Lesson 6: “I Believe, Help My Unbelief” (Mark 9.1-50)

We have noted throughout our study that while the disciples believed in Jesus, they still struggled with their faith. So, while Peter accurately confessed that Jesus is the Christ (Mark 8.29), he failed to accept Jesus’ mission of the cross (Mark 8.31-33). This lesson is significant because all disciples will have numerous moments where our faith needs to grow. Furthermore, those we wish to teach may believe in Jesus, but they need to learn what real faith in Him entails. All of us need to live by the words of the father in this lesson: “I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9.24).

Notes from the text:

• 9.1: this verse should be included with Jesus’ discourse in Mark 8.34-38. However, it marks a transition to the events of the transfiguration recorded in vss. 2-8. The point is that even though Jesus was going to the cross, and so must His disciples, that does not deter the coming of the Kingdom (see Mark 1.14-15). No, it would come with power as evidenced by the transfiguration.
  • Jesus’ point that “some standing here” would not taste death is an important one for anyone thinking that the Kingdom is in the future. More on this later.
• 9.2:
  • Mount Hermon is the likely site. The peak is some 9,000 feet and was in close proximity to Caesarea Philippi (see Mark 8.27).
  • The word translated as “transfigured” is metamorphoō, i.e. “changing into another form”. Jesus didn’t simply look different, He was completely changed!
• 9.4: “Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven (2 Kings 2:11). Later rabbinic interpretations combined the reference to Moses’ death, ‘no one knows … his grave’ (Deut. 34:6), with the passage ‘and [he] was there with the LORD’ (Ex. 34:28) to conclude that Moses was taken to heaven without death, like Enoch and Elijah.” (Zondervan Illustrated Bible Background Commentary) Of course there is significance that Moses was the Law giver and Elijah was the most notable of the prophets. Together, the represented “the Law and the Prophets”.
• 9.5: note that the word “tent” is the same as “tabernacle”. Jesus’ transfiguration may have brought to Peter’s mind how the Lord’s glory filled the original tabernacle (see Exodus 40.35). “Peter thought that another such tent, or even three such tents, was appropriate now. Peter did not realize that the shekinah-glory, the manifestation of God’s presence, was already ‘living in a tent’ on earth, in the body of Christ (John 1:14).” (Tyndale Bible Commentary)
• 9.7:
  • In the Old Testament God’s presence was often in the clouds (Exod 16:10; 19:9; 24:15f.; 33:9; Lev 16:2; Num 11:25).
  • God’s words made clear that Jesus was His Son, not Moses or Elijah. They must listen to Him, His words supersede the Law and the Prophets.
• 9.9: “until the Son of Man had risen from the dead” is the likely fulfillment of Jesus’ promise in vs. 1. The Kingdom would truly come with power when Jesus was victorious over death; they would see the Kingdom come with power.
• 9.11: see Malachi 4.5-6. “Restoring all things involved, among other things, leading the people to repentance. Now if Elijah comes first and does his preparatory work, how is it that when the Son of Man comes he finds people so unprepared for him that they completely reject him and, indeed, kill him? If this represents a correct reconstruction of the thinking of the disciples, behind their question lay the stumbling block of a suffering Messiah. They were still perplexed by this.” (Expositors Bible Commentary)
• 9.13: Israel’s leaders, Ahab and Jezebel, had persecuted Elijah (1Kings 19.1-2). This was a precursor to Herod’s killing of John the Baptist (see Mark 6.14-29).
• 9.18: note that the disciples had been given authority over demons (Mark 3.15) and demonstrated the ability to cast them out (Mark 6.13). While no explanation is given, it may be the severity of the boys condition had produced doubt in the disciples. However, their doubt wasn’t in themselves, but in their Master.
• 9.20: more evidence that demons are bent on destruction (see Mark 5.12-13).
• 9.24: the key verse! It wasn’t that the father didn’t believe in Jesus, rather the Lord had accurately pointed out deficiency in his faith. The same was true for the disciples, and remains true for us.
• 9.29: prayer is a recognition that we are dependent on God. They could only do the Lord’s work if they had true faith in Him.
• 9.33-34: note the contrast between Jesus foretelling His death in vs. 31 (on our behalf, no less) and their selfish desire for greatness.
• 9.35-37: not only must they be humble and seek to serve, they should cease looking at each other as threats. They should see other disciples as children who are just as dependent on the Lord as they are.
• 9.38: Jesus had commissioned other disciples besides the twelve (see Luke 10.17). John’s words that “he was not following us” are significant. His complaint wasn’t that the man wasn’t following Jesus, but wasn’t following them. John saw the man as a threat to him and his status.
• 9.40: “The whole theology of the Spirit was at stake here: the scribes had seen the work of the Spirit, yet deliberately misinterpreted and opposed it, putting it down to Beelzebub (3:22). But here were his own disciples, seeing and admitting a work of the Spirit, done in the name of Jesus, and still forbidding it, on theological grounds. What is the difference between disciples and scribes, if both alike oppose the Spirit’s working, although for very different reasons?” (Tyndale Bible Commentary)
• 9.42:
  • The warning here is due to John’s treatment of the nameless disciple. His callous treatment of the Lord’s follower could have presented a great stumbling block.
  • “Millstones were extremely heavy; one would certainly drown with a millstone tied around one’s neck. Further, this term refers to the heavier kind of millstone turned by a donkey, rather than the lighter kind a woman would use. Jewish people regarded this punishment as the awful sort that pagans might execute; thus the image is all the more dreadful. Death without burial (including death at sea) was regarded as the worst kind of death; pagans even believed that the spirit of the deceased hovered eternally over the waters where the person had died.” (IVP Bible Background Commentary)
• 9.43-47: Jesus’ point is clear, sacrifice whatever you must in order to obtain heaven. What we must not lose sight of is that while Jesus speaks of cutting off a hand, foot or eye, what must be sacrificed in this case was pride and attitudes toward others.
• 9.48: see Isaiah 66.24.
• 9.49: Old Testament sacrifices were accompanied by fire (see Leviticus 2.13). “The previous verses relate to the dedication of the various members of the body (hand, foot, eye) to God. These must be sacrificed, if need be, to enter into the kingdom of God. Here in v. 49 the total self is in mind. Every true disciple is to be a total sacrifice to God (cf. Rom 12:1); and as salt always accompanied the temple sacrifices, so fire—i.e., persecution, trials, and suffering—will accompany the true disciple’s sacrifices (cf. 1 Peter 1:7; 4:12).” (Expositors Bible Commentary)
• 9.50: salt could be adulterated with other minerals, and thus become worthless. If Jesus’ disciples are not at peace with each other, how can they possibly spread peace to others?

Using the text in evangelism:

1. The Kingdom has come with power! Remember that Jesus came proclaiming that “the time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand” (Mark 1.15). While Jesus’ transfiguration offered assurance that the Kingdom would come, His resurrection from the dead (vs. 10) is the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise that His Kingdom would come with power (vs. 1). The Kingdom has come, so we should “repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1.15).
2. Only Jesus is the Son of God, so we must listen to Him. We can only imagine how in awe the disciples must have been at seeing a transfigured Jesus along with Moses and Elijah. However, as great as Moses and Elijah were, they did not deserve the same reverence as Jesus. Only Jesus is the Son of God; we must listen to Him. This is helpful when teaching someone who bases their practices in the Law (whether Sabbath observance, separate priesthood or instrumental music). Disciples of Christ listen to Him and are thus guided by Him. Furthermore, there are many teachers who gain prominence by their oratory and persuasive arguments. Yet, while much of what they say is rooted in Jesus’ words, they may also lead away from the plain teaching of the Lord. Who will we listen to? Only Jesus is the Son of God!
3. I believe, help my unbelief! As we’ve already noted, it wasn’t just the father’s faith that needed to grow, but of the disciples. They had the power to cast out demons (Mark 3.15), but they couldn’t do the work of their Master unless they realized their dependence on Him (Mark 9.29). This is a powerful lesson for us as we continue to grow in our discipleship, but also a needed lesson for those we seek to teach. They have faith, they believe in Jesus. But, their faith needs to grow; they need to overcome their unbelief. For some, that will mean having enough faith to repent of a sin, for others putting enough trust in Jesus to realize that by being baptized they can be forgiven of their sins.