Markus 9:3 Kommentar

In this chapter, we have, I. Christ's transfiguration upon the mount (Mar 9:1-13). II. His casting the devil out of a child, when the disciples could not do it (v. 14-29). III. His prediction of his own sufferings and death (Mar 9:30-32). IV. The check he gave to his disciples for disputing who should be greatest (Mar 9:33-37); and to John for rebuking one who cast out devils in Christ's name, and did not follow with them (v. 38-41). V. Christ's discourse with his disciples of the danger of offending one of his little ones (v. 42), and of indulging that in ourselves, which is an offence and an occasion of sin to us (v. 43-50), most of which passages we had before, Mt. 17 and 18.

And he said unto them,.... Both to his disciples, and the multitude, verily I say unto you, there be some of them that stand here; that were then living, and upon the spot, which shall not taste of death, or die, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power. When Jesus was declared both Lord and Christ, by the wonderful effusion of the Holy Spirit; the Gospel spread in the world both among Jews and Gentiles, in spite of all opposition, under the power and influence of the grace of God, to the conversion of thousands of souls; and that branch of Christ's regal power exerted in the destruction of the Jewish nation; See Gill on Mat 16:28. This verse properly belongs to the foregoing chapter, to which it is placed in the Vulgate Latin version; and so it concludes one in Matthew, and ought not to begin a new chapter.

And his raiment became shining,.... With the rays of glory and brightness which darted from his body through his clothes, and made them as bright as the light of the sun at noon day: and exceeding white as snow; than which nothing is whiter; so as no fuller on earth can white them. The Syriac version renders it, "as men cannot white on earth"; and the Persic thus, "so as men could not behold him". Just as the Israelites could not steadfastly behold the face of Moses, because of the glory of his countenance, when he came down from the mount; See Gill on Mat 17:2.

(in Matt. tom. xii. 39) Or else, fullers upon earth may by a moral interpretation be considered to be the wise of this world, who are thought to adorn even their foul understandings and doctrines with a false whitening drawn from their own minds. But their skill as fullers cannot produce any thing like a discourse which shows forth the brightness of spiritual conceptions in the unpolished words of Scripture, which by many are despised.

But when he is transfigured, his face also shines as the sun that he may be manifested to the children of light who have put off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light, and are no longer the children of darkness or night but have become the sons of day, and walk honestly as in the day. Being manifested, he will shine unto them not simply as the sun, but as demonstrated to be the sun of righteousness.

Perhaps the "fullers upon the earth" refers to the wise men of this world who cultivate the art of rhetoric. They imagine that their own poor thoughts might appear bright and clean because of their speech, adorned as it is with verbal bleaching. But the One who shows his own garments glistening to those who have ascended, and even brighter than any bleaching could ever make them, is the Word, who exhibits in the expression of the Scriptures (which are despised by many) the glistening of his thoughts, when the raiment of Jesus becomes white and dazzling.

How did he shine? Tell me. Exceedingly. And how do you express this? He shone as the sun. As the sun, you say? Yes. Why the sun? Because I do not know any other luminary more brilliant. And he was white, you say, as snow? Why as snow? Because I do not know any other substance which is whiter. But he did not strictly speaking shine merely as the sun shines daily. This is proved by what follows: the disciples fell to the ground. If he had shone as the sun daily shines, the disciples would not have fallen, for they saw the sun every day, and did not fall. But inasmuch as he shone more brilliantly than the sun or snow, they, being unable to bear the splendor, fell to the earth.

Or else, white garments are the writings of Evangelists and Apostles, the like to which no interpreter can frame.

What this sun is to the eyes of the flesh, that is the Lord to the eyes of the heart.

(Vict. Ant. e Cat. in Marc.) It is not therefore fitting that in the kingdom of God any change of feature should take place, either in the Saviour Himself, or in those who are to be made like unto him, but only an addition of brightness.

Or else, by the fuller are meant holy preachers and purifiers of the soul, none of whom in this life can so live as not to be stained with some spots of sin; but in the coming resurrection all the saints shall be purged from every stain of sin. Therefore the Lord will make them such as neither they themselves by taking vengeance on their own members, nor any preacher by his example and doctrine, can make.

(Mor. 32, 6) Because, in the height of the brightness of heaven above, they who shine in righteousness of life, will cling to Him; for by the name of garments, He means the just whom He joins to Himself.

And he (says) was transfigured before them, and his garments became exceedingly radiant white like snow. The transfigured Savior did not lose the substance of true flesh but showed the glory of his or our future resurrection. He, as he then appeared to the apostles, will appear likewise to all the elect after judgment. For at the very time of judgment, he will be seen by both the good and the wicked in the form of a servant, so that the ungodly may recognize him whom they despised, the Jews him whom they denied, the soldiers him whom they crucified, and Pilate and Herod him whom they judged. The garments of the Lord, rightly, are understood as his saints, as the Apostle testifies, who says: For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ (Galatians III). These garments, indeed, seemed despised and similar to others while the Lord was on earth; but when he ascends the mountain, they shine with new brightness because now indeed we are children of God, but it has not yet appeared what we shall be. We know that when he appears, we shall be like him. For we shall see him as he is (1 John III). Hence it is well added about these same garments: Such as no fuller on earth can whiten. For it is understood that the fuller is to be interpreted as him whom the penitent Psalmist prays to: Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin (Psalm L). He cannot give to his faithful on earth the brightness that remains preserved for them in the heavens.

(ubi sup.) And by the garments of the Lord are meant His saints, who will shine with a new whiteness. By the fuller we must understand Him, to whom the Psalmist says, (Ps. 51) Wash me throughly from my wickedness, and cleanse me from my sin; for He cannot give to His faithful ones upon earth that glory which remains laid up for them in heaven.

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.

And He takes with Him the three chiefs of the Apostles, Peter, as confessing and loving him, John, as the beloved one, James, as being sublime in speech and as a divine; for so displeasing was he to the Jews, that Herod wishing to please the Jews slew him. And He took them apart, because He was about to reveal mysteries to them. We must also understand by transfiguration not the change of His features, but that, whilst His features remained as before, there was added unto Him a certain ineffable brightness. Again mystically; after the end of this world, which was made in six days, Jesus will take us up (if we be His disciples) into an high mountain, that is, into heaven, where we shall see His exceeding glory.

The transfiguration of Christ, and the discourse occasioned by it, Mar 9:1-13. He casts out a dumb spirit which his disciples could not, vv. 14-29. He foretells his death, Mar 9:30-32. The disciples dispute about supremacy, and Christ corrects them, Mar 9:33-37. Of the person who cast out demons in Christ's name, but did not follow him, Mar 9:38-40. Every kind of office done to the disciples of Christ shall be rewarded by him, and all injuries done to them shall be punished, Mar 9:41, Mar 9:42. The necessity of mortification and self-denial, Mar 9:43-48. Of the salting of sacrifices, Mar 9:49; and the necessity of having union among the disciples of Christ, Mar 9:50.

THIRD EXPLICIT AND STILL FULLER ANNOUNCEMENT OF HIS APPROACHING SUFFERINGS, DEATH, AND RESURRECTION--THE AMBITIOUS REQUEST OF JAMES AND JOHN, AND THE REPLY. ( = Mat 20:17-28; Luk 18:31-34). (Mar 10:32-45) And they were in the way--on the road. going up to Jerusalem--in Perea, and probably somewhere between Ephraim and Jericho, on the farther side of the Jordan, and to the northeast of Jerusalem. and Jesus went before them--as GROTIUS says, in the style of an intrepid Leader. and they were amazed--or "struck with astonishment" at His courage in advancing to certain death. and as they followed, they were afraid--for their own safety. These artless, lifelike touches--not only from an eye-witness, but one whom the noble carriage of the Master struck with wonder and awe--are peculiar to Mark, and give the second Gospel a charm all its own; making us feel as if we ourselves were in the midst of the scenes it describes. Well might the poet exclaim: "The Saviour, what a noble flame Was kindled in His breast, When, hasting to Jerusalem, He march'd before the rest!" COWPER And he took again the twelve--referring to His previous announcements on this sad subject. and began to tell them what things should happen unto him--"were going to befall Him." The word expresses something already begun but not brought to a head, rather than something wholly future.