Author: Bill Hall

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.

I’m sick today, no post.

Mark 9:1
This verse goes with what Jesus had just been saying previously about his betrayal and crucifixion. Why? It was a reassurance of his power and identity as the Messiah. These men were expecting the Messiah to set up a kingdom, not die on a cross. But, they had to learn that the cross and the crown went together.
Jesus words seem clearly to point to what to was about to take place on the mount of transfiguration. Jesus is the kingdom, for he is the king. And, he is revealed as such to the small group he takes with him to the mount.

Heavenly Father, thank you for King Jesus! I am so glad that he is not just my Savior, but that he is also my King. We are looking forward to that wonderful future in which Christ shall reign physically and spiritually over all of this universe. Thank you for his glorious power! You have made him the Head of all. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 8:38
Notice the way he describes that generation. This is once again a time when Jesus elucidates upon the principle of the acceptance of revelation. His response to us is based upon our response to him and his Word. When he tells us something, we are meant to take it seriously, and not to be ashamed to declare the truth of it.
To be ashamed of someone or something means that a person is embarrassed by that person or thing. Jesus doesn’t want followers who are embarrassed by him. He wants followers who rejoice that they have access to the truth in Christ.
Jesus is the future. He is all that there is when it comes to having hope for life in eternity. There is no other plan. He is the King of all, and he will rule all. So, to kiss the Son is the only option.

Heavenly Father, thank you for Christ! I am glad he is our future. I am glad that we can have life in him. May we never be ashamed of him, or embarrassed of his truth. Thank you for making your truth clear to us. You are so gracious and kind! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 8:37
Wow, what a quotable quote! What, indeed, would a person give in exchange for their own soul? The answer to this rhetorical question is of course, no one would want to give anything in exchange for their soul. We all want to keep it for ourselves. We think of it as our own prized possession.
Nothing could be farther from the truth. Our souls do not even belong to us. Instead, we are, soul mind body spirit, whatever, the possession of the Lord. He has made us, and we are his. So, our soul is not our own, and yet we think of it as something that we may handle.
In any case, we cannot control the destiny of our own souls ourselves. We shall either lose them to destruction by living for this present world; or, we will yield them to Christ, and find eternal bliss.

Heavenly Father, thank you for how you treat us! You don’t just treat us like meaningless trinkets that you can cast aside. Instead you love us with an eternal love that is so precious. Your kindness and graciousness to us is a great glory to you! We will thank you forever for your great goodness and love. We will praise you for Christ for all of eternity! Thank you for giving us a destiny for our souls, a hope for all of forever. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 8:36
The value of an individual, and an individual’s soul, never find greater worth than in the thinking of Christ. Indeed, Christianity has at its very core a key emphasis on the worth of each human being. It is foundational because Scripture tells us we are created brings that God loves, and so our worth is more than we can immediately appreciate.
Thus, Jesus compares the life lived for this world and the eternal life that we may have in him. The result is that the loss of one’s soul is held out as such a grave and serious misstep as to be the least desirable thing one might imagine. This helps his hearers to realize how skewed our imaginations of reality actually are. Jesus is holding forth a measure of value completely foriegn to the vast majority of humanity.

Heavenly Father, thank you for giving us a proper view of what it means to be human. Thank you for understanding our true worth. Thank you for helping us to see that we are created beings that need to consider our eternal souls. Thank you for the gift of life in Christ! May we not forget every day to evaluate what we are doing in comparison with eternity. I will praise you for all of eternity, and should start right here and right now. Your praise is always appropriate. It’s always time to bring worship to you. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.