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The Gospels · New Testament

Mark 9

Mark 9: the mountain, a father’s cry, and sayings about greatness

General context

Jesus says some standing there will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God come with power. After six days he takes Peter, James and John up a high mountain and is transfigured; his raiment becomes exceeding white, Elias appears with Moses, and Peter offers to make three tabernacles because he did not know what to say and they were afraid. A cloud overshadows them and a voice calls Jesus beloved Son and says to hear him; then they see only Jesus. Coming down he charges them to tell no one until the Son of man is risen, and they question among themselves what rising from the dead means. Below, a father says his son has a dumb spirit the disciples could not cast out. The spirit throws the boy down; the father says it has cast him into fire and water and asks for help if Jesus can do anything; Jesus answers about believing, and the father cries that he believes and asks help for his unbelief. The spirit comes out, the boy lies as one dead, and Jesus lifts him up. Privately he says this kind comes out only by prayer and fasting. Passing through Galilee unnoticed he tells them the Son of man will be delivered up, killed and rise the third day, and they are afraid to ask. In Capernaum he asks what they disputed, and they are silent about arguing who should be greatest. He sets a child in the midst, answers John about a man casting out devils in his name, and gives sayings about offending little ones, hand, foot and eye, fire and salt.

Cited passages: Mark 9:1, Mark 9:2, Mark 9:3, Mark 9:4, Mark 9:5, Mark 9:6, Mark 9:7, Mark 9:8, Mark 9:9, Mark 9:10, Mark 9:11, Mark 9:12, Mark 9:13, Mark 9:14, Mark 9:15, Mark 9:16, Mark 9:17, Mark 9:18, Mark 9:19, Mark 9:20, Mark 9:21, Mark 9:22, Mark 9:23, Mark 9:24, Mark 9:25, Mark 9:26, Mark 9:27, Mark 9:28, Mark 9:29, Mark 9:30, Mark 9:31, Mark 9:32, Mark 9:33, Mark 9:34, Mark 9:35, Mark 9:36, Mark 9:37, Mark 9:38, Mark 9:39, Mark 9:40, Mark 9:41, Mark 9:42, Mark 9:43, Mark 9:44, Mark 9:45, Mark 9:46, Mark 9:47, Mark 9:48, Mark 9:49, Mark 9:50

Mark 9 (KJV)

1And 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.

2And 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.

3And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them.

4And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus.

5And 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.

6For he wist not what to say; for they were sore afraid.

7And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him.

8And suddenly, when they had looked round about, they saw no man any more, save Jesus only with themselves.

9And 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.

10And they kept that saying with themselves, questioning one with another what the rising from the dead should mean.

11And they asked him, saying, Why say the scribes that Elias must first come?

12And 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.

13But I say unto you, That Elias is indeed come, and they have done unto him whatsoever they listed, as it is written of him.

14And when he came to his disciples, he saw a great multitude about them, and the scribes questioning with them.

15And straightway all the people, when they beheld him, were greatly amazed, and running to him saluted him.

16And he asked the scribes, What question ye with them?

17And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit;

18And 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.

19He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me.

20And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming.

21And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child.

22And 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.

23Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.

24And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.

25When 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.

26And 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.

27But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose.

28And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out?

29And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.

30And they departed thence, and passed through Galilee; and he would not that any man should know it.

31For 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.

32But they understood not that saying, and were afraid to ask him.

33And he came to Capernaum: and being in the house he asked them, What was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way?

34But they held their peace: for by the way they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest.

35And 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.

36And 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,

37Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me.

38And 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.

39But 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.

40For he that is not against us is on our part.

41For 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.

42And 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.

43And 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:

44Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

45And 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:

46Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

47And 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:

48Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

49For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt.

50Salt 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.

This page shows the King James Version. In the app, reading opens in the Berean Standard Bible unless you have chosen another translation. The reader includes five translations: the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), the King James Version (KJV), the World English Bible (WEB), the Bible in Basic English (BBE), and the American Standard Version (ASV). Search covers three of them: Berean Standard, King James, and World English. Basic English and American Standard readers search the King James words.

Historical context

The three taken up the mountain are Peter, James and John, the same three allowed into the ruler's house earlier in the book. The only interval given is after six days; no other time marker or date appears. The voice from the cloud calls him beloved Son, as the voice at the baptism did, and adds a command to hear him. The narrator states outright that Peter did not know what to say and that the three were afraid, so the offer of tabernacles is explained by the text and not by any motive supplied from outside. Neither the father nor the boy is named, and the father's account of the affliction is his own speech. The line about the worm and the fire is printed three times in this chapter, after each of the three sayings about offending members.

Cited passages: Mark 9:2, Mark 9:5, Mark 9:6, Mark 9:7, Mark 9:17, Mark 9:21, Mark 9:22, Mark 9:44, Mark 9:46, Mark 9:48, Mark 5:37, Mark 1:11

Literary context

Light on the mountain and a convulsing child at its foot are set directly against each other, with the descent between them. The charge to secrecy now carries a limit, since it lasts only until the rising from the dead, and the disciples immediately show they do not know what that means. The father's sentence holds belief and unbelief together in one breath. The closing third of the chapter is chained by repeated words rather than by scene: in my name runs through the sayings about the child, the man who followed not, and the cup of water, offend runs through hand, foot and eye, and fire and salt carry the last lines. Between them stands a second announcement of the death, met with silence and a dispute about rank.

Cited passages: Mark 9:3, Mark 9:4, Mark 9:9, Mark 9:10, Mark 9:18, Mark 9:20, Mark 9:24, Mark 9:26, Mark 9:31, Mark 9:32, Mark 9:34, Mark 9:35, Mark 9:37, Mark 9:38, Mark 9:41, Mark 9:42, Mark 9:43, Mark 9:47, Mark 9:49, Mark 9:50

Key moments

  1. A voice from the cloud (Mark 9:7). The cloud overshadows them and a voice names Jesus beloved Son and says to hear him.
  2. Silence until the rising (Mark 9:9). Coming down, he charges the three to tell no one until the Son of man is risen.
  3. The disciples could not (Mark 9:18). The father says he asked the disciples to cast the spirit out and they could not.
  4. Help thou mine unbelief (Mark 9:24). The father cries out with tears that he believes and asks help for his unbelief.
  5. Delivered into the hands of men (Mark 9:31). He teaches privately that he will be killed and rise the third day.
  6. Last of all, servant of all (Mark 9:35). After the dispute about greatness he sits down and calls the twelve.
  7. Have salt in yourselves (Mark 9:50). The chapter closes with sayings about salt and peace with one another.

For reflection

The father says he believes and in the same sentence asks for help with his unbelief. What does the chapter do with that answer, and how does it compare with the disciples' silence when they are asked what they disputed?

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