Mark did not explain the reason for the crowd’s great amazement (Gr. exethambethesan) at seeing Jesus. Since Jesus had forbidden Peter, James, and John from speaking about the Transfiguration it is unlikely that some glorious afterglow caused the crowd’s reaction. Probably the nine disciples’ failure to cast out the demon followed by Jesus’ personal appearance produced their extreme response (cf. Mark 10:32). read more
5. The exorcism of an epileptic boy 9:14-29 (cf. Matthew 17:14-20; Luke 9:37-43a)This is the last exorcism that Mark recorded. His narration of this story includes more detail than either Matthew or Luke’s. The disciples’ lack of glory in this story contrasts with Jesus’ glory in the Transfiguration. read more
Perhaps Mark alone recorded Jesus’ question to stress His humanity. The result of the demons’ activity again shows their destructive purpose (cf. Mark 5:1-5). Jesus had given His disciples power to cast out demons (Mark 3:15), and they had done so successfully earlier (Mark 6:13). This boy showed the symptoms of epilepsy because of the demons’ affliction. read more
The unbelieving generation included the father and the crowd. The nine disciples could not exorcize the demon because of their weak faith (cf. Mark 9:29). Jesus’ first rhetorical question expressed frustration that His presence with them had not resulted in greater faith (cf. Mark 4:40; Mark 6:50; Mark 6:52; Mark 8:17-21). His second question reveals the heavy load that their unbelief placed on Him (cf. Mark 3:5; Mark 8:12). read more
Mark’s unique record of Jesus’ question shows His compassion. Demons had afflicted the boy for several years. Evidently the failure of the nine disciples weakened the father’s confidence in Jesus to help his son. read more
The father thought the crucial question was whether Jesus could heal the boy. Jesus explained that it was really whether the father believed that Jesus could heal him. This pinpointed the father’s understanding of who Jesus was. The issue was not how strongly the father believed Jesus would heal his son. This is an important distinction. Modern "faith healers" usually stress the amount of trust that the person coming for help has rather than the object of that trust. Later Jesus revealed that... read more
Jesus acted quickly to avoid greater publicity.". . . the accumulation of the vocabulary of death and resurrection in Mark 9:26-27, and the parallelism with the narrative of the raising of Jairus’ daughter [Mark 5:39-42], suggest that Mark wished to allude to a death and resurrection. The dethroning of Satan is always a reversal of death and an affirmation of life." [Note: Lane, p. 334.] read more
Evidently the nine disciples were ineffective because they believed that the power to cast out demons that Jesus had given them was now inherent in themselves. It was not. It was still God’s power, and it came directly from Him. Therefore they needed to acknowledge their dependence on Him for power to be successful. Jesus’ prayer life reflected even His dependence on the Father. Some cases require more spiritual power than others, and some demons are stronger than others (Matthew 12:45).... read more
9:1 not (e-20) A strengthened negative, 'in no wise.' come (f-32) Lit. 'having come,' not 'coming.' read more
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Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Mark 9:13
The disciples thought Elijah still had to come, but Jesus explained that he had come. His enemies had done to him what the Old Testament recorded. Jesus was speaking of John the Baptist (Matthew 17:13). The Old Testament passage to which Jesus referred was 1 Kings 19:1-3; 1 Kings 19:10. There Ahab, and especially Jezebel, swore to kill Elijah. They "wished" to execute him. This is exactly what "King" Herod Antipas, and especially Herodias, really did to John the Baptist. Now we see why Mark... read more