Humble dependence on God - Mark 9:28-29
Privately the disciples asked Jesus why they had failed to cast out this evil spirit. Earlier (6:7) Jesus had given them authority over such spirits; and they had had success at casting them out before (6:13). Jesus replied that only complete dependence on God in
prayer will lead to victory in the kingdom battle against the forces of evil. Apparently the disciples had failed because they tried to cast out the spirit in their own strength. Perhaps with the opposition of the scribes and the public pressure of the crowd (9:14) humble dependence on God in faith and prayer had given place to pride and self-confidence. Jesus called them back to simple trust and prayer.
The Repeated Lesson of the Suffering Messiah - Mark 9:30–10:31
Again Mark reported the sequence of Jesus' prediction of his death, a description of the true nature of discipleship, and the struggles and blessings of kingdom life in this age.
Predicts his death - Mark 9:30-32
Jesus Predicts his Death a Second Time.Time teaching his disciples - Mark 9:31
Jesus wanted to spend time
teaching his disciples. He took them away from the crowds so he could spend more time preparing them for the challenges that were coming. He told them that he would be put to death. This time he used words that were slightly different from 8:31-33, but the meaning was the same. Jesus was the Messiah, but not the kind of Messiah that they had expected. One notable addition is that this time Jesus referred to his betrayal by Judas with the words,
will be delivered.
Disciples did not understand - Mark 9:32
Just like the first time, the disciples
did not understand and they
were afraid to ask Jesus anything more about it. The lack of understanding and fear were an ongoing condition.
The True Nature of Discipleship - Mark 9:33-50
Just as in 8:34-9:1 Jesus followed his prediction of his own death with a description of what it means to be a follower of the suffering Messiah.
The greatest - Mark 9:34
While Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem to suffer and die, the disciples argued about who was the
greatest. The dramatic contrast must have troubled Jesus deeply. Just as the disciples misunderstood what kind of a messiah Jesus was, they misunderstood what a follower of Jesus was to be. They imagined a powerful messiah with powerful followers. They still had to learn the lessons of a suffering messiah with suffering followers. The disciples'
silence shows that even they understood how wrong they were.
God judges greatness differently - Mark 9:35
The path to greatness is the life of a
servant, not a ruler. God judges greatness differently than human beings do. Jesus walked the path of a servant (10:45) and if his disciples wanted to follow him, they had to learn to walk that path too.
A little child - Mark 9:36
The path to greatness is the life of a
servant, not a ruler. God judges greatness differently than human beings do. Jesus walked the path of a servant (10:45) and if his disciples wanted to follow him, they had to learn to walk that path too.
A threat to the egos of the disciples - Mark 9:38
The disciples had
stopped an unnamed exorcist from casting out demons because he was not one of their small group following Jesus. Probably this man's success in conquering evil spirits in Jesus' name was a threat to the egos of the disciples who had recently failed in their efforts to do the same (9:17, 18).
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