July 14, 2023
Please use the comment section on this page to share insights from today’s reading OR your own personal Bible reading.
Reading along with us in Mark? Here’s today’s reading:
Mark 9 (NIV)
1 And he said to them, “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see that the kingdom of God has come with power.”
The Transfiguration
2 After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them.…..Continue Reading
Wow the Transfiguration….what an amazing experience that must have been. To see just a glimpse of the reality of who you have been walking with all these days. To get a small look at the glory of God and heaven!
Also another important chapter on faith and the state of our heart and a simple prayer reminder of “Lord help my unbelief”. We believe in Christ but so many times we put Him in a box of what He can really do in our lives and that is ANYTHING when we truly believe. We have the power of healing, feeding 5,000, and raising the dead active in our lives at all time if we truly surrender to God and allow Him to work through us….if we really believe and not just say we believe!
Mark 9
Reflecting on the last part that says it is better to lose body parts than for the whole body to end up in hell.. This speaks of radical obedience. Thinking about my own life.. the radical things I could do to avoid sinning.
I wonder what Peter, John, and James thought when they saw the transfiguration of Jesus and then Moses and Elijah. There is only one statement by Peter. They just saw Jesus in all his glory- a glimpse of heaven. Where are the words? Did they ever discuss it amongst themselves? Ponder it? I wonder if they remembered the transfiguration when Jesus was arrested and then crucified or did they lose hope all together?
I realize that they didn’t have the Holy Spirit at this point. I’m sure this event made more sense to them after Jesus conquered death.
It’s still amazing how blind/faithless we can be to things of God even after seeing Him move in the flow of blessings, answer to prayer, feeling His presence, witnessing a miracle, and discovering a new truth in His word.
That man in the crowd said it right. Help my unbelief.
Amen, Renee!
Mark 9 Jesus took Peter,James and John and went up Hermon mountain where they witnessed the transfiguration of Christ. I can’t imagine what they felt in seeing that, and God spoke to them and said this is my son, listen to him! Jesus told them not to share what they had witnessed until he has risen.
A man had brought his demon possessed son to the disciples hoping they would heal him, sounds like Jesus is frustrated with everyone around him for not having enough faith, and not praying enough I like where the father says “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief “ we all struggle with that. Jesus moves on with the disciples teaching them to welcome little children, and not to cause them to sin. He uses a strong description to stress how important it is to keep sin out of our lives.
In earlier chapters, I never noticed that it was on two occasions that Jesus fed a multitude with bread & fish….first the 5000 with 12 baskets remaining, then the 4000 with 7 baskets remaining…..interesting how the momentum of his ministry was launched forward from the parable of the sower and the seeds into a series of observable miracles starting with calming the sea into healings, casting out demons, to the transfiguration.
There is so much instruction here on how we should pray, believe, and act because so much of what He is doing is nearly beyond belief as we would perceive in this physical world by only our senses. Even for his disciples who saw the miracles first hand struggled with seeing life through our Lord’s eyes….teaching the disciples that to cast out ‘this kind’ of demon requires prayer…..to not think of who is the greatest among them but who is most like a little child and a servant of all would put themselves “Last” and God would exalt them .
So often putting on the mind of Christ, for me, can lead to what seems be surreal. Yet over and over we see comparisons of the physical world in His lessons/parables…the sower and the seed, or having “salt” among us so that we have peace with each other. Believing God and His Word is always at stake as we wake each day and live in this carnal world. So when it is confirmed by seeing His hand in our lives, we see and feel the fruit of our faith. Learning how to operate in this physical world while living the Spiritual life we are called to is not an easy path, but He always provided the tools to those who are willing to do the work. Having both boldness to call out bad behavior and speak the truth and maintain meekness, eschewing evil yet walking in love…It is a battle….indeed, “Lord help my unbelief”.
well said Ken!
To see the Lord in his glorious state. There are no words to be said. To think these apostles witnessed this but soon their faith waivers again. Only come out by prayer. Anything we do should be bathed in prayer. Prayer is what unlocks the faith we have as we ask Gods help in difficult situations. It shows our dependence on God. As we ask him to fill us with faith and power. If anyone causes any of these children to sin. Wow. Growing up in religion and being taught untruths. And to witness in the town my religion was taught. Msny children were abused by religious leaders only to have the offender moved across this country where it continued. Judgement day is going to be a very sad and surprising day for many. Jesus goes to great importance to show that we should get rid of sin at the end of this chapter.
As others have said, how amazing for these disciples to see Jesus in all His glory and power. We can imagine that the transfiguration is a fulfillment of what Jesus says in Mark 9:1. It also could refer to John and what he saw in the book of Revelation. And yet once again the disciples can’t understand what rising from the dead is because it was beyond their conception. But believing, spiritual eyes would understand what Jesus meant, because they could believe Jesus could accomplish beyond what they thought was possible. And then after this interaction with glory that Jesus experienced, He is set back to the reality of life really quick. He comes back to a commotion. Once again the disciples can’t do what Jesus had given them a capacity to do because they didn’t go to God with it. How important it is for us to be able to flex and move with Him and make spiritual adjustments when necessary. But I just love what Jesus says in Mark 9:23. “If you can?” Don’t you realize who you are dealing with? I have everything you could ever need if you would just believe. And what a great response as well. Help my unbelief. Who of us doesn’t understand that dynamic as we grapple with the battle in us between flesh and spirit….between believing….and well not believing. It is just important to understand that true belief drives out unbelief and it is up to us which side of that coin we live in and grow into.
And wow, if there is anything that reveals where the disciple’s heads are at, is this conversation about who is the greatest. It is pretty safe to say that when you are interacting with Jesus and have been chosen by Him, because He is the greatest, any distinction between us is a misnomer and really isn’t substantive in the conversation because we are all in it by the grace of God. And that means even people that are not part of their inside circle can be used by God as well.
And wow, how stark the pictures are of what we can expect will be necessary to address sin in our lives. It will not be an easy thing, it will be a hard thing. It will not be comfortable, but uncomfortable. We may feel, in fact, that we are not staying intact when we give up things for God. We will lose part of ourselves in the process. But what we will gain will be far greater, if we will believe……It is important to see that Jesus is talking here about this spiritual surgery we go through in cutting sin out of our lives….otherwise we would all be walking around maimed and blind….He speaks of it physically because we truly need to be jared from the permissive ways that we usually think about sins that we commit.
Mark 9
Mark 9
Transfiguration has always been of interest to me since I was a young believer in Christ. He takes thee of the disciples with Him to witness this. Peter, and two brothers James and John. They see Christ in all of His glory and God`s voice telling them [ This is my beloved Son; hear Him.] They also see Moses and Elijah taking with Jesus and want to make three booths for them. Then only Jesus is left with the three disciples. He tells them not to tell anyone what they have seen until after the resurrection of Christ. I guess this also means the other 9 disciples. Why these three and not the rest/ They were part of the inner circle. Perhaps like elders and deacons in a church. I am not really sure why. I have also wondered why Peter`s brother Andrew was not apart of this group for he told Peter that they have found the Messiah. Just wondering. Going back to Moses and Elijah I believe that there is a purpose of these two that is yet to come. I believe that they are the two witnesses mentioned in the book of Revelation 11. Their names are not mentioned in Revelation but the powers that they do have are like Moses and Elijah had. Just my belief. Some say Enoch and Elijah because they never died. God only knows. Then Jesus casts out a demon from a man`s pleading to rid his son from a demon. The man says I believe help my unbelief. The disciples are wondering why they couldn`t cast out the demon. Jesus tells them only by prayer. Then they pass through Galilee and Jesus again tells His disciples of His death and resurrection. But again they don`t understand what this means. God bless all.
Jesus asked His disciples what they were disputing about on the way. They didn’t want to acknowledge that they were disputing who is the greatest among themselves so they held their peace. But Jesus knew what they disputed about and taught them [ If any man desires to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.] Jesus then taught with the example of a little child who He had taken in His arms. That whosoever shall receive one of these children in my name, receiveth me; and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but Him that sent me. Jesus is teaching them to have a servant`s heart, and to be humble. In the next chapter it seems that the disciples are slow to learn for they try to prevent the children from coming to Jesus and latter the disciples that James and John think very high about themselves. God bless all.
42 “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea. 43 If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched— 44 where
‘Their worm does not die
And the fire is not quenched.’
These extreme responses to sin make us balk, but I can’t help but think of the new revealed prevalence of pedophilia in our world, in our nation (watched Sound of Freedom and later a presentation by Tim Ballard, about how rampant this abhorrent behavior is). If sin is so besetting and vile, perhaps you might consider cutting off the part that offends.
Not recognizing the victory and power over sin is unbelief. Under Christ, even cutting off a hand won’t get you into the Kingdom of God.