Mark 9:30

9:30-40 The time of Christ's suffering drew nigh. Had he been delivered into the hands of devils, and they had done this, it had not been so strange; but that men should thus shamefully treat the Son of man, who came to redeem and save them, is wonderful. Still observe that when Christ spake of his death, he always spake of his resurrection, which took the reproach of it from himself, and should have taken the grief of it from his disciples. Many remain ignorant because they are ashamed to inquire. Alas! that while the Saviour teaches so plainly the things which belong to his love and grace, men are so blinded that they understand not his sayings. We shall be called to account about our discourses, and to account for our disputes, especially about being greater than others. Those who are most humble and self-denying, most resemble Christ, and shall be most tenderly owned by him. This Jesus taught them by a sign; whoever shall receive one like this child, receives me. Many have been like the disciples, ready to silence men who have success in preaching to sinners repentance in Christ's name, because they follow not with them. Our Lord blamed the apostles, reminding them that he who wrought miracles in his name would not be likely to hurt his cause. If sinners are brought to repent, to believe in the Saviour, and to live sober, righteous, and godly lives, we then see that the Lord works by the preacher.

Mark 9:30-32 . And they departed thence — From the country of Cesarea Philippi; and passed through Galilee — Not through the cities, but by them, in the most private ways; for he would not that any man should know it — Lest the important conversation into which he then intended to enter with his disciples should be interrupted by company; for he purposed to converse freely with them, and instruct them fully concerning his sufferings. For he taught his disciples, &c. — The evangelist here assigns this as the reason why he desired his journey to be private, namely, that he might have an opportunity to talk over this subject at large. And said, The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men — It is as sure as if it were done already. This declaration, according to Luke, he prefaced with saying, Let these sayings sink down into your ears, signifying hereby, not only their certain truth, but their unspeakable importance, and that they ought to be seriously considered and laid to heart. But they understood not that saying — They could not comprehend how he, who was to abide on earth for ever, and was to deliver others from the universal destroyer, should himself fall under his stroke: Or, they could not reconcile his death, nor consequently his resurrection, which supposed his death, with their notions of his temporal kingdom: Luke says, And it was hid from them, namely, by their own prejudices and misconceptions concerning the Messiah.

For, seeing he spake of rising again the third day, they were not able to divine any reason for his dying at all, being ignorant, as yet, of the nature and ends of his death. And they were afraid to ask him — Taking no comfort from the mention that was made of his resurrection, the prediction raised such fears in their minds, that they durst not ask him to explain it; especially as they remembered that he had often inculcated it, and had reprimanded Peter for being unwilling to hear it.

Mark 9:30-32 . Comp. Matthew 17:22 f., who abridges, and Luke 9:43-45 . ἐκεῖθεν ] out of the region of Caesarea Philippi, Mark 8:27 . παρεπορεύοντο ] they journeyed along through Galilee, i.e. they passed through in such a way, that (until Capernaum, Mark 9:33 ) they never tarried anywhere. Comp. Deuteronomy 2:4 ; Deuteronomy 2:14 ; Bar 4:37 ; also Mark 2:23 . The travelling along by-ways (Lange) is not implied in the verb. καὶ οὐκ ἤθελεν , ἵνα τὶς γνῷ (Lachmann, Tischendorf read γνοῖ ; see on Mark 5:43 ): similar to Mark 7:24 . But here ( ἵνα ) the contents of the wish is conceived as its design . The reason why Jesus wished to journey unknown is given by ἐδίδασκε γὰρ κ . τ . λ ., Mark 9:31 , for which deeply grave instruction He desired to be entirely undisturbed with His disciples. This ἐδίδασκε was the continuance of the ἤρξατο διδάσκειν of Mark 8:31 ; hence there is no reason for understanding in the passage before us not the Twelve, but the scattered adherents in Galilee (Lange). Moreover, αὐτούς in Mark 9:33 is decisive against this. Comp. Mark 9:35 . παραδίδοται the near and certain future realized as present. καὶ ἀποκτανθείς ] has in it something solemn. Comp. Pflugk, ad Eur. Hec. 25. Mark 9:32 . The instructions of Jesus were so opposed to their Messianic expectations, that they not only did not comprehend them, but they, moreover, shrank from any more precise disclosure concerning the inconceivable gloomy fate before them.

(30-32) And they departed thence. —See Notes on Matthew 17:22-23 . He would not that any man should know it.—We note St. Mark’s addition, as showing that the apparent shrinking from publicity which had marked our Lord’s action since the feeding of the Four Thousand still continued.

Mark 9:30 . Παρεπορεύοντο , they were passing by ) not through the cities, but going past [ passing by ] them.— οὐκ ἤθελεν , ἵνα τις γυῷ , He would not that any should know ) Hence may be inferred the reason, why the Saviour sometimes forbade Himself to be spoken of abroad, whilst at other times He did not forbid it: Mark 9:31 .[6] [6] Implies that His reason in the former case was, that He did not wish to hurry forward His crucifixion before the due time.—ED. and TRANSL.

30–32 . Predictions of the Passion 30 . And they departed thence ] From the northern regions, into which our Lord had penetrated, He now turned His steps once more towards Galilee, probably taking the route by Dan across the slopes of Lebanon, thus escaping the publicity of the ordinary high roads, and securing secrecy and seclusion. “It was the last time He was to visit the scene of so great a part of His public life, and He felt, as He journeyed on, that He would no more pass from village to village as openly as in days gone by, for the eyes of His enemies were everywhere upon Him.” and passed ] The word thus translated occurs five times in the N. T. It is applied to the disciples passing through the cornfields ( Mark 2:23 ); to their passing by along the road from Bethany and noticing the withered fig-tree ( Mark 11:20 ); to those that passed by and reviled our Lord upon the Cross ( Matthew 27:39 ; Mark 15:19 ). Here it seems to denote that, avoiding populous places, He and His Apostles sought bye-paths among the hills, where He would meet few and be little known.

Verse 30. - This verse informs us that our Lord and his disciples now left the neighbourhood of Caesarea Philippi. Their route would be across the Jordan above the Sea of Galilee, and so by the usual track through Galilee down to Capernaum. Our Lord now wished for privacy, that he might farther instruct his disciples with regard to his sufferings and death. Mark 9:30

Ver. 30-32. Our Saviour, as the time of his suffering approached more nearly, did more frequently inculcate it to his disciples, that being forewarned, they might also be forearmed against the temptation of it; and we learn from Luke 24:21 , that all was too little, for when they saw these things come to pass they began to flag as to their faith: they said, But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel. Our Saviour said unto them, The Son of man is delivered; which is expounded by Matthew 17:22,23 , The Son of man shall be betrayed. He was already delivered in the sure counsel of God, and what God hath revealed shall be done, because of the certainty of the effect, is often in Scripture spoken of as a thing already done. That phrase, Mark 9:31 , the third day, th trith hmera, expounds that other phrase which we meet with, Mark 8:31 . meta treiv hmerav, which we translate after three days, and makes the meaning of the evangelists plain to have been as we determined it.