Laying Off Of Hands (Mark 9:42-50)

In the early 400’s, there was a Christian monk named Ammonius who lived in the Egyptian wilderness. They said he “reached the perfection of the love of God.”^[1]

Ancient writers venerated him for several factors. They recorded that he could recite the entire Old and New Testament, as well as 6,000,000 lines from the church fathers. But the main reason he’s remembered is for his extreme asceticism which even included self-mutilation.

Ammonius did not want to be ordained as a bishop. He did not want to receive that “promotion.” The problem is, he lived during a time when people were sometimes ordained by force.

The people of a nearby city really wanted him to be their bishop. So the bishop of Alexandria said, “If you get him here, I’ll ordain him and he’ll have to be your bishop.” The townsfolk found Ammonius and started taking him by force. Ammonius took out a pair of scissors and cut off his own ear. He said, “Leviticus 21 forbids a mutilated person from serving as a priest.” The people went back to Alexandria, and the bishop said, “We’re Christians and the Law doesn’t apply to us.” So, the people went back to Ammonius, who then told them if they tried to take him, he would cut out his own tongue. At which point, they left him alone.

But that wasn’t all. It’s also recorded that whenever Ammonius felt desire, he would heat an iron and burn himself, so that he “became a mass of ulcers.”

Is that what it means to love God? Do we look back on those choices and think that Ammonius was doing God’s will? I, for one, look on his story with sadness and pity. We understand that God has not called us to a life of self-inflicted pain and isolation, but of life more abundantly. We agree with C.S. Lewis who wrote, “In commanding us to glorify Him, God is inviting us to enjoy Him.”^[2]

How then do we square our perspective with the serious words of Jesus in this text? Remember: Jesus is in a formal teaching session with His disciples. He’s explaining what it means to be great in the Kingdom, how disciples should conduct themselves, and what God requires of His servants.

So, we want to try to understand what Jesus is saying, why it matters, and know why we don’t need to leave our homes, move to the desert, taking only a hot iron and a pair of scissors with us.

Mark 9:42 – ⁴² “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to fall away—it would be better for him if a heavy millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.

Let’s remember the lead up to these verses: The 12 had been arguing on the road about which one of them was the greatest. And, John admitted to Jesus they tried to forbid this other Christian exorcist from casting out demons in Jesus’ name because that guy didn’t follow after them.

Jesus is totally reshaping and rehabilitating their understanding about what it means to serve in His Kingdom. The  major point in these verses is that, rather than be worried about who they’re greater than, or being worried about outsiders, they should be worried about the evil within their own hearts that can cause eternal damage to themselves and others.^[3]

The Lord has been talking about how disciples should include not exclude others. Now He warns them not only about whether they include others, but how they influence them.

If a person causes a child, or someone young in the Lord to stumble – if they put an obstacle in the faith of one of these little ones,^[4] it would be better if they died this grisly death. This imagery of being drowned by millstone is vivid enough for us, but for the Galilean disciples, it would’ve been all the more graphic. The Roman government had taken some early Zealot insurrectionists and drowned them in the Sea of Galilee as punishment.^[5]

We’d expect that from the ruthless Romans, but from the mouth of Jesus? Add to that the fact that Jews considered death without burial to be the worst kind of death.^[6] But Jesus says, “No, that – all of that would be better than stumbling one who believes in Me.”

Now understand, Jesus is not talking about simply offending someone, or saying something you shouldn’t. Falling away here means to cause the shipwreck of someone’s faith.^[7] The term is used of a baited animal trap.^[8]

But, this is a serious warning. We must reckon with the reality that our choices and behaviors have an impact on the spiritual lives of those around us. If we live lives of hypocrisy and duplicity and selfishness while saying we love Jesus and represent Jesus, that will push people away from the Lord. And God does not take that lightly. He sees it as one of the greatest sins.

In response to John’s story about trying to shut down the other exorcist because he wasn’t underneath the disciples’ authority, Jesus is saying, “Listen, that kind of arrogant behavior leads to abuse and neglect of the lowly.”^[9] And God does not overlook it. Remember: He is a God of vengeance. He takes these eternal matters more seriously than we could possibly imagine.

Jesus challenges His disciples to think both about how they invite others and how their conduct influences them, especially those who are young in the faith.

In verses 43 through 48, the Lord pivots. In verse 42 He warned that ungodliness has grievous eternal consequences in the lives of others. Now He warns us about watching out for our own lives.

He uses the same idea three times, so we’re going to take these as a set.

Mark 9:43-48 – ⁴³ “And if your hand causes you to fall away, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and go to hell, the unquenchable fire. ⁴⁵ And if your foot causes you to fall away, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. ⁴⁷ And if your eye causes you to fall away, gouge it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, ⁴⁸ where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.

If you have the New King James version, verse 48 was repeated two times earlier, in verses 44 and 46. There is manuscript disagreement. Some have those verses, some don’t. Either way, the words are definitely in verse 48 in all the manuscripts, so no harm done.^[10]

The point here is that you and I – even apostles – could be led astray into sin with disastrous consequences. Jesus is not saying that it would be good for us to mutilate ourselves, but that we should radically avoid sin. Jesus used hyperbole at times. This is one of those times.

The Lord wasn’t telling us to be like Ammonius. I can say that with confidence for several reasons. First, self-mutilation was prohibited in the Law. Though we are not under the Law, Jesus fulfilled it. And Paul told Timothy to watch out for people who tell you you have to abstain from certain foods or forbid marriage.^[11] He said God provides us richly with all things to enjoy.^[12]

Second, when people came to Jesus with blind eyes, crippled feet, shriveled hands, He didn’t say, “Actually, that’s better for you so you won’t sin.” He healed them.

Third, let’s be honest: Your hand doesn’t cause you to sin. Neither does your foot. Neither does your eye. Those are members of your body controlled and directed by your heart and mind. A quadriplegic is still capable of sin despite their bodily limitations. A blind man can still lust.

Christ’s point is the serious danger that sin poses in a life. We should not think of it as just bugs on the windshield. He wants us to think of sin like gangrene. If we find our lives infected with sin in some area, we should do what any surgeon would do if we brought to him a necrotic hand, whose infection was spreading up the arm.^[13] He would amputate.

So in my life – the things I do, the places I go, the things I give my attention to, if those things are leading me into sin, I should die to myself and remove those elements for the sake of my spiritual life. I should sacrifice all of that because sin is not a paltry thing. It separates me from God.

Paul said it this way in Romans 8:

Romans 8:13 – ¹³ if you live according to the flesh, you are going to die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

In the book of Job, Job talks about how he was determined to follow the way of the Lord.^[14] He talks about walking the path of righteousness and not going astray. And he references his hands, his feet, his eyes. Job said, “I’m going to walk the path of Godliness.” Because he knew a life of sin is a life astray. And a life astray, Jesus says, ends in hell.

Culturally, it’s easy to think there’s just heaven and hell. But in the Bible you have heaven – the place God dwells. Then there’s a place called Hades, or sometimes the Old Testament would use the term Sheol. It can be used in a generic sense as the place of the dead – the grave. But in the New Testament we see it is also a real location. It seems to have two areas: One called Abraham’s Bosom, a place of comfort where Old Testament believers waited before being led to heaven. The other side of Hades is a place of conscious torment. We learn this in Luke 16.

Today, Abraham’s Bosom is empty. The Lord Jesus led those believers to heaven where they await their glorified bodies, received at the resurrection. The torment side of Hades is still populated by unbelievers. They are awaiting the Great White Throne Judgment, at which point they will be cast forever and ever into the Lake of Fire, which is a different location, that we commonly call hell.

When Jesus references hell in these verses, He doesn’t use the term Hades, He uses the term Gehenna. That term is used 12 times in the New Testament and 11 of those times are by Jesus.

Gehenna is Jesus’ term for the lake of fire and it has a Biblical and a geographical reference point to help us understand. The Biblical reference used by Jesus here is Isaiah 66:24. There we see those who rebel against the Lord burning forever and ever. And here, Jesus says, “If you live a life of sin, you’ll end up there.” Revelation calls it the Lake of Fire. Here, Jesus calls it Gehenna.

Gehenna was also the name of a literal place  south of Jerusalem. It had once been the site where God’s people burned their children alive in sacrifice to Molech. But Josiah put a stop to that and defiled the valley. From that point, and in the time of Jesus, Gehenna was a garbage dump. A place they brought refuse and sewage and animal carcasses to burn. And the fires burned continually.^[15]

To give us a tiny glimpse into hell, Jesus pointed to literal Gehenna. And He referenced how those suffering in the Lake of Fire will not be rewarded with crowns, but with worms. They face both gnawing, internal torment and burning external torment.^[16] It is truly horrible, but altogether real. Hell is as much a Biblical reality as heaven.^[17] A person should do everything necessary to avoid it. The good news of the Gospel is that God has freely given you everything you need for life and Godliness. But God’s way demands you take up a cross, die to self, and live as a sacrifice to Him.

Mark 9:49 – ⁴⁹ For everyone will be salted with fire.

Wait, what? Do all of us have to take a dip in the lake of fire? Scholars admit this is one of the most difficult verses in the entire book.^[18] There are at least 15 explanations of what Jesus meant.^[19]

Here’s what I find helpful: Jesus is talking about the binary choice: Heaven or hell. Life or death. Either way, you’re choosing fire. Either the fires of hell or the fire of a life lived on the altar. Romans 12 tells us, “Present your bodies as a living sacrifice.” John the Baptist said that Jesus came to baptize us with the Holy Spirit and with fire.^[20]

So, I can willingly submit to His cleansing fire, or if I choose to reject Him and go my own way, and then have the unquenchable fires of hell. Which reward do I want? Which eternity do I want?

Mark 9:50 – ⁵⁰ Salt is good, but if the salt should lose its flavor, how can you season it? Have salt among yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”

The salt of that time was often sourced from the Dead Sea region, but they would also collect deposits of minerals that looked like salt but weren’t salt at all.^[21] And so, Jesus encourages us to evaluate our spiritual lives. Are we Christians? Are we part of the salty crew? It’s one thing to look the part, it’s another to be serving the Christian function of salting the earth with Godly flavor, preservative, purifying the world around us by the power of God working through our lives.

“Have salt among yourselves.” So again, He brings us back to our interaction with others. That we concern ourselves with our internal lives, but also with our interactions and influence on others. That together in the church we’re serving one another, salting one another, which leads to peace and growth and God’s glory. These are the things we should be focused on, not which of us is the greatest. Not exclusivity or jockeying for position. Saltiness, not self-aggrandizement.

Now listen: Jesus is not saying a genuine Christian can lose their salvation. The focus of His words here is that sin is a big, big deal to God. And a life of sin ends in Gehenna. And, remember: there was a counterfeit believer among the 12! Judas looked like salt, but he didn’t taste like salt.

Meanwhile, all disciples should set our own notions and concerns aside and allow the Lord to shape our perspective. That’s what He was trying to do with the disciples here, who had totally off-base ideas about the Kingdom and spiritual greatness and how they should conduct themselves.

The mental road they were on would lead to seriously bad consequences. And so Jesus took the time to help them recalculate the route. And He used the extreme and severe words so they could understand how serious He was about it.

The Lord isn’t telling us to scissor our ears off. He is telling us to radically avoid sin. And to choose carefully the lives we’re living. To consider what it really means to be a Christian – to go the way of the cross. It demands we embrace the fire of the altar. But if we do that, the result is a salted life. When a person doesn’t, the result is the unquenchable fire of eternal death.

And so, as we seek to follow the Lord and go His way, we’ll remind ourselves of another verse from Isaiah:

Isaiah 30:20-21 – Your eyes will see your Teacher, ²¹ and whenever you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear this command behind you: “This is the way. Walk in it.”

Water Works (Mark 9:38-41)

What a thrill it must be to win a gold medal. After so much dedication, study, training, expense, and effort, to receive that glorious award. Olympic events can be incredibly demanding. Consider the biathlon, where athletes must first cross-country ski with “all-out intensity,” then suddenly pivot to calm, “steady aim” as they shoot rifles both prone and standing at targets 50 meters away.^[1]

To bring home the gold in this event is quite a feat. In fact, the United States has never medaled in the biathlon. It’s the only winter Olympic event we’ve been shut out of.

But if you’re looking for something a little…simpler…you could consider being the third man in the bobsled. Effectively all you need to do is sprint for 50 to 100 feet. Jason Hartman, the strength and conditioning coordinator for the U.S. Olympic bobsled team, once said, “Honestly, after those five seconds, they’re kind of trying to stay as relaxed as possible while leaning into the turns.”^[2]

Whether you’re a biathlete, a downhill skier traveling at 95 miles per hour, a hockey team playing seven grueling, hour-long matches, or the third man in a bobsled just trying to be as relaxed as possible – the medals are the same: 500 grams of silver covered by 6 grams of gold, with a melt value of about $2,500.^[3]

There are two very different yet connected parts to our text tonight. It’s sort of like a biathlon’s skiing and shooting. On the one hand, this passage is about Christ adjusting the attitude of the disciples, which is dysfunctional at the moment. He’s still teaching them how to have servants’ hearts rather than trying to exclude others or lord over them.

But alongside that lesson, He formally discloses a remarkable truth. He takes the simplest act of care and hospitality and elevates it to be on par with a miraculous healing. He says, “These things, done in My name, will be rewarded.” Not just in a “that’s a nice thing to do” sense, but in the eschatological sense. When we are brought into eternity and ushered into Christ’s forever Kingdom, those who hand out cups of water are rewarded alongside those who exorcise demons.

Mark 9:38 – ³⁸ John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him because he wasn’t following us.”

There is a lot going on in this verse. From the words, to the actions, to the context, and the apparent attitudes – we want to break it all down. But this is one of those times where we’re not sure how this was said or the exact motivation behind it. I know I automatically come to this scene assuming some things about how and why John said what he did.

Did he say this because he was ashamed by what Jesus had just said in verses 35 through 37?^[4] Jesus said, “if you want to be first you must be last and the servant of all.” And, “Whoever welcomes a little child in My name welcomes Me.” So maybe John is convicted and confessing here.

Or, could it be that John is trying to change the subject? That perhaps, as was so often the case, the disciples really weren’t hearing what Jesus said and now John brings this up expecting praise?^[5]

Or maybe John just didn’t know what to think. That Jesus gave them the teaching of 35 through 37 and was saying, “Well, now that You mention it, did we do right or wrong when we did this…?”^[6]

We can’t be sure. And we don’t actually know when this interaction with the unknown exorcist took place. I always think they just came from confronting this guy, but they’re still in a house in Capernaum in a teaching session with Jesus. So this happened at some point in the past.

But let’s consider what John said. First, it wasn’t only John. He says “we,” speaking of all the 12.^[7] At some point, they witnessed this other fellow casting out demons in Jesus’ name. He didn’t come to them and try to join the 12. He didn’t come and tell them they should support him. He didn’t come and try to buy power like Simon the Sorcerer did in Acts 8. He’s doing his thing and they engage.

This was a guy who clearly believed in Jesus and was being used by God. I say that because he was successful at casting out demons. The supernatural power of God was at work in him.

There’s a story in Acts 19 where some Jewish exorcists try to use Jesus’ name to cast out demons and the demon says, “Yeah, it doesn’t work that way.” And proceeds to mess them up. They didn’t have real belief, so throwing the name of Jesus around like an incantation didn’t do anything.

But, the 12 saw this guy doing his thing, and then they go over and say, “Stop it. You’re not allowed to do this because you don’t follow us.” Did you notice that detail? It wasn’t even, “Jesus didn’t personally call you to be a disciple.” It was, “You’re not in our group and you’re not under us.”

The 12 were still very worried about which one of them was the greatest in the group. They argued about it openly. But at the time they also assumed they had a special place above everyone else.

So they told him to stop. There are two ironies here: First, they had the audacity to try to forbid him from successfully exorcising demons when just a few verses ago they had been unable to cast out a demon! And second, they say, “We tried to stop him.” Meaning, they were unsuccessful at that! So, they think they have the authority to lord over people, but they couldn’t even convince this guy to comply with their demands!

This was all flowing from a faulty mentality. You can see it even in John’s words. He calls Jesus “Teacher.” Not Christ. Not Lord. Not Son of Man. Instead, he used a term that was usually only used by outsiders in the book of Mark.^[8] Why? I don’t know. But it exposes a skewed attitude.

Now, a wrong attitude can happen to the best of believers. In the book of Numbers there’s a scene where the Holy Spirit falls on seventy elders of Israel. Two guys who had not come when Moses called also received the Spirit and began to prophesy. When it happened, Joshua says, “Moses, my lord, stop them!” And Moses says, “Are you jealous on my account? If only all the Lord’s people were prophets and all of them had the Spirit!”^[9] But in the moment, Joshua wasn’t sure if what they were doing was appropriate.

Were the disciples of Jesus jealous for Him or for themselves? The latter seems to be the case. Because their attention was not that some tormented soul be freed from demonic possession, but that this unknown exorcist must follow after them. In the interaction, they were acting more like Pharisees than like Jesus.

Mark 9:39-40 – ³⁹ “Don’t stop him,” said Jesus, “because there is no one who will perform a miracle in my name who can soon afterward speak evil of me. ⁴⁰ For whoever is not against us is for us.

Jesus uses the same verb that is used in the LXX when Joshua said, “Moses, forbid them!” Jesus says, “Don’t do that.” He acknowledges that this man really believes in Jesus. He calls this exorcism a “mighty work” – the same terminology that Mark uses of Jesus’ own miracles.^[10]

But now let’s pause and consider the implications of what Jesus says here for our own day and age, our own interaction with other Christians – particularly those with whom we’re not in fellowship. Other groups, other ministries, other churches, other believers who you may interact with but aren’t closely connected with.

Some say that it’s wrong that we have different churches and different denominations – that all Christians should just unite and agree. It gets said from time to time, because it’s easy to say.

But notice what Jesus did and didn’t command here: He said that they should not make themselves enemies of this man. Don’t try to stop him. But Jesus did not say, “Go join him.” He didn’t say, “Have him come join us.” He didn’t say they needed to get together and make an exorcism program.

As Christians, we are to be welcoming to one another, kind to one another, not combatants against one another – as far as in the church universal. But there is a difference between an ally and a partner. We can be allies with brothers and sisters who do things differently or have differences of opinion on non-essential issues. But that doesn’t mean we’re failing if we don’t partner together.

The important issue is not whether we’re plowing together in the same direction. The important issue is whether we are for or against Jesus. There’s no middle ground there. We are either for Jesus or we are against Him. And elsewhere in the Gospel, Jesus would say it in reverse: “If you are not for Me, then you ARE against Me.”^[11]

There are those who try to say they will come to Jesus before they die. There are some who believe it doesn’t matter whether they consider the issue here and now. But this is the principal concern of a human life: Are you in Christ? Do you belong to Him?

After we can answer yes to that question, then we can learn to serve Him, understand our calling, welcome others, interact with brothers and sisters, even if they’re not part of our tribe, and be in alliance or partnership according to God’s leading. As we grow in Christ, we should be growing in knowledge of what He wants us to be doing, but also growing in grace toward others who are called to other things. I shouldn’t become more narrow-minded when it comes to Christian brotherhood, but more willing to give what Paul calls the “right hand of fellowship” to other, genuine believers.^[12]

Mark 9:41 – ⁴¹ And whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in my name, because you belong to Christ—truly I tell you, he will never lose his reward.

There’s a sudden pivot from skiing to shooting. Jesus was not only talking about who is allowed to do the work of God, but He expands what gold-medal events are available in His Kingdom. He says, “Truly I tell you.” This is official heavenly policy! And notice how John had said, “Well, this guy was casting out demons in Your name.” Now Jesus talks about a cup of water in His name. He elevates the most basic act of kindness and provision to be, in some sense, in the same category as a miracle. That in the Kingdom, both are events for which you can receive a great reward.

Let’s marvel again at just how generous God is. This is the smallest service we could do for someone.^[13] The Lord is so excited to reward us in eternity. He so lavishly repays what we do for Him. In some cases, even when we didn’t even realize we’re doing it for Him!^[14]

But a couple of thoughts about this closing verse are important. First, notice that, in the image Jesus is painting for them, it is the 12 who are the thirsty ones. They receive the cup. This assumes that there will be times when Christians – even apostles – will face difficulty, need, even desperation.^[15] In those times, one of the great provisions God has given us is the Church to meet needs. Christians are called to love our enemies and reach out to the world – that everyone around us is our neighbor. But we are specifically commanded to give care and attention and compassion and support to our brothers and sisters, near and far.^[16] To do the one another commands for each other. That we learn to live as a connected body where each part has its own functions, but all parts are conscious of the health or hurt, strength or weakness of the other parts.

Here the image is of a Christian helping another Christian with a cup of water. And the Lord says this is a wonderful thing to do. It assumes that one person is thirsty. If you came up and handed me a bottle of water right now, it’s not necessary because I’m not thirsty. Really, it would be more distracting than a blessing.

It’s exciting to know that even small acts of kindness or provision or hospitality are counted as rewardable in Christ’s Kingdom, but we need to pay attention to who is thirsty. Or earlier, while Jesus was talking about the kind of gracious, welcoming attitude a Christian should have toward others, Jesus picked a kid out of the group that was there in the room.

In the book of Acts and the epistles, we don’t just see Christians doing acts of kindness to check a box. That’s the Pharisee mentality. Do certain acts to earn points with God. But that’s not how it works. In Acts we see the Church doing things like this: Certain widows were underserved, so they make a specific effort to serve them. The Jerusalem church was suffering with material needs and the Gentile churches sent relief money to them.^[17] Dorcas saw that widows needed clothes, so she made them.^[18]

In the biathlon, when it’s time to shoot, you shoot at a target. You need your own eyes to hit center. Rather than look for people to exclude, which is what the 12 did in verse 38, Jesus was encouraging them to look around at who they could serve. Who they could welcome. Who they could support. Some fellow Christians will be out there doing what they do and we don’t necessarily partner with them. But we want to be people who are looking around to serve in the name of Jesus. Who might be thirsty? I mean that figuratively or literally. Who might be struggling in a way we could help if we only knew it?

Jesus is compassionately observant. And He invites us to live with that mentality. And He throws in the wonderful revelation that, “Oh, when you do that for someone else, you’re also doing it to Me.”

The disciples were worried about their prestige compared to this exorcist. Instead, they should’ve been worried about the demon-possessed person. Better that they look for thirsty people. And, ironically, when we become the servant of all, that’s what puts us on the podium in the Kingdom. As we follow Jesus and live for Him, He leads us to people we can love and serve and bring to Him. It’s a cup given in His name. It’s welcoming someone in His name. It’s all empowered by and attached to the Gospel. It’s not about our greatness, it’s about His glory and His goodness. And, as we go, we can celebrate the other brothers and sisters running their races both near and far.

Great Exhortations (Mark 9:30-37)

Do you have what it takes to be victorious at the ISSA Show? It is billed as “the world’s largest and most influential event” in its category.^[1] It’s a “powerful platform” to showcase your greatness and help change the way the world views the people of this particular industry.^[2] You’ll have to compete against other top teams but standout participants will be featured across industry media and recognized in front of their peers. If your team is the greatest, you will receive “unmatched reach,” and “premiere exposure,” and “global visibility” according to the official website.

Who wants in? Oh, what is the event I’m talking about? It’s the Housekeeping Olympics. Contests include bed-making races, vacuum relays, and mop-bucket sprints. For 35 years, thousands of service industry professionals have competed to determine who truly is the greatest among them.

What makes a person great in God’s eyes and in His Kingdom? This is the topic of our verses tonight. They’re straightforward, but also vital for our perspective as believers and disciples.

Mark 9:30 – ³⁰ Then they left that place and made their way through Galilee, but he did not want anyone to know it.

Jesus and His followers have been up north in Caesarea Philippi, but now head south through Galilee on their way to Judea, Jerusalem, and Golgotha. Jesus wants to move without being noticed. When it says they made their way through Galilee, it’s not to stop from place to place, but to bypass the towns and villages.^[3] His public ministry was coming to an end.^[4] And He wanted to spend concentrated time instructing the disciples.

Mark 9:31 – ³¹ For he was teaching his disciples and telling them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after he is killed, he will rise three days later.”

Jesus makes three predictions like this in the Gospel of Mark. The first was in chapter 8 where He then had to rebuke Peter. The third will be in chapter 10. None of what happened was a surprise to Jesus. This is why He came – to give His life as a ransom for many.

But here He provides a new detail: He would be betrayed. Not that He would be ambushed by hidden enemies, but handed over by a follower – a friend. Who would it be? Jesus had more than 12 followers, but the group as big as it had been – not after the so-called “hard sayings of Jesus” which resulted in many people turning back and following Him no more.

Mark 9:32 – ³² But they did not understand this statement, and they were afraid to ask him.

They should’ve known the betrayer was, indeed, one of the 12, because when many followers turned away, Jesus said to them, “Do you guys want to leave, too?” They said no, and then Jesus said, “One of you is a devil.”^[5] But they didn’t follow up with, “Lord, is it I?” At least not yet.

The whole discussion and idea of a slain Messiah left them distressed and afraid. How could the Son of Man die? There in verse 31, Jesus once again identifies Himself as the Son of Man. But Daniel says the Son of Man is given an everlasting domain ruling over every people, every language, every nation. The Son of Man’s Kingdom cannot be destroyed.^[6] So how could He die?

And maybe they kept quiet because they remembered what happened the last time Jesus made this prediction and one of them responded. Now, Peter responded poorly – rebuking Jesus and telling Him to stop talking – but even so, they probably weren’t too keen on piping up.

On top of all that, the full understanding of these things was still hidden from them.^[7] It was after the resurrection that they would finally have their minds fully opened to understand the Scriptures.^[8]

Now, we have the indwelling Holy Spirit to help us understand these things. The 12 did not in Mark 9. But even post-Pentecost, we recognize that there are limitations to our knowledge and apprehension. But we remind ourselves and comfort ourselves with the truth that the Holy Spirit is given to counsel us and testify the truth to us and give us right spiritual vision.

Christians must have a healthy, growing relationship with God the Holy Spirit. His interactions with us are never going to contradict the Scriptures, but if we don’t have communion with Him, we can’t fully comprehend the Word of God. Intellectual growth is not sufficient on its own. We must also receive the Holy Spirit, be filled with the Holy Spirit, and be taught by the Holy Spirit.^[9]

Mark 9:33 – ³³ They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the way?”

When Jesus taught them about His betrayal and death, they were silent. But apparently, after a while, they started talking with each other. More than talking, they started arguing with each other. And though Jesus knew exactly what it was about, He takes this the opportunity later in the day to say, “Hey guys – What were you debating while we were on our walk?”

Jesus has such a patient compassion for us. He’s going to use this to teach them something super important, but can you imagine this moment? It’s downright humorous. We could imagine Him asking with severity, but does it come off that way? “What were you guys talking about?”

There was a lot for them to talk about: Jesus’ impending death. What that might mean for them. What they should do about it. Which of them might be the betrayer. The implications of the resurrection. But instead of all those things, this is what they had been arguing:

Mark 9:34 – ³⁴ But they were silent, because on the way they had been arguing with one another about who was the greatest.

Yikes. We can imagine how this might have gone. “Well, you nine guys biffed that last exorcism, so you’re definitely not gold medalists.”

“Yeah, well, Jesus said YOU are SATAN and you had to get behind Him!”

“Yeah, but WE just got to do something that definitely puts us in the front running.”

“Yeah, what WERE you guys doing up on Mount Hermon?”

“We can’t say. But obviously Jesus thinks we’re the most important.”

It wasn’t just an argument about glorifying God or being rewarded. They saw these things as a competition between each other. I get ranked higher and I want you to be lower than me.

This is human nature and none of us are immune. Even the Essenes, who isolated themselves from regular society out in Qumran and took care of the Dead Sea Scrolls, and lived strict, communal lives with no private property – even they obsessed over rank. Every year they would reevaluate each member’s rank which determined their seating and their speaking order among the group.^[10]

But what Jesus was trying to get across to the 12 is that the road He was leading them on is the way of the cross. And He uses this situation to drive home a key principle of Christianity.

Mark 9:35 – ³⁵ Sitting down, he called the Twelve and said to them, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be last and servant of all.”

In Christ’s Kingdom, greatness is not about beating your neighbor in position or accomplishment. It’s not about out-running the Christian next to you. It is about conforming our mentality, our choices, our goals, and values to Heaven’s standards of humility, grace, love, and service.

This little phrase in verse 34 is so important. First of all, Mark shows us that it is a formal moment of teaching.^[11] As Rabbi, Jesus sits and then calls the 12 to come and listen. There were other people around, but this is an official, class-in-session scene for those who claim to be disciples.

But not only that, this idea of the first being last and the greatness of serving is constantly repeated in the Gospels. Mark 9, Mark 10, Matthew 19, 20, and 23. Luke 13, 14, and 22. John 13.

One commentator writes, “This is such a radical challenge to natural human valuation that it needs constant repetition.”^[12]

Jesus said the path to spiritual greatness is service. Now, there are two principles I’d like us to think about. The first is that Jesus’ teaching here was about service, not suffering. There are people like the Essenes who convince themselves and try to convince you that the path to glory is suffering.

Now listen: We are going to suffer in this life. And we may suffer for the Gospel. If you suffer for righteousness, you are blessed.^[13] But the goal of your Christian life isn’t suffering. Jesus came to serve. His service was to suffer and die. But nowhere does He tell us to seek out suffering as a goal. We are commanded to seek out ways to serve Him. We can rejoice in suffering, knowing that the Lord is with us. But don’t swap out discipleship for asceticism. Service for suffering.

The second principle here is that Christian service is ultimately a mentality, not a meniality. Here’s what I mean: Christ’s goal is not that you only care about doing the worst, grosses thing, which somehow makes you better. It’s that you have the mentality of a living as a servant of all.

There are times when certain jobs need doing and you are not the person to do them. I know that because the 12, who Jesus was giving this teaching to, would later say, “We can’t leave the study of the Word to wait tables. Let’s find seven servants to do it.”^[14] That wasn’t them being snobbish or forgetting their place as servants. It’s about what the Lord leads us to do.

Our mentality should be, “I’m here to serve.” What does that mean today? It depends on the needs and opportunities the Lord has gathered around you. It depends on the direction of the Holy Spirit.

The path to spiritual greatness is through service. This is something we care about here at Calvary. Sometimes people will be new to our church and will say, “What can I do to be one of the leaders here?” Or, “When can I be the person speaking on the stage?” We always say the same thing: Push a broom. Stack a chair. Show the Lord you’re willing to serve in menial ways and see what else He leads you to do. We don’t need any other lords over the people. We have one Lord, and He will build His Church the way He sees fit. Our job is to serve Him and serve others.

To drive His point home, Jesus uses an object lesson.

Mark 9:36-37 – ³⁶ He took a child, had him stand among them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them, ³⁷ “Whoever welcomes one little child such as this in my name welcomes me. And whoever welcomes me does not welcome me, but him who sent me.” 

So there were other people there besides the disciples. Jesus uses this little guy to further elaborate on what it means for a Christian to serve. You see, children were not thought well of in ancient culture. They weren’t valuable or significant.^[15] They had no status, no rights. And here Jesus says, “This person is someone I want you to concern yourself with alongside everyone else.” So, it wasn’t only about serving the impressive or the important, but also having a caring, compassionate, serving mentality toward the weak, the vulnerable, the defenseless, the unimportant.

And Jesus, once again, highlights the essential, intrinsic, eternal value of every person. Each of us made in His image, loved equally by Him. Each of us filling an innumerable succession of thoughts and intentions and cares in His mind.

Not only should they serve this child, Matthew’s account explains that Jesus said they should become like him. Humble, dependent, submissive, and receptive to direction. Did you notice the boy does exactly what Jesus said without question? And did you see that beautiful tender detail: “And taking him in His arms.” The boy wasn’t just standing there awkwardly in the middle of the room. Jesus embraced him close to Himself in joyful affection. What an image. What a Savior!

This instruction is so key for us as Christians. But I was thinking about how gracious the Lord is, even in this. I mean, it’s an upside-down Kingdom, last will be first, and it flows counter to the corrupted human nature. So, it’s a challenge, to be sure, but did you notice the bar is set kind of low? Here’s what I mean: Become like this child. Ok, just realize that Jesus loves you and can be trusted and that we have a lot to learn and we should follow His directions and allow ourselves to be embraced by our Savior. We make it harder than it needs to be.

And then, when it comes to serving, the bar is still pretty low. It wasn’t, “Whoever raises this child from the dead in My name,” or, “Whoever heals the infirmities of this child in My name.” It wasn’t even, “Whoever converts this child.” Just welcomes. Receives. Meaning we make it our business to represent Christ with love and action and truth to whoever He brings into our path – recognizing they are gifts given to us to receive, well then the Lord counts that as greatness in His Kingdom.

Charles Dickens famously changed the ending of his classic book Great Expectations. A friend and fellow novelist convinced him the original ending was too bleak. So Dickens made alterations so that there was an atmosphere of love and hope, even amidst the ruins of Satis House.

Christ has changed what our expectations of greatness should be. Not competing against each other, but conforming to His image and thereby living lives overflowing with love, humility, and service. Embracing others the way He does. Embracing Him the way He wants to. Living with heaven’s mentality of humble willingness to love and serve whoever the Lord brings us to receive.

Believe It And Not (Mark 9:14-29)

Most Americans believe in God. That is, when polled, 83% of Americans believe in the idea of “God” or a “Universal Spirit.” Eight out of ten Americans may claim some level of belief, but for many it doesn’t translate to communion with God or the power of God in their lives. Between 2007 and 2024, the number of Americans who identify themselves as Christians has declined 16%.^[1] Only 46% of Americans pray every day. Just 43% say that religion is very important in their lives.^[2] All of those numbers are five to ten percentage points lower for the generations born after 1995.

And yet, 83% of our fellow citizens still say they believe in God. But does that ‘belief’ make a difference? What did James say? “Even the demons believe – and they shudder!”^[3]

The difference belief makes is in focus tonight. When Jesus went to Nazareth, He was unable to do many miracles there because the people of His hometown absolutely did not believe in Him.^[4] Tonight, we see the temporary disruption of miraculous healing, but not because people didn’t believe, but because their belief was incomplete to one degree or another.

Remember: this section of Mark has been highlighting the partial belief – the blurry spiritual vision – of the disciples. Exhibit A came after the feeding of the 4,000. Exhibit B was Peter’s spiritual eye exam first on the road and then again at the Transfiguration. The theme is emphasized by the story of the man whose sight was healed in two stages.

Of course the disciples aren’t the only ones struggling with belief. Jesus says the entire generation is unbelieving. A sad reality and stark contrast to the clear manifestations of His Messiahship.

Tonight we see the 12, a crowd, and scribes. Jesus calls all of them out on the state of their belief. Zooming in, we see a distraught father who has all but lost hope. In a moment of desperate crisis, he acknowledges he believes and does not believe. It is a powerful and heart-wrenching scene. But it gives Jesus a chance to speak to us about true belief and the difference it makes.

Mark 9:14-18 – ¹⁴ When they came to the disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and scribes disputing with them. ¹⁵ When the whole crowd saw him, they were amazed and ran to greet him. ¹⁶ He asked them, “What are you arguing with them about?” ¹⁷ Someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you. He has a spirit that makes him unable to speak. ¹⁸ Whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive it out, but they couldn’t.”

The father had a measure of faith. He said, “I brought him to have the demon driven out.” But Jesus wasn’t there when he arrived – Jesus was overnight on the mountain – so the father turned to the disciples. And I’m sure they told him they’d done exorcisms before and that it would be no trouble.

But, the spirit didn’t go anywhere. It wasn’t because the disciples were unwilling to help, they were unable. As one translator puts it, they “weren’t strong to help.”^[5] All 9 of them. Not a great start for the last exorcism in Mark’s Gospel.

In that dire moment what did they do? With a frightened father holding his still-stricken son in his arms? They start arguing with some scribes! Now, we don’t know what they were arguing about. It seems likely that the scribes were gleefully pointing out how their so-called power had failed them.

Jesus is going to rebuke everyone for unbelief. The scribes obviously have no belief. The father will admit he has, like, half belief. But the disciples are rebuked, too. In Matthew’s account Jesus tells them they failed, “because of [their] little faith.”^[6] Their unbelief was a major problem that day.

Their spiritual failure gave those on scene an excuse to be skeptical of Jesus Himself.^[7] We’ll see that their failure of faith shook the faith of the father. It certainly gave ammunition to the scribes.

One exhortation of this passage is that – as disciples – we have a responsibility to live Godly, Spirit-filled lives. We’re not going to be perfect. None of us live all the way up to the callings of Christ. But God forbid our failures of faith give the people around us a reason to disbelieve Jesus.

Mark 9:19-20a – ¹⁹ He replied to them, “You unbelieving generation, how long will I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring him to me.” ²⁰ So they brought the boy to him.

Despite all He had said and done, there was still widespread unbelief. It’s a testament to the hardness of the human heart. One scholar writes, “Their faithlessness is symptomatic of the wider human condition, as Jesus in His ministry so often encountered it, an unwillingness to take God at His word and a horizon limited to merely human possibilities.”^[8]

Jesus wasn’t only disappointed – He’s also raising a valid concern. He was going to be gone soon. The disciples were the ones who were supposed to become the Body of Christ, found and build the Church, spread the Gospel from Judea to Samaria to the ends of the earth. But here they are, unable to do something they had previously done! Something Jesus gave them authority to do!^[9]

Mark 9:20b-22 – When the spirit saw him, it immediately threw the boy into convulsions. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth. ²¹ “How long has this been happening to him?” Jesus asked his father. “From childhood,” he said. ²² “And many times it has thrown him into fire or water to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”

Just about every commentary rushes to say the boy had epilepsy or that his possession presented as epilepsy.^[10] This is a bad default to have. It undermines a plain interpretation of Scripture. Plus, we shouldn’t attribute every illness to demonic possession. And, as far as I can tell, epilepsy can’t see someone. It says, “When the spirit saw Jesus, it convulsed the boy.” Putting the descriptions together we also learn that the boy is deaf and mute. No communication with him.

This is what the devil wants to do to the people of this world. To you, your family, your neighbors. He wants to isolate and destroy them. The verb used for throwing the boy into convulsions was also used of a dog tearing up a carcass.^[11] That’s what the devil does. He seeks to devour and destroy. When the Bible warns us that unbelievers are held captive by him, picture this.

When the demon is brought before the Lord, he doesn’t speak. It’s possible the spirit itself was mute based on what Jesus says later. But it cannot hide its intentions from the Son of God. In His presence, all was laid bare, and the demon must reveal his presence and submit to judgment.

Does it seem strange that Jesus let this convulsion play out for a moment? The kid is suffering terribly while the Lord talks with the father. It reminds us of the time Jesus has a back and forth with Peter walking on the waves while the storm battered the boat.

Both of those moments remind us of how important the faith issue is to God. We usually prioritize feelings. He prioritizes faith.The boy needs physical help. Jesus is going to heal him. But their faith is the most important problem. And so the Great Physician deals with that first.

But whatever faith the father had was terribly shaken. He came asking for exorism. Now he’s downgraded his request. “If you can do anything…” He’s no longer directly asking for healing. The disciples failed, why would the Rabbi do any better?

Mark 9:23 – ²³ Jesus said to him, “ ‘If you can’? Everything is possible for the one who believes.”

The New King James phrases this differently, but linguists are confident Jesus quoted the man back to him.^[12] The Lord is calling out the man’s faltering faith.

God does not need to prove Himself to us. If you want proof of the existence of God, watch the sun rise tomorrow morning. Or take your pulse right now. Consider the flow of human history or the love that exists in your heart for your husband or wife, son, or daughter.

Our problem is when we stop believing in what God can do. We limit Him in our minds, for one reason or another. We limit His care for us or His ability to intervene in time. There is no limit to what God can do. There is a limit to what He will do. While God may choose not to act on everything we want, it is never because He lacks the power to do so.

Mark 9:24 – ²⁴ Immediately the father of the boy cried out, “I do believe; help my unbelief!”

A logician would say this answer makes no sense. But we’ve all felt this way and probably feel this way right now in some area of our heart. This is a tension all of us experience.

But what a treasure this verse is. One of the greatest prayers in all of Scripture. Certainly the most honest. Though the man was wavering in faith, we see here that he confessed and repented. He says, “Yeah, I’m starting to give in to unbelief. But I recognize that You are right, Jesus. And I’m turning from doubt to devotion, right now, but I need You to help me.”

If you’re struggling with doubt, you can step out of it into faith right now. You might not suddenly feel different, but you can do what this father did. Choose to say that God is true. That He is able. That He is no liar. And then ask Him for help and trust that He will.

Mark 9:25-27 – ²⁵ When Jesus saw that a crowd was quickly gathering, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you: Come out of him and never enter him again.” ²⁶ Then it came out, shrieking and throwing him into terrible convulsions. The boy became like a corpse, so that many said, “He’s dead.” ²⁷ But Jesus, taking him by the hand, raised him, and he stood up.

The demon may have been able to withstand the disciples, but he was no match for the King. He would obey the word of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Some suggest that the boy really did die, but I don’t think for a minute that Jesus would’ve allowed the demon to kill this child after commanding him to come out. No, the Lord was in charge.

Mark 9:28 – ²⁸ After he had gone into the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”

Yeah. Why couldn’t they? They’d done it before. Jesus specifically gave them authority to do so.

We’ll see why in a moment, but this is an important doctrinal moment: No one has the categorical gift of healing or gift of exorcism where they can just exercise that power by their own will. There are some people out there who claim to be faith-healers, that they can cure people of things on demand. But that is not what happens in the New Testament.

In 1 Corinthians, when Paul talked about Christians miraculously healing people, he said, “Do all have gifts of healings?” Three times he references those gifts as plural.^[13] Those are specific moments and situations God works through, not a capability a human wields at liberty.

Mark 9:29 – ²⁹ And he told them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer.”

Some manuscripts have “and fasting,” at the end of this verse. But it wouldn’t really fit the context. And Jesus specifically said the disciples cannot fast as long as the Bridegroom was with them.^[14] What seems to be going on is that the disciples have slipped into a sort of Samson mentality. We know they’ve been distracted by human concerns more than spiritual concerns. So that day when the father brought his son they thought, “Well we have strength because we had it before. Jesus gave it to us and that’s it we’ve got His power on command forever.”

But that’s not how it works. All Christians must continue in an attitude of devotion and dependence on the Lord. We don’t just coast on one interaction from 2 years ago and think we’ll be strong enough for the new challenges ahead.

These guys were famously not strong enough to even stay awake during prayer times. Let alone facing a demon. And one that, according to Jesus, was a particularly difficult demon to cast out.

When the father came and they realized that their faith was weakened, they should’ve immediately gone to prayer – seeking God’s empowering and intervention. Instead, they went to arguing with the trolls who came to hassle them. That was not a good use of their time.

But listen: It’s not about how much we pray – that if we pray a certain amount we get more power. Or if we fast we juice up with supernatural strength. It’s about an attitude of dependence on the Lord. Recognizing that the wellspring of life is in Him.^[15] And that our part is to believe. A living faith in a Living Savior.

In his book, A Grief Observed, C.S. Lewis wrote:

“You never know how much you really believe anything until its truth or falsehood becomes a matter of life and death to you. It is easy to say you believe a rope to be strong and sound as long as you are merely using it to cord a box. But suppose you had to hang by that rope over a precipice. Wouldn’t you then first discover how much you really trusted it?”^[16]

All of us carry beliefs and unbeliefs in our hearts. The Christian life is about walking by faith. That the things we believe not only change our perspective and understanding, but that they drive us into communion with God, service to Jesus, dependence on His leading, His wisdom, His callings, and then experiencing what a difference that kind of belief makes in our lives.