Chapter 9

Chapter Nine Mk. 9:1. And He said to them: Truly I say to you: there are some of those standing here who will not taste death until they see the Kingdom of God come in power. Having spoken of His glory and wishing to teach that He does not mention it in vain, the Lord then says that "there are some of those standing here," that is, Peter, James, and John, who will not die until I show them in My Transfiguration that with which glory I shall appear at the time of My coming. For the Transfiguration is nothing other than a foreshadowing of the Second Coming. So shall He Himself shine at that time; so too shall the righteous shine. Mk. 9:2. And after six days, Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves, and was transfigured before them. Mk. 9:3. His garments became shining, exceedingly white as snow, such as no fuller on earth can whiten. The Evangelist Luke says that this was after eight days. However, he does not contradict Mark, but is in complete agreement with him. His account encompasses both the day on which the Lord announced (the coming Transfiguration), and the day on which He led (the disciples up the mountain), whereas Mark speaks only of the intervening days. The Lord takes and leads up onto a high mountain only the three chief apostles — Peter, as the one who confessed and loved; John, as the beloved; and James, as the great preacher and theologian, who was so burdensome to the Jews that Herod, wishing to please the Jews, killed him. He leads them up onto a high mountain so that the miracle would be all the more glorious. And He leads them "apart" (privately) because He wished to reveal a mystery. Understand the Transfiguration itself not as an essential change of Christ's appearance, but as an illumination by an ineffable light, while His natural appearance remained the same as before. Mk. 9:4. And there appeared unto them Elijah with Moses; and they were talking with Jesus. Mk. 9:5. And Peter answered and said to Jesus: Rabbi! it is good for us to be here; let us make three tabernacles: one for Thee, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. Mk. 9:6. For he did not know what to say, because they were terrified. Mk. 9:7. And a cloud appeared, overshadowing them, and a voice came out of the cloud, saying: This is My Beloved Son; hear Him. Mk. 9:8. And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus alone. For many reasons Elijah and Moses appear conversing with Christ. But it suffices to mention two. First, since the disciples were pleased that among the people some took Him for Elijah and others for one of the prophets, He shows them the greatest prophets, so that the disciples might at least in this way perceive the difference between servants and the Master. This is the first reason. The second: since many considered Christ an opponent of God, supposedly violating the Sabbath and transgressing the Law, He shows on the mountain such prophets, of whom one was a lawgiver and the other a zealot; and such prophets would not have conversed with Him if He had been destroying the Law and not fulfilling what they had preached. Peter, however, was afraid to come down from the mountain (for he dreaded the Lord's crucifixion) and therefore said: "It is good for us to be here," and not to go down into the midst of the Jews; for if Your enemies come here, we have Moses, who struck the Egyptians, and we have Elijah, who brought down fire from heaven and destroyed the captains of fifty. About what, then, did the prophets converse with Him? They spoke of His Crucifixion and death. And as for what Peter said, he himself did not know what he was saying, because all of them (the disciples) were in fear from the ineffable light and glory of Christ. He did not want Jesus to come down from the mountain to the Crucifixion for the sake of our salvation, but wished to remain always on the mountain. But let us turn our mind also to the mystical contemplation. At the end of this world, which was created in six days, Jesus will lead us, if we are His true disciples, "up a high mountain," that is, to heaven, and will show Himself to us in a most radiant form. Now He appears to us in an inglorious form, as the Crucified One and the Son of a carpenter, but then we shall see His glory as the Only-Begotten; we shall also see the Law and the prophets conversing with Him, that is, what was spoken about Him by Moses and the prophets — then we shall understand and find the perfect fulfillment of their utterances. Then we shall also hear the Father's voice, for the Father will reveal the Son to us and proclaim: "This is My Son." And how will He proclaim this to us? Under the overshadowing of the cloud, that is, of the Holy Spirit, for He is the fountain of life. Mk. 9:9. And as they came down from the mountain, He charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of Man were risen from the dead. Mk. 9:10. And they kept that saying to themselves, questioning one another what it means to rise from the dead. Why does Jesus command the disciples not to tell anyone about the Transfiguration? So that people, hearing of such glory of Christ, would not afterwards be scandalized when they see Him being crucified. But after the Resurrection from the dead, it will be easy to speak of such a glorious event that took place before the Crucifixion of Christ. So the apostles "kept this word (keeping this event in secret), asking one another what it means: to rise from the dead," for they did not yet understand His words, that He must rise from the dead. Mk. 9:11. And they asked Him: how is it then that the scribes say that Elijah must come first? Mk. 9:12. He said to them in answer: truly, Elijah must come first and restore all things; and the Son of Man, as it is written of Him, must suffer many things and be treated with contempt. Mk. 9:13. But I say to you that Elijah has also come, and they did to him whatever they wished, as it is written of him. Among the Jews there circulated a report that before the coming of Christ, Elijah would come. However, the Pharisees did not interpret what was written about Elijah as they should have, but maliciously distorted the meaning of the Scriptures, concealing the truth. For there are two comings of Christ: one, the first (which has already taken place), and another that is yet to be. The forerunner of the first was John; the forerunner of the second will be Elijah. But Christ calls John "Elijah," as one who was a reprover, a zealot, and a desert-dweller. In this way, the Lord refutes the opinion of the Pharisees, who thought that the forerunner of the first coming of Christ must be Elijah. How does He refute it? He says: "Elijah must come first and restore all things; and the Son of Man, as it is written of Him, must suffer many things." This means the following: when Elijah the Tishbite comes, he will pacify the disobedient Jews, bring them to the faith, and thus become the forerunner of the second coming of Christ. But if the Tishbite, who is to restore all things, were the forerunner of the first coming, then how is it written that the Son of Man must suffer? Therefore, it is one of two things: either Elijah must not be the forerunner of the first coming, if the Scriptures speak the truth that Christ must suffer; or we shall believe the words of the Pharisees, that the forerunner of the first coming must be the Tishbite — and then there will be no truth in the Scriptures which say that Christ will suffer, for Elijah is to restore all things, and there will not then be a single unbelieving Jew, but all will believe the preaching, whoever hears it from Elijah. Refuting in this way the distorted opinion of the Pharisees, the Lord said that "Elijah (that is, John) has already come, and they did with him whatever they wished," since they did not believe him, and he met his end by beheading, having become a victim of amusement (of Herod). Mk. 9:14. Coming to the disciples, He saw a great crowd around them and scribes disputing with them. Mk. 9:15. Immediately, upon seeing Him, all the people were amazed, and running up to Him, they greeted Him. Mk. 9:16. He asked the scribes: What are you arguing about with them? Jesus, coming to the disciples, to those nine who had not ascended with Him onto the mountain, found them in a dispute with the Pharisees. For in the absence of Jesus, the Pharisees, having approached His disciples, were attempting to draw them over to their side. Meanwhile, the crowd, as soon as they saw Him, immediately greeted Him. The people looked at Him and greeted Him as though He had returned from far away. And in the opinion of some, His very appearance, having become more beautiful from the light of the Transfiguration, drew the people to Him with greetings. Mk. 9:17. One from the crowd said in answer: "Teacher! I brought to You my son, possessed by a mute spirit: Mk. 9:18. wherever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground, and he foams at the mouth, and gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. I spoke to Your disciples to cast it out, and they could not." This man was weak in faith, as the Lord testifies, having said: "O faithless generation," and again "all things are possible to him who believes"; and he himself also says: "help my unbelief." He also speaks against the disciples (of Jesus), as though they were all unbelievers. But he ought not to have accused them before everyone, but privately, in secret. Mk. 9:19. Answering him, Jesus said: O faithless generation! How long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to Me. Mk. 9:20. And they brought him to Him. As soon as the demoniac saw Him, the spirit convulsed him; he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming. Mk. 9:21. And Jesus asked his father: How long ago did this happen to him? He said: From childhood; Mk. 9:22. And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us. Mk. 9:23. Jesus said to him: If you can believe at all, all things are possible to him who believes. Mk. 9:24. And straightway the father of the child cried out with tears: I believe, Lord! Help my unbelief. Mk. 9:25. Jesus, seeing that the crowd was running together, rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it: You mute and deaf spirit! I command you, come out of him and never again enter into him. Mk. 9:26. And having cried out and convulsed him greatly, it came out; and he became as one dead, so that many said that he had died. Mk. 9:27. But Jesus, taking him by the hand, lifted him up; and he arose. So that man, having come to Jesus, blamed the disciples for being unable to heal his son; but Christ turns the accusation back upon the man himself and speaks as if to say: you have no faith, and therefore you yourself are to blame that your son was not healed. However, the words of Jesus refer not only to this one man alone, but He says this generally about all the Jews, reproaching them for their unbelief. For many of those standing by could have been scandalized by this incident. And when Jesus says, "How long shall I be with you," He expresses by this that death was desirable to Him, that is, as if He said: "It grieves Me to live with you unbelievers." However, He does not stop merely at reproach, but also grants healing, displaying in the healing of the boy not haughtiness, but much more — humility. For observe that He attributes the healing not to His own power, but to the faith of that man, saying: "All things are possible to him who believes." Moreover, He rebuked the spirit upon seeing the crowd gathering toward Him — again because He did not wish to heal before a multitude of people, for the display of His power and for His own glory. And by the rebuke and the words, "Come out of him and enter him no more," He makes known that because of the man's unbelief the demon could have entered him again, had it not been forbidden by His command. But He permitted the demon to convulse the boy, so that all might understand the demonic assault and that the demon could kill a person were it not for the hand of God protecting them. Speaking in a figurative sense, the demon casts people into the fire of anger and lust and into the stormy waves of worldly affairs. This demon is mute and deaf — deaf, as one unwilling to hear the Divine words; mute, as one unable to teach others anything profitable for the soul. But when Jesus, that is, the Evangelical Word, takes a person by the hand, that is, directs his active powers, then he is freed from the demon. Note also that God is ready to help us, but we ourselves refuse to do good works. For it is said: Jesus "lifted him up" — behold the help of God — "and he arose," that is, zeal for good works was aroused in the man himself. Mk. 9:28. And when Jesus entered the house, His disciples asked Him privately: why could we not cast it out? Mk. 9:29. And He said to them: this kind cannot come out by anything except prayer and fasting. The disciples were afraid that they had lost the grace given to them by the Lord, and that this was why they could not cast out the demon. Notice also their reverence in that they approach Jesus privately. "This kind." Which kind? The kind of those who were demon-possessed at every new moon, or in general the entire kind of demons, which is not cast out except by prayer and fasting. Both the one who suffers from them and the one who wishes to heal must fast; both need this, but it is especially required of the sufferer himself. And one must not only fast but also pray, and not only pray but also fast. For true prayer is accomplished in this way, when it is joined with fasting; when the one praying is not weighed down by food, prayer comes easily and without difficulty. Mk. 9:30. And they departed thence, and passed through Galilee; and He would not that any man should know it. Mk. 9:31. For He was teaching His disciples and saying to them that the Son of Man will be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill Him, and after being killed, on the third day He will rise again. Everywhere Jesus joined the word about His suffering with miracles, so that they would not think that He suffered out of weakness. And now, having said the sorrowful word that "they will kill Him," He adds also the joyful one – that "on the third day He will rise," so that we may know that joy always follows after sorrows, and therefore so that we would not waste away in spirit needlessly in sorrows, but would hope to receive something joyful as well. Mk. 9:32. They did not understand these words, but were afraid to ask Him. Mk. 9:33. He came to Capernaum; and when He was in the house, He asked them: What were you discussing among yourselves on the way? Mk. 9:34. They were silent, for on the way they had been discussing among themselves who was the greatest. Mk. 9:35. And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them: Whoever wants to be first, let him be last of all and servant of all. Mk. 9:36. And He took a child and set him in the midst of them, and taking him in His arms, He said to them: Mk. 9:37. Whoever receives one of such children in My name, receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me, but Him who sent Me. The disciples, still having human thoughts, were arguing among themselves about which of them was greater and more honored by Christ. But the Lord, although He does not forbid the aspiration toward greater honor (for He commands us to desire the higher degrees), nevertheless does not permit us to seize primacy from others; on the contrary, He wants us to attain exaltation through humility. Thus He placed a child in the midst of the disciples and teaches us to be like it. A child neither seeks glory, nor envies, nor remembers wrongs. And not only then, Jesus says, will you receive a great reward, when you yourselves are like a child, but if you also receive others like this child for My sake, for this too you will receive the Kingdom of Heaven, since you will be receiving Me; and by receiving Me, you will receive Him who sent Me. Do you see what power humility and a simple and guileless character possess? This causes the Son and the Father, and consequently the Holy Spirit as well, to dwell within us. Mk. 9:38. And John spoke up and said: Teacher! we saw a man who casts out demons in Thy name, but does not follow us; and we forbade him, because he does not follow us. Mk. 9:39. Jesus said: Do not forbid him, for no one who has performed a miracle in My name can soon after speak evil of Me. Mk. 9:40. He who is not against you is for you. Not out of any rivalry or envy does the son of thunder forbid that man from casting out demons, but he desires that all who invoke the name of Christ should also follow Christ, and that all the disciples should constitute one body. At the beginning of the evangelical preaching, it happened that some, driven by the passion of vainglory, desired to perform signs; but seeing how powerful the name of Jesus was, they invoked it and in this way performed signs, even though they were strangers to and unworthy of the grace of God. For it was pleasing to the Lord that the preaching should spread even through the unworthy. What then does the Savior say? He did not allow John to forbid the one performing signs: "Do not forbid him," He says, "for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me." That is, how will the one who acquires glory for himself through My name and performs miracles by invoking Me speak evil of Me? It appears that the Lord contradicts Himself, for in another place He says, "He who is not with Me is against Me" (Mt. 12:30). But those words were spoken concerning demons, who strive to draw those who belong to God away from Him and scatter God's possession, whereas here the words concern people who through others working miracles are brought to God. Mk. 9:41. And whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, truly I say to you, he will not lose his reward. Mk. 9:42. But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. I, He says, not only do not forbid the one who performs miracles in My name, but if anyone gives you anything, even the very least, for My sake and not for the sake of worldly people, even that person will not lose his reward. And He spoke of the cup of water with people in mind who make excuses of poverty. If, He says, you give even a cup of water — and nothing less than this is possible — even this will not be lost to you. Thus, if you honor one of these little ones, you please God; and if you cause one of these little ones to stumble, you have sinned: it would be better for you to have a millstone (a donkey-driven millstone) hung around your neck. By this He expresses that in such a case we shall be subjected to the most severe punishment. The Lord pointed to a physical torment in order to frighten us by this visible example. Mk. 9:43. And if your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off: it is better for you to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into Gehenna, into the unquenchable fire, Mk. 9:44. Where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched. Mk. 9:45. And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched, Mk. 9:46. Where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched. Mk. 9:47. And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out: it is better for you to enter into the Kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into the gehenna of fire, Mk. 9:48. Where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched. Mk. 9:49. For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt. Mk. 9:50. Salt is a good thing; but if the salt loses its saltiness, how will you restore it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another. Having uttered such a threat against those who cause others to stumble—that it would be better for them to be cast into the sea—the Lord now instructs those who are tempted to beware of people ready to lead them astray and divert them from the path of truth. Whether a foot, or a hand, or an eye causes you to stumble—that is, whether the one who causes you to stumble and trips you up in the matter of salvation is from among your household, or from those close to you by flesh—cut him off, that is, reject your love and friendship for him. And the worm and fire that torment sinners are the conscience of each person and the remembrance of the vile deeds committed in this life. This gnaws like a worm and burns like a fire. "Everyone," He says, "shall be salted with fire," that is, shall be tested, as Paul also says that everything will be tested by fire (1 Cor. 3:13). "And every sacrifice shall be salted with salt"—these words Jesus cited from the book of Leviticus (Lev. 2:13). Therefore, we must salt our sacrifices with the salt of God, that is, offer sacrifices that are not sickly and weak, but strong and healthy. By salt the Lord also means the apostles, and in general those who have a preserving and binding power. For just as salt preserves meat and does not allow worms to breed in it, so too the word of a teacher, if it is strong and astringent, restraining people from fleshly passions, does not give place in them to the sleepless worm. But if the teacher himself is without salt and does not have within himself a stimulating and binding power, with what shall he be salted, that is, corrected? Therefore, have salt in yourselves, that is, the strengthening and binding grace of the Spirit, so that you may be at peace with one another, being bound to your neighbor by the bond of love. This is what it means to have salt, and this is why the words were spoken: have peace with your neighbors. Of such people Solomon said: "My horses among the chariots of Pharaoh," and so forth.