Chapter Nine
Mk. 9:1. And He said to them: Truly I say to you: there are some of those standing here who will not taste death until they see the Kingdom of God come in power. Having spoken of His glory and wishing to teach that He does not mention it in vain, the Lord then says that "there are some of those standing here," that is, Peter, James, and John, who will not die until I show them in My Transfiguration that with which glory I shall appear at the time of My coming. For the Transfiguration is nothing other than a foreshadowing of the Second Coming. So shall He Himself shine at that time; so too shall the righteous shine.
Mk. 9:2. And after six days, Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves, and was transfigured before them.
Mk. 9:3. His garments became shining, exceedingly white as snow, such as no fuller on earth can whiten. The Evangelist Luke says that this was after eight days. However, he does not contradict Mark, but is in complete agreement with him. His account encompasses both the day on which the Lord announced (the coming Transfiguration), and the day on which He led (the disciples up the mountain), whereas Mark speaks only of the intervening days. The Lord takes and leads up onto a high mountain only the three chief apostles — Peter, as the one who confessed and loved; John, as the beloved; and James, as the great preacher and theologian, who was so burdensome to the Jews that Herod, wishing to please the Jews, killed him. He leads them up onto a high mountain so that the miracle would be all the more glorious. And He leads them "apart" (privately) because He wished to reveal a mystery. Understand the Transfiguration itself not as an essential change of Christ's appearance, but as an illumination by an ineffable light, while His natural appearance remained the same as before.
Mk. 9:4. And there appeared unto them Elijah with Moses; and they were talking with Jesus.
Mk. 9:5. And Peter answered and said to Jesus: Rabbi! it is good for us to be here; let us make three tabernacles: one for Thee, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.
Mk. 9:6. For he did not know what to say, because they were terrified.
Mk. 9:7. And a cloud appeared, overshadowing them, and a voice came out of the cloud, saying: This is My Beloved Son; hear Him.
Mk. 9:8. And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus alone. For many reasons Elijah and Moses appear conversing with Christ. But it suffices to mention two. First, since the disciples were pleased that among the people some took Him for Elijah and others for one of the prophets, He shows them the greatest prophets, so that the disciples might at least in this way perceive the difference between servants and the Master. This is the first reason. The second: since many considered Christ an opponent of God, supposedly violating the Sabbath and transgressing the Law, He shows on the mountain such prophets, of whom one was a lawgiver and the other a zealot; and such prophets would not have conversed with Him if He had been destroying the Law and not fulfilling what they had preached. Peter, however, was afraid to come down from the mountain (for he dreaded the Lord's crucifixion) and therefore said: "It is good for us to be here," and not to go down into the midst of the Jews; for if Your enemies come here, we have Moses, who struck the Egyptians, and we have Elijah, who brought down fire from heaven and destroyed the captains of fifty. About what, then, did the prophets converse with Him? They spoke of His Crucifixion and death. And as for what Peter said, he himself did not know what he was saying, because all of them (the disciples) were in fear from the ineffable light and glory of Christ. He did not want Jesus to come down from the mountain to the Crucifixion for the sake of our salvation, but wished to remain always on the mountain. But let us turn our mind also to the mystical contemplation. At the end of this world, which was created in six days, Jesus will lead us, if we are His true disciples, "up a high mountain," that is, to heaven, and will show Himself to us in a most radiant form. Now He appears to us in an inglorious form, as the Crucified One and the Son of a carpenter, but then we shall see His glory as the Only-Begotten; we shall also see the Law and the prophets conversing with Him, that is, what was spoken about Him by Moses and the prophets — then we shall understand and find the perfect fulfillment of their utterances. Then we shall also hear the Father's voice, for the Father will reveal the Son to us and proclaim: "This is My Son." And how will He proclaim this to us? Under the overshadowing of the cloud, that is, of the Holy Spirit, for He is the fountain of life.
Mk. 9:9. And as they came down from the mountain, He charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of Man were risen from the dead.
Mk. 9:10. And they kept that saying to themselves, questioning one another what it means to rise from the dead. Why does Jesus command the disciples not to tell anyone about the Transfiguration? So that people, hearing of such glory of Christ, would not afterwards be scandalized when they see Him being crucified. But after the Resurrection from the dead, it will be easy to speak of such a glorious event that took place before the Crucifixion of Christ. So the apostles "kept this word (keeping this event in secret), asking one another what it means: to rise from the dead," for they did not yet understand His words, that He must rise from the dead.
Mk. 9:11. And they asked Him: how is it then that the scribes say that Elijah must come first?
Mk. 9:12. He said to them in answer: truly, Elijah must come first and restore all things; and the Son of Man, as it is written of Him, must suffer many things and be treated with contempt.
Mk. 9:13. But I say to you that Elijah has also come, and they did to him whatever they wished, as it is written of him. Among the Jews there circulated a report that before the coming of Christ, Elijah would come. However, the Pharisees did not interpret what was written about Elijah as they should have, but maliciously distorted the meaning of the Scriptures, concealing the truth. For there are two comings of Christ: one, the first (which has already taken place), and another that is yet to be. The forerunner of the first was John; the forerunner of the second will be Elijah. But Christ calls John "Elijah," as one who was a reprover, a zealot, and a desert-dweller. In this way, the Lord refutes the opinion of the Pharisees, who thought that the forerunner of the first coming of Christ must be Elijah. How does He refute it? He says: "Elijah must come first and restore all things; and the Son of Man, as it is written of Him, must suffer many things." This means the following: when Elijah the Tishbite comes, he will pacify the disobedient Jews, bring them to the faith, and thus become the forerunner of the second coming of Christ. But if the Tishbite, who is to restore all things, were the forerunner of the first coming, then how is it written that the Son of Man must suffer? Therefore, it is one of two things: either Elijah must not be the forerunner of the first coming, if the Scriptures speak the truth that Christ must suffer; or we shall believe the words of the Pharisees, that the forerunner of the first coming must be the Tishbite — and then there will be no truth in the Scriptures which say that Christ will suffer, for Elijah is to restore all things, and there will not then be a single unbelieving Jew, but all will believe the preaching, whoever hears it from Elijah. Refuting in this way the distorted opinion of the Pharisees, the Lord said that "Elijah (that is, John) has already come, and they did with him whatever they wished," since they did not believe him, and he met his end by beheading, having become a victim of amusement (of Herod).
Mk. 9:14. Coming to the disciples, He saw a great crowd around them and scribes disputing with them.
Mk. 9:15. Immediately, upon seeing Him, all the people were amazed, and running up to Him, they greeted Him.
Mk. 9:16. He asked the scribes: What are you arguing about with them? Jesus, coming to the disciples, to those nine who had not ascended with Him onto the mountain, found them in a dispute with the Pharisees. For in the absence of Jesus, the Pharisees, having approached His disciples, were attempting to draw them over to their side. Meanwhile, the crowd, as soon as they saw Him, immediately greeted Him. The people looked at Him and greeted Him as though He had returned from far away. And in the opinion of some, His very appearance, having become more beautiful from the light of the Transfiguration, drew the people to Him with greetings.
Mk. 9:17. One from the crowd said in answer: "Teacher! I brought to You my son, possessed by a mute spirit:
Mk. 9:18. wherever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground, and he foams at the mouth, and gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. I spoke to Your disciples to cast it out, and they could not." This man was weak in faith, as the Lord testifies, having said: "O faithless generation," and again "all things are possible to him who believes"; and he himself also says: "help my unbelief." He also speaks against the disciples (of Jesus), as though they were all unbelievers. But he ought not to have accused them before everyone, but privately, in secret.
Mk. 9:19. Answering him, Jesus said: O faithless generation! How long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to Me.
Mk. 9:20. And they brought him to Him. As soon as the demoniac saw Him, the spirit convulsed him; he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming.
Mk. 9:21. And Jesus asked his father: How long ago did this happen to him? He said: From childhood;
Mk. 9:22. And 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.
Mk. 9:23. Jesus said to him: If you can believe at all, all things are possible to him who believes.
Mk. 9:24. And straightway the father of the child cried out with tears: I believe, Lord! Help my unbelief.