The Transfiguration and Teachings of Yeshua

Welcome Prayer Song

Mark Chapter Nine March 28th 2021

And he said to them, Assuredly I say to you, there be some of them that stand here, which will not taste of deathSeparation from God—now overcome. Physical death remains, but it no longer separates us from life with God., till they have seen the kingdom of YHWH come with power.

The Transfiguration of Yeshua

2And after six days Yeshua took Peter, and James, and John, and lead them up into a high mountain where they were alone and he was transfigured before them. 3And his clothing shined, whiter than snow; so much so no launderer on earth can make them whiter. 4And appearing to them was Elias with Moses: and they were talking with Yeshua. 5And Peter answered and said to Yeshua, Master, 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. 6For he wist not what to say; for they were sore afraid. 7And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him. 8And suddenly, when they had looked round about, they saw no man any more, save Yeshua only with themselves.

9And as they came down from the mountain, he charged them that they should tell no one what things they had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the dead. 10And they kept that saying with themselves, questioning one with another what the rising from the dead should mean. 11And they asked him, saying, Why do the scribes say that Elias must first come? 12And he answered and said to them, Elias assuredly came first, and restored all things; and it has also been written that the Son of man must come and suffer many things and be seen as nothing. 13But I say to you, that Elias has indeed come, as it was written of him, and they have done to him whatsoever they wanted.

The Miracle of Healing

14And when he came to the disciples, he saw a great multitude about them, and the scribes were questioning them. 15And immediately all the people, when they saw him, were greatly amazed, and ran and greeted him. 16And he asked the scribes, What inquiry are you making of them? 17And one of the multitude said, Master, I have brought to you my son, which hath a dumb spirit; 18And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spoke to your disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not. 19He answereth him, and said, O faithless generation, how long will I be with you? how long will I suffer you? bring him to me. 20And they brought him to him: and when he saw him, immediately the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming. 21And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came to him? And he said, Of a child. 22And ofttimes 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. 23Yeshua said to him, If thou can believe, are all things possible. 24And immediately the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. 25When Yeshua saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying to him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge you, come out of him, and enter no more into him. 26And 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. 27But Yeshua took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose. 28And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out? 29And he said to them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.

The Prediction of Yeshua's Death and Resurrection

30And they departed and passed through Galilee; and Yeshua did not want that any man should know his identity. 31For he taught his disciples, and said to them, The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him; and after that he is killed, he will rise the third day. 32But they understood not that saying, and were afraid to ask him. 33And he came to Capernaum: and being in the house he asked them, What was it that you disputed among yourselves as we journeyed? 34But they held their peace: for on the journey they had disputed among themselves.

Teaching on Humility and Servitude

The apostles were in a debate among themselves over who would be considered the greatest. In response to this, Jesus sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, "If any man desire to be first he will be last of all, and servant of all." He then took a child, set him in their midst, and said, "Whosoever will receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever will receive me, doesn’t receive me, but Him that sent me." John responded, saying, "Master, we saw one casting out devils in your name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not us." But Yeshua said, "Forbid him not: for there is no man which will do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me. For he that is not against us is on our part. For whosoever will give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly I say to you, he will not lose his reward. And whosoever will offend one of you 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."

Teachings on Sacrifice and Faithfulness

"And if your hand offend you, cut it off: it is better for you to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never will be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And if your foot offend you, cut it off: it is better for you to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never will be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And if thine eye offend you, pluck it out: it is better for you to enter into the kingdom of YHWH with one eyes, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. For every one will be salted with fire, and every sacrifice will be salted with salt. Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another."

Seeing the Kingdom with Power

We remember that Jesus had asked the apostles who they said He was and Peter replied, and then he told them that he was going to be put to death, and Peter resisted, and he called Him Satan. That is the setting that continues forward today. Verse 1 of chapter 9: "And he said to them, Assuredly I say to you, there be some of them that stand here, which will not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of YHWH come with power."

This verse should have been included in chapter eight as its meaning is directly tied and defined to the last verse therein. This being the case, we can see that Yeshua was not referring to the Day of Pentecost here but to the return (or Second comingChrist’s return, fulfilled in 70 A.D., ending the old covenant—not the world. of Yeshua to earth) after his death and resurrection. If Yeshua told them/then, "Assuredly I say to you that there will be some of them that stand here who would see Him when He comes in the glory of His father to the earth," we must conclude that Yeshua was either correct or not.

2 "And after six days Yeshua took Peter, and James, and John, and lead them up into a high mountain where they were alone and he was transfigured before them." Luke says about eight days. The Greek word translated to transfigured is metamorfoo, where we get the English term, metamorphosis. Here Yeshua literally changed figures before the eyes of Peter, James, and John, and they beheld Him as He was in the eyes of God. It appears that the fullness of God indwelling in the Son of Man revealed itself on this occasion causing even the very apparel that He wore to shine radiantly before Peter, James, and John.

3 "And his clothing shined, whiter than snow; so much so no launderer on earth can make them whiter. 4 And appearing to them was Elias with Moses: and they were talking with Yeshua."

Moses and Elijah could be seen as representing the Law (Moses) and the Prophets.

The Fulfillment of the Law and Prophets

(Elijah) which is what the Nation of Israel was founded upon (see, Acts 13:15; Romans 3:21). Yeshua had come to fulfill the Law and the Prophets (see, Matthew 5:17; Romans 10:4; Galatians 3:24). Both Moses and Elijah experienced unique deaths which may have lent to their ability coming back here in human form to meet with Him who was fulfilling all things pertaining to the Nation of Israel.

5And Peter answered and said to Yeshua, Master, 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. 6For he wist not what to say; for they were sore afraid. 7And there was a cloud that overshadowed them:

In the Tanahk, what Christians call the Old Testament, YHWH often appeared to the Nation in a cloud (see, Exodus 16:10; 34:5; Leviticus 16:2) CLA: (see, Old Testament appearance of YHWH).

and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him.

8And suddenly, when they had looked round about, they saw no man any more, save Yeshua only with themselves.

PO It is fitting that once the representatives of the Law and Prophets had come to Yeshua, that the only one remaining was the Lord and Savior who fulfilled it through His life, death and resurrection.

The Prophecy of Elijah's Return

9And as they came down from the mountain, he charged them that they should tell no one what things they had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the dead. 10And they kept that saying with themselves, questioning one with another what the rising from the dead should mean.

11And they asked him, saying, Why do the scribes say that Elias must first come?

Verses 11-13 It was prophesied in Malachi 4:5 that Elijah (Elias is the Greek translation of Elijah) would come before the “great and dreadful day of the Lord.” All that is recorded herein is the history of events right before this “great and dreadful day” which occurred as promised in the 70AD destruction of Jerusalem. This was the end of that world. (CLA: (see, EschatologyStudy of “last things”—TGNN teaches all biblical eschatology was fulfilled in 70 A.D. More) Here, Yeshua makes it clear that Elijah had indeed already come – and it was in the purpose and person of John the Baptist. (see, Luke 1:13-17).

12And he answered and said to them, Elias assuredly came first, and restored all things; and it has also been written that the Son of man must come and suffer many things and be seen as nothing. 13But I say to you, that Elias has indeed come, as it was written of him, and they have done to him whatsoever they wanted.

The Healing of the Dumb Son

14And when he came to the disciples, he saw a great multitude about them, and the scribes were questioning them. 15And immediately all the people, when they saw him, were greatly amazed, and ran and greeted him. 16And he asked the scribes, What inquiry are you making of them? 17And one of the multitude said, Master, I have brought to you my son, which hath a dumb spirit; 18And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spoke to your disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not.

Is this not the case with all parents and their sons, in one way or another. This parent sought out the best solution to the universal plight of natural sons – Yeshua. (See, Commentary on Mark 9:18-29, Matthew 17:14; Luke 9:38 – the Healing of the Dumb Son)

19He answereth him, and said, O faithless generation, how long will I be with you? how long will I suffer you? bring him to me. 20And they brought him to him: and when he saw him, immediately the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming. 21And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came to him? And he said, Of a child. 22And ofttimes 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. 23Yeshua said

Faith and Leadership in Yeshua's Teachings

To him, If thou can believe, are all things possible. 24And immediately the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. The heart of the parent toward the healing of a child is ubiquitously demonstrated the world over. This father, in all probability exhausted and frustrated beyond measure, came to the ultimate source of healing not available through any other means on earth.

25When Yeshua saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying to him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge you, come out of him, and enter no more into him. 26And 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. 27But Yeshua took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose.

28And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out? 29And he said to them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting. 30And they departed and passed through Galilee; and Yeshua did not want that any man should know his identity. 31For he taught his disciples, and said to them, The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him; and after that he is killed, he will rise the third day. 32But they understood not that saying, and were afraid to ask him.

Yeshua's Leadership Style

Contrary to popular culture, Yeshua was an intimidating leader in some ways – especially to the twelve (see, verses 33-35). This is evidenced by their fear to ask Him questions. This fact does not diminish His perfection or love but evidences His skill in leadership and wisdom. He possessed insights and truths that His apostles were slow to receive. They were immature (see, verses 33-34). He was to prepare them, and he allowed for a distinct leader/follower relationship to exist as a means to prepare these men for what was about to come upon them. Such training requires a certain level of respect and reverence for the one in charge. CLA: (see, Yeshua, Leader of Men).

33And he came to Capernaum: and being in the house he asked them, What was it that you disputed among yourselves as we journeyed? 34But they held their peace: for on the journey they had disputed among themselves who would be considered the greatest. 35And he sat down, and called the twelve, and said to them, If any man desire to be first he will be last of all, and servant of all. 36And he took a child, and set him in their midst and when he had taken him in his arms, he said to them, 37Whosoever will receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever will receive me, doesn’t receive me, but Him that sent me.

Understanding Yeshua's Teachings

We note that in verse 35-37 Yeshua is speaking specifically to the Twelve – “and called the twelve, and said to them, etc.” The child in verse 37 represents the Twelve, and Yeshua is giving them a lesson about those who receive the Twelve are actually receiving Yeshua, and those who receive Yeshua are actually receiving YHWH. CLA: (see, The Exclusive Teachings Yeshua gave to His Apostles.) PO To receive the apostles (the child – see Mark 10:24) was to receive Yeshua, and to receive Yeshua was to receive YHWH. Yeshua’s purpose was to bring all to YHWH – by and through Him we come to YHWH. CLA: (see, Hierarchy of Heaven)

38And John responded, and said, Master, we saw one casting out devils in your name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not us. 39But Yeshua said, Forbid him not: for there is no man which will do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me. 40For he that is not against us is on our part.

Clarifying Apostolic Perception

We see that immediately in this setting John the Beloved steps up and presents a situation that required some clarity for them as Apostles. This is right in the midst of Yeshua’s teaching on how the Apostles were to perceive and receive people as they did their ministerial duties. It is here Yeshua sets the stage for Christianity (see, verse 39). CLA: (see, The Faith Before Orthodoxy) The Apostles' response to the man is the natural reaction of people who, in

Faith and Instruction

Fear, seek to control the actions and approaches of others not realizing that faith, in its purest form, is all about Yeshua, not the approach, the organization, nor the authority men desire to control. MI (see, Mark 9:38) CLA (see, The Faith before Orthodoxy)

At this point he begins to instruct the twelve on more issues saying:

41For whosoever will give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly I say to you, he will not lose his reward. 42And whosoever will offend one of you 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.

MI (see, Mark 9:43-46)

Verses 41-42 – note the emphasis: “For whosoever will give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly I say to you, he will not lose his reward. 42And whosoever will offend one of you little ones that believe in me, (remember, the child represents the Apostles) it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea.” This is context and this is the limited audience Yeshua was addressing. Modern readers do not have the right to hijack these passages and assign them to themselves – they were the words of Yeshua to the twelve, who were going out into an extremely dangerous land to represent Him in preparation for His. There may be principles that apply, but not the words themselves.

Radical Teachings

PO (verse 43-50) Yeshua continues to train the twelve here. His words are to THEM (consider how many times He uses the term “you” in these passages, and the setting, and the vitally important work these men were called to do). The radicalness of these words are better understood when we recall that these men were called to go and witness His resurrection to that crumbling, volatile age, and to lose their very lives in the cause. Theirs was an extremely radical and difficult lot and Yeshua’s words to them cannot be misconstrued and assigned to the modern reader. CLA: (see, The Trouble with Scriptural Literalism; see, Commentary on Mark 9:43-50)

43And if your hand offend you, cut it off: it is better for you to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never will be quenched: 44Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. 45And if your foot offend you, cut it off: it is better for you to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never will be quenched: 46Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. 47And if thine you offend you, pluck it out: it is better for you to enter into the kingdom of YHWH with one eyes, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire: (no never quenched here) 48Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

Salted with Fire

49For every one will be salted with fire, and every sacrifice will be salted with salt.

“Every one shall be salted with fire.”

PERHAPS NO PASSAGE IN THE New Testament has given more perplexity to commentators than this; and it may be impossible now to fix its precise meaning. The common meaning affixed to it has been, that as salt preserves from putrefaction, so fire, applied to the wicked in hell, shall have the property of preserving them in existence, or they shall be preserved amidst the sprinkling of fire, to be continually, in their sufferings, a sacrifice to the justice of God. But this meaning is not quite satisfactory. Another opinion has been, that as salt is sprinkled on the victim preparatory to its being devoted to God, (Le 2:13) so should the apostles, by trials, calamities, etc., represented here by fire be prepared as a sacrifice and offering to God. Probably the passage has not reference at all to future punishment; and the difficulty of interpreting it has arisen from supposing it connected with the 48th verse, or given as a reason for what is said in that verse, rather than considering it as designed to illustrate the general design of the passage. The main scope of the passage was not to discourse of future punishment. That is brought in incidentally. The chief object of the passage was,

(1st) to teach

Principles of Self-Denial and Preservation

them that other men, not with them, might be true Christians, Mr 9:38,39.

(2nd.) That they should be disposed to look favourably upon the slightest evidence that they might be, Mr 9:41

(3rd.) That they ought to avoid giving offence to such feeble and obscure Christians, Mr 9:42.

(4th.) That everything calculated to give offence, or to dishonour religion, should be removed, Mr 9:43. And,

(5th.) that everything which would endanger their salvation should be sacrificed; that they should deny themselves and practise all self-denials, in order to obtain eternal life.

The Significance of Sacrifices

In this way they would be preserved to eternal life. The word "fire" here, therefore, denotes self-denials, sacrifices, trials, in keeping ourselves from the gratification of the flesh. As if he had said: "Look at the sacrifice on the altar. It is an offering to God, about to be presented to him. It is sprinkled with salt, emblematic of PURITY, of PRESERVATION, and of fitting it, therefore, for a sacrifice. So you are devoted to God. YOU are sacrifices, victims, offerings, to him in his service. To make you acceptable offerings, everything must be done to preserve you from sinMissing the mark of faith and love—no punishment, just lost growth or peace., to purify you, and to make you fit offerings. Self-denials, subduing the lusts, enduring trials, removing offences, are the proper preservatives in the service of God. Doing this, you will be acceptable offerings, and be saved; without this, you will be unfit for his eternal service, and will be lost."

The Role of Salt in Spiritual Life

Last verse

50 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.

Have salt in yourselves. Have the preserving, purifying principle always; the principles of denying yourselves of suppressing pride, ambition, contention, etc., and thus you will be an acceptable offering to God.

Have peace. Avoid contention and quarrelling, struggling for places, honours, and office, and seek each other's welfare, and religion will be honoured and preserved in the world.

And that is chapter 9.

Questions/Comments/Prayer

50 Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.