Introductory remarks:
Chapter nine begins with verse one being part of verse thirty-eight of the last chapter. This chapter may be outlined as follows: vs. 1 to be read with the last chapter; the transfiguration of Jesus vv 2-13; the healing of a boy with an unclean spirit vv. 14-29; Jesus again foretells His death and resurrection vv. 30-32; who is the greatest? vv. 33-37; He who is not against us is for us vv. 38-41; temptation to sin vv. 42-49.
Verse 1, "And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power."
LGT "And He said to them, Verily I say to you, that there are some of those standing here who in no wise shall taste death, until they see the kingdom of God, having come in power."
I believe with a great many expositors, that Christ is referring to His Transfiguration here, and not His second coming to set up His Millennial Kingdom.
The Transfiguration of Jesus
(Matt. 17:1-13; Luke 9:28-36)
Verse 2, "And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them."
LGT "And after six days, Jesus takes with [Him] Peter, and James, and John, and brings them up into a high mountain, by themselves, alone. And He was transfigured before them,"
I read McGee's commentary on this verse, and couldn't be more opposed with his position. He wrote that the reason Jesus took these three apostles alone was that it wasn't because they were His three favorites, but that they were the ones who needed the most care, like little children. To me this is simply silly; I believe it is obvious that the reason Jesus took these three apostles was that they were the ones who would later write Church doctrine, and the extra care they received was aimed in this direction; it is not recorded all that Christ taught these three chosen men; God chooses men completely different than how we would choose men; we would choose men who were handsome, and having a good personality, and men who would say the things we would like to hear; God chooses men who are willing to let Him have His way with them, and then respond to the urging of the Holy Spirit.
To be fair to McGee I will quote the part I agree with:
"The word transfigured here is the Greek word metamorphoom, or metamorphose in English. The Transfiguration took place in the body of Jesus - it wasn't just a light or some effect produced from the outside. The Transfiguration was the light that shone from within I rather think that Adam and Eve were clothed like that, with a light from within. The Transfiguration teaches, therefore, the perfect humanity of Jesus and not His deity."
Verse 3, "And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them."
LGT "And His garments became shining, white exceedingly, such as a fuller on the earth is not able to whiten."
Jesus' clothes became whiter than any fuller could bleach them; a fuller means a cloth dresser referring to the laundry.
Pentecost adds:
"While He was praying the appearance of His face changed (Luke 9:29). His face shone like the sun, and His clothing was changed so that His clothes became white as light (Matt. 17:2), or as bright as a flash of lightning (Luke 9:29). His clothing was dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them (Mark 9:3)."
Christ was not transfigured by means of an external light focused on Him so that He reflected the Glory of God. Rather, this was the outshining of the essential glory that belongs to Jesus Christ. The Father's Glory is Christ's Glory. John recorded Christ's prayer, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began (John 17:5). It was necessary that Christ's Glory be veiled when He came into this world. Christ's Glory was not surrendered at the time of the incarnation but was veiled, lest the people whom He had come to redeem should be consumed by its brightness. God's purpose was to dwell in the midst of His people Israel and to reveal His presence among them by letting the light of His glory shine on them. But Israel could not behold the unveiled Glory of God. Therefore, in revealing plans for the tabernacle to Moses, God instructed him to erect a curtain between the Holy of Holies, where God purposed to dwell, and His people. That veil was not much designed to teach Israel that they were unworthy to enter the presence of God - which in truth it did - as much as to protect Israel from being consumed by the brightness of God's Glory. The veil, then, was a gracious provision by a holy God to make it possible for Him to dwell in the midst of an unholy people. The writer to the Hebrews said that the body of Jesus Christ was to Him what the veil was in the tabernacle: We have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, His body (Heb. 10:19-20). Christ's Glory, then, was not surrendered at the incarnation; instead, it was veiled so that the Holy One might dwell among an unholy people. The Transfiguration, then, was a revelation of the essential Glory that belongs to Christ and one day will be revealed to the world. This, then, was the fulfillment of that prophecy that Christ had made the preceding week."
Verse 4, "And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus."
LGT "And appeared to them Elias together with Moses and they were talking with Jesus."
"Elias is the Greek form of Elijah. Elijah was the representative of the prophets. Moses was the representative of the Law. We are told that both the prophets bore testimony of the death of Jesus. Luke tells us that they talked about the decease of Jesus. We know that Moses knew of Christ because we are told in Hebrews 11:26 concerning Moses: Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward. Moses knew He was coming. All of the prophets spoke of His suffering and the glory that should follow" (McGee).
Verse 5, "And Peter answered and said to Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias."
LGT "And Peter answering says to Jesus, Rabbi, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elias."
Peter answers, but there was no questioned asked him, and Vincent writes "The Lord's Transfiguration was such an appeal to him that desires to respond."
Pentecost notes:
"When Peter shrugged off the sleepiness that had gripped him, he approached Christ with a suggestion: Let us put up three shelters - one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah (Luke 9:33). Peter was suggesting that they have an observance of the Feast of Tabernacles. The Feast of Tabernacles, the last in the cycle of Israel's annual feasts, was a memorial of the nation's deliverance out of Egypt and their desert experience in which they were characterized as strangers and pilgrims. This feast also anticipated Israel's final re-gathering as a nation out of the desert into the Land of Promise under the beneficent rule of the promised Messiah. In Peter's day the nation was oppressed by Gentiles and looked forward to the coming of the Messiah, or Deliverer, who would gather the people into the land under His reign. The vision of the glory of Christ, which Peter had seen, reminded him of Israel's glorious hope to be realized in Messiah's kingdom. Therefore it seemed fitting to him that they should have a Feast of Tabernacles because the three had witnessed the millennial glory of Christ. Peter had correctly interpreted the significance of the Transfiguration. But it was impossible for Israel to experience the fulfillment of what was anticipated in the Feast of Tabernacles until the nation turned in faith to the Messiah. This nation was not doing and, therefore, Peter's proposal brought a rebuke from Christ. Although Christ possessed the glory of the King, He was not publicly recognized as King; therefore, Israel could not enter into their millennial blessing."
Verse 6, "For he wist not what to say; for they were sore afraid."
LGT "For he knew not what to answer, for he became greatly afraid."
Peter, being the spokesman for the three, thought he ought to say something, but did not know what he should answer. "He did not know what else to make of it [the vision] than that Moses and Elijah had come to stay. This is probably an apologetic remark added by Mark to the original narrative. Luke reproduces it in a somewhat altered form - they were frightened out of their wits (again in Heb. 12:21); explains the stupidity of Peter. The fear created by the sudden preternatural sight made him talk nonsense. Matthew makes the fear follow the Divine Voice vs. 7" (The Expositor's Greek Testament).
Verse 7, "And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him."
LGT "And then came a cloud overshadowing them, and a voice came out of the cloud, This is My Son, the Beloved one, hear ye Him."
While Christ was speaking, a cloud enveloped them all; and they heard the voice of His father saying, This is My Son whom I cherish above all, listen to Him. Christ is set apart by God from Moses and Elijah; they should never be spoken of with the same reverence as Christ.
Verse 8, "And suddenly, when they had looked round about, they saw no man any more, save Jesus only with themselves."
LGT "And suddenly, having looked around about, they no longer saw anyone but Jesus alone by themselves."
When they had looked around about, they saw that Moses and Elijah had disappeared with the cloud; "the whole celestial vision was gone as quickly as it came." "By the way, that Jesus only is a marvelous headline, is it not? Jesus only is not only a headline in Marks Gospel, but it ought to be a headline in the lives of believers today. In a brief way he states such great and weighty words - Jesus only!" (McGee)
Verse 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."
LGT "And as they were descending down out of the mountain, He charged them that they should relate to no one what they had seen, except when the Son of Man from the dead should rise."
These three apostles had this secret experience with Jesus in order to prepare them for the future ministry, and Christ charges them that it would serve no good purpose to speak of it until the proper God appointed time.
Pentecost writes:
"The Transfiguration was a premature and miniature picture of Christ's second coming to the earth to establish His Kingdom. It was a revelation of the essential glory that belongs to Christ and that was veiled by the Incarnation, but which be disclosed to the whole world at His second advent. The Transfiguration was an authentication of the person of Christ, for only One who is righteous, holy, and sinless could be transfigured so as to reveal the intrinsic [essential] Shekinah Glory of God that belonged to Him. The Transfiguration was also a revelation of the glory that awaits the child of God, for Paul wrote, We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed - in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet (1 Cor. 15:51-52). The Greek word for changed there is the same as for transfigured in the record before us. Thus we understand what Paul meant when he said, When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory (Col. 3:4), and what John meant when he said, We know that when he appears, we shall be like him (1 John 3:2). When Christ prayed, Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory (John 17:24), He promised that we shall not only see His glory but share His glory for all eternity."
Verse 10, "And they kept that saying with themselves, questioning one with another what the rising from the dead should mean."
LGT "And they kept the saying among themselves, questioning what is the rising from the dead."
The disciples were completely confused about the resurrection; it would not be till after Christ had arisen that they would actually believe. Here they are questioning among themselves what exactly the Master is saying. They couldn't understand the fact of His death; they certainly couldn't understand the resurrection.
Verse 11, "And they asked him, Why say the scribes that Elias must come first?"
LGT "And they asked Him saying, That the scribes say that it is necessary Elias to come first?"
The disciple's question comes in the form of a statement; the teachers of the Law (the scribes) say that according to Malachi, Elijah was to prepare the people for the Messiah (Mal. 4:5).
Verse 12, "And he answered and told them, Elias verily cometh first, and restoreth all things; and how it is written of the Son of man, that he must suffer many things, and be set at naught."
LGT "And He answered them, Elias, indeed, having come first, restores all things: and how it has been written [and stands written] that the Son of Man, in order that He should suffer many things and be set at nought?"
The construction of this sentence is somewhat confusing; the first part Jesus answers the question of the disciples concerning the exegesis of the scribes as to the coming of Elijah in the affirmative, that is, He says indeed he must first come to restore order among the Jews. But who Elijah might be is the question, for the Lord said that one would come in the Spirit of Elijah, not Elijah himself; John the Baptist fulfilled that role, as he came in that spirit, and was the forerunner of our Lord. The second part of the verse states that He must suffer first, that is, die for the world's sin, before He could be Israel's King.
Pentecost writes:
"Christ raised another question beyond the issue of the accuracy of the Scripture and its interpretation by the teachers of the Law. He asked, Why then is it written that the Son of Man must suffer much and be rejected? The question was relevant, for Messiah had come, some had believed Him. And His glory had been revealed. Since this One who offered Himself as King had been authenticated, why could not the kingdom be established now? Christ raised the question as to why it was necessary for Him to suffer, be rejected, and die. The answer is that Old Testament anticipated not only a Messiah who would reign but also a Messiah who would suffer and die to provide salvation for sinners. The death of Christ had to precede the reign of Christ. Christ's death did not come because of the failure of God's program but because it was part of God's program. The disciples could not understand the relationship between suffering and glory. Not even the Old Testament prophets who wrote the revelation could understand the relationship between the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow (1 Peter 1:11)."
Verse 13, "But I say unto you, That Elias is indeed come, and they have done unto him whatsoever they listed, as it is written of him."
LGT "But I say to you, That Elias has also come, and they did to him whatever they desired, just as it has been written of him."
The disciples now get the picture that John the Baptist fulfilled the prophecy as to the forerunner of Christ. Christ declared that Malachi's prophecy has been fulfilled in John the Baptist, that is, Elijah has come. John the Baptist came in the Spirit of Elijah to do the work of Elijah, that is, to call the nation to the awareness of the Son of God Who will take away the sin of the world.
The Healing of a Boy with an Unclean Spirit
(Matt. 17:14-20; Luke 9:37-43a)
Verse 14, "And when he came to his disciples, he saw a great multitude about them, and the scribes questioning with them."
LGT "And having come to the disciples, He saw a crowd around them, and scribes discussing with them."
Christ comes up to His disciples to find the scribes quizzing the nine, over their attempt to heal the boy who was demon possessed.
Verse 15, "And straightway all the people, when they beheld him, were greatly amazed, and running to him saluted him."
LGT "And immediately all the crowd, seeing Him, were greatly amazed and running to [Him] saluted Him."
In the midst of the scribes disputing over the disciple's inability to heal the boy, Christ appears, and all the crowd turns their attention towards Him, surprised at His sudden appearance, they run and welcome Him, Who would be able to heal the boy. "The Master reappears, when He is not looked for, when He is needed, and when His name is being taken in vain, perhaps not without a certain sympathy on the part of the volatile crowd not accustomed hitherto to miscarriage of attempts at healing when the name of Jesus was invoked. In that case their feeling would be a compound of confusion and gladness - ashamed and yet delighted to see Him, both betrayed in their manner" (The Expositor's Greek Testament).
Verse 16, "And he asked the scribes, What question ye with them?"
LGT "And He asked them, What discuss ye with them?"
Christ could obviously see the embarrassment on the faces of His disciples; He immediately turns to the scribes, and asks sternly, what are you quizzing my disciples over.
Verse 17, "And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit."
LGT "And one of the crowd answering Him, Teacher, I brought my son to You, having a dumb spirit."
The father of the boy was unconcerned about the squabbling of the scribes with the disciples; he steps right out and addresses Christ, who he knew would heal his son. The dumb spirit deprived the young lad of the ability to speak.
Verse 18, "And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not."
LGT "And wherever it seizes him, it casts him down, and he foams and gnashes his teeth, and is withering away: and I spoke to Your disciples, in order that they might cast out, and they had not power."
The father gives a very graphic picture of his son's condition to Christ; it intermittently seizes the boy; it casts him down; he foams at the mouth; he grinds his teeth; and then lays there lifeless, withering away. He goes on to say that His disciples were unable to help. This all is very reminiscent of epilepsy.
Verse 19, "He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I suffer you? Bring him unto me."
LGT "But He answering him says, O unbelieving generation, until when shall I be with you? Until when shall I bear with you? Bring him to me."
Jesus rebukes His disciples for their lack of faith (however, He also addresses the crowd, which included the faithless religious rulers, and viewing Jews; they were all seeking a sign); He states, How long shall I be in relation to you before you will believe. We know from other passages that the disciples will not really believe until after His resurrection and ascension. Christ had given these disciples the authority to drive out these demons (Matt. 10:8) but they didn't believe they could do it; the father of the lad had confidence in the disciples, but the disciples didn't have confidence in themselves.
Verse 20, "And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming."
LGT "And they brought him to Him. And seeing Him, the spirit immediately threw him into a convulsion, and he fell upon the ground, he rolled foaming."
As they brought the lad to Jesus, the evil spirit made a last attack on the boy, upon seeing Jesus, throwing him to the ground making him roll around and foam at the mouth, knowing this was his last attack.
Verse 21, "And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this spirit came unto him? And he said, Of a child."
LGT "And He asked his father, How long a time is it that this has been with him? And he said, From childhood."
In His dialogue with the boy's father He is informed that this demon possession has been with this boy since early childhood.
Verse 22, "And oftimes 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."
LGT "And often it cast him both into the fire and into the waters, in order that it might destroy him: but if anything You are able [to do], help us, being moved with pity on us."
In this verse the father adds some pathetic information to Christ about the boys condition, in answer to Christ inquiry in the last verse, How long has the child been in this condition. The father identifies himself with his child's condition; Have compassion on us (Vincent). The failure of the disciples had not ruined this man's trust in Christ completely, but he asks Christ, if He is able to do anything about this chronic [unceasing] case, please, take pity on us. The fact that he brought the boy to Jesus took some faith.
Verse 23, "Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth."
LGT "And Jesus said to him, If you are able, all things are possible to the one who believes."
This construction in the Greek seems confusing to the English reader, but it must be kept in its context of the healing of the boy; you see, the man asks Jesus if He were able to heal the boy, please take pity on us and heal him; now, Christ turns the phrase, if you are able to believe I am able it is possible. Barnes takes this verse to mean that if we have faith, Christ can make all things easy for us; I believe this is taking this phrase all things are possible to an extreme; Christ is telling the man, and all who are hearing, that if they have faith, Christ can help, but the final analysis is always faith in the will of God; God will never allow us to use faith for our selfish advantages.
Verse 24, "And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief."
LGT "Immediately crying out, the father of the little child said, I believe; Help my unbelief."
The later manuscripts added and said with tears, which was not in the earlier manuscripts. The father responded to Christ that he did in fact believe that He could heal his child; and then added, help my unbelief. I don't believe there are any of us that cannot pray that same prayer, Help my unbelief.
Verse 25, "When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him."
LGT "But Jesus, seeing that the crowd was running together, rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him, and no longer may you enter into him.
"When Jesus saw that the people came running together,"
This statement means that the crowd was ever growing bigger.
"He rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him,"
Jesus seeing the crowd increasing speaks to the unclean spirit, as He usually does, and commands him to come out of the boy.
"And enter no more into him."
This statement suggests that the spirit intermittently entered the boy; so now he will leave forever.
Verse 26, "And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead: insomuch that many said, He is dead."
LGT "And having cried out and with much convulsions, it came out: and he became as dead, so that many said that he was dead."
"And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him:"
As the evil spirit left the child, he did as much damage as he could to the boy, throwing the child into convulsions.
"And he was as one dead: insomuch that many said, He is dead."
The boy lay there completely spent, so that the people thought he had died.
Verse 27, "But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose."
LGT "And Jesus, grasping his hand, raised him up, and he arose."
What a beautiful picture of the tenderness, yet the power of Christ, grasping the boy by the hand, He raised him up to new life.
Verse, 28, "And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could we not cast him out?"
LGT "And when He was entered into a house, His disciples asked Him apart [that is, privately], Because [of what] were we not able to cast it out?"
The disciples wait until they are alone to ask Christ why they failed to perform this miracle.
Verse 29, "And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting."
LGT "And He said to them, This kind [of miracle] by nothing is able to go out, except by prayer."
In Jesus' answer, we see that the word fasting is not in the original Greek, so the emphasis is obviously on prayer.
Jesus answers the disciples with the all-important fact that only by complete dependence on the Father could this have happened with them. The disciples had no power, except that from above. Christ was completely dependent on His Father for His power, and the disciples would have to learn this lesson; the Word of God is what we must depend on completely in this age of grace. These disciples were obviously depending on the power conferred on them by Christ rather than upon Christ.
Jesus Again Foretells His Death and Resurrection
(Matt. 17:22,23; Luke 9:43b-45)
Verse 30, "And they departed thence, and passed through Galilee; and he would not that any man should know it."
LGT "And having gone forth from there they passed along through Galilee, and He would not that anyone should know it."
He was not willing that anyone would learn of His appearance, so He passed around the cities, on His way to Galilee.
Verse 31, "For he taught his disciples, and said unto them, The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him: and after that he is killed, he shall rise the third day."
LGT "For He was teaching His disciples and He said to them, The Son of Man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill Him, and after He is killed, the third day He will arise."
The Lord always gave the disciples hope of the resurrection when He informed them of His crucifixion; Christ never left them without this glorious hope; however, they could not believe until after the fact. Christ gave the reason that He did not want to be noticed; He wanted to prepare His disciples for His betrayal, death and resurrection.
Verse 32, "But they understood not that saying, and were afraid to ask him."
LGT "But they understood not the saying, and they were afraid to ask Him."
This is not the first time Christ told the twelve of His death, but the third, so they were afraid, and probably ashamed to admit that they didn't understand the fact of the resurrection; much less His allowing men to kill Him; plus they feared being left alone.
Who is the Greatest
(Matt. 18:1-5; Luke 9:46-48)
Verse 33, "And he came to Capernaum: and being in the house he asked them, What was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way."
LGT "And He came into Capernaum. And being in the house He asked them, What in the way were you all discussing [among yourselves]?"
Verses 33-35 are peculiar to Mark. The house in Capernaum was Peter's house, His headquarters while in that area.
Verse 34, "But they held their peace: for by the way they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest."
LGT "But they were silent: for they had argued with one another in the way who [was] greater."
Christ was leading them in the way thinking profound beautiful thoughts, while His disciples were following Him thinking vain thoughts of who was going to be the greatest in the Kingdom. Christ now asks them what it was that they were arguing about, but they were ashamed and kept silent.
Verse 35, "And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all. And servant of all."
LGT "And sitting down He called the twelve and He says to them, If anyone desires to be first, he shall be of all last, and a minister of all."
Jesus sets forth a divine principle that if anyone desires to be first let him first serve and consider himself last. The word 'servant' in this passage is diakonos and is different from doulos a slave or servant; the diakonos is a freedman with a choice to serve or not, while a slave or servant is beholding to his master. A true minister serves his flock, he doesn't rule over them. The disciples needed to be straightened out in this matter.
Verses 36, 37, "And he took a child, and set him in the midst of them: and when he had taken him in his arms, he said unto them, Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me."
LGT "And having taken a little child, He set it in their midst, and having taken [it] in His arms, He said to them, Whoever shall receive one of such little children in My name receives Me; and whoever shall receive Me, receives not Me, but the One who sent Me."
This was a lesson given to rebuke the disciples, but we will see in the very next chapter that they did not learn the lesson Christ was teaching; they did not learn the lesson of being a servant of God in order to consider themselves last; nor did they learn Christ's attitude toward little children. The disciples could not grasp the idea that a child is completely dependant upon their father and that as children of God, one must put his complete dependence on their heavenly Father. Pentecost notes that the child of God will receive rewards according to the amount of submission to His will he or she displays here on earth.
He Who is not Against Us is For Us
(Luke 9:49-50)
Verse 38, And John answered him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not us."
LGT "And John answered Him, saying, Teacher, we saw someone in Your name casting out demons, and we forbade him, because he follows not us."
John, feeling the stinging rebuke of the Lord, changes the subject to that of seeing an exorcist casting out demons using Christ name, but John forbade them to join company with them, because they did not follow them.
Verse 39, "But Jesus said, Forbid them not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me."
LGT "But Jesus said, Forbid him not. For there is no one who shall do a work of power in My name and is able to readily speak evil of Me."
It would be concluded by this context, that the one casting out demons was probably one of the seventy sent out by the disciples with these powers; Christ recognizes that this one was not evil but good, so He tells John to desist in forbidding such a one.
Verse 40, "For he that is not against us is on our part."
LGT "For he who is not against us, is with us."
Christ is making a point with John that the man using the name of Jesus in casting out the demon is proof that the man is doing the miracle by faith, and that just because he is not in their company is no proof that he is in opposition to them. If it is not evidence that he is speaking against them, he must be for them. It is always dangerous to entertain the idea of Us four and no more. That is not to say that groups that think they are doing it in Christ's name today do works, but are actually self-promoters. It all comes down to motives.
Verse 41, "For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward."
LGT "For whoever may give you to drink a cup of water in [My] name, because you are of Christ, verily I say to you, that in no way should he lose his reward."
Here we have the formula for all Christian service, motive. The fact that Christ is speaking of rewards is proof that the man is a Christian. All Christian service is rewarded, even as small as giving a cup of water, if it is done in the name of Christ. Even today in our age of grace we are not rewarded for how much we do, but why we do good works. The Holy Spirit can only produce His fruits in a yielded Christian.
Pentecost adds:
"Now Jesus dealt with the attitude in the twelve that caused them to rebuke the man. The apostles' command offended this man, who believed in Jesus. He was doing what he did out of faith in Christ and devotion to Him, not to gain acceptance by the Twelve. Therefore, Christ dealt with the problem of giving offence that resulted from the superior attitudes that the Twelve showed. Christ's words were designed to bring these men to face the problem and to remove the cause of the offense."
Temptation to Sin
(Matt. 18:6-9; Luke 17:1-2)
Verse 42, "And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea."
LGT "And whoever may cause to stumble one of these little ones who believe [into Me], it is good for him, rather if a great millstone is hanged around his neck, and he has been cast into the sea."
Here Jesus returns to speaking to the little children He held in His arms to give the Twelve an object lesson of how they should treat believers, especially the little children who are so dependant, vs. 37. (Regarding the millstone see notes on Matt.18:6)
Verse 43, "And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched."
LGT "And if your hand should cause you to offend, cut it off: it is good for you to enter into life maimed, [rather] than having the two hands to go away into the Gehenna, into the fire, the unquenchable one."
Christ is not teaching self-mutilation, but like His parables, He is making an analogy to show the Twelve the seriousness of offending a little child or another brother. There is no more in this context than that
(Verses 44 and 46 are missing in the original so I think it best to leave them off also)
Verse 45, 47 "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: and if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire."
LGT "And if your foot should cause you to offend, cut it off: it is good for you to enter into life maimed, [rather] than having two feet to be cast into the Gehenna. And if your eye causes you to offend, cast it out: it is good for you to enter the Kingdom of God with one eye, [rather] than having two eyes to be cast into the Gehenna."
As I mentioned above, Christ was not teaching self-mutilation, but only describing the seriousness of causing a fellow believer to stumble; even if a person would cut off his hand or pluck out an eye, it would not cure the sin of pride, that would lead a believer to cause his fellow believer to stumble.
Verse 48, "Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched."
LGT "Where their worm dies not, and the fire is not quenched."
"The worm, i.e. that preys upon the inhabitants of this dread realm (Gould). Two bold figures of Gehenna combined (the gnawing worm, the burning flame). No figures of Gehenna can equal the dread reality which is here described. See Isa. 66:24" (Robertson).
Verses 49, 50, "For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt. Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another."
LGT "For everyone with fire shall be salted. The salt [is] good: but if the salt becomes saltless, with what will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another."
Both salt and fire purify and salt preserves. "These are strange statements. The thought is that both fire and salt purify. Fire purifies by burning away the dross and impurities. Salt penetrates and burns out the corruption and stays the spread of impurities. If we have salt - the cleansing work of the Word of God - working within us, it sanctifies and brings peace" (McGee).
Pentecost quotes Lane on the meaning of the salt:
"Two observations on Palestinian life furnishes the background to Jesus' pithy [to the point] comments. The maxim [proverb] that the world cannot survive without salt is a vivid reminder that salt was a necessity of life in the ancient world because it preserved food from putrefaction. On the other hand, Pliny the Elder had already observed that the salt from the Dead Sea can lose its savor quality and become insipid. Jesus' words presuppose these two truths. The logion concerning salt, however, must be interpreted by the context, which sets forth the demanding requirements of discipleship. The disciples have an eschatological responsibility toward men in a world, which is subject to the judgment of God. Jesus warns them that they can lose that salt-like quality which can mean life for the world. Here salt typifies that quality which is the distinctive mark of the disciple, the loss of which will make him worthless. This can only be his allegiance to Jesus and the Gospel (Matt 9:35, 38). The exhortation to guard their salt-like quality in order to be at peace with one another has direct bearing on the situation of strife which provoked the conversation in verses 33ff. What is to set one man apart from another is not distinction of rank or worth, but the quality of saltness. Strife is resolved and peace restored when men recognize in one another a common commitment to Jesus and the Gospel, and to the servant's vocation."
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