Mark 9

In some situations it is necessary to fast in order to receive our request from God. Many Christians have experienced greater results from prayer—more power, more blessing, more guidance—when they have fasted.

To fast does not mean merely to go without eating for a period. Fasting is a demonstration of our desire to control our bodily appetites and put aside all worldly thoughts and desires in order to gain some spiritual benefit. Fasting is a sign of our readiness to offer ourselves fully to God so that His will might be accomplished. It is a sign that we are willing to give up even legitimate things such as food in order to better concentrate on serving Him. When, by fasting, we show God that we are serious about offering ourselves to Him, then He will respond to our prayers by giving us a greater measure of power and wisdom and spiritual blessing.

30-32 Here Mark records the second time Jesus predicted His death and resurrection (see Mark 8:31 and comment). Jesus knew exactly what was going to happen to Him. He knew that God was going to deliver Him into the hands of evil men, and that after three days God would raise Him up (see Acts 2:22-24). But the disciples still could not understand Jesus’ meaning.

(Luke 9:46-50)

33-34 The disciples began to discuss among themselves which of them was greatest. When Jesus asked them what they were talking about they were embarrassed, because they had been discussing who among them would be the leader if Jesus died. But Jesus knew what they had been discussing, and He knew that it was because of pride that they were arguing about who was greatest among themselves. The disciples were eager to reign in Christ’s kingdom, but, as events would soon prove, they were not so eager to labor and suffer for Him.

35 Then Jesus gave them another very important teaching: If anyone wants to be a leader, he must become a servant (see Mark 10:43-44). The first shall be last, and the last shall be first (Mark 10:31). No one should ever seek to be first. God will appoint leaders from among those who have put themselves last. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted (Matthew 23:12). Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 18:4).

Again we see that the teaching of Christ is the opposite of the teaching of the world. Worldly men⁶⁴ seek to be first; spiritual men seek to be last. Those who are last in the eyes of the world are often first in the eyes of God. That which is highly valued among men is detestable to God (Luke 16:15). The world is the opposite of the kingdom of God. The world is opposed to God; the flesh is opposed to the Spirit (Galatians 5:17).

Those who seek worldly gain will suffer spiritual loss; those who suffer worldly loss for Christ’s sake will receive spiritual gain (see Mark 8:35 and comment).

36-37 Having said that those who want to be first must be servants, Jesus took a little child into His arms as an example of what He was talking about. In the Aramaic language, which was the language Jesus spoke, the word for “servant” and “child” is the same. Thus Jesus here was saying that to be a servant (or a disciple), one must become like a child. A small child is innocent. A small child does not try to make himself great. Rather, he tries to please others (see Matthew 18:1-5 and comment).

Then Jesus said that whoever receives a child—that is, a disciple—in His name receives Him. And whoever receives Jesus receives God, who sent Him (see Matthew 10:40; John 12:44-45; 13:20 and comments). Those who make themselves like children, like humble servants, Jesus will make His representatives. Thus those who receive Jesus’ representatives receive Jesus; those who reject His representatives reject both Jesus and God (Luke 10:16). It is a great honor to be the representative, the ambassador of Christ, the Son of God; but only the humble and childlike will obtain that honor.

38 Here Mark describes a mistake made by the disciples, a mistake Christians have been making ever since Jesus’ time. The disciples thought that only their group, their party, were true followers of Jesus. When they saw someone who was not one of their group, they tried to stop him from driving out demons in Jesus’ name. “Only we are true disciples,” they thought. “Only we have the authority to work in Jesus’ name.” From this kind of attitude have come divisions and controversy in the church. If someone is doing good work in Jesus’ name, we must not oppose him, or else we will find ourselves opposing Jesus Himself.

39-40 “Do not stop him,” Jesus said to His disciples. “Such a man is on my side; for whoever is not against us is for us.”

We must consider that all who do not oppose Jesus are on His side. No one can remain neutral in the great conflict between Satan and Christ. Therefore, those who do not oppose Jesus must be for Him. Others may have different ways of serving Jesus. They may be of another group, another denomination, but if they work in His name we must accept them as brothers and fellow servants of Christ⁶⁵ (see Matthew 12:30; Mark 3:27 and comment).

41 All who serve Christ will receive a reward for what they have done (Matthew 16:27; 2 Corinthians 5:10). Christ will not forget even the smallest work done in His name—even giving a disciple a cup of water (Matthew 10:42). Christ will reward us not according to the size of the gift but according to the love with which we give it (see Mark 12:42-44).

(Matthew 18:6-9; Luke 17:1-2)

42 To cause a brother to stumble—that is, to sin—is a very great sin in God’s sight. One of these little ones means any humble, childlike servant of Christ. Perhaps the disciples had caused the man driving out demons (verse 38) to stumble, to sin. Perhaps they had discouraged him and driven him away from Jesus. Let us remember this warning and take great care that we do nothing that in any way might cause our brother to stumble, to sin (see Romans 14:13,21). Whenever we discourage our brother or lead him into any kind of temptation, we are causing him to sin. The man who continues causing his brother to stumble in this way would be better off being drowned in the sea, because on the day of judgment God is going to punish him for the evil he has done.

43 If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. Jesus did not mean that we should take a knife and actually cut off our hand. The hand is only an instrument of sin. We need to cut the sin out of our heart. If we desire to steal, it is not our hand that is evil, but our heart. We must do whatever is necessary to remove that sin, that evil desire, from our heart. Just as a surgeon cuts off a diseased hand or foot in order to save the patient’s life, so must we cut away the sin from our lives in order to save our souls. We must be ready to part with what is dearest to us if it leads us to sin.

Removing sin from our heart may be very painful—like cutting off a hand, or a foot (verse 45). But we must do it if we would enter life—that is, life with God in heaven. We cannot take sin with us into the kingdom of God (see Matthew 5:29-30; Romans 8:13; 13:14; Colossians 3:5-6; Revelation 21:27 and comments).

44-48 Here the same teaching is repeated using the foot and eye as examples of sinful members. If our foot causes us to flee from Christ, to walk on the wrong road, then we must “cut it off.” If our eye causes us to lust after a woman, to commit adultery, we must “pluck it out” (see Matthew 5:29-30). That is, we must do whatever is necessary to remove that sin from our lives.

Jesus clearly taught that hell was a very bad place. It is a place of eternal torment, or fire, of weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 13:40-42).

In verse 48 Jesus quotes from Isaiah 66:12. Their worm does not die. The destruction, the decay of those sent to hell goes on forever.

It is our chief enemy Satan who is the author of our destruction, and his main instrument is sin. Therefore, we can also say that our chief enemy is sin. Unrepented sin separates us forever from God and heaven.

Since sin is the enemy that condemns us to hell, we must not let it remain in our lives. If it enters and remains in us, it will destroy us. We must not let even the tiniest sin remain in our lives. Even the tiniest hole in the bottom of a boat will eventually allow the boat to fill with water and sink. In the same way, if we let even a tiny sin into our lives, it will grow and eventually destroy us.

49 Everyone will be salted with fire. “Fire” in this verse means persecution. Our faith is tested by fire (1 Peter 1:6-7). To be salted means to be made effective. Thus it is through persecution that disciples are made effective, made strong for Christ.

50 Salt is essential for life. There is salt in our blood, in our bodies. Faith is like salt in the world. We must remain “salty”—that is, faithful and obedient. Otherwise we will be worthless, tasteless (see Matthew 5:13 and comment).

It is the Holy Spirit who makes us salty. If the Holy Spirit goes out of our lives, how will we be salty again? We must keep the salt of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

If the Holy Spirit is in us, we shall be of one spirit and one mind. Instead of trying to be greater than others (verse 34), we should be at peace with each other.