Mark 9:9-10

Passage

As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus tells the disciples to not tell anyone about this experience until after the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  So they were obedient.  They kept the matter to themselves.  However, they did continue to question among themselves what exactly Jesus meant by “rising from the dead.”

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Jesus asks His disciples to not say anything about it until the time is right.  This sentence absolutely speaks volumes into modern culture.  We are an information people.  We like to know everything, know what is going on everywhere, and talk about it with one another.  However, Jesus shows us quite clearly in this passage that there are times and places for some people to know some things and other people to not be included.  It is most definitely not a part of human nature, but sometimes it is necessary in ministry.  Some things cannot be understood until they are experienced.  Then they are understood for the better.

How do you react when you don’t know something that is going on?  How do you react when you know something that you cannot share?  Do you believe Jesus is right in this instance when He asks the disciples to keep this just between them until the time is right?

Second Thought:

The disciples obeyed.  They kept the secret.  Sure, they talked among themselves.  But they obeyed Jesus.  First, notice that they got the Father’s point from yesterday’s study.  They listened to Him.  Second, notice that their obedience displayed trust.  They probably didn’t understand why they should keep the secret.  Shoot, they didn’t even understand when they would be allowed to talk about it!  (We’ll get to that in the next point.)  The point is that they were obedient and trusted their spiritual leader.  Jesus said to keep it quiet and they did.

Why is it difficult to trust the wisdom and foresight of others when you might not see things yourself?  Why is it so difficult to choose trust over gossip?  Why is it so difficult to choose trust over anything?

Third Thought:

The disciples didn’t understand what Jesus meant when He said “rise from the dead.”  Go back and read Mark 8:31.  Clearly Jesus had told His disciples what they needed to know.  They just hadn’t grasped it.  They didn’t want to grasp it.  To be fair, in some respects it was beyond them; God was doing an incredibly unheard of thing in Jesus.  But part of their lack of understanding was their unwillingness to be open to what God was really doing through Jesus.  Because they didn’t want to hear about His rejection and death they also didn’t hear about His resurrection either.  They were confused.

How does our own perception of reality actually serve to cloud our understanding of truth?  How can our circumstances get in the way of understanding what God wants us to know?  How does each of these issues speak to our need to be even more obedient to God?

Passage for Tomorrow: Mark 9:11-13