February 4, 2014: Mark Chapter 9

The Gospel According to Mark Chapter 9

Originally posted Tuesday, February 19, 2008 

General Comment:  In the Transfiguration the mountain top experience of Jesus' disciples is followed by the valley of failure. As Abraham Maslow reminds us in his book Religions, Values and Peak Experiences, we all have moments that approach the sublime. We wish we could capture the moment and live in it forever. We can be driven to revisit the experience as often as possible. But however long we live, we learn that human existence is filled with the times we come down from the mountain and enter the more mundane reality of life. If we dwell on the differences we could see the mundane as a negative experience. Perhaps we can take a bit of the mountain back with us. Perhaps we can find ways of reminding ourselves of the rarified air up there. Perhaps we can see the world through God's eyes as a place of possibilities, opportunities just waiting for our attention. Jesus taught that every journey we take passes by the houses of joy, sorrow, plenty and need. Each one of them is an opportunity for our attention to spread around a little mountain air wherever we can.

Mark Chapter 9:2-8 The Transfiguration  [MT 17:1-13]

Matthew has used all of Mark's text with minimal editing.  He has changed Jesus' title from Rabbi (teacher in MK 9:5 to Lord in MT 17:4, an example of the changing emphasis to a more intimate connection between Jesus and God). He also has removed MK 9:10 in which the disciples seem to be puzzled by what Jesus meant about his resurrection even though he has already told them in MK 8:31 of his coming rejection, death and resurrection. Matthew may have wished to soften an apparent lapse of the disciples' memories. If that is the case Matthew has missed the point. The disciples' puzzlement was not about Jesus' (Son of Man) resurrection in any general sense. As with most Jews of the time, apart from the Sadducees and Priestly class, the disciples, as did most first century Jews, believed in the resurrection and judgment of the last day, the Day of the Lord. They were puzzled because Jesus implied that his death and resurrection would be very soon and not a part of the general resurrection at the end of the old age. We will read more of this unique aspect of resurrection theology in Paul and the Epistle to the Hebrews.

We should keep in mind how the early Christians understood this story, once part of the oral tradition and now more developed and written down as part of the preaching and teaching ministry of the various communities.

The face shining like the sun (Exod. 34:29-30; MT 17:2) and dazzling white clothes represent the appearance of heavenly beings (Ps. 104:1-2; Dan. 7:9; 12:3), or those who have stood in God's presence.

The presence of Moses and Elijah are a cumulative symbol of the Law and the Prophets- the combined wisdom of Judaism. Moses and Elijah are also two of the three characters of the Old Testament that were taken up into heaven, the third being Enoch (First Century Judaism held that Moses also had not died but was taken up in a chariot).

The bright cloud is the Shekinah, the "presence" (glory) of God (Exod. 24:15-18).

The voice of God is both an affirmation that Jesus' relationship with God is of the type of a Father with his Son and  a clear statement, "Listen to him," of Jesus' authority as superseding that of Moses and Elijah. This is a confirmation that Jesus has fulfilled the Scripture in Deut. 18:15 in which Moses promises that God will raise up a Prophet like him to lead Israel.

Mark Chapter 9:14-29 Healing of a Boy With a Demon  [MT 17:14-21]

Matthew has omitted at least one half of Mark's passage and added the diagnosis of the boy's sickness as epilepsy (falling sickness). Whereas in Mark Jesus attributes the disciples failure to cast out the evil spirit to the difficulty of driving out "this kind" of spirit without prayer, in Matthew the failure is attributed to the disciples' lack of faith. It is likely that Matthew did not use Mark as his source. The similarity between Matthew and Luke in this passage indicates that they used the source known as Q (Quelle, German for source). Q is the very early oral tradition of Jesus' sayings and other acts which was probably put into writing at some later date. It was unknown to Mark, written before 70 CE. It was a combined tradition which was added to and edited over time. Think of it as an early Wikipedia.

Mark includes considerable detail, making the event into a dramatic scene of interaction among the disciples, the father and son, the crowd and some Scribes who are arguing with the disciples. Into this raucous assembly walked Jesus, Peter, James and John who had just come down from a mountain top experience in the presence of the divine. When the crowd sees Jesus they are overcome with awe. Mark doesn't tells us why they should react that way. Perhaps we are to think there was some residual affect, like Moses, from being in God's presence on the mountain. Jesus quickly takes charge of the scene, determining the cause of the commotion, a description of the boys affliction and hearing of the inability of the disciples to cast out the spirit.

Jesus' first response is one of anger directed at the unbelief of the crowd whose only contribution to the problem is to make things worse as they are reduced to argument instead of action. As with Mark's comment on the disbelief of the people of Nazareth which limited Jesus' healing there, the disbelief of this "faithless generation" has curtailed the disciples ability to heal the boy.  The father's appeal to Jesus to help his son, if he is able, earns a stern response, "If you are able!" puts the father in the category with the crowd's little belief. The father admits to his own doubts and begs Jesus to help him in his unbelief. Jesus then commands the spirit to depart and never to return.

When the disciples privately ask Jesus why they could not drive the spirit out, Jesus seems to indicate that there are some spirits that are more difficult to cast out than others. This is alarming when we recall that Jesus had sent the disciples out to the towns and villages to proclaim the Kingdom of God as near, and with the authority to heal and to cast out demons. Perhaps there is some deficiency in their relationship with God that has limited them. Perhaps they forgot where the authority had come from and because of their first successes they thought it was from them instead of God. Jesus brings them back to earth, and reminds them that prayer is an essential part of sharing the ministry Jesus has sent them to do. It is prayer, that connection with God, which recognizes that what they do they do successfully only because of God working through them. They are not sufficient in and of themselves.

Mark Chapter 9:30-32 Second Prediction of Jesus' Death and Resurrection  [MT 17:22-23]

Matthew's highly abbreviated passage ends with the disciples being "greatly distressed," by Jesus' prediction. In Mark, the inability of the disciples to understand (and being afraid to ask) remains a constant. We have read of this difficulty several times and we might begin to think there is something important that Mark is doing in portraying the disciples as, well, dense. One of the fundamental themes in this Gospel is that true discovery of who Jesus is can only occur with Jesus' death and resurrection. The Gospel of John will be more enlightening on this issue. In John and unspoken in Mark, is the understanding that Jesus' life and ministry will be clearly understood only through the lens of these two last events. It is through that same lens that the content of the entire New Testament will be seen and fashioned for posterity. This is the source of all inspiration to live the life of a disciple and, in the case of the early church, to die if necessary,

Mark Chapter 9:33-37 Who is the Greatest

Matthew has used an independent source for this passage and parts of Mark are used in several passages. Mark's version is a lesson in ego trips. He begins by reporting that the disciples and Jesus were on their way home to Capernaum. On the journey the disciples, out of hearing distance from Jesus, were "arguing" about who among them was the greatest. Given what we have already read we might not be surprised; or we might be surprised after Jesus' corrective efforts to give clarity to their roles as disciples. Jesus confronts them about their debate and they are understandably, sheepishly silent. In familiar words he reminds them once again that to be first of all is to be servant to all. Jesus takes a little child of the household and holds him in his arms. Given our previous comments on the place of children within the social structure of first century Jewish society, it seems when Jesus is there the norms of family life are ignored, much to the children's delight, no doubt. With the child as model, Jesus gives a lesson on hospitality in the kingdom of God. If you welcome a child such as this one in my name you are also welcoming me. And even more important, when you welcome me you are welcoming the God who sent me. It is as Matthew wrote, "insofar as you did it for one of these little ones, you did it for me."  

Mark Chapter 9:38-41 Another Exorcist  [MT 12:30; 10:42]

There is something ironic in reading that John wants to prevent an exorcist from exorcizing a demon in Jesus' name rather soon after the disciples were not able to accomplish their attempt to heal the epileptic boy. There were other exorcists in Jesus time, both Jewish and Gentile. It is probable that a Jewish exorcist might use Jesus' name realizing that such a name may carry its own power. Jesus refuses to forbid such a practice on the belief that anyone who does so and is successful cannot avoid eventually being drawn to Jesus himself. Even if such a one has been an enemy, he will not remain so for long. As in the previous passage where welcoming a child is the same as welcoming Jesus and then God, here welcoming anyone who bears the name of Christ (Christian) will be rewarded. It is Mark's address to his community regarding the need for open hospitality in the struggle they face. It is their call to welcome all who are in need of Christ's compassion as given through the Church, for to welcome one in need is to welcome Christ and the God who sent him.

Mark Chapter 9:42-48 Temptations to Sin  [MT 18:6-9]

Matthew and Mark are essentially the same except for Mark 9:49-50. See MT 18:6-9 for other comments.

Mark's use of the salt proverb might have a variety of applications given the properties of salt as a preservative and flavor enhancer. Because the verses follow the passage on temptation, it is being addressed to Mark's community and the relationships among members, particularly in times of trial. To have the salt which leads to peace in oneself and with one another is related to the use of salt as a symbol of the covenant between God and Israel. If the members of the community will have salt in themselves, they will be ever mindful of their covenant not only with God but with one another in the Church. Peace in the Church is an important commodity worth having. Without it communities fall apart and cannot find the common vision of the future so desperately needed if the work of Church is to be accomplished.