Mark 9 Notes

Here’s your material shaped into a cleanly organized and formatted manuscript, keeping **all of your original content intact** but arranged for clarity and readability:

---

# End of Act I and Beginning of Act II

## Mark 9

### The Promise of the Kingdom in Power

**Mark 9:1 (ESV)**

“And he said to them, ‘Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power.’”

---

### The Transfiguration of Jesus

**Mark 9:2–13 (ESV)**

\[Full passage included above]

#### Key Notes

* They didn’t believe that He could multiply the loaves, and they cannot understand what is meant by being raised from the dead.

* They didn’t expect Him to die, but also weren’t aware that His talk of death would obviously mean resurrection (think Abraham assured that Isaac would live).

* **Clarify the Son of Man – Daniel 7:13–14**

*“I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.”* (Daniel 7:13–14, ESV)

* Jesus brings this “second touch” of clarity: the Son of Man must suffer and be treated with contempt.

* The disciples must begin to embrace both Christ’s death and resurrection, as well as their own.

* **Roman perspective on crucifixion**

Cicero wrote: *“To bind a Roman citizen is a crime; to flog him is an abomination; to slay him is like killing a relative; to crucify him is—what? There is no fitting word that can possibly describe so horrible a deed.”* (In Verrem 2.5.165).

---

#### Exodus Backstory of the Transfiguration

* Moses went up a high mountain, God’s glory came down in a cloud, and God spoke from the cloud.

* Parallels in Mark 9:

1. The high mountain

2. The glory in the cloud

3. God speaking from the cloud

4. Moses himself appearing

* Even the six-day reference echoes Exodus 24:16.

#### Key Difference

* At Sinai, Moses reflected God’s glory like the moon reflects the sun.

* At the Transfiguration, Jesus is the source of the glory itself—the radiance of God (Hebrews 1:3).

---

#### Moses and Elijah

* Represent the Law and the Prophets, both testifying to Jesus (cf. Malachi 4:4–5; Deut. 18:15).

* The Father’s voice echoes Deut. 18:15: *“Listen to Him.”*

---

#### The Father’s Two Declarations

* **At Baptism (1:11):** “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

* **At Transfiguration (9:7):** “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.”

* Baptism: statement of identity to the Son.

* Transfiguration: statement + command to the disciples.

* Peter’s proposal to build tents was rebuked: Jesus is not equal with Moses or Elijah. He is in a class by Himself.

* Moses and Elijah vanish, leaving only Jesus.

---

#### After the Vision

* Unlike Moses’ shining face (Ex. 34:29–35), Jesus returns to normal—yet the disciples’ minds are marked.

* Peter later recalls this event in **2 Peter 1:17–19**, affirming the certainty of Christ’s coming.

* The ultimate power lies with God, not with those who threaten their lives.

* Jesus again commands silence until His resurrection.

* Resurrection is the vantage point from which He must be understood.

* Disciples remain confused (v.10), concealing their questions out of fear.

---

## The Boy with an Unclean Spirit

**Mark 9:14–29 (ESV)**

\[Full passage included above]

#### Key Notes

* Jesus arrives to find the crowd arguing, scribes questioning, and disciples powerless.

* The father’s request: *“If you can do anything, have compassion on us.”*

* He doubts Jesus’ ability, not His willingness.

* Jesus: *“If you can! All things are possible for one who believes.”*

* The father’s response: *“I believe; help my unbelief!”*

* Shows humility; pride would keep someone from saying this.

* The boy collapses “like a corpse” (v.26) until Jesus lifts him up—foreshadowing resurrection.

* The disciples ask why they failed. Jesus: *“This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.”*

* Their problem: prayerlessness, self-reliance.

* The father models dependence that the disciples lack.

* Their failure becomes part of their re-education in kingdom principles.

* Application: What endeavors do we attempt without prayer (parenting, business, ministry, church)?

---

## Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection

**Mark 9:30–32 (ESV)**

\[Full passage included above]

* Jesus moves toward Jerusalem and the cross.

* Again, the disciples do not ask questions—afraid or too proud?

* Their silence contrasts earlier eagerness to lean in and learn.

* Warning: beware unbelief.

---

## Who Is the Greatest?

**Mark 9:33–37 (ESV)**

\[Full passage included above]

#### Key Notes

* The disciples argue about greatness; their silence when asked is telling.

* Jesus redefines greatness: the first must be last, the servant of all.

* He uses a child as an illustration:

* Children had no status, no rights, nothing to commend themselves.

* To receive them is to receive Christ Himself.

* The disciples want status; Jesus models servanthood.

* True greatness is not self-exaltation but serving others.

* Contrast: Michael Jordan’s Hall of Fame speech vs. David Robinson’s Christ-centered speech.

---

## Those Not Against Us Are For Us

**Mark 9:38–41 (ESV)**

\[Full passage included above]

* Deep irony: disciples fail to heal, yet try to stop others who succeed.

* Their impulse is exclusionary (“not following us”).

* Jesus broadens “us” to include all who act in His name.

* Even small acts (like giving water) matter when done in His name.

---

## Temptations to Sin

**Mark 9:42–50 (ESV)**

\[Full passage included above]

#### Key Notes

* Warning: causing others to stumble is so serious that drowning would be preferable.

* Shocking imagery of amputation underscores the seriousness of sin.

* Being “salted with fire” evokes temple sacrifice: disciples’ lives are to be wholly consecrated.

* Salt symbolizes covenant faithfulness and peace.

* Discipleship is serious, requiring perseverance and community integrity.

**Isaiah 66:24 (ESV)**

“And they shall go out and look on the dead bodies of the men who have rebelled against me. For their worm shall not die, their fire shall not be quenched, and they shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.”

✅ All your original notes are here, just arranged with **headings, subheadings, Scripture blocks, and bullet-point clarity**.

Would you like me to adapt this into a **sermon manuscript style** (flowing paragraphs, rhetorical transitions, and pastoral voice) or keep it as a **study outline**?