Markus 8:34

Following Jesus

8:34 Then ¹  Jesus ²  called the crowd, along with his disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wants to become my follower, ³  he must deny ⁴  himself, take up his cross, ⁵  and follow me.

Markus 9:2

The Transfiguration

9:2 Six days later ⁶  Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John and led them alone up a high mountain privately. And he was transfigured before them, ⁷ 

Markus 14:62

14:62 “I am,” said Jesus, “and you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand ⁸  of the Power ⁹  and coming with the clouds of heaven.” ¹⁰ 

Markus 16:18

16:18 they will pick up snakes with their hands, and whatever poison they drink will not harm them; ¹¹  they will place their hands on the sick and they will be well.”

[8:34]  ¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[8:34]  ² tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[8:34]  ³ tn Grk “to follow after me.”

[8:34]  ⁴ 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]  ⁵ 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.

[9:2]  ⁶ tn Grk “And after six days.”

[9:2]  ⁷ 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).

[14:62]  ⁸ sn An allusion to Ps 110:1. This is a claim that Jesus shares authority with God in heaven. Those present may have thought they were his judges, but, in fact, the reverse was true.

[14:62]  ⁹ sn The expression the right hand of the Power is a circumlocution for referring to God. Such indirect references to God were common in 1st century Judaism out of reverence for the divine name.

[14:62]  ¹⁰ sn An allusion to Dan 7:13.

[16:18]  ¹¹ tn For further comment on the nature of this statement, whether it is a promise or prediction, see ExSyn 403-6.