The Apostles had been gladdened by the promise of the coming Kingdom. The transfiguring light that shone from our Lord's face differed from the shining of Moses' face. With Moses the light was from without, and faded; but with Christ the light shone from within. Surely at that moment He might have stepped back into heaven by the open door, through which the representatives of the Law and the prophets had come; but He turned His back on the joy of the Father's home, and set His face to endure the cross, that He might become, not the example only, but the Redeemer of men. What a contrast between that scene on Hermon's slopes, where the glory of Jesus was brighter than the glistening snows about Him, and that below, where the demoniac child writhed in pain! Raphael does well to group these two incidents in one picture, for we are shown here that the duty of the Church is not to build tabernacles on the mount of vision, but to take her way into the haunts of crime and misery and cope with the power of Satan. Faith is the channel through which the divine power passes. Its quantity is of less importance than its quality. It may be minute as a mustard seed, but, like it, must contain the principle of life. [source]
Chapter Summary: Mark 9
1Jesus is transfigured 11He instructs his disciples concerning the coming of Elijah; 14casts forth a deaf and mute spirit; 30foretells his death and resurrection; 33exhorts his disciples to humility; 38bidding them not to prohibit such as are not against them, 42nor to give offense to any of the faithful
Greek Commentary for Mark 9:8
Suddenly looking round about [exapina periblepsamenoi)] Matthew 17:8 has it “lifting up their eyes.” Mark is more graphic. The sudden glance around on the mountain side when the cloud with Moses and Elijah was gone. [source]
Jesus only with themselves [meth' heautōn ei mē Iēsoun monon)] Mark shows their surprise at the situation. They were sore afraid (Matthew 17:6) before Jesus touched them. [source]
Suddenly [ἐξάπινα] The Greek word only here in the New Testament. [source]
Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Mark 9:8
Mark 3:5When he had looked round on them with anger [περιβλεπσαμενος αυτους μετ οργης] Mark has a good deal to say about the looks of Jesus with this word (Mark 3:5,Mark 3:34; Mark 5:37; Mark 9:8; Mark 10:23; Mark 11:11) as here. So Luke only once, Luke 6:10. The eyes of Jesus swept the room all round and each rabbinical hypocrite felt the cut of that condemnatory glance. This indignant anger was not inconsistent with the love and pity of Jesus. Murder was in their hearts and Jesus knew it. Anger against wrong as wrong is a sign of moral health (Gould). [source]
Luke 9:36Alone [μονος] Same adjective in Mark 9:8; Matthew 17:8 translated “only.” Should be rendered “alone” there also.They held their peace (εσιγησαν esigēsan). Ingressive aorist active of common verb σιγαω sigaō became silent. In Mark 9:9; Matthew 17:9, Jesus commanded them not to tell till His Resurrection from the dead. Luke notes that they in awe obeyed that command and it turns out that they finally forgot the lesson of this night‘s great experience. By and by they will be able to tell them, but not “in those days.”Which they had seen Attraction of the relative α ha into the case of the unexpressed antecedent τουτων toutōn Perfect active indicative εωρακαν heōrakan with Koiné (papyri) form for the ancient εωρακασιν heōrakāsin changed by analogy to the first aorist ending in -αν an instead of -ασιν asin f0). [source]
Greek Commentary for Mark 9:8
Matthew 17:8 has it “lifting up their eyes.” Mark is more graphic. The sudden glance around on the mountain side when the cloud with Moses and Elijah was gone. [source]
Mark shows their surprise at the situation. They were sore afraid (Matthew 17:6) before Jesus touched them. [source]
The Greek word only here in the New Testament. [source]
Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Mark 9:8
Mark has a good deal to say about the looks of Jesus with this word (Mark 3:5, Mark 3:34; Mark 5:37; Mark 9:8; Mark 10:23; Mark 11:11) as here. So Luke only once, Luke 6:10. The eyes of Jesus swept the room all round and each rabbinical hypocrite felt the cut of that condemnatory glance. This indignant anger was not inconsistent with the love and pity of Jesus. Murder was in their hearts and Jesus knew it. Anger against wrong as wrong is a sign of moral health (Gould). [source]
Same adjective in Mark 9:8; Matthew 17:8 translated “only.” Should be rendered “alone” there also.They held their peace (εσιγησαν esigēsan). Ingressive aorist active of common verb σιγαω sigaō became silent. In Mark 9:9; Matthew 17:9, Jesus commanded them not to tell till His Resurrection from the dead. Luke notes that they in awe obeyed that command and it turns out that they finally forgot the lesson of this night‘s great experience. By and by they will be able to tell them, but not “in those days.”Which they had seen Attraction of the relative α ha into the case of the unexpressed antecedent τουτων toutōn Perfect active indicative εωρακαν heōrakan with Koiné (papyri) form for the ancient εωρακασιν heōrakāsin changed by analogy to the first aorist ending in -αν an instead of -ασιν asin f0). [source]