Markus 8:27--9:10

Peter’s Confession

8:27 Then Jesus and his disciples went to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. ¹  On the way he asked his disciples, ²  “Who do people say that I am?” 8:28 They said, ³  “John the Baptist, others say Elijah, ⁴  and still others, one of the prophets.” 8:29 He asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, ⁵  “You are the Christ.” ⁶  8:30 Then ⁷  he warned them not to tell anyone about him. ⁸ 

First Prediction of Jesus’ Death and Resurrection

8:31 Then ⁹  Jesus ¹⁰  began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer ¹¹  many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and experts in the law, ¹²  and be killed, and after three days rise again. 8:32 He spoke openly about this. So ¹³  Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 8:33 But after turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan. You are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but on man’s.” ¹⁴ 

Following Jesus

8:34 Then ¹⁵  Jesus ¹⁶  called the crowd, along with his disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wants to become my follower, ¹⁷  he must deny ¹⁸  himself, take up his cross, ¹⁹  and follow me. 8:35 For whoever wants to save his life ²⁰  will lose it, ²¹  but whoever loses his life for my sake and for the gospel will save it. 8:36 For what benefit is it for a person ²²  to gain the whole world, yet ²³  forfeit his life? 8:37 What can a person give in exchange for his life? 8:38 For if anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him ²⁴  when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” 9:1 And he said to them, “I tell you the truth, ²⁵  there are some standing here who will not ²⁶  experience ²⁷  death before they see the kingdom of God come with power.” ²⁸ 

The Transfiguration

9:2 Six days later ²⁹  Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John and led them alone up a high mountain privately. And he was transfigured before them, ³⁰  9:3 and his clothes became radiantly white, more so than any launderer in the world could bleach them. 9:4 Then Elijah appeared before them along with Moses, ³¹  and they were talking with Jesus. 9:5 So ³²  Peter said to Jesus, ³³  “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us make three shelters ³⁴  – one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 9:6 (For they were afraid, and he did not know what to say.) ³⁵  9:7 Then ³⁶  a cloud ³⁷  overshadowed them, ³⁸  and a voice came from the cloud, “This is my one dear Son. ³⁹  Listen to him!” ⁴⁰  9:8 Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more except Jesus.

9:9 As they were coming down from the mountain, he gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 9:10 They kept this statement to themselves, discussing what this rising from the dead meant.

[8:27]  ¹ map Fpr location see Map1 C1; Map2 F4.

[8:27]  ² tn Grk “he asked his disciples, saying to them.” The phrase λέγων αὐτοῖς (legwn autois) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[8:28]  ³ tn Grk “And they said to him, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[8:28]  ⁴ sn The appearance of Elijah would mean that the end time had come. According to 2 Kgs 2:11, Elijah was still alive. In Mal 4:5 it is said that Elijah would be the precursor of Messiah.

[8:29]  ⁵ tn Grk “Answering, Peter said to him.” This is redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified to “Peter answered him.”

[8:29]  ⁶ tn Or “the Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[8:29]  sn The term χριστός (cristos) was originally an adjective (“anointed”), developing in LXX into a substantive (“an anointed one”), then developing still further into a technical generic term (“the anointed one”). In the intertestamental period it developed further into a technical term referring to the hoped-for anointed one, that is, a specific individual. In the NT the development starts there (technical-specific), is so used in the gospels, and then develops in Paul to mean virtually Jesus’ last name.

[8:30]  ⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “Then” to indicate the conclusion of the episode.

[8:30]  ⁸ sn Mark 8:27-10:52. The entire section 8:27-10:52 is built around three passion predictions of Jesus (8:31; 9:31; 10:33). These predictions form the structure of the section, the content for the section (Jesus’ suffering, death, and the meaning of genuine discipleship) and the mood of the section (i.e., a somber mood). What is interesting is that after each passion prediction, Mark records both the misunderstanding of the disciples and then Jesus’ teaching on the nature of his death and what genuine discipleship is all about: (1) denying oneself (8:34-38); (2) humility and serving (9:33-37); (3) suffering, humble service, and not lording it over people (10:35-45). For further discussion of the structure of the passage, see W. L. Lane, Mark (NICNT), 292-94.

[8:31]  ⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[8:31]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[8:31]  ¹¹ sn The necessity that the Son of Man suffer is the particular point that needed emphasis, since for many 1st century Jews the Messiah was a glorious and powerful figure, not a suffering one.

[8:31]  ¹² tn Or “and the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 1:22.

[8:32]  ¹³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “So” to indicate Peter’s rebuke is in response to Jesus’ teaching about the suffering of the Son of Man.

[8:33]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “people’s.”

[8:34]  ¹⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[8:34]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[8:34]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “to follow after me.”

[8:34]  ¹⁸ tn This translation better expresses the force of the Greek third person imperative than the traditional “let him deny,” which could be understood as merely permissive.

[8:34]  ¹⁹ sn To bear the cross means to accept the rejection of the world for turning to Jesus and following him. Discipleship involves a death that is like a crucifixion; see Gal 6:14.

[8:35]  ²⁰ tn Or “soul” (throughout vv. 35-37).

[8:35]  ²¹ sn The point of the saying whoever wants to save his life will lose it is that if one comes to Jesus then rejection by many will certainly follow. If self-protection is a key motivation, then one will not respond to Jesus and will not be saved. One who is willing to risk rejection will respond and find true life.

[8:36]  ²² tn Grk “a man,” but ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used in a generic sense here to refer to both men and women.

[8:36]  ²³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “yet” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[8:38]  ²⁴ sn How one responds now to Jesus and his teaching is a reflection of how Jesus, as the Son of Man who judges, will respond then in the final judgment.

[9:1]  ²⁵ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[9:1]  ²⁶ tn The Greek negative here (οὐ μή, ou mh) is the strongest possible.

[9:1]  ²⁷ tn Grk “will not taste.” Here the Greek verb does not mean “sample a small amount” (as a typical English reader might infer from the word “taste”), but “experience something cognitively or emotionally; come to know something” (cf. BDAG 195 s.v. γεύομαι 2).

[9:1]  ²⁸ sn Several suggestions have been made as to the referent for the phrase the kingdom of God come with power: (1) the transfiguration itself, which immediately follows in the narrative; (2) Jesus’ resurrection and ascension; (3) the coming of the Spirit; (4) Jesus’ second coming and the establishment of the kingdom. The reference to after six days in 9:2 seems to indicate that Mark had the transfiguration in mind insofar as it was a substantial prefiguring of the consummation of the kingdom (although this interpretation is not without its problems). As such, the transfiguration was a tremendous confirmation to the disciples that even though Jesus had just finished speaking of his death (8:31; 9:31; 10:33), he was nonetheless the promised Messiah and things were proceeding according to God’s plan.

[9:2]  ²⁹ tn Grk “And after six days.”

[9:2]  ³⁰ sn In 1st century Judaism and in the NT, there was the belief that the righteous get new, glorified bodies in order to enter heaven (1 Cor 15:42-49; 2 Cor 5:1-10). This transformation means the righteous will share the glory of God. One recalls the way Moses shared the Lord’s glory after his visit to the mountain in Exod 34. So the disciples saw Jesus transfigured, and they were getting a sneak preview of the great glory that Jesus would have (only his glory is more inherent to him as one who shares in the rule of the kingdom).

[9:4]  ³¹ sn Commentators and scholars discuss why Moses and Elijah are present. The most likely explanation is that Moses represents the prophetic office (Acts 3:18-22) and Elijah pictures the presence of the last days (Mal 4:5-6), the prophet of the eschaton (the end times).

[9:5]  ³² tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[9:5]  ³³ tn Grk “And answering, Peter said to Jesus.” The participle ἀποκριθείς (apokriqeis) is redundant and has not been translated.

[9:5]  ³⁴ tn Or “dwellings,” “booths” (referring to the temporary booths constructed in the celebration of the feast of Tabernacles).

[9:5]  sn Peter apparently wanted to celebrate the feast of Tabernacles or Booths that looked forward to the end and wanted to treat Moses, Elijah, and Jesus as equals by making three shelters (one for each). It was actually a way of expressing honor to Jesus, but the next few verses make it clear that it was not enough honor.

[9:6]  ³⁵ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[9:7]  ³⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[9:7]  ³⁷ sn This cloud is the cloud of God’s presence and the voice is his as well.

[9:7]  ³⁸ tn Grk “And there came a cloud, surrounding them.”

[9:7]  ³⁹ tn Grk “my beloved Son,” or “my Son, the beloved [one].” The force of ἀγαπητός (agaphtos) is often “pertaining to one who is the only one of his or her class, but at the same time is particularly loved and cherished” (L&N 58.53; cf. also BDAG 7 s.v. 1).

[9:7]  ⁴⁰ sn The expression listen to him comes from Deut 18:15 and makes two points: 1) Jesus is a prophet like Moses, a leader-prophet, and 2) they have much yet to learn from him.