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MARK: WORKING MESSIAH FOURTH DIVISION: Why Did The Messiah Come? 7:24 - 9:50 Third Section: For Limited People 9:2-29
(Corresponding PowerPoint® presentation: Mark 4th Division 3rd Section THE LIMITED or click on Mark Fourth Division Limited People PP here or on the Mark studies home page.) _____________________________________________________________________________ The Outline:
I. Glory 9:2-8
II. Resurrection 9:9, 10
III. Suffering 9:11-13
IV. Death 9:14-29
Questions To Aid In The Study Of This Section, Mark 9:2-29
Drown The Church! They lurched toward the bow and starboard side of the launch. With all the weight in the bow, the stern, where was I steering the launch, lifted out of the water. I had the sensation that the launch would capsize, and that all of us would pitch into the dark waters of the Persian Gulf. If this group of people drowned, half of the Arab church of Bahrain might die on that afternoon of 1974!
The gospel ship Logos was anchored in the bay and the crossing from the quayside in launch to the ship had been a little rough because of the tide. Without my realizing it the people who had come for a meeting on board the LOGOS, had been sufficiently frightened that when we arrived at the platform, tied to the ship, at the foot of the gangway, they all lunged towards the bow, on the side next to the platform, in order to leave the launch as quickly as possible. We nearly all fell into the sea. Some of the professional crew members of the LOGOS were very angry with me. I should have been talking to the conferees as we rode out to the ship preparing them for the crossing. The professional crew members were right and that afternoon I felt my limitations very deeply. There might have been a very serious accident.
Being Human Beings Is Okay! Sometimes we feel that the world is ours and that there is nothing that can limit us or stop us. At other times we feel deeply our limitations. There are occasions in which we feel our limitations and those experiences humble us, or at least humiliate us. Sometimes it is because we don't anticipate dangerous situations and we don't prepare ourselves sufficiently to face what is coming. At other times it is because we don't have enough education, or money, or physical strength, or lack something else.
We are limited beings. As human beings it's okay to admit that we have limitations. We are creatures, or created beings. We are not God. We are not as big as the Creator, the One who made all things and who made us.
Being Rebellious Is Not Okay! But another limitation exists that in the beginning did not. It’s the limitation that was caused by sin. When man rebelled against his Creator, he was disconnected from his fountain of life, his power and wisdom. Death entered the world. Weakness, sickness and foolishness accompanied death. The first son of Adam and Eve killed his brother out of envy. Who has not suffered envy, or been the target of the envy of another?
So firstly, we are limited because we are creatures, which is not wrong, and secondly we are limited because of our sin, which is a sad reality. The Garden of Eden was a marvelous place already, but how much more could the man and his wife have accomplished in that paradise, in their innocence, and with the help of God!
In Mark chapter 9, verse 2 to the end of the chapter, the disciples faced four huge realities, and they felt overwhelmingly limited before these things. The four are 1) the splendor and the glory of Christ in the mountain of transfiguration, 2) the theme of the resurrection of the Son of Man, 3) the sufferings of John the Baptist and of the Lord Jesus, and 4) death in water or fire, that the demon possessed boy was facing, when Jesus freed him.
Let's make a list of these themes: 1) Glory 2) Resurrection 3) Suffering 4) Death
I. Glory 9:2-8
First Class When I fly in economy class, which is the norm, I feel something of the “splendor” when for some perk, such as that provided by an accumulation of air miles, I find myself in first class or in “business”. In first class they accommodate you in a larger seat; they serve you almost anything to drink; you have an individual screen for the movies; the food is better, in greater quantity; and the service is better.
I had an encounter with someone who worked as a waiter in one of the more exclusive clubs in London. He invited me to visit him so that he could give me a tour of that establishment. Upon my arrival, I found myself in a splendid place! Wealth emanated from everything, the thick carpets, the finish on all the furniture, the wall decor. Everything was luxurious! I felt out of place just because of the splendor.
Mountain Top Experience On the occasion we are studying in Mark 9:2-8, the Lord Jesus took three of his disciples to a high mountain and was transfigured in front of them. They actually were isolated on a mountain, and they had the breathtaking experience of seeing Jesus exalted and glorified before their eyes! John Mark describes the event in simple but telling words:
2 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. 3 And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller[launderer] on earth can white(n) them (9:2, 3 AV/KJV).
Quality, Not Quantity It is interesting that in the transfiguration nothing was added to the person of Jesus; what is emphasized is the intensity of the brightness of his clothing. It was an intense but simple change. It changed the quality, not the quantity, of the appearance of his clothing. Later the apostle Peter described it in this way:
16 ¶ For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. ... 18 And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount (2 Peter 2 :16, 18 AV/KJV).
Peter makes reference to the two occasions, when a voice came from heaven to the Lord Jesus, at his baptism and when they were “in the holy mount”.
The two prophets Moses and Elijah also appeared with the Lord. It does remind me of the words of God through the writer of the Letter to the Hebrews at the beginning of the first chapter where he writes:
1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake (spoke) in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; 3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; 4 Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they (Hebrews 1:1-4 AV/KJV)
This passage puts in its context all God spoke through the prophets. He spoke through them as a preparation to speak to us through the Son. This passage also speaks of the glory of the Son of God, the glory of which the three disciples caught a glimpse in the mountain of transfiguration.
Listen To The Son Since we are speaking of speaking, the passage that we are studying in Mark 9 ends with the voice from heaven saying, “This is my beloved Son, hear ye him (9:7 AV/KJV)!" The Lord wanted the disciples to listen to Jesus, to what Jesus had to say!
And in the New Testament, we see that the apostles, as well as the prophets, speak and write about the Son, the Lord Jesus, as for example, in the case of the author of the Letter to the Hebrews, Paul, Peter, and others in their epistles.
It has become fashionable to talk about angels and how angels can help you and communicate with you. We are not going to argue that angels can help us, or that God uses them as ministers for those who believe. Consider a portion of the Bible which refers to angels, at the end of the first chapter of the Letter to the Hebrews:
14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation? AV/KJV
Angels do minister to us, but always at the command of God, and not because we seek them. The Lord does not command us to seek him through the angels. Even when there is a portion of the Bible that tells us of the “word spoken by angels”, it refers to that time past when God gave the law to Israel, and it was always his special initiative, and came by Moses his chosen prophet. This chapter at the beginning of Hebrews makes it very clear that Jesus is far above the angels, but at the same time was made a little less than them in order to be like us, whom he came to save.
So, we seek the Son in the prophets and in the writings of the apostles, and not through the angels. Don’t seek angels; you might meet the wrong ones. Seek Jesus and leave in his good hands which and how angels serve you, just as the voice from heaven commanded the three disciples, “This is my beloved Son, hear ye him (Listen to Him) (9:7 AV/KJV)."
I Saw The Lord High And Lifted Up A thought pursues me that I cannot escape. I want to treat Peter with more sympathy but his reaction before the glory of the Master was very different to the reaction of Isaiah before the glory of the Lord in the temple, just as found in chapter 6 of his prophecy. Before that glory that Isaiah saw in the temple, Isaiah cries out that he was a man of unclean lips:
5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts (Isaiah 6:5 AV/KJV)."
On the other hand Peter said on the mountain before the blazing glory of Jesus that it was good they were in that place and suggested a building program for each of them, a tabernacle for Moses, one for Elijah and one for Jesus, as though there might be three places of worship rather than just one. 5 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. 6 For he wist not what to say; for they were sore afraid (9:5, 6 AV/KJV)."
It was better at that moment to maintain silence and listen to the Son of God. Peter might have responded as he did after Jesus filled his nets with fish, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord (Luke 5:8 NKJV)!"
Jesus’ Glory Is Unique We do not understand the glory of the Lord, and before it we do not have to say anything. We might better be silent and admire him in all his splendor and glory. If this is not the case, we should confess our sin and smallness before our Creator.
There is something else to note. While Moses and Elijah were speaking with Jesus, it was the clothing of Jesus that turned so brilliantly white, not the clothes of Moses and Elijah. This we note on the one hand. On the other hand we hear the voice from the cloud that commanded those present to listen to the Son. God, yes, spoke through Moses and by Elijah, but they were only precursors of the Son. As the author of the Letter to the Hebrews says at the beginning of chapter two, this is the Son of God, who is over the house of God. There are not three houses, or tabernacles, but only one, and Jesus reigns over that house, Moses and Elijah being servants within it.
The glory of the Son of God is unique. There is not another, be they prophet, priest or king, like him. We cannot compare ourselves with him, in any way! The only sensible reaction before his glory is adoration.
Scripture References To White Clothing
The whiteness of Jesus’ clothing is typical of the form of clothing worn in heaven, or by heavenly beings, according to the verses (AV/KJV) quoted below:
John 20:12 And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. Acts 1:10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel… John 20:11, 12 11 But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre, 12 And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. Revelation 1:14 his head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire… Revelation 3:4 Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy. Revelation 3:5 he that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. Revelation 4:4 And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold. Revelation 6:11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled. Revelation 7:9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands…
II. The Resurrection 9:9, 10
Which Resurrection? Now the disciples are faced with another reality as enormous as the first one, the resurrection. As they descended the mount of transfiguration the disciples had two conversations. In the first one the theme of the resurrection came up.
9 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. 10 And they kept that saying with themselves, questioning one with another what the rising from the dead should mean (9:9, 10 AV/KJV).
Any discussion of the resurrection in our day would find people questioning both Jesus’ resurrection and a general resurrection. Many would have problems with the resurrection from among the dead. How many of us have seen a person resurrected from the dead? It is hard for human beings that have seen so many deaths in their life time and no resurrections to grasp the idea. In those days, and the disciples being Jews who believed in the all powerful, Creator God, the notion of a general resurrection of the just might not be a strange thing. However, the idea that Jesus would die in a matter of some days or weeks and would resurrect three days later, would seem incredible.
Examining the same events in the Gospel of Matthew, we see that Matthew does include Jesus’ mention of the resurrection but does not include the disciples’ discussion about the resurrection. Matthew writes:
9 And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead. 10 And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come (Matthew 17:9, 10 AV/KJV)?
The fact that Matthew does not include the conversation about the resurrection does not mean that it never took place. It did not fit into his purposes as author and therefore he did not insert it in his gospel. The other two evangelists, Luke and John, don't mention the discussion coming down from the mountain of transfiguration at all. If the other evangelists do not mention this discussion about the resurrection we might well take note when Mark does. He is purposely leading us down a path with four stations, the first two being the themes of glory and of resurrection.
The Hope Of the Resurrection In fact what the evangelist is outlining for us as limited human beings, are two great hopes for all that believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. We rejoice in the hope of the resurrection of the dead, on a future day; and of the glory that awaits us with the Lord in heaven. The one is based on the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and the other on the glory of the Lord that Peter saw on the mount of transfiguration.
Up to this point all is well, even when the subjects are such huge and impossible realities for us as human beings to assimilate. We accept by faith that we will be resurrected and glorified, according to Scriptures such as Romans 8:11; 1 Corinthians 6:14; 15:47-54; Philippians 3:21; and 1 John 3:2. But what will the disciples face in the two following scenes? In those two scenes, the second conversation they had while descending the mountain, and the scene at the foot of the mountain, with the father of the demon possessed son, two themes arise that cause us pain, sadness, and even anger.
III. Suffering 9:11-13
Elijah To Come First The first of these two themes is suffering. 11 And they asked him, saying, Why say the scribes that Elias must first come? 12 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. 13 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 (9:11-13 AV/KJV).
Among the Jews the tradition exists that Elijah would come before the Messiah, and whenever they celebrate the Passover meal they leave a seat at the table free for Elijah. We learned this fact when a messianic Jewish family invited us to celebrate the "Sader", or Passover, with them. They practice some of the Old Testament and Jewish traditions, to be a witness to Jewish family and friends, and they explained to us how the Lord Jesus has completed the symbols of the Passover.
Suffering For The Gospel The suffering that Jesus talked about is the suffering caused by the gospel. The disciples brought up the subject of John, trying to understand all the things that were happening in those days. Jesus took advantage of this to speak about his imminent sufferings. It is clear that Jesus did emphasize the theme of suffering, because in that context he not only made reference to himself, but also to John and what he suffered.
IV. Death 9:14-29
The Disciples Couldn’t Do It When Jesus and the three disciples descended from the mountain of transfiguration they found the other disciples arguing. There was a heated discussion going on between the disciples of Jesus and the scribes over the case of a young boy with a deaf and dumb spirit. The father of the boy came to ask for help and the disciples couldn't cast out the evil spirit. My curiosity is piqued when I read in verses 25 and 26 that the deaf and dumb spirit both heard Jesus’ command and cried out as he left the boy! Was the spirit himself deaf and dumb or simply tormenting the boy and his family in yet another way by causing muteness in the child? In any case only Jesus could both cause the demon to listen to his command, and cause the demon to cry out as he departed!
Terrible Risks The family had run great risks with their son because the spirit would throw him into the fire and into the water. Because he was a mute he could not cry for help. The father never knew if the son was in danger, if he were not always at his side. He always had to be with the boy. There was no way of leaving him alone. Can you imagine the tension that family lived with?
When Jesus cast out the demon, he rescued the young boy from an almost certain early death. He rescued the father from incessant, exhausting worry.
Too Big For Us The father had struggles with his faith and the Lord challenged him to maintain his faith, because God could help him. Death, amongst others things, is much too big for us that live under the condemnation of death because of our sins. The only way of securing a sure victory over death is through faith in the Lord Jesus, who defeated death by rising from the dead.
There was a lack of faith on the part of the father and the disciples; the father to believe that his son could be saved; and the disciples to believe that they could exercise sufficient faith in the Lord to minister to the father, and to his demon possessed son. Connected with faith is prayer and Jesus made specific reference to that when the disciples asked him why they could not cast out the demon. Whoever does not practice communion with God, will not know God, and will not have the faith in him, sufficient to minister to others.
JESUS CAME TO HELP THE LIMITED, TO RESCUE THEM FROM THEIR LIMITATIONS, BOTH AS HUMAN BEINGS AND AS SINNERS.
Let’s review:
These four items on our list are beyond human desires and capabilities. Only God can help us face these realities! Glory, resurrection, suffering and death! Let’s cry out to God in the words of the father of the demon possessed boy, “Lord, I believe, help my unbelief!”
Questions To Aid In The Study Of This Section, Mark 9:2-29 1. How does Romans 5:6 describe our limitations as human beings? Are these limitations a result of being finite creatures or sinful rebels? 2. This section emphasizes our limitations chiefly as finite creatures, but what things mentioned here do we face as a result of sin coming into the world? 3. Please list the 4 things the disciples faced in these 4 scenes that were beyond their understanding and abilities to cope? 4. How did they respond to what they saw and heard in each scene which tells us these things were beyond them? 5. How did Jesus respond to these events and to the disciples’ limitations?
©Copyright 2006-2046 John (Jack) W Rendel. All rights reserved. |
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