©1996 "Yes Lord" Ministries

In this lesson we will be studying Mark Chapter 9. This is another powerful chapter with many important events and teachings. So, let´s begin.

Read Mark Chapter 9. As you read, locate the sites of the events on your map. Also mark the important words and synonyms which you ve been marking in previous chapters and keep your piece of paper handy to jot down any additional words or phrases that are important (key).

Great, I see you´ve finished. And, I assume you discovered some more important words. So, reread Chapter 9 one more time, marking the additional important words or phrases which you discovered. If you did not find any, may I suggest a few? How about Son of man , believe, sin, hell, Kingdom of God , and their synonyms.

Did you see any references to Jesus´ death in this chapter? Any predictions? Yes?! Then add them to your Predictions Chart and believe it or not, you will be finished for this section.

In sections 2 and 3, we are going to study Mark 9:2-13, the important event commonly referred to as The Transfiguration. So, pace yourself as you do the following assignments and stop when you need to. Remember, you have 2 sections of time to do this, so do not rush. Give yourself time to meditate and think upon what you ll be learning. With that said, it is time to begin. To refresh your memory of this passage, stop now and read Mark 9:2-13. Don´t mark anything. Don´t look for important words. Just be the silent observer and simply read and soak up the event.

The Transfiguration of Jesus is also recorded in Matthew 17:1-13 and Luke 9:28-36. Read those two accounts now, and, if you notice any additional information which was not included in Mark s account, record it in the space below:
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By way of background and for your information, the word, TRANSFIGURED, in Mark 9:2 is METAMORPHOO (Strongs # 3339), which, according to Vines Dictionary means to change to another form. (Meta = change + Morphe = form). In other words, Jesus was changed into His glorified state.
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Also, concerning the location of this event, the high mountain referred to in Mark 9:2 is unknown with certainty. However, tradition suggests that it was Mt. Hermon, an often snow-capped mountain located just northeast of the city of Cesarea Phillipi. Locate that on your map. And, as to when this occurred, most scholars believe that the Transfiguration took place approximately 4 months before Jesus death.

Ok, with that background information in mind, let´s answer a few questions based on what you read in the 3 gospels concerning this event.

Which apostles were present? (9:2)
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Two of these apostles, Peter and John, later referred to this experience in their own writings. In the space below record what they said in :

2 Peter 1:16-18
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John 1:14
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Now that you ve read about the Transfiguration of Jesus, briefly summarize what happened.
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How was Jesus Transfigured (Metamorphoo). Ie. In what way was Jesus different? ( Include what you learned in Matthew and Luke in addition to what you read in Mark.)
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Who appeared and talked with Jesus as Peter, James and John, the 3 apostles, looked on in amazement?
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What did Moses and Elijah (sometimes referred to as Elias) represent?
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What did Moses and the Old Covenant represent / picture / point to? (Ie. Was the Old Covenant just a collection of special days, rules, sacrifices, etc. or were these things actually representative of something else? And, if so, what?)
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What did Elijah (Elias) represent?
Hint: read Malachi 3:1-2 (3:1-5 for full context) and Malachi 4:5-6 before you answer.
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What is the relationship of Elijah and John the Baptist?
Hint: read Matthew 11:10, Mark 1:2, Luke 1:76, Isaiah 40:3
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How did John the Baptist prepare the way for the Messiah?
Hint: read Matthew 3:1-12.
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For your information, the Jews believed, based on Malachi 4:5-6, that Elijah would appear before the Messiah came. Yet, from what we ve been reading in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, it seems that John the Baptist is the spiritual equivalent of Elijah. With this in mind, read again Mark 9:11-13. In these verses, why and what did the disciples ask Jesus concerning the need for Elijah to come? Also note Jesus answer. In fact, record that Q and A session here:
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The disciples asked:.
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Jesus answered:
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So, is Jesus saying that Elijah himself is actually coming before He (Jesus) does / did?

..........................Circle your answer .....................YES .......................NO

Or, is Jesus saying that John the Baptist is the spiritual Elijah that is anticipated in Malachi 4:5-6. (Hint: read Matthew 17:10-13 before you answer.)

..........................Circle your answer.......................YES........................NO
Explain your answer:
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Mark 9:13 in the NIV reads: But I tell you, Elijah has come and they have done to him everything they wished, just as it is written about him.

Who is the Elijah that is being referred to in this verse?

..........Circle your answer............The real Elijah of the O.T.................John the Baptist

Who are the they ? (Hint: before you answer this, read Mark 6:17-19 and I Kings 19:1-10. Do you see any interesting parallels?) So, who are the they in Mark 9:13. Explain your answer.
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Hmmmmm. That is all very interesting and significant and explains a lot about the ministry of John the Baptist and the purpose of Jesus ministry and, well, a lot of things. But, let´s return to the event of the Transfiguration again and now look at it from the big broad perspective. Stop now and read again Mark 9:2-9.

Let´s look now at the PURPOSE of the Transfiguration. Actually there are several purposes of this event. Knowing what you now know, because you have the famous retrospectoscope, in the space below, list as many purposes of the transfiguration as you can. (Hints: what would this prove to the disciples? How would this be an encouragement to Jesus? How would this be an encouragement to the disciples? Etc.)

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Finally, as we bring this study of the Transfiguration to a close, let´s bring the purpose and results closer to home.

What does the event of the Transfiguration of Jesus do for your own personal faith? What does this tell you about Jesus and Who He is? What does it tell you about God the Father? Do you believe this event really happened? Do you believe that Jesus really IS the Son of God?!
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When God said, This is my Son, Whom I love. Listen to Him! (Which you will recall are the same words which God the Father spoke at Jesus baptism), what did He mean? Does listening to Jesus words imply knowledge only? Or, does God the Father mean that we are to hear and OBEY Jesus? Are you a hearer only? James reminds us that true hearing is obedient hearing.
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Read James 1:22-25. Then write that passage in the space below.
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Now, with the command of God to Listen to Jesus , His Son Whom He loves, and the interpretation by James, that listening involves obedience, reread these questions and mediate on them. These are NOT rhetorical questions. Think upon them. Answer them, and then spend some time talking with God about your responses and conclusions.

Turning now to Mark 9:14-29, the healing of the boy possessed by an unclean / evil spirit, read this passage and record the information requested on your events, Miracles, Healings, etc... chart.

Medically speaking, what were the symptoms of this boy´s condition?

9:17

9:18

9:20

9:21

9:22

9:25

So, in summary, this boy appeared to be deaf, mute, and had seizures. In fact, in verse 18, the Greek word for seizes is Katalabei, from Katalambano (Strongs # 2638) and is the word from which we get our word today for catalepsy / epilepsy. A.T. Robertson says: the word is used by Galen and Hippocrates for fits.

What had happened immediately preceding this event? (Ie. Where had Jesus, Peter, James, and John been?)
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Now, upon their return, they discover the other disciples doing what? (9:14)
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Why? What had the apostles been unable to do? (9:17-18)
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Was Jesus able to accomplish this miracle of driving out the unclean / evil spirit?

............Circle your answer..............YES.................NO

Why had the disciples failed? (Don´t answer this just yet. Let´s look at some more details as recorded in this passage and elsewhere first. Then, we´ll arrive at our conclusion. I just wanted you to know where we are going with this series of questions.)

What did Jesus say in response to the statement by the boy´s father that Jesus´ disciples had been unable to drive out the spirit? Write the entire response by Jesus as recorded in Mark 9:19 in the space below:
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Did you see the word unbelieving? Yes. Circle it in black.

Hmmmm??? Could the apostles have been included in this group of the unbelieving concerning this matter?

.............Circle your answer.............YES....................NO...............Not Sure

Looking now at Mark 9:22-24 where Christ continues speaking about belief and unbelief, we read that the father of the boy says to Jesus in 9:21b: But if you can do anything take pity on us and help us.

To which Jesus responds in 9:23 (write the response)
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Immediately the boy´s father exclaimed (9:24) (write this, too):
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Now circle in that passage (Mark 9:21-24) every occurrence of believe in green and of unbelief in black.

When the father said, IF you can...? , was he questioning the ability of Jesus to be able to heal his son? After all, remember His (Jesus ) disciples had failed.

..............Circle your answer...................YES....................NO...................Not Sure

Was Jesus saying to the boy´s father that everything a person asks for will always be done for him if he only asks and believes?
...............Circle your answer..................YES.....................NO..................Not Sure

Believes in what? (Choose from the list below and circle your answer.)

Explain your answer.
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Read these two possible explanations of Mark 9:23 as provided by experts.

1. "The brief dialogue between the petitioner and the Lord teaches a fundamental principle about obtaining supernatural aid from God. As with this individual, human nature usually approaches God with doubts about His ability: if thou canst do any thing .... But Jesus clarified the issue. The prerequisite for healing never is doubtful on God s part, only on man´s. If thou canst believe, all things are possible." (Liberty Bible Commentary)

2. "The question is not whether Jesus had the power to heal... but whether the father had faith to believe it. A person who truly believes will set no limit on what God can do." (NIV Study Bible)

Do these seem to be reasonable and correct interpretations of what Jesus was trying to tell the man?.................Circle your answer................YES......................NO

Explain your answer and / or give your own understanding concerning what Jesus was teaching:
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The father of the boy, apparently understanding Jesus, then said I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!

What did he mean by this statement?
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Did the man now at last believe that Jesus was able to heal his son?........YES.................NO

And did Jesus heal his son by casting / driving out the evil spirit?............YES.................NO

Jesus and His disciples then went indoors and the disciples, still not fully understanding why they had not been able to do this miracle, questioned Jesus about their inability. After all, they reasoned, they had cast out many demons when then had been on their mission tour. (Remember Mark 6:7-13). So, what was the problem now, they asked. And Jesus told them. Record Jesus answer as reported in Mark 9:29 and in the parallel passage of Matthew 17:19-20. Write those verses below.

Mark 9:29
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Matthew 17:19-20
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Now, circle in green, every occurrence of the word faith in the passage from Matthew.
Also circle in Red, the reason given in Mark 9:29.

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Are the reasons for their failure (ie lack of faith and lack of prayer) contradictory? Or do they go together ? Explain your answer.
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A.T. Robertson states:
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" The disciples had failed and their unbelief had led to this fiasco. Even the disciples were like and a part of the faithless (APISTOS, unbelieving) generation in which they lived. The word faithless (in Mark 9:19) does not here mean treacherous as it does with us. But Jesus is not afraid to take the case. We can always come to Jesus when others fail us." He further adds: "The addition of and of fasting does not appear in the two best Greek manuscripts (Aleph and B). It is clearly a late addition to help explain the failure. But it is needless and also untrue. Prayer is what the nine had failed to use. They were powerless because they were prayerless. Their self-complacency spelled defeat. Matt. 17:20 has because of your little faith (oligopistian). That is true also. They had too much faith in themselves, too little in Christ."
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And J. F. Carter expands further on the failure of the apostles to drive out the evil spirit in the boy. He explains,
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"Because the disciples had cast out many demons on their practice tours ..., they confidently expected to deliver this boy from the evil spirit that was oppressing and tormenting him. But their confidence evidently was in their own power or in the words or methods they had used, rather than in God who had given them power to work the miracles. Jesus told them according to Matthew, verse 20 (17:20) that they had not been able to cast it out because of their unbelief, and according to Mark, verse 29, that that kind would not come out but by prayer. The two accounts together probably mean that they were overly self-confident rather than consciously God-confident."

OK! Now it s time to officially answer that question I asked you a long while back. Considering all you now know about the situation and considering the lack of faith and prayer and the self-confidence of the apostles,
Why had the apostles failed? (Why were they unable to drive out the evil spirit?)
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Finally, let me leave you with one final series of questions for you to reflect upon and to ponder. Ask yourself, What is the application for me? On what am I basing my works ? Are the things I am doing being attempted in my own strength and abilities? And, if so, what are the results? Has my prayer life dwindled? How about my faith? Am I believing in God and trusting Him to do through me the things He has authorized and empowered me to do? Or, am I relying on past experiences and methods?

Think on these things and then spend some time in prayer talking to God about your answers.

There are several topics we need to evaluate briefly today as we bring this lesson to a close. So, put on your track shoes and let´s hurriedly run through these remaining topics.

You ve already looked at Mark 9:30-32 in section one of this lesson, when you put the prediction discussed here on your Predictions... Chart. So, let´s continue on to the next topic.

Read Mark 9:33-39

What were the disciples arguing about in this passage?

Why? (Hint: what was important in the Jewish system at that time? Humility? Or rank and status? Also, what did they still think was the purpose of Jesus being here on earth and what would be their part in the Kingdom they expected Him to establish?)
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How did Jesus answer them? Specifically what did He say in Mark 9:35?
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Look up (as an OPTIONAL assignment), the definition of SERVANT (DIAKONOS) (Strong's # 1249) as used in Mark 9:35. Write your findings in the space below:
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How does Jesus illustrate this? (9:36-37)
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So, what is Jesus trying to teach them?
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In Mark 9:38-41, we find an interesting situation. Read those verses.

Was this person who was driving out demons in Jesus name an apostle (one of the 12)?
.............................................YES...................NO

Was he a disciple or a believer in Jesus? (Circle your answer)

.................YES..................NO...............Can t Tell...................Probably.................Possibly

So, what is Jesus teaching in this passage?
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Continuing on, read now Mark 9:42-50 and as you read, if you haven t already done so, mark every occurrence of SIN and its synonyms, HELL and its synonyms, and THE KINGDOM OF GOD and its synonyms.

"The word translated HELL in these verses is GEENNA (Strongs # 1067), which is a transliteration of the Hebrew for the Valley of Hinnom (Hebrew: ge hinnon), which was located southwest of Jerusalem and was used as a rubbish heap where garbage was dumped and burned so that it gradually adopted a spiritual application and became a picture of hell, the place of everlasting fire and torment. Fires burned (there) continuously and worms multiplied throughout the debris. Thus the statement, their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched (KJV), illustrates the eternal destruction of those who have not received the Savior."(Liberty Bible Commentary).
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A. T. Robertson adds: "The Valley of Hinnom had been desecrated by the sacrifice of children to Moloch so that as an accursed place it was used for the city garbage where worms gnawed and fires burned. It is thus a vivid picture of eternal punishment."

The passage referred to in Mark 9:48 is Isaiah 66:24. If you have time, you might want to turn there and read it in its fuller context which is Isaiah 66:22-24.

Well, with all that in mind, obviously there is much study that could be done on the verses in Mark 9:42-50, but, alas, time doesn t permit. So, in the brief time we do have, let me just ask you a few more questions.

What is Jesus teaching in these verses concerning the conduct of a Christian personally and in their example toward others?
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Halley´s Bible Handbook states: "A supreme Christian motive is that we conduct ourselves so that no one else may be lost on account of our example... ." And the Liberty Bible Commentary adds: "To offend (cause to stumble) one of these little ones is so serious that immediate death would be better than further involvement, and thus, greater judgment. ... Jesus used a hyperbole to impress His listeners with the gravity of sin. It would be better to sever a member of the body than to keep it and go to hell. It is obvious, however, that the real problem lies in the heart and mind."

Do you agree or disagree with these statements? Explain your answer.
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Finally, in closing, evaluate your own life and conduct. Is your life or are your actions causing anyone to stumble? To sin? If so, what are you going to do about it? What would Christ want you to do?
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Remember, we learned earlier this week that God said, speaking of Jesus, This is My Son, Whom I love. Listen to Him! And we know that true listening / hearing includes obedience!
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Think about your life. Listen to Jesus! Obey Him and do what He says!

A.T. Robertson. Word Pictures of the New Testament. Op. Cit. Vol 1. Mark. Page 341
Liberty Bible Commentary. Page 121. Op Cit.
NIV Study Bible. Comment re. Mark 9:23. Op Cit..
Page 341. Op. Cit.
Page 343. Op Cit.
J.F. Carter. Page 176. Op. Cit.
Page 122. Liberty Bible Commentary. Op. Cit.
Page 346. Vol 1. Mark Op. Cit.
Page 380. Op. Cit.
Page 122. Op. Cit.