A Day in the Life of Jesus

1Then Jesus said to the people, “I tell you the truth, some people standing here will see the kingdom of God come with power before they die.”
Jesus Talks with Moses and Elijah
Mark 9:1 (NCV)
2Six days later, Jesus took Peter, James, and John up on a high mountain by themselves. While they watched, Jesus’ appearance was changed.
Mark 9:2 (NCV)
3His clothes became shining white, whiter than any person could make them.
Mark 9:3 (NCV)
4Then Elijah and Moses appeared to them, talking with Jesus.
Mark 9:4 (NCV)
5Peter said to Jesus, “Teacher, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
Mark 9:5 (NCV)
6Peter did not know what to say, because he and the others were so frightened.
Mark 9:6 (NCV)
7Then a cloud came and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”
Mark 9:7 (NCV)
8Suddenly Peter, James, and John looked around, but they saw only Jesus there alone with them.
Mark 9:8 (NCV)
9As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone about what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
Mark 9:9 (NCV)
10So the followers obeyed Jesus, but they discussed what he meant about rising from the dead.
Mark 9:10 (NCV)
11Then they asked Jesus, “Why do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?”
Mark 9:11 (NCV)
12Jesus answered, “They are right to say that Elijah must come first and make everything the way it should be. But why does the Scripture say that the Son of Man will suffer much and that people will treat him as if he were nothing?
Mark 9:12 (NCV)
13I tell you that Elijah has already come. And people did to him whatever they wanted to do, just as the Scriptures said it would happen.”
Jesus Heals a Sick Boy
Mark 9:13 (NCV)
14When Jesus, Peter, James, and John came back to the other followers, they saw a great crowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them.
Mark 9:14 (NCV)
15But as soon as the crowd saw Jesus, the people were surprised and ran to welcome him.
Mark 9:15 (NCV)
16Jesus asked, “What are you arguing about?”
Mark 9:16 (NCV)
17A man answered, “Teacher, I brought my son to you. He has an evil spirit in him that stops him from talking.
Mark 9:17 (NCV)
18When the spirit attacks him, it throws him on the ground. Then my son foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes very stiff. I asked your followers to force the evil spirit out, but they couldn’t.”
Mark 9:18 (NCV)
19Jesus answered, “You people have no faith. How long must I stay with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.”
Mark 9:19 (NCV)
20So the followers brought him to Jesus. As soon as the evil spirit saw Jesus, it made the boy lose control of himself, and he fell down and rolled on the ground, foaming at the mouth.
Mark 9:20 (NCV)
21Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has this been happening?”
The father answered, “Since he was very young.
Mark 9:21 (NCV)
22The spirit often throws him into a fire or into water to kill him. If you can do anything for him, please have pity on us and help us.”
Mark 9:22 (NCV)
23Jesus said to the father, “You said, ‘If you can!’ All things are possible for the one who believes.”
Mark 9:23 (NCV)
24Immediately the father cried out, “I do believe! Help me to believe more!”
Mark 9:24 (NCV)
25When Jesus saw that a crowd was quickly gathering, he ordered the evil spirit, saying, “You spirit that makes people unable to hear or speak, I command you to come out of this boy and never enter him again!”
Mark 9:25 (NCV)
26The evil spirit screamed and caused the boy to fall on the ground again. Then the spirit came out. The boy looked as if he were dead, and many people said, “He is dead!”
Mark 9:26 (NCV)
27But Jesus took hold of the boy’s hand and helped him to stand up.
Mark 9:27 (NCV)
28When Jesus went into the house, his followers began asking him privately, “Why couldn’t we force that evil spirit out?”
Mark 9:28 (NCV)
29Jesus answered, “That kind of spirit can only be forced out by prayer.”
Jesus Talks About His Death
Mark 9:29 (NCV)
30Then Jesus and his followers left that place and went through Galilee. He didn’t want anyone to know where he was,
Mark 9:30 (NCV)
31because he was teaching his followers. He said to them, “The Son of Man will be handed over to people, and they will kill him. After three days, he will rise from the dead.”
Mark 9:31 (NCV)
32But the followers did not understand what Jesus meant, and they were afraid to ask him.
Who Is the Greatest?
Mark 9:32 (NCV)
33Jesus and his followers went to Capernaum. When they went into a house there, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?”
Mark 9:33 (NCV)
34But the followers did not answer, because their argument on the road was about which one of them was the greatest.
Mark 9:34 (NCV)
35Jesus sat down and called the twelve apostles to him. He said, “Whoever wants to be the most important must be last of all and servant of all.”
Mark 9:35 (NCV)
36Then Jesus took a small child and had him stand among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said,
Mark 9:36 (NCV)
37“Whoever accepts a child like this in my name accepts me. And whoever accepts me accepts the One who sent me.”
Anyone Not Against Us Is for Us
Mark 9:37 (NCV)
38Then John said, “Teacher, we saw someone using your name to force demons out of a person. We told him to stop, because he does not belong to our group.”
Mark 9:38 (NCV)
39But Jesus said, “Don’t stop him, because anyone who uses my name to do powerful things will not easily say evil things about me.
Mark 9:39 (NCV)
40Whoever is not against us is with us.
Mark 9:40 (NCV)
41I tell you the truth, whoever gives you a drink of water because you belong to the Christ will truly get his reward.
Mark 9:41 (NCV)
42“If one of these little children believes in me, and someone causes that child to sin, it would be better for that person to have a large stone tied around his neck and be drowned in the sea.
Mark 9:42 (NCV)
43If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to lose part of your body and live forever than to have two hands and go to hell, where the fire never goes out.
Mark 9:43 (NCV)
45If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to lose part of your body and to live forever than to have two feet and be thrown into hell.
Mark 9:45 (NCV)
47If your eye causes you to sin, take it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell.
Mark 9:47 (NCV)
48In hell the worm does not die; the fire is never put out.
Mark 9:48 (NCV)
49Every person will be salted with fire.
Mark 9:49 (NCV)
50“Salt is good, but if the salt loses its salty taste, you cannot make it salty again. So, be full of salt, and have peace with each other.”
Mark 9:50 (NCV)

SITUATION:
Jesus explained what God’s kingdom was about. The disciples could not fathom God’s eternal plan. Jesus brought Peter, James and John up on a mountaintop. There Jesus’ true glory was revealed, and Elijah and Moses appeared to the disciples as God spoke to them.

OBSERVATION:
Even the majestic Son of God sympathizes with our most desperate cries.

INSPIRATION:
Some of you pray like a Concorde jet - smooth, sleek, high, and mighty. Your words reverberate in the clouds and send sonic booms throughout the heavens. If you pray like a Concorde, I salute you. If you don’t, I understand.
Maybe you are like me, more a crop duster than a Concorde. You aren’t flashy, you fly low, you seem to cover the same ground a lot, and some mornings it’s tough to get the old engine cranked up.
Most of us are like that. Most of our prayer lives could use a tune-up.
Some prayer lives lack consistency. They’re either a desert or an oasis…
We go days for weeks without consistent prayer, but then something happens - we hear a sermon, read a book, experience a tragedy-something leads us to pray, so we dive in. We submerge ourselves in prayer and leave refreshed and renewed. But as the journey resumes, our prayers don’t.
Others of us need sincerity. Our prayers are a bit hollow, memorized and rigid. More liturgy than life. And though they are daily, they are dull.
Still others lack, well, honesty. We honestly wonder if prayer makes a difference. Why on earth would God in heaven want to talk to me? ...
If you struggle with prayer, I’ve got just the guy for you. Don’t worry; he’s not a monastic saint. He’s not a calloused kneed apostle. Nor is he a prophet whose middle name is meditation. He’s not a too-holy-to-be-you reminder of how far you need to go in prayer. He’s just the opposite. A fellow crop duster. A parent with a sick son in need of a miracle. The father’s prayer isn’t much, be the answer is, and the result reminds us. The power is not in the prayer; it’s in the one who hears it.
He prayed out of desperation. His son, his only son, was demon-possessed. Not only was he a deaf mute and an epileptic, he was also possessed by an evil spirit. Ever since the boy was young, the demon had thrown him into fires and water.
Imagine the pain of the father. Other dads could watch their children grow and mature; he could only watch his suffer. While others were teaching their sons as occupation, he was just trying to keep his son alive…
He was desperate and tired, and his prayer reflects both, “If you can do anything for him, please have pity on us and help us.”
Listen to that prayer. Does it sound courageous? Confident? Strong? Hardly.
One word would have made a lot of difference. Instead of if, what if he’d said since? “Since you can do anything for him, please have pity on us and help us.”
But that’s not what he said. He said if. The Greek is even more emphatic. The tense implies doubt. It’s as if the man were saying. “This one’s probably out of your league, but it you can…
A classic crop-duster appeal. More meek than might. More timid than towering. More like a crippled lamb coming to a shepherd than a proud lion roaring in the jungle. If his prayer sounds like yours, then don’t be discouraged, for that’s where prayer begins.
It begins as a yearning. An honest appeal. Ordinary people staring at Mount Everest. No pretense. No boasting. No posturing. Just prayer, Feeble prayer, but prayer nonetheless. (From He Still Moves Stones by Max Lucado).

APPLICATION:
What is your most desperate prayer? Does a rebellious child cause you grief? Is a parent dying without Christ? Are you frantic about tomorrow’s bills? Tell God about your grief and anxiety.

EXPLORATION:
Accepting Christ – Luke 2:9-11; 19:6-20; John 3:1-20.