1And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not ltaste death muntil they see the kingdom of God after it has come nwith power.”
The Transfiguration
2oAnd after six days Jesus took with him pPeter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was qtransfigured before them, 3and rhis clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one1 on earth could bleach them. 4And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. 5And Peter said to Jesus, s“Rabbi,2 it is good that we are here. Let us make three ttents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 6For uhe did not know what to say, for they were terrified. 7And va cloud overshadowed them, and va voice came out of the cloud, w“This is my beloved Son;3 xlisten to him.” 8And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only.
9yAnd as they were coming down the mountain, zhe charged them to tell no one what they had seen, auntil the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10bSo they kept the matter to themselves, cquestioning what this rising from the dead might mean. 11And they asked him, “Why do the scribes say dthat first Elijah must come?” 12And he said to them, “Elijah does come first eto restore all things. And fhow is it written of the Son of Man that he should gsuffer many things and hbe treated with contempt? 13But I tell you that Elijah has come, and ithey did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written of him.”
Jesus Heals a Boy with an Unclean Spirit
14jAnd when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them. 15And immediately all the crowd, when they saw him, kwere greatly amazed and ran up to him and greeted him. 16And he asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?” 17And someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has la spirit that makes him mute. 18And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast it out, and mthey were not able.” 19And he answered them, “O nfaithless generation, nhow long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.” 20And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately it oconvulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. 21And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. 22And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But pif you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” 23And Jesus said to him, p“‘If you can’! qAll things are possible for one who believes.” 24Immediately the father of the child cried out4 and said, “I believe; rhelp my unbelief!” 25And when Jesus saw that sa crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, t“You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.” 26And after crying out and oconvulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, “He is dead.” 27But Jesus utook him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. 28And when he had ventered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” 29And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.”5
Jesus Again Foretells Death, Resurrection
30wThey went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he did not want anyone to know, 31for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, xafter three days he will rise.” 32yBut they did not understand the saying, and were afraid to ask him.
Who Is the Greatest?
33And zthey came to Capernaum. And when he was in the house ahe asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?” 34But they kept silent, for on the way bthey had argued with one another about who was the greatest. 35And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, c“If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” 36And he took a child and put him in the midst of them, and dtaking him in his arms, he said to them, 37e“Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and ewhoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.”
Anyone Not Against Us Is for Us
38fJohn said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone gcasting out demons in your name,6 and hwe tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” 39But Jesus said, “Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. 40iFor the one who is not against us is for us. 41For truly, I say to you, jwhoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward.
Temptations to Sin
42k“Whoever causes one of lthese little ones who believe in me to sin,7 mit would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. 43nAnd if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to ohell,8 to pthe unquenchable fire.9 45qAnd if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into ohell. 47rAnd if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into shell, 48‘where ttheir worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’ 49For everyone will be salted with fire.10 50vSalt is good, wbut if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? xHave salt in yourselves, and ybe at peace with one another.”
Footnotes
- 1 9:3 Greek launderer (gnapheus)
- 2 9:5 Rabbi means my teacher, or my master
- 3 9:7 Or my Son, my (or the) Beloved
- 4 9:24 Some manuscripts add with tears
- 5 9:29 Some manuscripts add and fasting
- 6 9:38 Some manuscripts add who does not follow us
- 7 9:42 Greek to stumble; also verses 43, 45, 47
- 8 9:43 Greek Gehenna; also verse 47
- 9 9:43 Some manuscripts add verses 44 and 46 (which are identical with verse 48)
- 10 9:49 Some manuscripts add and every sacrifice will be salted with salt
Sin Is Serious, Hell Is Real
Mark 9:42–48 Sermon • Includes Transcript • 39:20 • ID: 2752The Transfiguration — Part One
Mark 9:1–8 Sermon • Includes Transcript • 41:00 • ID: 2746The Transfiguration — Part Two
Mark 9:9–13 Sermon • Includes Transcript • 31:44 • ID: 2747Discipleship: The Conditions
Mark 8:34–9:1 Sermon • Includes Transcript • 39:18 • ID: 2745A Study in Mark, Volume 4
The Christ and His Disciples Mark 8:22–9:50 Series • ID: 14104They Just Don’t Get It. Do We?
Mark 8:31–9:1, Mark 9:30–37, Mark 10:32–45 Series • ID: 25601Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language.