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Mark | 1-6 | 7:1-13 | 7:14-23 | 7:24-37 |  8:1-21 | 8:22-33 | 8:34-9:10 | 9:11-32 | 10:1-10 | 10:11-27 | 10:28-45 | 11:1-11 | 11:12-26 | 11:27-12:12 | 12:13-27 | 12:28-44 | 13-16 |

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Mark 9:11-32 Bible Study and Questions – Spiritual Warfare

Outline

I. Elijah must come first (11-13)
II. Jesus casts a demon out when His disciples couldn’t (14-29)
III. Jesus tells the disciples He will die and rise again (30-32)

I. Elijah must come first (11-13)

Discussion Questions

• How would you answer their question in verse 11?
• Did Elijah come to prepare the way for Jesus?
• Was John the Baptist Elijah?
• What is Jesus’ point in the latter part of verse 12?

Cross-References

Malachi 4:5-6 – Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.”

Luke 1:17 – And he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.

Matthew 11:7-14 – About Elijah and John the Baptist.

Psalms 22:6 and Isaiah 53 – Passages on the Messiah’s suffering.

Verse by Verse Commentary

1. Why is it that the scribes say that Elijah must come first?

The disciples did not yet understand Jesus’ death and resurrection. It is likely they understood the resurrection to be a parable for something spiritual. But they did understand that Jesus said something important about what He was going to be doing. They also believed that Jesus was the Messiah and would usher in a kingdom.

Most Jews were familiar with the Scriptures. The scribes would have taught them passages like the one below in Malachi. It is likely the disciples were remembering his prophecy that Elijah would come first before the “awesome day of the Lord.”

Malachi 4:5-6 – “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.”

This was a well-known prophecy. What the scribes didn’t see is that the Messiah’s coming was split into two distinct parts and Elijah would come before the second coming, which is referred to as the great and terrible day of the Lord.

2. Jesus’ Answer –

Mark 9:12-13 – And he said to them, “Elijah does come first to restore all things. And how is it written of the Son of Man that he should suffer many things and be treated with contempt? But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written of him.”

Jesus said that the prophecy is true and Elijah “does come first.”

Reflect – What did Jesus mean by this?

John the Baptist came in the spirit and power of Elijah.

Luke 1:17 – And he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.

We can see many similarities between the two and their ministries. Both were lone, bold truth-speakers. Their home base was in the wilderness. Their clothing and diet were similar. Rhetorically, the messages they preached were also akin. Both of them called out the sins of leaders of their day. But reincarnation is never taught in the Bible.

John the Baptist is not literally Elijah. However, his role and the ministry God gave to him was like Elijah’s. The prophecies about Elijah were figuratively fulfilled in John. Theoretically, if Jesus was accepted by the Jews as the Messiah the prophecies of Elijah coming first would have been counted as filled in John the Baptist.

But we know that God is sovereign and the Jewish rejection of Jesus as the Messiah opened the door for the gospel to go out to the Gentiles. It ushered in the whole church age. Therefore, Jesus’ coming is split into two parts, the first as a lamb and the second as a lion. The gap in the middle is home to the church age.

Elijah, who never died, will return in the flesh before the “awesome day” of Jesus’ second coming. It is likely that Elijah is one of the two witnesses mentioned in Revelation 11.

Suggested Cross-References on Elijah and John the Baptist –

• Malachi 3:1
• Malachi 4:5-6,
• Matthew 11:13-14
• John 1:19-21
• Luke 1:14-17
• Matthew 17:3
• 2 Kings 2:1, 11

3. Jesus questions them in return –

As is often the case, Jesus doesn’t just focus on answering the question. Instead, He asks another question in return asking how they don’t realize that the Messiah must suffer.

Mark 9:12 – And how is it written of the Son of Man that he should suffer many things and be treated with contempt?

In other words, the Jewish scribes picked and chose which prophecies to pay attention to and which to ignore depending on which they liked the best. Elijah was a famous prophet and well-respected. It is natural that they would have been excited to see Elijah come again. Yet they wanted the Messiah to come in power and glory and free them from the Romans and set up a great Jewish Empire which would rule the world.

The prophecies of the Messiah suffering and being treated with contempt (Psalm 22, Isaiah 53) didn’t fit with that narrative. These prophecies made them uncomfortable and they couldn’t understand them. It was easier to just ignore them.

Do we do the same thing?

We do. Sometimes we too pick and choose what we like from the Bible. We have certain “pet peeves” which we hang onto and talk about again and again.

Reflect – What pet peeve topic in Scripture do you often return to?

Other passages may make us feel uncomfortable. Or perhaps we know that we are not following some of God’s commands so we skip over those verses.

John 10:35 – If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be broken.

Not one word of the Bible will be broken. Every book, chapter, verse, sentence, and word is from God. We should not selectively choose which parts to obey.

Reflect – Are there certain passages or books of the Bible you seek to avoid? What makes you uncomfortable about them? What should you do about it?

II. Jesus casts a demon out when His disciples couldn’t (14-29)

Discussion Questions

• What were the scribes arguing with the disciples about?
• What was the problem with the boy?
• Why did Jesus rebuke them?
• What did the man request of Jesus?
• Did his request show faith?
• How did Jesus respond to his request?
• What does the part mean “all things are possible to him who believes?”
• What do we learn about Jesus from this passage?
• What do we learn about people from this passage?
• Is there anything we need to obey?
• Why were the disciples unsuccessful?
• Will a lack of prayer make us unsuccessful in other areas?
• What should you do to put this principle into practice?

Cross-References

Matthew 21:22 – And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.

Romans 10:17 – So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:7 – For we walk by faith, not by sight.

Luke 9:1 – And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases.

Verse by Verse Commentary

1. The scribes were arguing with the disciples –

Of course, the scribes were arguing with the disciples. That is just what they do! Some people are just like that.

Have you ever met someone who just likes to argue?

Generally speaking, it is better not to engage them since people who like to argue are not teachable and will just argue with whatever we say anyway.

2. An evil demon that caused self-destruction –

Mark 9:18 – And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able.

Mark 9:20-22 – And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”

This seems to be an especially evil demon. You can see the destructive and evil nature of Satan and his demons. There doesn’t seem to be any purpose or strategy. The demon is causing harm and destruction for its own sake.

This demon possessed the boy from childhood. It seemed to enjoy violence just for the sake of violence. This is the worst kind of evil.

John 10:10 – The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

Jesus said that Satan delights in tearing things down. It is important for us to understand this. Satan and his minions often make grandiose promises. They are master salesmen and can bring a good-sounding pitch.

Here are some of their promises.

• Freedom from authority
• Sexual liberty and indulgence
• Riches
• Power
• Carefree life
• No judgment
• Fun and thrills

In the end, they are like snake oil salesmen. They make big promises but do not deliver. Their goal is to enslave, captivate, exploit, abuse, steal, and destroy you. They want to take you down to hell with them.

Application – Understand your enemy. Do not believe Satan’s promises! Remove the blinders and see the lie.

If you were at war, would you believe an enemy combatant who offers you a beautiful, free, wooden horse with no strings attached?

Such promises are a trap laid by our enemies. We need to be alert.

Ephesians 6:12 – For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

The disciples had learned a lot, but they were not equipped to deal with a problem of this magnitude.

3. Jesus rebukes them –

Mark 9:19 – And he answered them, “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.”

“O faithless generation.” Jesus looked straight to the heart of the problem. The issue with the disciples was a lack of faith. People by themselves are too weak to stand up to Satan and his demons. We just don’t have it in us. He is more powerful than we are.

The only way to have victory over these powers of darkness is to petition the Lord for His help. When we are weak, He is strong.

• Eve tried to debate Satan with her own strength. It didn’t work.
• Samson tried to fight the Philistines with his own strength. It didn’t work.
• The Israelites tried to enter the Promised Land on their strength (Deuteronomy 1). It didn’t work.
• The Israelites wanted to fight the Philistines on their own terms and used the Ark of the Covenant as a “good-luck-guaranteed-win-charm” (1 Samuel 4) while leaving God out of it. It didn’t work.

Gideon, Joshua, and Daniel are just some who had success because of their faith in God and not in themselves. If you were to write down the recipe for victory on a piece of paper, it would be “faith.” Without it, we don’t stand a chance.

Application – In what area of your life, do you need to exercise more faith? Take it to God and ask Him to help you trust in Him fully in that area.

4. If you can do anything –

Mark 9:22 – But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.

The man does ask Jesus for help. Yet is not an extremely confident request. It seems to be a request motivated out of desperation. The father had likely tried every kind of way before from doctors to priests. Obviously, nothing had worked. This was beyond his power or in fact the power of any person.

Sometimes our requests are also weak and lack faith. We are all flesh and blood, people are imperfect. We struggle, fail, and fall short of what we should be in Christ. Even when we lack faith, it is better to come to God with an imperfect request than to try to solve the problem on our own.

Poor communication is often better than none. Any attempts to come to God for resolution are better than none.

5. A light rebuke –

Mark 9:23 – And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.”

Jesus gives him a slight rebuke for his lack of faith, but only a slight one. He doesn’t refuse to cast the demon out because of the father’s tepid faith. The father’s faith was very little, but he did have some because he asked. If he thought there was no possible way, he wouldn’t have even asked. Jesus responded to this tiny mustard seed of faith and reminded all the people who were watching of the importance of faith.

God is very patient with us even when we are dense and slow.

Application – As God is patient with us, so we should be patient with others. Parents, for example, should be very patient with their children. Growing up is a process. If we haven’t reached the goal yet, and we haven’t, then surely we should be patient with our kids who are newer on this journey.

6. Help my unbelief! –

Mark 9:24 – Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”

This man’s response is easy to identify with.

Reflect – Did you ever feel like this man did? What should you do when your faith is weak?

Sometimes we believe, but not strongly enough. Sometimes our belief is mixed with a seed of doubt. This man actually gave us a good example of what to do when our faith is lacking and that is to ask the Lord to strengthen our faith.

“Help my unbelief” is a very good prayer we should often make.

Reflect – A person wants to grow in faith. What are some ways you would suggest her to go about it?

7. Jesus cast the demon out – Jesus demonstrated His complete power over even the worst evil forces. He commanded the demon to come out and it did. It didn’t want to. But it had no choice but to submit to the King of Kings.

These verses alone should build up our faith. We are on His team! He will use His power on our behalf if we ask Him to.

8. Why the disciples failed to drive it out –

Mark 9:28-29 – And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.”

Why we could not cast it out?

The disciples did not use the right method. This shows that there are different types of demons. Apparently, some are weaker and easier to beat. Perhaps they get scared at even the mention of God’s name. This one was a tougher lot. He wouldn’t come out unless he absolutely had to. And the disciples could not make him. The only way to make the demon come out was to pray for God’s help because He is the only one powerful enough to do it.

It is a reminder that God is the one who gives us victory (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Application – Have you faced any situations like this? What can we do when it seems we can’t do anything? What should do when we are not strong enough? What should we do when we think we are strong enough? How can we make sure that we are relying on God when we face problems, decisions, temptations, and trials?

III. Jesus tells the disciples He will die and rise again (30-32)

Discussion Questions

• How many times did Jesus bring up His death and resurrection in the past couple of chapters?
• Why do you think He kept mentioning it again and again?
• After the third time, the disciples got it, right?

Verse by Verse Commentary

1. The disciples did not understand Jesus’ words –

Mark 9:31-32 – “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise.” But they did not understand the saying, and were afraid to ask him.

Jesus often talked in parables. Many times, there was a meaning underneath the surface meaning. It seems that they thought this might be some kind of parable.

They believed Jesus was the Messiah and would set up an earthly kingdom. Even after His resurrection up to the last moments before His ascension, they still believed this (Acts 1:6).

Growth was a process. Their understanding grew little by little. The disciples did not become the pillars of the faith that we see in Acts in one day.

Neither do we grow to maturity instantly. It takes time. Often it takes too much time because we are set back by sin.

Let us pray for forward movement and step-by-step growth. Let us also pray that we would be soft clay, easily molded by His masterful hands, and not hard, brittle clay that won’t bend.