prove your faith and to show that it is good. Gold, which can be destroyed, is tested by fire. Your faith is worth much more than gold and it must be tested also. Then your faith will bring thanks and shining-greatness and honor to Jesus Christ when He comes again. I Peter 1:7 NLV
And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing to those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptable with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire. Hebrews 12:28-29 KJV
"Then they will go out and look on the dead bodies of the men who have sinned against Me. For their worm will not die, and their fire will not be put out. And they will be a hated thing to all people." Isaiah 66:24 NLV (See our Isaiah 66 notes.)
For sure, I [John] baptize with water those who are sorry for their sins and turn from them. The One Who comes after me will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. He is greater than I. I am not good enough to take off His shoes. He comes ready to clean the grain. He will gather the grain in and clean it all. The clean grain He will put into a building. He will burn that which is no good with a fire that cannot be put out. Matthew 3:11-12 NLV (See our Matthew 3 notes.)
*Fire is about refinement. The fire that cannot be put out continues because that which is burning does not seek refinement.

Verses Regarding Salt and Fire

"But who can live through the day of His coming? Who can stand when He shows Himself? For He is like a a fire for making gold pure and like a strong cleaner. He will sit as one who melts silver and makes it pure. He will make the sons of Levi pure. He will make them pure like gold and silver, so that they may bring the right gifts to the Lord. Malachi 3:2-3 NLV
*Salt and fire then are the promise of refinement.

*Thoughts: Everyone will endure trials and temptations, refinement by fire, because through them we learn about our true character as we learn about God. And, the good news is, if we put our trust in God by holding on to His promises we will come through every trial strengthened. Therefore, consider it pure JOY when you undergo trials of any kind knowing you are being refined (James 1:2-4). If our salt, our promise, loses its veracity, we rot and are defiled. But our promise is sealed in Jesus. God's covenant to us is unshakeable: your life is preserved and purified in Him. When you surrender to Christ as a living sacrifice, you are salted in God's promise. Only God's word preserves. Only God's word endures. Only He can cleanse you of all unrighteousness. If you don't salt yourself, the truth will come out in the fire: If we lose our saltiness, we lose everything. So cover yourself in Christ's righteousness. Let's reexamine Mark 9:50 replacing salt with God because God is our promise:

[God] is good.
But if [God] loses its taste (*Because we lost our desire for God),
how can it be made to taste like [God] again (*How can we return to our first love? Revelation 2:4)
Have [God] in yourselves (*Be assured of this: He is our promise, preservation, and purification. "O taste and see that the LORD is GOOD!" Psalm 34:8)
and be at peace with each other (*Because you are confident of your status with God so you have nothing to fear.).

Source: Mark 9:49 commentaries at Bible Hub.

Recommended Resources:

"With All Your Heart" A BEMA Discipleship podcast episode that begins coverage of the Israelite's wilderness tests. Quotes of note:

"Testing, not a pass/fail. We're used to in the Western world, a test is I either pass a test or I fail the test...Deuteronomy [8] will say that He tested them in order to know what was in their heart...This knowing is a very intimate knowing...God wants to experience our growth. He wants to experience our journey with us."
"But God doesn't test you just to see if you're going to pass. He tests you because He wants to live life together with you."
"A test is an opportunity to show God you're giving something. You're showing God what's in your heart. You get to show God who you are and where you're at and what you want. You get to show Him the real thing."
"On the other side, a test is always an opportunity to learn something new from God about who you're becoming. You never arrive. You're never fully there. So every test is an opportunity to grow, and every test is also an opportunity to show. To show God and to grow in God."

"His Bow in the Clouds" and "Walking the Blood Path" and are both BEMA Discipleship podcast episodes that detail God's covenant with us. They especially note God's promise to take the punishment for our breach of contract upon Himself - even from the beginning. Thoughts of note:

"It should be mentioned, by the way, that this bow, it's not a rainbow...it just says bow...It's a weapon. Now, when you think about a rainbow, if it's like a heavenly bow, if it's like God's bow, which direction is the rainbow facing?...It's facing upwards, like back towards God."
"And yet God, in this story, says He's going to keep the sign. He's not going to give the sign to us. He's afraid that we might forget it. He doesn't want us to ever forget it. He's going to put the sign in the sky for Him to remember. "If you ever forget, even if you loose the sign," God says, "I'm going to remember. I sabbathed from destroying."
According to Eastern tradition, Abraham, the lesser party, should walk through the blood path first. But he waits until birds of prey come to scavenge from the animals. "Because Abraham realizes, if I put my pinky toe in this blood path covenant, I am never going to be able to deliver on my promise. I'm going to fail."
"And so what happens is God walks through the blood path twice. God walks through on Avram's behalf and His behalf...God says, Avram, I know, I know you can't put your pinky toe in this blood path. I know, I know that you can't make this promise 'cause I know that you're going to fail, but you know what? I'm going to pay the price on your behalf. When you fail, I got you. I got you."

Reflection

The worm that never dies. Fire that is never quenched. Cut off your arm, your foot, pluck out your eye if they lead you to sin. If you cause another to sin, it would be better for you to drown than to receive what is coming. Everyone will be salted with fire. Either you're with Me, or you're against Me.

We don't want to believe that hell exists. We don't want to imagine the possibility of someone having to endure it. Only this morning I received a Facebook reel explaining away the eternal aspect of enduring hell. We can't reconcile a loving God with eternal torment.

Jesus does not want us to experience eternal torment either. That's why His words are so dramatic here. He is trying to emphasize the importance of making an eternal choice. Either you're with Me, or you're against Me.

We underplay it. We think we know God and make conjectures based on our self-created constructs of Him - our idols of Him - instead of believing that what He says is what He means. We say things like, "The God I know would never allow anyone to suffer or be destroyed."

But that is not what God says. He wrote us an entire book that shows us again and again that when we follow His ways, when we seek Him, when we live in fellowship with Him, He protects us. When we don't, we face His wrath and judgment. This cycle is the cycle laid out in Judges. He's not hiding anything; He put all of His cards on the table. Now, it's your choice: Either you're with Him, or you're against Him.

We might think we have humanity's best interest in mind. But Peter thought he had Jesus' best interest in mind and was called Satan. God doesn't need us to be the judge; He's the only one qualified. He needs us to be a generation of much faith who trusts in Him no matter what. Either we're with Him, or we're against Him.

And what we're choosing is clearly revealed: a pure and holy Savior who fulfills the law and prophets; God's Beloved who redeems your soul through His own death; a Rescuer who came to earth because He loves you and wants to guide you away from the worm that never dies, away from unquenchable fire.

Then, there's the other side that is represented by a demon who possesses a little boy. A demon who makes the boy mute. A demon who works tirelessly to force the boy to hurt, and perhaps even kill, himself.

To me, the choice is clear. I know which side I'm on, but everyone must make the choice for him or herself. And you must be all in: God's ways, not my own. Either you're with Him, or you're against Him.

Respond

Connect

God is transcendent.

Reflect

After seeing Elijah and Moses resurrected and hearing Jesus say He too will be raised, that is all the disciples can talk about. Why are the disciples so excited? What does resurrection proof do for you? What does it mean that we serve a resurrected King?
Demons instantly respond to Jesus because they recognize His true identity. Jesus admonishes us for not having enough faith, if we did the demons would have the same response to us. How do we become more faithful? If you encountered an evil spirit today, would it recognize and respond to your true identity in Christ? How can you be ready for such an encounter?
Jesus knows what hell is like and strongly urges us to eradicate anything that causes us to sin from our lives. He warns against leading others to sin. What in your own life is watering down the potency of your saltiness - your life-preserving, purifying essence with promise? Are you confident of the salt within yourself? How can you be sure you are salt? Are you living in peace with others? Where can you sprinkle your salt so peace returns or reigns?

Act

Arise in the majesty of your resurrected Savior.
Arise in your identity in Christ.
Arise in confidence that God's life-preserving, purifying, promise lives in you.

In Closing

Father God, You are wonderful beyond comprehension, too marvelous for words. Yet, we try to confine You. We limit the power of what You can do through us. As we consider the radiance of our resurrected Lord, may we remember that same power is in us. May it embolden us to live in confidence. May Your radiance shine so brightly through us that evil spirits recognize and respond to Your presence in us. May we live seasoned richly in the salt of Your promise so that Your life-preserving, soul-purifying presence works in the lives of others as we live peaceably with them so that one day they too may confidently choose to walk with You.

Sample these related posts:

Mark 8 | The Wolfe Notes

Review Mark 8. Includes an outline of our thoughts, research into picking up our crosses, a reflection on two-part miracles, and an invitation to respond to God's faithfulness.

Mark 3 | The Wolfe Notes

Travel back to Mark 3 with us as we reconsider whose identity we're protecting: ours or His. Includes an outline of our thoughts, research on Jesus' command for the demon's silence, a reflection on protecting His image, and an invitation to respond to upholding God's reputation.

Matthew 22 | The Wolfe Notes

Read Matthew's parallel chapter. Includes an outline of our thoughts, an exploration of the greatest commandment, a reflection on the never-ending celebration, and an invitation to respond to God's invitation.

Easter | JOY for Today

Celebrate the resurrected Savior with us. Includes facts, connections, scripture, quotes and activity suggestions.

Speak Kind Words Saturday | JOY for Today

Your words matter. Your words bring life or death. Find encouragement to season your words with salt. Includes facts, connections, scripture, quotes, and activity suggestions.

Interested in more faith-related blogs? Then you're looking for Faith Food. At Faith Food, you'll find links to all our faith-related blogs and a short description of each.

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Mark 9 | The Wolfe Notes