Chapter # 9 Paragraph # 2 Study # 1
February 7, 2023
Moss Bluff, Louisiana
(378)
1901 ASV
9:9 And as they were coming down from the mountain, he charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, save when the Son of man should have risen again from the dead.
9:10 And they kept the saying, questioning among themselves what the rising again from the dead should mean.
9:11 And they asked him, saying, [How is it] that the scribes say that Elijah must first come?
9:12 And he said unto them, Elijah indeed cometh first, and restoreth all things: and how is it written of the Son of man, that he should suffer many things and be set at nought?
9:13 But I say unto you, that Elijah is come, and they have also done unto him whatsoever they would, even as it is written of him.
- I. The Restriction Imposed By Jesus.
- A. The setting.
- 1. They are descending out of the mountain.
- a. The present tense participle emphasizes the necessary focus of our thinking.
- b. The "descent" is described by "katabaino", a verb used by Mark in six texts/contexts.
- 1) In 1:10 it is used of the "descent" of the Spirit from the heavens in the form of a dove, attended by "a voice from heaven" identifying Jesus as "My Beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased".
- 2) In 3:22 it is used to tell of the "descent" of the scribes from Jerusalem to declare the "official" decision of religious Judaism regarding Jesus: "He has Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth He out devils".
- 3) In 9:9 (our current text) it is used of the "descent" from the revelation of the Kingdom of God, having come with power.
- 4) In 13:15 it is used to insist upon the necessity of flight from Judea to the mountains by those who "see the abomination of desolation...standing where it ought not...".
- 5) In 15:30 and 32 it is used by mocking witnesses of His plight on the cross and by the chief priests and scribes: "Save thyself and come down from the cross...that we may see and believe...".
- 6) Summary of uses:
- a) In the case of 1:10 and 9:9 Mark presented the identification of Jesus by the voice of God as "My Beloved Son". This is at both the beginning and ending of Mark's presentation of Jesus as "The Mighty One".
- b) In the case of 3:22 and 15:30-32 Mark presents the diabolical attitude of the leaders of religious Judaism.
- c) Even in the case of 13:15 Mark's use is directly linked to the "abomination" of a man setting himself up to be "The God".
- d) Thus, we can see the "descent" issue is tied directly to the enormous conflict that exists between the God of Heaven and diabolical men (Beelzebub). There is, here, an echo of Elijah's contest upon Mt. Carmel with Jesus as the One with the Power and the representatives of Beelzebub simply making hateful noises. One can almost also hear the scoffing laughter of God indicated in Psalm 2:4 at such absolute and hateful inanity (total lack of sense).