Author: Bill Hall

Mark 9:11
The scribes were students of the Word, even though they missed the fact that Jesus was indeed the Christ. They were familiar with the end of Malachi. Malachi prophesies that the Messiah would be proceeded by the prophet Elijah. So, they were correct.
This question shows that the disciples were understanding now that Jesus was the Messiah. They were beginning to try to process this, and the significance of it. Yet, even as they began to see, obstacles were popping up. The good news is that they asked a question, and learned the truth. They should have asked about the resurrection like they asked about this.

Heavenly Father, we don’t even know what is going to happen tomorrow, and yet often we fail to ask you important questions about our future. Forgive me! I will praise you for your Sovereign guidance of my life. You have it all under control. Nothing surprises you! Thank you for answering our questions and and giving us your promises. You are always teaching us if we will just take the time to listen. Thank you! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 9:10
How often do we do the same thing? We wonder about something that the Word of God says, and yet we keep it to ourselves. Rather than asking the Lord to reveal the truth to us, we try to figure it out on our own.
Communication of truth to our hearts is a two way street. We must understand this in order to grow to maturity. God makes his Word available to us, but that is not to say that he does not work in our hearts as we read it. As we learn from his Word, the Holy Spirit works in our hearts to bring truth to us.
Though it is good that the disciples kept the saying in their hearts, and continued to ponder it, they could have asked Christ about it.

Heavenly Father, your Word is a great blessing to us. To have your Holy Spirit work in my heart is so vital to my spiritual life. To know that you are working in me, it is such a wonderful blessing! Your wisdom is, of course, infinite. You have chosen to use us to accomplish the mission of the gospel in this world. Thank you for trusting us with this, and allowing us to be involved in your work in this world. You are worthy of all the praise, for you have given us all that we need for this great task. There is nothing in us equal to it. But you have gifted us for this work. Thank you! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 9:9
This shows us once again that he selected exactly those that he wanted for this experience. The fact is that Jesus teaches against experientialism by these actions. Time and time again he teaches that knowledge is the key. He tries to get his followers to understand Who he is. Just an experience of his power doesn’t seem to be enough.
This is really appropriate, because the Lord Jesus is shooting for people having a personal relationship with him. Indeed, that is what salvation is based upon, a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior.
Besides this, Jesus knew that no one would really understand what the disciples had seen there today until after he had risen. To tell the other disciples now would only confuse them. Peter James and John, on the other hand, were beginning to understand Jesus for who he really is.

Heavenly Father, thank you for this beautiful day that you given us! We never know what you have in store for us ahead of time. But, we know from your Word that it is always wonderful. Even when things aren’t going as we expect, you have a plan. We can praise you when things are wonderful and seem great, and we can praise you when things are tough. At all times, you are there, and you really care. Thank you for your wonderful love for us! We are glad to see in your Word that you don’t just expect us to have an experiential knowledge of you. But, we can know you on a personal one-on-one level. Thank you! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 9:8
There has been some conjecture here as to why they looked ’round about’, but the explanation is simple enough. The proclamation from the clouds caught their attention. It distracted then from Moses and Elijah, and that is why they looked so much for them once God the Father was done speaking. Not seeing them depart, they presumed these two were still present.

Heavenly Father, thank you for loving us so much! You have given us your Word. You have given us your Son. You have given us your peace. We will praise you, for to alone are worthy. Never will we be able to reach the end of our praise. You are glorious for ever! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 9:7
Though this could have been in response to what Peter said, it likely was the plan all along. God the Father’s words here are much similar to what he says at Jesus’ baptism. So, this was once again an intentional verification of the identity of the Christ.

Heavenly Father, thank you for your Son, the Lord Jesus. To know him is such a privilege and joy! Your peace overwhelms us. Your grace amazes us. Your love sustains us. Your wisdom guides us. Your truth teaches us. You never forsake us. You are worthy of our best service. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 9:6
He didn’t know what to say. Well, that’s understandable! This was one of those moments when there really isn’t anything to say. No words would truly be equal to the situation. Nothing could really be said, and nothing really needed to be said.
We see there that they were very scared. Why were they so afraid? Try to put yourself in their shoes. We don’t see anything happening anywhere else in Scripture quite like this. It surely was an awesome experience. And, it was a surprise. They didn’t know all of this was going to happen.

Heavenly Father, thank you for your great truth! You know so much more than we will ever understand, yet you work with us anyway. Thank you for your patience with us. Your wisdom is amazing, and your knowledge is limitless. You know us and understand our needs. You are worthy of all the praise! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 9:5
We might well ask what exactly Peter had in mind here? He was beginning to understand Who Jesus is, and his faith was still young. Did he mean to say they should build temples? I don’t think so. Did he mean to say that they should build a permanent shrine here with a place for each of the three that mankind could resort to? Yes, I think so. Peter is here thinking much like Jesus own brothers, that man’s ways should be followed. This is exactly what man’s religion does, set up shrines. But Jesus is God everywhere, and must be worshipped in  Spirit and in truth.

Heavenly Father, thank you for your mercy upon us. You don’t give up on us when our faith is still young. You guide us in the way that we should go and teach us by your Word. How could we ever thank you enough for this grace? We will praise you forever for your loving kindness! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 9:4
Moses and Elijah are very significant figures from the Old Testament. There has been much speculation as to why these two were the ones to appear with Christ on this occasion. To answer this, may I suggest we keep our eyes upon Jesus. He is the reason these men were there, and he is the reason that these two were selected. Moses represents the law. Elijah represents the prophets. These two are the foremost of each. Thus, together they represent all that had gone on before this. All of Scripture was there to point forwards to Christ.
We have here the why, the when and the Who of God’s Word. The law supllies the why of salvation. The prophets supply the when. Jesus supplies the Who.

Heavenly Father, thank you for making your Word the way you have. It is so helpful to us. It is all there for our benefit, and your glory. You have planned it all out so well! Thank you for teaching us of your salvation. Lord, your mercy is so wonderful! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 9:3
There are several places in Scripture where God allows the natural authors of the Bible, being human, to attempt to explain something supernatural using human terms. We have to understand that this is how the Bible is written, divinely inspired, and through human authors. As a result, we see verses such as this one.
Mark compares the whiteness of the Lord’s garments to the bleaching process used on clothing. No one on earth would be able, no matter how expert they were, to bleach something as white as how the Lord’s garments appeared at this time.
Another good illustration of this might be the phenomenon of black light. We are familiar with how fluorescent colors glow in a very special way when exposed to black light. In the same way, Jesus garments on this occasion glowed in a different way than what was normally seen.
The comparison with snow is also quite appropriate. Snow, without being mixed with dirt or anything else, is more white than just about anything. And so we see that this change in the garment of Christ was not due to tricky lighting, or some anomaly. Instead, it was a reflection of his glory.

Heavenly Father, thank you for this wonderful day that you’ve given us! Thank you for your glorious Son! Our Lord Jesus is truly radiant in so many ways. He is merciful, he is kind, he is just, he is good. Thank you for the righteousness that we may have through him. Thank you for making it possible for us to one day join Christ in heaven as shining ones. We will live our lives in praise to Him, to reflect the great beauty of his glory. May we never do anything to dishonor his holy name. I will praise him for all of my life. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Mark 9:2
Jesus is not to be compared with others we have come to this planet by birth who have claimed greatness. He surpasses in so many ways. In this passage we see one of the most amazing things about Christ. The point at which he reveals the most of who he is, only 3 persons are allowed to attend. Why? Why would his true glory, the full measure of his greatness, be hidden from almost everyone?
The answer contains much more than we would at first think. Christ, unlike great men of this earth, is the Lord from heaven . To know him, to see his glory, is more than just to witness a great life. It is more than just to see someone who is better than the common mass of men. It is more than simply to witness a wonderful life of selflessness. It is to stand as testimony to the great glory and grandeur of the Creator of the universe.
Jesus knows and understands that to reveal Himself to us is actually quite dangerous for us. If we turn our back upon what the Lord has revealed, it can hold nothing but damnation. He did not reveal himself to the common mass of his followers, because he knew many of them would ultimately turn their backs on him anyhow. He did not want to further condemn their souls.
Time and time again Jesus expresses this principle, that those who have will be given more, and those who have not will lose even what they have. There was not a reason for him to reveal himself in this way to those who would not even accept that which was already told them about his position as the Messiah. Those who would not accepted the truth he had given them up to that point, would not benefit from seeing him in his glory. Instead they would misunderstand, and believe only because of bright lights and the great grandeur of this miracle.
We find the same kind of thing when the Lord Jesus appears later to the Apostle Paul. Jesus says there that the Holy Spirit had already been working in the heart of the soon-to-be apostle to the Gentiles. The Lord does not reveal himself in this way to those who he has not already been working with. We cannot expect to see great things from God, unless we expect to see great things from God because we know he is great. As Jesus says later to Thomas, blessed are they who have not seen, and yet have believed.
We speak today of equality, as if we understand it. The Lord Jesus truly understands equality. He truly is concerned about being fair with mankind. He is merciful to all. He knows how he will judge, and he reveals himself in a measure appropriate to that judgment.

Heavenly Father, thank you for your great mercy, your love for us is so overwhelming! Thank you for Christ. Thank you for giving us of your truth as you know we can handle it. You will always judge rightly. Rather than simply holding all of our sin against us, you have made a way for us to be forgiven. And, instead you will judge us by how we respond to the truth you’ve given us. There’s no better way. You always do things the best way, thank you! Lord, as we think of how you deal with us, we are overwhelmed by your great grace. The Lord Jesus Christ is given to us as a great gift, not only in that salvation is secured by him, but in that we have all of the truth that we need in the person of Christ. We find in him everything needed for life and godliness. We find in your Word all the truths needed to operate our daily lives. We can trust you, we can live for you, we can know that you will care for us. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.