Chapter 9

The Transfiguration

Mark 9:1-9

MARK 9:1-9

1 And Jesus was saying to them, “Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power.”

2 Six days later, Jesus *took with Him Peter and James and John, and *brought them up on a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them; 3 and His garments became radiant and exceedingly white, as no launderer on earth can whiten them. 4 Elijah appeared to them along with Moses; and they were talking with Jesus. 5 Peter *said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three tabernacles, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 6 For he did not know what to answer; for they became terrified. 7 Then a cloud formed, overshadowing them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is My beloved Son, listen to Him!” 8 All at once they looked around and saw no one with them anymore, except Jesus alone.

9 As they were coming down from the mountain, He gave them orders not to relate to anyone what they had seen, until the Son of Man rose from the dead.

OVERVIEW: THE FOG IS NOT REAL

Sometimes, during the winter, the fog will enter our valley and rest against the Blue Mountain foothills and stay for days. It is easy to get in a slump and feel pressed upon by the thick, gray, mist. At times like that, I will often take a short drive up into the mountains. Usually, one need go no more than five hundred vertical feet to rise above the ground cover. There, the sun is blinding in its splendor, the colors of the winter snow reflect the skies brilliance like a blanket of finely crushed diamonds. The air draws into your lungs like ice water and escapes in billows of steam. After the oppression of the fog everything around me is intensely accentuated. The evergreens are blanketed in their crystal overcoats; the blues of the heavens seem to taunt me with an invitation of abandonment: “Who dares to be bound by the concerns of the temporal in the presence of the infinite?”

But one can never stay on the mountaintop. The price of the pristine clarity is the frigidity of the air and one must eventually seek warmth and return to the life below. We are not supposed to stay on the mountain peaks though it is easy to forget that fact. We are streams in the desert, light in the dark, freedom to the captive; that’s us.

As I descend; I think of all the people I need to tell; “The fog is a deception. Just a swallow’s flight above your head the gray of this world is banished by the alacrity of the next. Its just up there – this too will pass.”

How does one explain the luminescence of the transfigured Jesus to someone that only thinks in gray? Herein is the Gospel paradox; the quandary of the transfiguration.

About sixty years after his experience on the mountaintop, Peter would relate to the churches:

1 Peter 1:22-25

22 Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart, 23 for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, {that is,} through the living and abiding word of God. 24 For, “All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls off, 25 But the word of the Lord abides forever.” And this is the word which was preached to you.

John, after nearly a century of reflection would tell us that only love is imperishable:

1 John 4:7-12

7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us.

Paul – who also witnessed the transfigured Christ – wrote perhaps the world’s most beautiful prose about the transience of this world vis-à-vis the permanence of love. He tells the confused Corinthian church (which was shrouded in a cloud of false leadership and heresy):

1 Corinthians 13:12-13

12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. 13 But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.

When you have experienced the transfigured Jesus, when you know what is clear and real and also what is false, how do you relate all that to a world swallowed in grey? Jesus, Peter, John and Paul said simply; “You love them.”

Setting the scene

There are three aspects that are essential sub-plots to the master plot of the transfiguration. To give us a fuller understanding of this event, we need to know:

1. The timing

2. The participants

3. The place

The timing

“Six days later...”

It’s unusual for Mark to be attentive to specific dates. The time reference he is partial to is the word “Immediate.” So, why is Mark suddenly attentive to the phrase “six days later?” Six days later than... what?

First of all, we see that Mark is writing about an event that occurred six days after God revealed to Peter that Jesus was the Messiah. It is critical to realize that this moment marked a radical shift in Christ’s ministry. Within a breath of Peter’s testimony, Jesus turns his face towards the cross. His teaching ministry had drawn to a close and his sacrificial ministry had begun. “Six days later...” refers to a radical change in the Apostles life with Jesus. Clearly, shockingly, Jesus begins to unfold the plan of his sacrifice to his followers. For them, it is like a storm rolling in and consuming a pleasant bay. The happy, carefree, almost festival atmosphere of traveling from town to town and observing the miraculous is suddenly shrouded with haze. It covers all of life with a dense, gray depression. The disciples are confused. They cannot let go of their image of an all-powerful prince, a warlord messiah who will free Jerusalem from Rome and all their oppression. Jesus speaks instead of an oppressed Messiah. A Messiah that leads the way into suffering and service. All their concepts, their prideful musings, the image of their political appointments in a powerful kingdom are suddenly blanketed in gray.

For his part, Peter recognizes Jesus’ authority; then proceeds to instruct the Lord in how he should act. Jesus turns upon Peter with intense authority; “Get thee behind me Satan.” Then, turning to all those who followed him – those seeking to march on Jerusalem, those hoping for a free meal, those just curious about the healing and preaching and even on the spies of Jerusalem – Jesus pronounces to all that the way of the Messiah is not a way of political power and self-aggrandizement. The way of Jesus leads straight through the Valley of Death.

Mark 8:27-9:1

27 Jesus went out, along with His disciples, to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way He questioned His disciples, saying to them, “Who do people say that I am?” 28 They told Him, saying, “John the Baptist; and others say Elijah; but others, one of the prophets.” 29 And He continued by questioning them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter *answered and *said to Him, “You are the Christ.” 30 And He warned them to tell no one about Him.

31 And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 And He was stating the matter plainly. And Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. 33 But turning around and seeing His disciples, He rebuked Peter and *said, “Get behind Me, Satan; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.”

34 And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. 35 “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. 36 “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? 37 “For what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 38 “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”

9:1 And Jesus was saying to them, “Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power.”

Six days later meant six days into the fog of confusion. Six days where darkness rolled in and the Jesus turned the apostles world upside down. Six days later has a deeply scriptural significance that Peter (telling the Gospel to Mark) could not have understood in his early years.

Remember the leper who didn’t wait for complete healing (way back in Mark 1:40-45)? We discussed how he was “partly healed” because he ran off from Jesus before the inner healing occurred. Do you remember Jesus sternly telling him to keep silent about the miracle?

Now, we see revealed why that silence was so important. Jesus instructs Peter, James and John to also be quiet and the result would be total understanding when the fog was finally lifted (after Christ’s resurrection). With the years behind him and the Spirit as his guide, Peter was finally able to see the incredible majesty of the transfiguration. After years of recollection distilled his understanding, after multiple trials and powerful growth in the Spirit of the Lord, Peter’s spiritual eyes were finally sharpened by persecution and by leadership and he told Mark, “It was exactly six days later.”

Did Peter remember that it was also exactly six days that Moses was held in waiting before God reveled himself to that blessed man on another mountaintop.

Exodus 24:15-17

15 Then Moses went up to the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. 16 The glory of the LORD rested on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days; and on the seventh day He called to Moses from the midst of the cloud. 17 And to the eyes of the sons of Israel the appearance of the glory of the LORD was like a consuming fire on the mountain top.

The transfiguration came six days after “the cloud” rolled in upon the disciples; six days of waiting in the mist and surrounded by confusion. This was a significant cloud, a holy cloud; this was God’s cloud. The Hebrews called it Anan [OT 6051] and the cloud was to cause awe. Yet, clarity lay inside the cloud, not confusion. In the cloud we can also lose our anti-dependence from God for we must wait upon him. Only a foolish person exceeds the speed limit when surrounded by a shroud of mist. Yet, the world is full of foolish men. God’s “Anan” is purposeful. It is meant to make us stop and wait for his whisper. This is the cloud that leads to peace:

Romans 14:33

For God is not a God of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.

There are many times when our lives are confused. Our paths are unclear and they make no earthly sense. Sometimes the confusion is so palpable that it is painful. Yet, carry this story of the transfiguration with you. For our God’s cloud is not empty and if you are his child that cloud is for your growth. Don’t flee this confusion. Turn it over to your dearest God and trust in his love for you. Comfort follows the cloud like the Israelites following the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night.

Exodus 13:21-22

21 The LORD was going before them in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them on the way, and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. 22 He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.

Exodus 16:10

It came about as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the sons of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud.

Exodus 19:9

The LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I will come to you in a thick cloud, so that the people may hear when I speak with you and may also believe in you forever.” Then Moses told the words of the people to the LORD.

Comfort precedes the trial

Forces were colliding. An unseen spiritual battle was forming all around the disciples and these three earthly followers had no clue why their world was being rocked. Satan was marshalling all his forces. Indeed, they were everywhere Jesus went — even in the holy places (especially in the holy places). But Jesus was purposely commanding his army of angels and ragtag fishermen to, “stand down!”

Matthew 26:52-54

52 Then Jesus *said to him, “Put your sword back into its place; for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword. 53 “Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels? 54 “How then will the Scriptures be fulfilled, which say that it must happen this way?”

While legions of angels froze at attention, Jesus himself marched unprotected directly into Satan’s lair. Even the disciples, blinded by dreams of grandeur, could see that only a horrific death awaited Jesus in Jerusalem.

Did you know that Francis of Assisi also marched unprotected into a war in the Name of Christ? Accompanied by only one brother (Illuminatus), Francis marched across the lines of Crusaders and Islamic alike and into the tent of the Sultan al Malik al Kamil. Francis was absolutely convinced that if he could care for the Sultan’s wounded and ill that the Sultan would see; “How much Jesus loved them.”

Despite Sultan Al Kamil’s advisors – who urged him to kill Francis – the Sultan spared Francis’ life and made an amazing offer to Cardinal Pelagio (Pope Honorius’ appointed leader of the fifth crusade) to pursue peace. Sultan al Kamil offered Pelagio all of Jerusalem, all of the holy relics, a thirty-year truce, thirty of his own friends as hostages to ensure peace and a King’s ransom to withdraw from Egypt.

Sadly, the Cardinal saw this as a sign of weakness and renewed his attack with increased ferocity. It was a colossal and fatal error. Thousands of crusaders died in the ensuing bloodshed and the rest of Pelagio’s forces limped home utterly destroyed.

Francis followed the model of Jesus who was preparing to wage peace on mankind. He marched into our horror and showed us the immense capacity of God to love even those who would demand his blood. Only Sultan Al Kamil seemed capable of understanding such love and recognizing such compassion.

Jesus was preparing three frightened men — not for the battle ahead — but for the sacrifice ahead. Christ’s timing was critical. Before the trial he offered comfort. To live in this world is to experience trial. Christ gives us the strength, not to just survive our confusing trials (the Holy Anan), but to endure them!

1 Corinthians 10:13

No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.

To endure [G5297 Hupophero], quite literally means, “to produce under pressure,” like a diamond from coal. Christ knows the pressure ahead and brings us comfort before the trial; strength within the cloud.

The Participants

Three disciples seem to comprise an inner core of the apostles; they were Peter, James and John. Jesus singles them out on multiple occasions:

They are among the first disciples chosen

Mark 1:16-20

16 As He was going along by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew, the brother of Simon, casting a net in the sea; for they were fishermen. 17 And Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” 18 Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. 19 Going on a little farther, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who were also in the boat mending the nets. 20 Immediately He called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went away to follow Him.

They were among the first Apostles named

Mark 3:16-19

16 And He appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom He gave the name Peter), 17 and James, the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James (to them He gave the name Boanerges, which means, “Sons of Thunder”); 18 and Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot; 19 and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Him.

They were the only ones present at certain miracles;

Mark 5:35-37

35 While He was still speaking, they *came from the house of the synagogue official, saying, “Your daughter has died; why trouble the Teacher anymore?” 36 But Jesus, overhearing what was being spoken, *said to the synagogue official, “Do not be afraid any longer, only believe.” 37 And He allowed no one to accompany Him, except Peter and James and John the brother of James.

They were the only ones called to share in Christ’s suffering prayer at Gethsemane;

Mark 14:32-33

32 They *came to a place named Gethsemane; and He *said to His disciples, “Sit here until I have prayed.” 33 And He *took with Him Peter and James and John, and began to be very distressed and troubled.

It is important to ask why Jesus only asked these three and not all of the Apostles to witness these specific events:

· It was NOT for privilege

First of all, we know our Lord loves all people equally. You cannot love some people more than others if you love all people with complete abandon. However, you always love people differently because of the uniqueness that God imbues to all his children. Still, some people are a little more “unique” than others. Perhaps, rather than viewing these three as Christ’s elite apostles we should see them as Christ’s “special needs” apostles.

If their uniqueness lay simply on the chronological order in which they called, the three would more likely be Andrew, John and Peter. Perhaps Andrew was simply not a “special needs” apostle. Scriptural references and tradition seem to affirm this supposition. Andrew’s whole life from the first moment he met Jesus was consistently about taking others to the Lord: He took his brother to Jesus, when the other disciples did not know how to feed the thousands it was Andrew who brought forth the boy and his small lunch and presented the child to Jesus. When the other apostles did not know what to do with Gentiles who sought to meet Jesus, it was Andrew they asked and Andrew who immediately took them to his Lord.

Tradition says that Andrew was put to death in Patrae, a city of Achaia, where Aegeas, the proconsul, commanded him to join in sacrificing to the heathen gods. This Andrew refused, so the proconsul had him horribly scourged and crucified on an X-shaped cross (now known as Saint Andrew’s cross). It is said that Andrew lived two days on that cross singing praises to God and preaching to the crowd. Even at death, he was still bringing others to meet Jesus.

· It was for strengthening faith

It becomes obvious that Jesus did not bring these three with him because they were a privileged group. He brought them because he knew the trials that they would each face after his death – and he knew that their faith needed strengthening.

Our Lord knows what we need before we need it – he gives us the strength to bear the load (not necessarily by rushing to our side), but by exercising and building our endurance long before the trials come. Many times, we can only recognize God in the present by looking at his touch in the past; “How could I endure this now – if you hadn’t been with me then?”

· It was for witness

The law required the personal testimony of two to three witnesses to substantiate a claim made about or against someone.

2 Corinthians 13:1

This is the third time I am coming to you. Every fact is to be confirmed by the testimony of two or three witnesses.

Matthew 18:16

“But if he does not listen {to you,} take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed.”

It was unnecessary for Jesus to have more witnesses – and, at times, it would have been disturbingly intrusive to have more than three. For example, consider what an encumbrance it would have been for all the apostles (let alone the disciples as well) to witness the healing at Jairus’ house [Luke 8:51].

Once again, we see that Jesus did not heal for popular opinion. He healed out of compassion and to provide a signpost towards God. After Jesus’ death, the witness of these three would be enough to corroborate the words and actions of Christ. In fact, these three (and all the other disciples) would become witnesses in its truest sense of the word. For the word “witness” [G3144 Martus], means to be willing to lay down one’s life for your testimony. Indeed, each one of these men was eventually forced to die and/or face exile as “testimony” to their Lord.

The Heavenly Witnesses

Elijah and Moses came to testify to Jesus and enjoin him in prayer. They both represent two branches of the old covenant: The Law and the Prophets.

Moses represented the law. He compiled the Pentateuch (the first five books of the bible) and prophesied about the Messiah:

Deuteronomy 18:15-19

15 “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your countrymen, you shall listen to him. 16 “This is according to all that you asked of the LORD your God in Horeb on the day of the assembly, saying, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God, let me not see this great fire anymore, lest I die.’ 17 “And the LORD said to me, ‘They have spoken well. 18 ‘I will raise up a prophet from among their countrymen like you, and I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. 19 ‘And it shall come about that whoever will not listen to My words which he shall speak in My name, I Myself will require {it} of him.’”

Elijah represented the prophets and foretold the coming of the Messiah:

Malachi 4:5-6

5 “Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD. 6 “And he will restore the hearts of the fathers to {their} children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the land with a curse.”

This gathering was a confirmation of Jesus’ march to Jerusalem; his messianic mission. It also testified to Christ’s followers that he was neither a reincarnation of Moses nor Elijah – not merely a prophet – but the actual Son of God. This final testimony was confirmed by the third heavenly witness who was present at the transfiguration: God.

The Witness of God

The presence of God is overwhelming. We would use the word “awesome.” but the Hebrews used the word “dreadful” [H3372, Yaré]. It literally means to terrify or to cause dread. So awesome is our God’s presence that we cannot endure his unadulterated presence:

Genesis 28:17

And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”

Exodus 15:11

“Who is like Thee among the gods, O LORD? Who is like Thee, majestic in holiness, awesome in praises, working wonders?

Deuteronomy 10:17-21

17 “For the LORD your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God who does not show partiality, nor take a bribe. 18 “He executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and shows His love for the alien by giving him food and clothing. 19 “So show your love for the alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt. 20 “You shall fear the LORD your God; you shall serve Him and cling to Him, and you shall swear by His name. 21 “He is your praise and He is your God, who has done these great and awesome things for you which your eyes have seen.

Job 37:14-24

14 “Listen to this, O Job, stand and consider the wonders of God. 15 “Do you know how God establishes them, and makes the lightning of His cloud to shine? 16 “Do you know about the layers of the thick clouds, the wonders of one perfect in knowledge, 17 You whose garments are hot, when the land is still because of the south wind? 18 “Can you, with Him, spread out the skies, strong as a molten mirror? 19 “Teach us what we shall say to Him; we cannot arrange {our case} because of darkness. 20 “Shall it be told Him that I would speak? Or should a man say that he would be swallowed up? 21 “And now men do not see the light which is bright in the skies; but the wind has passed and cleared them. 22 “Out of the north comes golden {splendor;} around God is awesome majesty. 23 “The Almighty – we cannot find Him; He is exalted in power; and He will not do violence to justice and abundant righteousness. 24 “Therefore men fear Him; He does not regard any who are wise of heart.”

Psalm 89:6-8

For who in the skies is comparable to the LORD? Who among the sons of the mighty is like the LORD, a God greatly feared in the council of the holy ones, and awesome above all those who are around Him? O LORD God of hosts, who is like Thee, O mighty LORD? Thy faithfulness also surrounds Thee.

Joel 2:11-13

11 And the LORD utters His voice before His army; surely His camp is very great, for strong is he who carries out His word. The day of the LORD is indeed great and very awesome, and who can endure it? 12 “Yet even now,” declares the LORD, “Return to me with all your heart, and with fasting, weeping, and mourning; 13 And rend your heart and not your garments. “Now return to the LORD your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness, and relenting of evil.

So awesome is God’s presence that, when he does appear before humans, he does so in the form of a cloud – and even that is overwhelming to behold!

MARK 9:7

Then a cloud formed, overshadowing them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is My beloved Son, listen to Him!”

God’s presence does not come upon his people in a cloud to confuse us, but instead to prevent us from being overwhelmed. God’s face is so clear in awesome beauty that we could not sustain his perfect presence:

Exodus 33:18-23

18 Then Moses said, “I pray Thee, show me Thy glory!” 19 And He said, “I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the LORD before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion.” 20 But He said, “You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!” 21 Then the LORD said, “Behold, there is a place by Me, and you shall stand {there} on the rock; 22 and it will come about, while My glory is passing by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by. 23 “Then I will take My hand away and you shall see My back, but My face shall not be seen.”

Indeed, only the pure can see God – and only Jesus can make us pure.

Matthew 5:8

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

Even before God made his presence known audibly, the three disciples were terrified [G1630 Ekphobos]. The word means to cower, to be frightened out of one’s wits – even to “dig into the dirt” like a gopher trying to bury itself from an oncoming hawk.

Until Christ has purified us we can only experience God in a cloud, a dense fog [Anan]. I am satisfied with that – for I am fully aware that I would not be able to stand the incredible glory of God’s intensity were it fully exposed to me. We can rest in the presence of God without trying to act like Peter, impetuously behaving as if he had any right or place to advise Jesus, Elijah and Moses. Who are we to consider how the heavenly heavyweights should conduct themselves, “let us make three tabernacles, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”

Once again, I am deeply touched by the quiet love of Francis; “My dear God; who are you? And, who am I but your useless servant?” Eventually, Peter himself would quit advising God and be able to embrace the humility of true service to Jesus. The humility that results in absolute freedom and peace:

1 Peter 5:6-11

6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, 7 casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you. 8 Be of sober {spirit,} be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 But resist him, firm in {your} faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. 10 And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen {and} establish you. 11 To Him {be} dominion forever and ever. Amen.

When your way seems confused and your path cloudy, instead of fleeing that confusion by forcing action – look for God’s presence in the midst (mist) of the perplexity. God rarely reveals his plan for us in its entirety because (quite simply) we could not handle it. Indeed, if God wrote up a job description for what I would be doing today – I would have rejected it long ago. Yet, the awesome mystery of God is this: I could not imagine being any place else. I could not imagine any greater joy than just to be his free and willing servant. What an AWESOME honor to be available to God in the moment that he calls upon me. To be present in his presence, enveloped by his cloud. Where each single step is all I need to know and all I need to see.

If you are a “control freak,” this kind of God is going to be your undoing. The more we are concerned about tomorrow, next week, next year, retirement, the economy, the more “being available” becomes confusing and frightening. It is enough to be present here – in God’s mist – without suggesting that we build a fence, a wall, an altar, a church, a ritual, or a fast food restaurant to commemorate the experience.

The Place

The revelation of Christ in his true glory takes place away from the crowd and high upon a mountain. Mount Hermon It was a 9232 foot (2814 meters), snow capped peak near the modern day borders of Syrian, Jordan and Israel. The mountain was just outside of Caesar Philippi – a city historically associated with pagan worship. First it was name Balinas and was a central location of Baal-worship. Then it became known as Panius, thought to be the birthplace of the Roman god, Pan. Later, Herod the Great’s son, Philip, built a temple of worship to Caesar and renamed the city, Caesarea Philippi in honor of the Emperor Tiberius.

It is amazing to note that God’s Son was identified by Peter as Christos in this “pagan” city and then affirmed by the Creator in front of three witnesses just outside of the city.

The moment was fragile and transient. It was immediately broken by Peter’s impetuousness. Yet, God accomplished what needed to be accomplished in that “moment.” The Christ of God received the testimony of the Law and the Prophets, the Messianic Mission of Jesus was affirmed. God himself affirms it: “This is my beloved son; listen to him!”

Yet, the presence of God is too intense for the three to remain within his cloud for very long. We are not designed to remain “in Anan” while on this earth. It would be too tempting to stay (as Peter sought to do), too easy to exclude others and forget them, to turn our backs on service. We cannot remain in the rapture of God, nor build walls around the experience of worship. We are not home yet. Our earthbound experiences of God are intense and fragile. It is blinding in brilliance and all-encompassing. Yet, everyone who experiences a “Anan Moment” is sent back down from the peaks with a purpose: Moses to brings the law, Elijah leads the prophets, Jesus to go to the cross and Peter, James and John to testify to what they have witnessed. The presence of God is not our “end” in this world, it is our beginning. It is what strengthens and focuses us toward our end.

John 17:18

“As Thou didst send Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.”

Someday, we shall join Jesus with God in his holy and eternal presence:

John 17:19-26

19 “And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth. 20 “I do not ask in behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; 21 that they may all be one; even as Thou, Father, {art} in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be in Us; that the world may believe that Thou didst send Me. 22 “And the glory which Thou hast given Me I have given to them; that they may be one, just as We are one; 23 I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, that the world may know that Thou didst send Me, and didst love them, even as Thou didst love Me. 24 “Father, I desire that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am, in order that they may behold My glory, which Thou hast given Me; for Thou didst love Me before the foundation of the world. 25 “O righteous Father, although the world has not known Thee, yet I have known Thee; and these have known that Thou didst send Me; 26 and I have made Thy name known to them, and will make it known; that the love wherewith Thou didst love Me may be in them, and I in them.”

In the meantime, we are commissioned to take God out…

Matthew 28:19-20

19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Our Lord understood the balance between the fragile mountaintop and the urgent valley. Between the solitary habits of prayer and communal response of carrying God’s presence to a world that fears silence, isolation and the cloud of unknowing. It is while we are in “the crowd” that we apply the power of God and it is on the mountain that we experience the presence of God. Yet, no clear line differentiates the power or the presence. In fact, the more powerful God becomes in our lives the more present he becomes and the more present God becomes in our lives the more powerful he becomes.

Christ’s life – our model – was a balance between solitude and service, between “coming in” and “going out”; “going up” and “coming down.” Jesus came into the presence of God and went out to the service of people. It is the Peter in us that would attempt to build walls around the mountaintop experiences or to make worship the sole tenet of faith. But worship is empty without service just as service becomes drudgery without worship. God calls and sends, he invites us to the mountaintop and sends us to his people. The more comfortable we are with this ever-flowing cycle the more clearly we will understand God.

The Metamorphosis

What the three apostles witnessed that day was not the transfiguration of Jesus as he “would be” but the revelation of Jesus as he has “always been.” It was the true nature of Jesus that was revealed and, indeed, what was also revealed was our own true nature as available in Christ.

The transfiguration of Jesus shows us multiple insights into God’s glory. It shows us:

· Jesus as he truly exists

· The fulfilled resurrection of the holy

· The unity of the resurrected

· The desire of Christ to let us experience both that resurrection and that unity

· The testimony of God that Jesus speaks on his behalf

The Glory of Christ Revealed

Poor Mark. He simply runs out of words that will explain the appearance of Jesus. Mark was not young when he wrote this Gospel. He was well-educated, well-traveled and had grown up listening to the great saints preach. Yet, he had no words to describe Christ’s brilliance. It was simply indescribable.

The best he can manage to say Christ’s appearance was: “His garments became radiant and exceedingly white, as no launderer on earth can whiten them [Mark 9:3].”

Herein lays a disarming truth about seeing Jesus revealed in any life. The more Jesus reveals himself; the less we are able to explain him. Ultimately, we run out of words and that is as it should be. Ultimately, Jesus becomes revealed only in our availability. His depth revealed in that we are finally willing to go and be present in the places where his love is least often found.

The mountaintop experience of Jesus Christ is intentionally fragile. It is not made to be replicated, controlled, or prolonged. It is not supposed to be a ritual, order of worship or liturgy. It is a moment given to strengthen martyrs on their journey. It is a blessing not a ritual. When we try to analyze it, institutionalize it or possess it, it dissipates; it is gone. We can’t even contribute to it. Peter tries and “poof’” it vanishes. We can only receive it. Even if we followed Jesus everywhere we might never experience it. Nine Apostles had to accept it by the testimony of the three. What should that tell us? Faithfulness is ultimately not about emotionalism. It is about serving Jesus – and him broken.

Let’s not seek the mountaintop – if he should take us there – praise be to God. Instead, let us seek to be nothing but his passionate servants. We trust in the martyr’s witness of a day when all shall be united in the resplendent Christ. But today, let us find him in a life transfigured by our love.

Teen Study Follow-Up

MARK 9:2-3

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. 3 His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. (NIV)

“Whatever…”

Have you ever run out of words to explain an experience of accomplishment or happiness? Perhaps it was a high test score, a great conversation with a friend, a sports accomplishment or even a retreat experience. As you try to relate the event, words don’t seem to capture it. You can see the eyeballs of the person you’re talking to roll up into their head. They start looking for someone else to talk to or cut off your story and start chatting about something completely different – and you are left frustrated.

One author tells us this experience is not unusual for most youth. In fact, he says that one out of five young people feel this frustration on a frequent basis. They are upset by an experience of joy and the world’s obnoxious response of, “Whatever…”

That’s what Peter felt too. As he tried to tell Mark this story of the transfiguration – years after it occurred – he is trapped by words that are too small to describe something so big. All he can say is; “His clothes looked like they were washed in really great laundry soap.”

“Whatever…”

Poor Peter; words just failed him.

The hardest part is that the “whatevers” of the world often make us feel like saying, “whatever,” too. We experience something amazing, we have an opportunity to excel, we have great news we want to share, but we swallow it. We would rather not share anything than blurt out something about “It was as great as laundry soap…”

Yet, that is the most surprising thing about Peter. He messed up so many times. One would think that he would have the sense to quit. However, Peter not only witnessed the transfiguration of Christ – he also became transfigured (changed) by Christ. When words failed him (as they often did) he just kept loving anyway.

Have you ever felt the power of Christ change you that deeply? So deeply it caused you to change the way that you lived? So deeply that it was hard to tell others why you were different? It can be frustrating, can’t it?

· It is frustrating because you have seen what a difference a loving God can make. You have been changed – transfigured – by a loving Christ.

· It is frustrating to watch friends seek fulfillment in relationships that are really only physical

· It is frustrating to see people choose drugs and alcohol when you know they lead only to sadness

· It is difficult to watch friends walk away from you because God has made you “different”

But stick with it, my friends. Overcome their “whatevers” with his gentle kindness. The example of our love will always exceed the confusion of our words. They will know he is present by our love.

Eventually, Peter found words to convey his experience that were better than the ‘laundry soap’ analogy. Peter tells us that Christ is like a light that helps us when it is most dark and most difficult. Those are words you can trust. Words that can you give the strength to bear a thousand ‘whatevers.’

2 Pet 1:16-19

2 Pet 1:16 For we have not been telling you fairy tales when we explained to you the power of our Lord Jesus Christ and his coming again. My own eyes have seen his splendor and his glory: 17 I was there on the holy mountain when he shone out with honor given him by God his Father; I heard that glorious, majestic voice calling down from heaven, saying, “This is my much-loved Son; I am well pleased with him.” 19 So we have seen and proved that what the prophets said came true. You will do well to pay close attention to everything they have written, for, like lights shining into dark corners, their words help us to understand many things that otherwise would be dark and difficult. But when you consider the wonderful truth of the prophets’ words, then the light will dawn in your souls and Christ the Morning Star will shine in your hearts. (TLB)

Thoughts

Have you ever been ‘transfigured’ by the love of Jesus? Write to us and tell us about it.

Share with us an experience when you have found God’s peace in the midst of confusion and how you were able to share that experience with others.

Share an example when you and your friends have been able to show Christ’s ‘transfigured presence’ through an act of love to those in your family; school; community or elsewhere.

Action

Ask your youth leader to bring someone to your group who can talk about listening skills. Help others share their joy by being Active Ministers of Listening (the Go AMOL project) in your school.

Mark 9:9-29

“I Do Believe, Help My Unbelief”

Mark 9:9-29

MARK 9:9-29

9 As they were coming down from the mountain, He gave them orders not to relate to anyone what they had seen, until the Son of Man rose from the dead. 10 They seized upon that statement, discussing with one another what rising from the dead meant. 11 They asked Him, saying, “Why is it that the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” 12 And He said to them, “Elijah does first come and restore all things. And yet how is it written of the Son of Man that He will suffer many things and be treated with contempt? 13 “But I say to you that Elijah has indeed come, and they did to him whatever they wished, just as it is written of him.”

14 When they came back to the disciples, they saw a large crowd around them, and some scribes arguing with them. 15 Immediately, when the entire crowd saw Him, they were amazed and began running up to greet Him. 16 And He asked them, “What are you discussing with them?” 17 And one of the crowd answered Him, “Teacher, I brought You my son, possessed with a spirit which makes him mute; 18 and whenever it seizes him, it slams him to the ground and he foams at the mouth, and grinds his teeth and stiffens out. I told Your disciples to cast it out, and they could not do it.” 19 And He answered them and said, “O unbelieving generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him to Me!” 20 They brought the boy to Him. When he saw Him, immediately the spirit threw him into a convulsion, and falling to the ground, he began rolling around and foaming at the mouth. 21 And He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. 22 “It has often thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!” 23 And Jesus said to him, “‘If You can?’ All things are possible to him who believes.” 24 Immediately the boy’s father cried out and said, “I do believe; help my unbelief.” 25 When Jesus saw that a crowd was rapidly gathering, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You deaf and mute spirit, I command you, come out of him and do not enter him again.” 26 After crying out and throwing him into terrible convulsions, it came out; and the boy became so much like a corpse that most of them said, “He is dead!” 27But Jesus took him by the hand and raised him; and he got up. 28 When He came into the house, His disciples began questioning Him privately, “Why could we not drive it out?” 29 And He said to them, “This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer.”

MARK 9:9-13

“Elijah does come first”

Jewish belief held that Elijah must come before the Messiah and this confused the three apostles who were privy to the transfiguration. It had been revealed to them that Jesus was the Anointed One but what they had seen didn’t seem compatible with what they had heard about the Messiah or Elijah. Does that happen to you at times? Do you ever run up against a difference between what you’ve experienced and how you’ve been informed?

Personally, I can’t count the number of times people have told me to give up on someone or a group of people. “That person is hopeless.” “Those people should be locked away.” Yet, then I see the Lord’s presence change the heart of the hopeless and incarcerated. Sometimes you have to go with what you experience – not what you hear – especially when it comes to Jesus.

Here was the Apostles long held image of the “Day of The Lord”:

Malachi 4:5-6

1 “For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze,” says the LORD of hosts, “so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.” 2 “But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall. 3 “You will tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day which I am preparing,” says the LORD of hosts.

4 “Remember the law of Moses My servant, even the statutes and ordinances which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel.

5 “Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD. 6 “He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse.”

The Apostles were waiting for the opportunity to “dance like calves” while the arrogant and every evildoer” would burn like chaff. All too often that is the image and desire of far too many of the “self-righteous.” We want to dance while those opposed to us burn. Is that our image of the second coming? Perhaps, like the Apostles, there is something that we fail to see.

The leaders of Israel had become their own people’s worst enemies. They were awash in arrogance and used religion to justify their injustices. Though conquered by Rome, the enemy of Israel was not external. It was internal. It was a lack of humility.

Jesus wakes them up and tells them, “Elijah has indeed come, and they did to him whatever they wished, just as it is written of him.”

The Apostles were stubbornly looking for the personage of Elijah not the call of Elijah. Let’s not miss the message either. Look at Malachi 4:6: “He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse.”

Compare that verse to Luke 1:17: “It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

The phrase, “He who will go as a forerunner,” is the description Gabriel gives to Zacharias regarding the call of the high priest’s son, John the Baptist.

Sometimes we can get lost on saints and rituals and not on their intent. We might grieve because, “We have no more John the Baptists,” “No more Elijah’s,” “No more Gandhi’s, King Jr’s or Mother Theresa’s.”

Yet, not one of those prophetic leaders would want the focus to be on them. Look in the envelope not at the delivery person. We have grown fascinated with personalities and celebrities but not with challenges or commissions. Is it possible to venerate saints so we can excuse our tepidity? Jesus gives his Apostles (and us) a reminder about the true call of the Messiah; “How is it written of the Son of Man that He will suffer many things and be treated with contempt?”

Are we enamored with personalities or committed to a purpose? Do I need to be reminded that Christ-centered leadership will always be viewed with contempt by some in this world? Have I ever tasted that contempt? Have I been so far at the front of justice that some people wish I were silenced? We have to remember that Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr. and even Mother Theresa had that in common with Christ as well.

We are not so unlike the people of Christ’s time. Could we excuse ourselves of worshiping the personality of Elijah without heeding his message? Are we truly, “Turning the hearts of adults back to the children?” Do we truly weigh our actions, economics and politics by what it will leave the next generation (and the generation after that)?

MARK 9:14-19

“Possessed with a spirit which makes him mute”

To be “possessed with a spirit which makes him mute,” meant the boy was held captive by an evil that wouldn’t allow him to speak. What evil holds our voices silent? Zacharias’ voice was held silent by doubt. But even more than our voices being held mute, what makes our testimony mute?

Primarily if our words don’t coincide with our actions – we are also held silent. Far better for us to be silent and let our actions speak than to speak and have our actions contradict our words.

Even more, the disciple’s inability to act was a reflection on Jesus. When people see duplicity or apathy among Followers of the Way, they don’t just denigrate the ineffective, they disparage the Master as well. The incapacity of the disciples caused chaos: Chaos among the disciples and the crowd, derision and arguing among the scribes, but mostly, confusion for the desperate father and his son. While crowds might become cynical and the intellectual carry on debates, it is the suffering who are neglected.

There would have been no confusion and no arguing had the disciples been effective. Efficacy is difficult to debate. However, when there is incompetence; there is always plenty of blame to go around.

“I told Your disciples to cast it out, and they could not do it.”

I’m so glad that God is God so I don’t have to be – but do I really let God be Creator of my life? I am so glad that Jesus is Savior so I don’t have to rely on myself – but do I trust him with my life or am I still trying to wrestle with him for control like Jacob at Peniel [Genesis 32:22-32]?

When I think of how hard it must have been to be Jesus it overwhelms me. Can you imagine the disappointment our Lord must have felt as he walked down the mountain from the transfiguration with his apostles already questioning him. Then, he arrives back only to confront the ineptitude of the other disciples. Why were the disciples unable to heal this boy? In Mark 3, Jesus had set aside the twelve for this very purpose:

Mark 3:13-15

13 And He went up on the mountain and summoned those whom He Himself wanted, and they came to Him. 14 And He appointed twelve, so that they would be with Him and that He could send them out to preach, 15 and to have authority to cast out the demons.

Matthew tells us they were immediately sent out with five tasks – preach, heal, raise, cleanse and cast out:

Matthew 10:5-8

5 These twelve Jesus sent out after instructing them: “Do not go in the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter any city of the Samaritans; 6 but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 “And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ 8 “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give.”

Yet, later (when Jesus sends out the seventy) they return with glorious news!

Luke 10:17-20

17 The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” 18 And He said to them, “I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning. 19 “Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you. 20 “Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven.”

What is the difference between the Twelve’s ineffectiveness and the Seventy’s astounding results? Stay tuned… we’ll get to that momentarily.

In the meantime, let us remember that God IS God and we’re not. Nor should we desire to be and we should put aside all attempts to take over the throne from our Creator. What does that mean? It means we are to…

Live a life of wonder; to become “like children”

Matthew 18:3

“Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Live a life of gratitude

Colossians 2:6-7

6 Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.

Live a life of humility

Philippians 2:1-11

1 Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, 2 make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. 3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; 4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. 5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Live a life of forgiveness

Matthew 6:14-15

14 “For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 “But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.”

Live a life of service

John 13:12-14

12 So when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? 13 “You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. 14 “If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.”

Wonder, gratitude, humility and service: Can you think of a more fulfilling life?

If we let go of our need to be “in control” and let God be our power… If we go where Jesus would go and not just linger where we are comfortable… If we worry less about appearances and excuses and more about the neglected… If we do these things, then we will become powerful conduits through which our Lord can do his work.

It is not redundant to remind ourselves: “Be still and know that we aren’t God!” (See instead Psalm 46:10)

“How long shall I put up with you? Bring him to Me!”

Jesus says some things that are very unpleasant. He was a yoke for the heavy-burdened, comfort to the weak, strength for the poor and compassionate to the children. However, being all those things to all those kinds of people would have been a toothless gesture if they weren’t in conjunction with deeds of advocacy. To love “the least of these” also means being direct with those who “took the most away” from them. Here is a man whose son had suffered horribly. The apostle’s fail at their responsibilities and, instead, spend their time arguing with the scribes. When Jesus encounters them, he not only says, “How long shall I put up with you?” He says, “How long must I suffer [G430 anecho] you?” It is the same as saying, “How long must I tolerate you?”

We’ve seen Jesus say to Peter, “Get behind me Satan [Mark 8:33].” Now he says to his apostle’s, “How long do I have to stomach you?”

If we can remember, Jesus turned on Peter’s behavior when Peter:

· Thought he could tell Jesus what to do

· Tried to make Jesus his comfortable deity

· Tried to prevent Jesus from completing his mission

· Now Jesus rebukes the apostle’s behavior when they try to:

· Use the name of Jesus without practicing the works of Jesus

· Use their closeness to Jesus as a theological treatise instead of a compassionate way of living

· Argue theology instead of act compassionately

If we don’t want to “make Jesus sick to his stomach,” then we must put our faith into effective action and never, ever, be found standing around debating theology while the poor suffer in our midst.

“Bring him to Me!”

Jesus does not engage in the debate between the scribes and the apostle’s. He reveals to us the true character of God. “Bring him to Me!”

The measure of our faith is not the extent of our knowledge nor our profession of faith – no matter how emphatically that statement. The measure of our faith is:

1. Do we go to the wounded?

2. Do we call them to us?

If we examine this incident closely we will find that – not only is talk cheap – but it sickens our Lord. To be close to Christ is to be surrounded by the least of these and to be acting on their behalf.

In our outreaches to schools we teach students, teachers and administrators the concept of “Intentional Courtesy.” When working with adults we say that Intentional Courtesy has three components:

1. It reaches out to the least accepted and most rejected

2. It is offered unconditionally

3. It requires community to sustain its practice

When I am with children, we rephrase the concept like this:

“Intentional Courtesy is when a community of people encourages each other to go out of their to way to be kind to the lonely, sad or mad.”

These principles are all based on the agape (unconditional love) of Jesus. The love of Christ is active and unreserved. Followers of Christ don’t sit around debating “What Would Jesus Do?” They’re too busy asking, “Where Would Jesus Be?” and going to those places. It is easy to do what Jesus would do when we’re not where Jesus would be. Anyone can be a candle in a chandelier factory or a drop in a river. But we are called to be light in the darkness and a stream in the desert.

I pray I will never hear the reprimand of Jesus, “How long must I put up with you, Jerry?!!”

MARK 9:20-24

20 They brought the boy to Him. When he saw Him, immediately the spirit threw him into a convulsion, and falling to the ground, he began rolling around and foaming at the mouth. 21 And He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. 22 “It has often thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!” 23 And Jesus said to him, “‘If You can?’ All things are possible to him who believes.” 24 Immediately the boy’s father cried out and said, “I do believe; help my unbelief.”

“I do believe; help my unbelief”

All of us have mumbled through prayers and found ourselves distracted. Sometimes we have listened to long and flowery supplications that are more like speeches than petitions to a loving Creator. If we want to examine what prayer should be, this is it: “I do believe; help my unbelief.”

Certainly this man must have lost faith when he saw his request for the disciples denigrate into a “you-blaming” session with the scribes. More long-winded buffoonery about why his son couldn’t be healed. That’s what made Jesus angry; empty prayers and impotent theology. Jesus has neither the time nor patience for this “idle-try” (an idolatry – false worship of our own meanderings).

Jesus bypasses the “hierarchy” and goes right to the desperate. Were that the primary measurement of Christian leadership the church would never run aground. The most fundamental role of a strong leader is to model the vision he or she articulates. The most widespread flaw of a weak leader is to create policies to protect his or her hierarchy.

Jesus goes right to the most in pain and offers the simplest solution. There’s nothing complicated about it. Yet, if the solution isn’t simple it won’t be achieved. If it ain’t simple, it ain’t Jesus. The simplest message is the most effective motivator and course of action: “All things are possible to him who believes.”

The term “believe [G4100 Pisteuo]” has two important components; to act with confidence. We aren’t really confident if we don’t really act. In fact it is our action that increases our confidence. Only in combination does belief become reality. The apostles might have argued with emphasis but they surely did not act with confidence. Talk about the best way to earn the disfavor of Jesus!

Do we act with confidence on the conviction that, “All things are possible to him who believes.”

If not, all is not lost we can still pray the humble prayer of the desperate parent: “I do believe; help my unbelief.”

MARK 9:25-29

25 When Jesus saw that a crowd was rapidly gathering, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You deaf and mute spirit, I command you, come out of him and do not enter him again.” 26 After crying out and throwing him into terrible convulsions, it came out; and the boy became so much like a corpse that most of them said, “He is dead!” 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and raised him; and he got up.

He rebuked the unkind spirit

An interesting chain of events occurs when the desperate parent asks for his faith to be repaired and his son to be restored. Jesus immediately rebukes the unclean spirit. The word “rebuked [G2008 Epitimao]” would also be used for evaluating someone’s worth by his or her accomplishments. Can you see why the spirit would struggle so violently to remain in the boy? The unclean spirit must have been wonderfully comfortable bullying someone weaker. When Jesus “rebukes” the spirit, he forces it to take responsibility for its actions. It is being held accountable to eternal standards. What can it say? “I manipulated the powerless for my own purposes?”

No, in truth most manipulators excuse themselves as benevolent patricians; “I was doing it for their sake.”

We’ve examined earlier in Mark the word for “unclean [G169 Akathartos],” and found that it means “without pruning.” This unclean spirit had hidden from responsibility. It had shielded itself from accountability. Jesus came to deliver “Judgment Day” to this manipulator and it was going to resist culpability with all it could muster.

We will all be held accountable at some point in time. When we see the value of our lives in an eternal perspective how will we respond?

I remind myself that the line between humiliation and humility is very fine indeed. One is a choice the other is not. If I choose humility everyday, if I remember the desperate prayer of this parent, then I will not exorcise myself with the desperate actions of the unclean spirit.

MARK 9:28-29

28 When He came into the house, His disciples began questioning Him privately, “Why could we not drive it out?” 29 And He said to them, “This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer.”

“This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer”

“Why could we not drive it out?”

It must have stung the apostles. They followed Jesus, they not only heard of miracles but were close enough to witness them. Yet, when it was their turn to transform teaching into praxis. Instead, all they could do was defend their incompetence.

When does the love of Jesus become just an empty word?

· When it isn’t good news to the poor. The words of the disciples were certainly empty to the desperate father until the actions of Jesus made them real.

· When we forget that the power of Jesus lies in God instead of ourselves. Obviously the disciples thought they were the purveyors of the miraculous just because they “hung around” with Jesus. Hanging around with Christians doesn’t make us powerful – it is faith that makes all things possible. We need to act on what we believe but the wellspring of those beliefs must be humility in God not edification of self.

Prayer helps us remember that both the source and the focus of the miraculous is a deep relationship with God. Otherwise our work is little more than entertainment. The world is full of entertainers who magnify themselves but bereft of those whose soul focus is to magnify the Lord. Prayer reminds us the goal of a Christian is not to live a successful life, but a meaningful one. Sometimes success and meaning coincide as they did for Joseph of Arimathea or the “born again” Nicodemus, but only prayer keeps these two perspectives from conflicting.

The apostles forgot that even Jesus claimed his dynamic power came from God and pointed to God. Without the Creator as their source the apostle’s were like cell phones with no batteries; blank screens with no communicative power.

What is the source that powers the miraculous in our lives? Are we “plugged in” to the one true source of eternal purpose? Do we pray for the immobilization of the demons that would manipulate the powerless in our generation? Are our prayers more than just flowery rhetoric sought to placate a crowd? Instead, let us remember the model of the desperate father’s heart-wrenching cry for his son’s healing; “I do believe, help my unbelief.”

Mark 9:30-37

The Greatest and the Least

Mark 9:30-37

MARK 9:30-37

30 From there they went out and began to go through Galilee, and He did not want anyone to know about it. 31 For He was teaching His disciples and telling them, “The Son of Man is to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill Him; and when He has been killed, He will rise three days later.” 32 But they did not understand this statement, and they were afraid to ask Him.

33 They came to Capernaum; and when He was in the house, He began to question them, “What were you discussing on the way?” 34 But they kept silent, for on the way they had discussed with one another which of them was the greatest. 35 Sitting down, He called the twelve and *said to them, “If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.” 36 Taking a child, He set him before them, and taking him in His arms, He said to them, 37 “Whoever receives one child like this in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me does not receive Me, but Him who sent Me.”

MARK 9:30

From there they went out and began to go through Galilee, and He did not want anyone to know about it.

He did not want anyone to know about it.

Thus ends the public ministry of Jesus Christ. From this point on, Jesus focuses his efforts on:

1. Intensely training his disciples to become leaders of what would become a persecuted but powerful body of focused believers: The church

2. Moving from the preaching phase of his life to the sacrificial phase of his death

The presence of Jesus, his trust in God and finally, his confidence in the power of the Holy Sprit to empower the people around him are astounding and exemplary to any that would desire to be a leader.

1. He was intense about his mission

Nothing would distract him from being “good news to the poor” [Lk 4:17] and everything he did – both publicly and privately – modeled God’s character.

2. He was aware of his earthly temporality

Jesus was constantly aware that his earthly life was temporary and it fueled his drive to be ever-available to the lost and vulnerable.

3. He was constantly preparing his followers to go on without him.

We think we have a problem with delegation. Imagine our Lord’s predicament. Many of us deceptively believe that we cannot pass our incredible responsibilities on to someone else because, “No one can do my work as well as I.” The only living man who could truly make that statement was Jesus and yet he was confident the church would continue without his physical presence. That confidence was not so much in the men around him as in the Holy Spirit’s ability to work through our weaknesses.

Jesus quite literally gave the church away to the likes of us. He gave us the task of reaching a lost world with the Good News that God has not abandoned us. Jesus knew that although we are imperfect, God’s plan is perfect. One could faithfully say that the bible is the history of God’s perfection worked out through human imperfection.

MARK 9:31-32

31 For He was teaching His disciples and telling them, “The Son of Man is to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill Him; and when He has been killed, He will rise three days later.” 32 But they did not understand this statement, and they were afraid to ask Him.

They will kill Him

The disciples must have been very cagey. All branches of religious authority in Israel seemed to be pursuing Jesus and – by all worldly appearances – Jesus appeared to be exiled in the north, as if fleeing to the region of modern day Lebanon for safety. Yet in retrospect, we know that Jesus was buying more time to train his beloved disciples. He moved them beyond their national borders (and their national prejudices) into forbidden, unclean lands. Then he took them into hiding to strengthen them one last time before resolutely turning his own face towards Jerusalem and his final sacrifice.

Jesus had to prepare the twelve for his death, a death that would shock and scatter those disciples even after they had been forewarned. He begins their final semester with intensity in Chapter 8:

Mark 8:31

And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.

Our Lord then continues that theme here in Chapter 9:

Mark 9:31b

“The Son of Man is to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill Him...”

Sometimes we think we can’t be pushed any harder or stretched anymore. Admittedly, there are some Christians that think they shouldn’t be pushed at all. Yet, look at these twelve men, known only for their innocuous lives prior to their call from Jesus. Look how hard Jesus pushed them; beyond their livelihood, out of their homes, at odds with their faith and even their own families. Jesus pushed until they reached a point where they had nothing else and no one else. Until the only words they had left were; “Lord, to whom shall we go [John 6:68b]?”

It is critical to our growth that we are pushed and stretched beyond our comfortable surroundings. We don’t like being pushed that hard; in fact we often reject it. We don’t want to visit the sick, the alien, the incarcerated or the poor. Yet, to reach heaven, Jesus says that this is exactly what we must do [Mt 25:41-44]. If we don’t let go of the comforts of this world we will be very uncomfortable in the next, for it will be filled with the very people this world rejects [Luke 16:19-31].

So Jesus pushed hard, but it hardened his follower’s resiliency without breaking their spirits. Later, they would need every ounce of that courage to walk the road ahead of them.

We must also be pushed in the short run to persevere in the long run. Jesus knew this and pushed against the resistance of his followers. If we are close to Jesus, we too will find ourselves pushed. We will find ourselves struggling with resistance and fear. We will find ourselves often stretched beyond capacity.

Yet, over time we will find not a sureness of self – an increasing comfort with familiar surroundings – as much a surety that if I go where our Lord sends me, he will greet me there. This is how the Holy Spirit works inside of us. We are sent into uncomfortable situations, not so much with prepared speeches and biblical diatribes, as with an ever-deepening dependency on the Holy Spirit. We learn not so much to be “prepared for anything” as to be “faithful in everything”; we learn to lean with certainty upon the Holy Spirit and with humility upon our own understanding.

Proverbs 3:5

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.

Luke 12:12

“For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”

“He will rise three days later.”

The disciples “did not understand” this statement. How could they? They had no context for such a miracle. The sayings of Jesus had become increasingly difficult for them since Jesus publicly declared; “He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him [John 6:56].”

Now, the Lord began to speak frequently about his death. He had stoically turned his face to Jerusalem, the rancid den of the High Priests, Herod Antipas and Rome’s political pawn, Pontius Pilate. There, Jesus and the twelve were wanted men and the religious authorities made no secret regarding their passionate hatred of Jesus. It is not hard to imagine their confusion and their fear. They were totally invested in Jesus, they had no hope left but him and yet his statements seemed increasingly erratic.

The truth is that the closer we get to Jesus the more erratic our lives may also appear to those of this world. Devotion to the poor, a love of the vulnerable, a constant emptying of self to others, how else could our world view this? The greatest of our world’s testimonies are found among those lives that confounded this world. Paul confounded the Pharisees (and the Jewish Christians), Francis of Assisi confounded both family and church, through her simplicity and service to the poor, Mother Theresa confronted the indignity of a consumerist world where the marginalized are often tossed aside.

So, do our lives confound the “worldly” around us? Do our churches confound the sensibilities of systemic poverty and violence around us? Do people look at our love for the poor and think; “Are they nuts?”

Jesus offers a glimpse of hope to the dazed men and women around him. Yet, his definition of hope is their definition of confusion. Do we boldly rely upon a promise that this world cannot understand? Can we fearlessly let go of the selfishness of personal satisfaction for the glory of the communal restoration?

Our world should be confused by our compassion and even consider our priorities to be backwards. In this world, we value things over people and self over community. Jesus gives us a taste of the kingdom to come and the disciples witnessed it firsthand.

As the disciples followed Jesus into Jerusalem, they had to be asking this question. “Is there anything I would not abandon in order to stay by my Lord’s side?” We too, have to ask the very same question.

MARK 9:33-34

“What were you discussing?”

Busted!

While Jesus was talking about his sacrificial death, the last act of the suffering servant, the disciples were discussing distribution of shares at the next stockholders meeting. Despite all of Jesus’ stern warnings, the disciples still interpreted the Lord’s Messianic claim with an eye towards how it would personally benefit them. They still believed that an army of angels was going to ride with them into Jerusalem and perhaps on to Rome itself. It wasn’t within their context – their business plan – that Jesus would descend into absolute isolation from God (hell) to pay the price of our sin. Yet, sin demands death and it was Jesus’ eternal intent to pay that bill.

Jesus gave them a glimpse of the promise that would be obtainable after the debt had been paid, but the disciples seemed to have leapfrogged over sacrifice and into salvation. Should that surprise us in our credit card generation? Forget the labors of the week, let’s just jump straight to the “thank God it’s Friday” bash. The disciples were asking, “which of us gets to rule over the others?” That was the question on everyone’s mind.

Jesus knew their hearts — and here’s the kicker — he still loved them. He had to give them a comeuppance, but he still loved them.

The question they asked was, “Who is the greatest?” The question they should have asked was, “How will we continue our Savior’s work when he is gone?”

MARK 9:35-37

35 Sitting down, He called the twelve and *said to them, “If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.” 36 Taking a child, He set him before them, and taking him in His arms, He said to them, 37 “Whoever receives one child like this in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me does not receive Me, but Him who sent Me.”

Taking a child...

Even before we examine Christ’s radical upside-down statement, “If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all,” we must examine these three words; “Taking a child...”

Why is that action so important? Because these three words teach us all about Jesus and Jesus teaches us all about God.

Jesus didn’t have to set up a “photo-op.” He didn’t have his aides chase down a child and wrestle it from an unsuspecting passer-by so he could kiss a baby in front of the press. Nor do we have a sense that there was any wiggling or struggling to get out of our Lord’s lap once our Savior had picked up the youngster. This child was a touch away from Jesus; a child lovingly snuggled onto the Messiah’s lap and felt as warm and protected as a kitten balled in her mother’s fur. Who is this God of ours that his very son would be found among children who felt so safe in his lap?

Our God passionately loves his creation. His love pours out like a waterfall plunging unquestionably over the abyss. At the core of that love is not the fittest, not the greatest, but the weakest and the most vulnerable. The fact that God’s son, the Prince of the Universe, makes this statement of “Kingdom Greatness” with an anonymous child in his lap is evidence for where our Lord’s heart resides. The child is anonymous to history but not to Jesus. The symbolism of this act will always stand as one of the greatest indications of God’s true character. Nestled in the lap of salvation, wrapped in the arms of infinite love, how can we ever doubt God’s intent to love his people back to wholeness?

If Christ were to speak about becoming a servant of the least of these from behind the walls of academia or within the deep confines of the temple – where no children were even allowed – then that would have been no more than an exercise in rhetoric. But our God sets children in his lap!

What kind of a person do children love? That is the kind of person that Jesus was and that is the kind of person that Jesus called “the greatest.” That is also the kind of person who resembles our God.

What kind of character must one foster to be beloved by the littlest ones? What kind of traits are we to engender to become like Jesus? Should we strive to become smarter, richer, tougher, and more practical? Or should we instead strive to be ever more compassionate, available, vulnerable and extravagant in love? To become the greatest, we must become the one in whom the least little child would find comfort and love.

It forces us to look at our own modeling of Jesus Christ’s values. Do the vulnerable feel that safe and trusting of us?

“Last of all and servant of all”

The disciples wanted power in the new order. They sought a place of standing, to be first among the first. They felt worthy and deserving, after all, hadn’t they walked around with Jesus for a couple of years? Imagine their consternation when instead of granting them kingdoms and titles, Jesus sets a child on his lap and tells them that the child is closer to heaven than they are.

This repartee forces us to ask ourselves; “What reward do we seek for loving Jesus?”

Are we like the twelve, seeking position, possessions or popularity? Do we seek acknowledgment or popular standing? Are we seeking a golden throne in a city of diamond streets?

What if the greatest reward we will receive is simply to be loved back when we love others? What if heaven is “love puree”; the sum total of all that we have given in this life “pressed down, shaken together, running over and poured back into our laps?”

Luke 6:38

“Give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, they will pour into your lap. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.”

What if heaven is a place where we “get what we have given?” What if it is a place where we are forgiven as we forgave and our reward for all of our endeavors is nothing more than the mercy and compassion we have offered to others?

Luke 6:36-37

36 “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. 37 “And do not judge and you will not be judged; and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; pardon, and you will be pardoned.”

What if I am not met at the gates by Peter, but instead by Jesus in the guise of those I have treated with compassion, mercy, forgiveness and extravagant love? How large would that crowd be? The thought challenges me. It makes me realize how far I have to go and how “off-target” (the Greek term for sin) my aspirations can easily become if I focus only on my salvation or my knowledge of the scripture. “Faith without works is dead [James 2:17].”

The action of taking a child into his lap and proclaiming him “closest to God” and the words, “if anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all,” should shake us to our insides just as it would have shaken the apostles. Suddenly, all the argument about “being the greatest” might rapidly have shifted to; “No, you can be the greatest, I insist.”

Let’s take a closer look at the words the Holy Spirit causes Mark to write:

· If anyone wants to be first [G4413 Protos]…”

Desiring to be first [G4413 Protos], means wanting to be the chief, the most important man, the “prototype,” the “role model,” or even “the lead character.”

· “…he shall be last [G2078 Eschatos] of all and servant of all.”

This word is used for the last man in line, the last man in standing or the most remote village in the kingdom.

· “…he shall be last of all and servant [G1249 Diakonos] of all.”

This term was translated in the King James Version into deacon (three times), but it was also used for minister (seven times). More than anything else it was translated as servant (ten times) and servants (nine times).

So what is the picture that Christ paints? Let’s try a rough translation: “If you want to be a role model in God’s Kingdom – if you want to be chief or most important – then you need to leave your place in line and go to the most remote village of the world and stand behind the most forgotten person you can find there. If you want to be a leader in my kingdom then you need to make sure that you help the most vulnerable person get to me in front of you.”

The type of attitude we see displayed here is of a disciple (a servant) who hears the trumpet sounding and remembers suddenly that there is a child who can’t run fast enough or an elderly widow who won’t make it to the gate in time. That servant stops, turns round and runs, with all of his or her might, to carry that last person to the gate and pushes the weakest one in before they slam shut. That is exactly what the Lord did for us. That is exactly what he asks of us if we want to be called leaders!

Luke 15:4-7

4 “What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture, and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it? 5 “And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 “And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ 7 “I tell you that in the same way, there will be {more} joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.”

“Lord, where is that hidden alleyway today? Where is that one person who needs to be carried to the front of the line? Give me the courage to find them and the strength to carry them.”

“Whoever receives…”

“To receive [G1209 Dechomai]” was a word of ultimate hospitality. It was used over and over again in the New Testament (sixty-three times) and almost always in the context of this message; “When we take in the most vulnerable, we are taking in Jesus himself.”

It is for this value of servant humility and compassionate hospitality that the Christ-follower and the community of Christ should be most renown. We should be known not for how together we are, but for how broken we have become for the commonly rejected and neglected. God doesn’t celebrate our creeds, our edifices, our oratories, or our music. God celebrates our hospitality to these least little ones.

“Whoever receives one child like this in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me does not receive Me, but Him who sent Me [verse 37].”

Quite simply, if our creeds, edifices, oratories and power point presentations do not lead us one step closer to the least of these than they are a distraction. They are vanity, “a dust devil in the desert,” as the Hebrews would say.

Receive the lost, for in doing so we receive Christ and in receiving Christ, we receive God. That is our heavenly reward, the blessing to be the most to the least, to make the most forgotten the absolute greatest in our lives, to find the least capable and carry them to the finish line.

The incomparable blessing of heaven is the honor of carrying the lost — the ones who won’t make it alone — into the waiting arms of our caring God and to hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master [Matthew 25:21].”

Mark 9:38-50

“Do Not Hinder Him”

Mark 9:38-50

MARK 9:38-50

38 John said to Him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we tried to prevent him because he was not following us.” 39 But Jesus said, “Do not hinder him, for there is no one who will perform a miracle in My name, and be able soon afterward to speak evil of Me. 40 “For he who is not against us is for us. 41 “For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because of your name as followers of Christ, truly I say to you, he will not lose his reward.

42 “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe to stumble, it would be better for him if, with a heavy millstone hung around his neck, he had been cast into the sea. 43 “If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life crippled, than, having your two hands, to go into hell, into the unquenchable fire, 44 [where THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE, AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED.] 45 “If your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame, than, having your two feet, to be cast into hell, 46 [where THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE, AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED.] 47 “If your eye causes you to stumble, throw it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be cast into hell, 48 where THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE, AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED.

49 “For everyone will be salted with fire. 50 “Salt is good; but if the salt becomes unsalty, with what will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”

MARK 9:38-41

“We tried to prevent him because he was not following us.”

Before we get to the “meat” of this story, we should spend a moment awed by what crime this “interloper” was doing. He was using Christ’s name to cast out demons. That was something even the disciples had problems accomplishing [see Mark 9:9-29 and Luke 17:14-21]. This is an important study about one of the greatest faults of Christ’s followers throughout history. What is that fault? The Twelve thought that simply hanging out with Jesus was enough to claim they were his disciples. Then they attacked someone who was outside of their clique but actually doing the work that they should have been doing. This sounds strangely familiar in all too many religious circles today.

Instead of praising the work of this “outlier” or asking Jesus how they could support him, they were trying to figure out how to stop him.

This attitude almost killed the early church when the Jewish Christians tried to force circumcision and other primarily Jewish rituals onto the new Gentile converts. At one point, the very life of the church hung in the balance as Paul argued against Christianity becoming a sect of Judaism and was opposed by some of the early church’s greatest names including James and Peter. This attitude still dogs the church in the halls of denominational-ism whenever being “in the church” is elevated above being “on the street.” Simultaneously, being on the streets needs to be balanced with being in community. Neither should be superior to the other.

Historically, church was not “where you would go,” but instead “who you were with.” The church was always at its weakest when the prophets were outside and the priests were in and strongest when (as with Nehemiah and Ezra) the two worked side by side.

The key tenet of faith is obedience. The apostles were accusing this man of using Christ’s name “in vain.” In actuality, a person uses Christ’s name in vain when he or she calls himself a follower but doesn’t do what Christ commanded:

Matthew 28:19-20

Discipleship is about going and doing, not staying and blaming. The Apostles themselves – with their diminutive attitudes – were more closely demonstrating blasphemy (using God’s Name in vain) than the man who was using Christ’s name to exorcise demons. Adorning myself with the robes and titles of God without doing the work of God is what is most abhorrent to the Father.

Casting out demons

Many scholars believe that the era of casting out demons is past. They would preach; “These people were simple country folk and believed in demons. Therefore, they had to be healed of them.” Such scholars believe that demons are merely the conjectures of a primitive mind.

I would contend that this distant, laissez-faire attitude towards Satan’s labor is in itself evidence of just how effective demons are in contemporary society. It is as though the church sleeps while the lives of children and families are destroyed by the powerfully animate demons of alcohol, drug addiction, pornography, systemic violence (often even disguised as justice), and a media barrage that glorifies sin in all its forms.

The United States incarcerates more youth per capita than any other country in the world. Anyone who has spent time in our jails or on our streets would have to wear blinders not to see the influence of the demonic on the shattered lives of our young men and women today. Furthermore, the demon of consumerism which drives our culture to global acts of selfishness has made us a country known – not for our compassion or our commitment to democratic principles – but for using our wealth and military capabilities to feed our own unsustainable way of life. We are catatonic to the greatest threat that any society faces, avarice.

Our demons aren’t “gone,” they’ve just become institutionalized. The classic meaning of the word demon [G1142 Daimon] is, “One who distributes (manipulates) destinies.” When I consider the meaning of that phrase, I cannot help but think of my own Country’s covert and destabilizing hand in the governments of Central America, the Middle East and Asia as we have sought to fuel a lifestyle that cannot be sustained. We are literally borrowing our children’s resources to wallow in our own greed. It is our duty as followers of Christ to ask how our own silence or lack of involvement has not become active resistance to the unfair distribution of destinies that keeps the United States fueling violence abroad and poverty at home.

I think of the words of one man’s attack on our military-industrial state; “Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired, signifies in the final sense a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone; it is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, and the hopes of its children.”

If anyone would know the human cost of militarization it would be the man who made this statement over fifty years ago, President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Battling the demonic today means resisting the march towards greed and militarism. Will Christians be found reclaiming the destinies of our children by resisting our unilateral plunge into becoming a military-state? Will we personally demand a glutton’s rights to this world’s resources regardless of the cost to the people’s of other nations or the resources that belong to our children? Will we allow education, health care and the alleviation of hunger to slip through our fingers in the process? Will we be found sedated and oblivious on the sidelines, replete in carefree worship while “pooh-poohing over cocktails” those who would strive to cast out the demons of this age?

“Lord, I just ask that you startle me from my lack of consciousness. Help me wake up on a side. Even if it’s the wrong side, do not let me fail in the lukewarm waters of the middle ground.”

“Do not hinder him”

There are many ways to hinder a doer of the word.

1. Most often we ignore them. Their stories of God’s living, vibrant, power cause guilt or jealousy so we turn a silent ear towards them.

2. We harass them; “Your theology is all wrong; by whose authority are you doing these works.”

3. We discredit them by gossiping in their absence with second-hand testimony.

4. We support them – with strings, “You can continue in your work but only with our approval.”

Would Christ be familiar with these strategies for hindering the person who is an outlier. Of course! Every one of these strategies had been used in the attempt to undermine his work.

Hinder [G2967 Koluo] was a very graphic word in the ancient Greek language. It was used for securing an animal’s front feet to keep it from wandering at night. Yet, the worst use of the term “to hinder” regarded a practice of hobbling troublesome slaves in Rome who would try to run away. Slave-owners would hideously cut the Achilles tendons of the runaways to prevent them from being able to run at all.

All too often, gossip, silence and exclusion serve these very same purposes, cutting off the prophetic from the congregation. This is what the apostles were doing to this one man “caught healing.” They were demanding that Jesus hobble his powerful works because he wasn’t one of them.

We can stop our pettiness by taking four actions:

1. Get out in the harvest

Recognize the imbalance between harvesters and the size of the fields Christ calls us to harvest. If we don’t bring the harvest in during its due season, it will not just sit out there and stay ripe. Anyone with a sickle is welcome when the crop is near destruction. This is the harvest time and we need more laborers. Instead of guarding empty grain elevators, let’s be harvesters and pray for more [Luke 10:2]!

2. Quit “defending the faith” and take the offense in becoming “Good news to the poor”

The wizened Pharisee, Gamaliel, told the Sanhedrin that God didn’t need us to defend his name; he is quite capable of that himself.

Acts 5:38-39

38 “So in the present case, I say to you, stay away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or action is of men, it will be overthrown; 39 but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them; or else you may even be found fighting against God.”

If someone’s work is of God, it will continue. If not, it will cease.

3. Recognize the signs of pettiness in our own lives and curtail that behavior

If those around me are petty and small, then that is a clear indication of my character as well. We must flee such people! Instead, we should move into the company of giants. Those who would go to the outer boundaries of our “comfortable clique.” If we seek out people who don’t have time or use for gossip, then we will be forced to live at their level. They will hold our behavior and conversation to a higher standard and we will either grow to meet those standards or begin talking behind their backs as well.

4. Maintain the habits of faith

We must maintain the habits of faith: a. Pray constantly, b. Hunger for God’s Word, c. Maintain a small group of accountability, and d. Serve the “least of these.” Attending to these habits keeps us from becoming small-minded and hard-hearted.

“For he who is not against us is for us.”

How does Christ judge whether someone is for or against him? By the actions and power that flow through that person: “Do not hinder him, for there is no one who will perform a miracle in My name, and be able soon afterward to speak evil of Me.”

The word for miracles [G1411 Dunamis] could best be translated as dynamic power or meaningful strength and ability. I have seen dunamis power at work – not on showy televangelist programs – but by men and women who quietly give words of hope and encouragement in the unlit crevasses of our society. They carry the Word, in dynamic power, to the homeless, the incarcerated and the forgotten. They are neither showy nor loud, but their quiet consistency is a testimony to the enduring love of our God.

The true test of faith – to Christ – was that God’s capacity flows out of his quiet servants and into the lives of the vulnerable. That is how the world should know “whose” we are; by our fruits, our compassion and his power coursing dynamically through us to others. In fact, Christ makes the litmus test of believers quite plain: “For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because of your name as followers of Christ, truly I say to you, he will not lose his reward [verse 41].”

Elsewhere, Jesus says something very similar:

Matthew 10:42

“And whoever in the name of a disciple gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you, he shall not lose his reward.”

The reward [G3408 Misthos] or “wage” strangely does not refer to someone who gives something to God, but to someone who meets the practical needs of God’s most vulnerable. The term “little one” [G3398 Mikros] actually translates as “the least” or the “most remote,” not just “the littlest.”

Getting a cup of water (especially cold water) didn’t involve a quick hop to the nearest faucet. There was usually just one well in these remote towns and it required significant effort to obtain cool water from it. Who would even consider going so far out of his or her way to hustle home with a deep, cool, draught for the most easily ignored?

Jesus, that’s who.

Grace flows from the wounds of Jesus. Love washes over us through his mercy. Grace and love, compassion and forgiveness that cannot be contained. We can no longer ignore the least little one and lukewarm love will not be accepted. We must become extravagant in love and our only reward becomes the honor of giving love in Christ’s name.

Think of the response of those whom Jesus welcomed into heaven in Matthew’s gospel:

Matthew 25:37-40

37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? 38 ‘And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? 39 ‘When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 “The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’”

Those who were called righteous didn’t give any thought to a reward; they didn’t even know there was a reward. They had no clue that by loving “the very least of these” they were loving the King. The word used here is elachistos [G1646], this word is even more radical than the word “mikros” which was used in Matthew 10:42. The first term tells us to reach out to the “forgotten” but this second term commands us to reach out to the “rejected.” There is a substantial difference.

Compassion might well up for the state of the helpless, the micros. But Christ tells us to run out to those who have been rejected – the implication being that they performed some act that caused their exclusion. Is that where my faith takes me? Do I go to the “forgotten” and beyond? Do I go to the “rejected?”

In the story of those welcomed into the kingdom, their love was not forced or contrived in order to procure some reward. Their love was the result of deep humility and gratitude. The Son of God died for them and embracing that gift simply flowed into a love of the forgotten and the rejected. Unfettered compassion and unrestrained love is the only natural response to the gift called Jesus Christ. Love to the forgotten and beyond to the rejected. For we too are sinners redeemed only by a God who refuses to abandon us.

MARK 9:42-48

“These little ones who believe to stumble...”

In this reading, Jesus lists four types of sin that are horrifying in consequence. One might even see them as four paths to hell. In each case, Jesus suggests that death or mutilation is a better alternative than continuing in these sins. His purpose is to show his followers that this life is nothing compared to the next and that there are no illicit “indulgences” in this life that are worth trading for a moment’s joy in God’s embrace. A small sin never leads to a lesser sin and toying with sin is like tinkering with an atom splitter. You never know when a chain reaction will cause total destruction.

In this reading, we learn the four paths that Christ reviles are:

1. The path of manipulation

Here is the path of leading someone into sin by example or intent. It is also the sin of using someone who is vulnerable for personal pleasure or gain.

You will see that all of the sins mentioned can be corporate or individual and neither type absolves us from our responsibilities to bring about their end. I am just as guilty for a system of injustice from which I benefit as if I was personally stalking the vulnerable. For example, the man who views pornography is as guilty as the man who takes the photographs. The family that vainly drives the gas-guzzler is as guilty as those who actively manipulate governments to pillage a country of its natural resources or deplete our children’s environment for short-term energy or economic gains.

2. The path of the hands

As with all sin, evil can be as much a result of what we do as what we omit doing. The sins of the hands, feet and eyes can be as much what we do with what God has given us as what we don’t do with our abilities.

The sin of our hands is not just theft or violence; it is also idleness. If I see what needs to be done and do not use my abilities to further God’s justice in the midst of injustice – then I have sinned. I am convinced that more of us actually omit a solution than commit a crime. Yet, whether by omission or commission, sin is still sin.

3. The path of the feet

Once again, sin should not just be viewed as where our feet lead us but also by our refusal to go where our Lord calls us. And we mustn’t procrastinate on or responsibilities waiting for the Lord to call us to some great “someday” purpose. If we claim Jesus as our Lord and there is any suffering around us then we have already been called! We have already been told our responsibilities in these matters repeatedly in both the Old and the New Testament.

Micah – in his statement typifying the call of God’s People [Micah 6:8] – begins with the words; “You know, oh man, what the Lord requires of you…”

In Hebrew, that is the same as saying; “You already know what you are supposed to do, now do it! Justice – just do it. Kindness – love it as if it were life itself. How should we live – humbly, accompany Jesus where he would go.”

Some people might continue to ask, “But what will I do when I arrive in the midst of suffering?” Who says we must do anything? Usually the work of justice is less “doing things” than “being available.”

To embrace the poor is not to “do something to them.” In our community development workshops I repeatedly speak about the five keys to breaking poverty and prejudice:

“Poverty is a lack of empowering relationships.”

“Poverty is systemic economic abuse.”

“The first step in any type of abuse or prejudice (personal or systemic) is to isolate the victim.”

“Prejudice cannot withstand relationships.”

“To end poverty and prejudice we need to build crossable bridges between those who have and those who do not just as Jesus did with Zaccheus [Luke 19:2-10].”

Our feet take us down the path to sin and away from the front line of justice. However, if we spent more time walking towards the latter, we would have a lot less difficulty walking away from the former.

Neurologists increasingly speak of neural pathways. They are cognitive trails formed largely in adolescence that we use habitually as mental shortcuts in the face of complex situations. For example, some people learn early in life to turn their stress into prayer while others turn it into alcohol, rage, or drugs. You can change these pathways by persistently forming new, habitual, responses to stress but first you have to recognize the unhealthy paths. Where do my feet take me under duress? Through the Holy Spirit, we can learn to let stress become our pathway to prayer and service.

4. The path of the eyes.

The eyes sin by what they decide to linger upon. What are the lingering habits of my eyes? Do they linger on the weaknesses of others or covet an illicit craving for feeling important, possessing things or using people?

Similarly, the heart often sins by what it refuses to see. That was the sin of the rich man (Dives) against Lazarus [Luke 16:19-31]. Dives didn’t kick Lazarus; he didn’t hit him, verbally abuse him or even send his guards after him. Dives ignored Lazarus, even as the dogs licked his wounds, even as he lay dying on Dives front gate.

It was the sin of the unseeing heart, of choosing not to see the suffering – right on his doorstep – which condemned Dives to a forever without God (hell).

All sin can be an act of commission (committing sin) or omission (seeing what should be done but turning away from our responsibility). These are the paths of sin that Jesus tells us to avoid at any cost.

Their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched

We do not have to wonder if there is a hell. Jesus makes it quite plain that it exists. Neither do we have to wonder what it is like. Christ revealed that as well. Eight different times, Jesus describes hell as a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth. John the Baptist describes hell as the utter ruin of those who reject the Messiah (and thereby the Father).

Matthew 3:12

“His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

In this particular verse from Mark, Jesus quotes the prophet Isaiah regarding hell:

Isaiah 66:24

“Then they will go forth and look on the corpses of the men who have transgressed against Me. for their worm will not die and their fire will not be quenched; and they will be an abhorrence to all mankind.”

Hell is a reality, a place of:

· Weeping over lost opportunities

· Gnashing teeth in blame

Where a lifetime of rejecting God and his people becomes so imbedded in one’s fiber that there is no turning back

Where our fire (the lust for illicit pleasure) and the worm (the term refers to an intestinal worm that that robbed its host of his or her nutrients) cannot be quenched

We have hints of hell in this life. We lust for things, we burn in anger and jealousy and yet – for now – Satan deems to deceive us with illicit, pleasurable rewards. He entices us, feeds our lust, and grants us momentary gratification. Yet, the lust deepens and the anger becomes increasingly hard to control until it finally consumes us and we can no longer put a stop to it. This is but an earthly taste of hell; amplified hunger with diminishing pleasure. A fire that will not die or an intestinal worm that will not be satisfied.

The prophet Haggai describes it like this:

Haggai 1:6

“You have sown much, but harvest little; you eat, but there is not enough to be satisfied; you drink, but there is not enough to become drunk; you put on clothing, but no one is warm enough; and he who earns, earns wages to put into a purse with holes.”

This is the reality of a hell that begins as close as the pleasures of today and yet ends in an eternal sorrow, devoid of hope or love. Were we to understand this concept fully we would spend each waking moment trying to pull anyone we know back from such an abyss. Jesus, himself, felt that it was worth giving up his life to save us from the grasp of the lord of Demon’s. Do we take hell that seriously as well? What would I give to prevent even my worst enemy from such an agonizing existence?

MARK 9:49-50

49 “For everyone will be salted with fire. 50 “Salt is good; but if the salt becomes unsalty, with what will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”

Have salt in yourselves

Jesus makes four dramatic statements about salt here:

1. Everyone will be salted with fire

We are all salted with fire, meaning tested by temptation. We will all find ourselves tempted to linger in sin, but whether we cut that temptation short or allow it to fester is totally up to us. Temptation is like a splinter under the skin. Removing might be painful but not as painful as the infection it will cause should we ignore it.

2. Salt is good

To the extent that we turn away from sin in the present, it becomes easier to turn away from it in the future. Our faith increases in strength when we resist temptation and the spiritual pathway to God is deepened.

3. Once the salt is stale, it can’t be refreshed

There comes a point where temptation becomes an end in itself. At that point, we no longer feel the guilt of sin and care nothing about the cost even if it is the abandonment of those we once loved. At this point, we may experience self-loathing and disgust, we may plead for loved ones to not abandon us, but deep inside we know that nothing has become as important to us as the next fix; whatever that addiction may be.

4. Salt is associated with peace

The Hebrew word for peace “Shalowm” is not about inner calm, it is about taking action. Look at its usage in this verse from II Kings:

I Chronicles 28:20

David said further to his son Solomon, “Be strong and of good courage, and act. Do not be afraid or dismayed; for the LORD God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you, until all the work for the service of the house of the LORD is finished.”

In this verse, David wishes “Shalowm” upon his son, Solomon, for the task that God has given him in life. The full meaning of the word for peace is: “Be strong, take courage, and act, for God is with you!”

We must never confuse peace with complacency for – biblically – peace was not something you had, it was something you gave.

For those who turn to Christ, who resist and turn away from sin, there is a growing sense of the Lord’s presence and an inner courage that cannot be explained. It is peace within chaos, not in its absence. One just knows that the illicit pleasures of this world pale in comparison to the deep, abiding joy of the Kingdom. It is the joy of communing with God that calls to us and it overflows into every relationship and every discussion. It is so abundant that one desires that the entire world could taste it, understand it and be freed of this life’s encumbrances so as to wholly experience it.

To experience this peace is to give it to others. To run and offer it to everyone, not out of obligation or fear, but out of the extravagance of love incomparable.

This inexplicable joy is so difficult to explain that – at some point – we just quit trying to find the right words. Instead, we simply offer mercy, without conditions or boundaries, with a grateful heart that is planted in the gift of God’s mercy for us.

That is the salt that grows sweet. It occurs when temptation leads not to sin, but immediately points towards the Christ. That is the salt that leads to peace.

Chapter 9

Mark 9:1-9

MARK 9:1-9

OVERVIEW: THE FOG IS NOT REAL

Setting the scene

The timing

Comfort precedes the trial

The Participants

The Heavenly Witnesses

The Witness of God

MARK 9:7

The Place

The Metamorphosis

The Glory of Christ Revealed

Teen Study Follow-Up

MARK 9:2-3

“Whatever…”

Thoughts

Action

Mark 9:9-29

MARK 9:9-29

MARK 9:9-13

“Elijah does come first”

MARK 9:14-19

“Possessed with a spirit which makes him mute”

“I told Your disciples to cast it out, and they could not do it.”

“How long shall I put up with you? Bring him to Me!”

“Bring him to Me!”

MARK 9:20-24

“I do believe; help my unbelief”

MARK 9:25-29

He rebuked the unkind spirit

MARK 9:28-29

“This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer”

Mark 9:30-37

MARK 9:30-37

MARK 9:30

He did not want anyone to know about it.

MARK 9:31-32

They will kill Him

“He will rise three days later.”

MARK 9:33-34

“What were you discussing?”

MARK 9:35-37

Taking a child...

“Last of all and servant of all”

“Whoever receives…”

Mark 9:38-50

MARK 9:38-50

MARK 9:38-41

“We tried to prevent him because he was not following us.”

Casting out demons

“Do not hinder him”

“For he who is not against us is for us.”

MARK 9:42-48

“These little ones who believe to stumble...”

Their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched

MARK 9:49-50

Have salt in yourselves

Mark 08

Mark 10