9 1Then Jesus said, "Believe me when I say that some of you people standing here will see God's kingdoma come with power before you die."5Peter said to Jesus, "Teacher, it is good that we are here. We will put three tents here - one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." 6Peter did not know what to say, because he and the other two followers were so afraid. 7Then a cloud came and covered them. A voice came from the cloud and said, "This is my Son, the one I love. Obey him!" 8The followers looked, but they saw only Jesus there alone with them. 9As Jesus and the followers were walking back down the mountain, he gave them these instructions: "Don't tell anyone about what you saw on the mountain. Wait until after the Son of Mand rises from death. Then you can tell people what you saw." 10So the followers waited to say anything about what they saw. But they discussed among themselves what Jesus meant about rising from death. 11They asked him, "Why do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must comee first?" 12Jesus answered, "They are right to say that Elijah must come first. Elijah makes all things the way they should be. But why do the Scripturesf say that the Son of Man will suffer much and that people will think he is worth nothing? 13I tell you that Elijah has already come. And people did to him all the bad things they wanted to do. The Scriptures said this would happen to him." 16Jesus asked, "What are you arguing about with the teachers of the law?" 17A man answered, "Teacher, I brought my son to you. He is controlled by an evil spirit that keeps him from talking. 18The spirit attacks him and throws him on the ground. He foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes very stiff. I asked your followers to force the evil spirit out, but they could not." 19Jesus answered, "You people today don't believe! How long must I stay with you? How long must I be patient with you? Bring the boy to me!" 20So the followers brought the boy to Jesus. When the evil spirit saw Jesus, it attacked the boy. The boy fell down and rolled on the ground. He was foaming at the mouth. 21Jesus asked the boy's father, "How long has this been happening to him?" The father answered, "Since he was very young. 22The spirit often throws him into a fire or into water to kill him. If you can do anything, please have pity on us and help us." 23Jesus said to the father, "Why did you say 'if you can'? All things are possible for the one who believes." 24Immediately the father shouted, "I do believe. Help me to believe more!" 25Jesus saw that all the people were running there to see what was happening. So he spoke to the evil spirit. He said, "You evil spirit that makes this boy deaf and stops him from talking - I command you to come out of him and never enter him again!" 26The evil spirit screamed. It caused the boy to fall on the ground again, and then it came out. The boy looked as if he was dead. Many people said, "He is dead!" 27But Jesus took hold of his hand and helped him stand up. 28Then Jesus went into the house. His followers were alone with him there. They said, "Why weren't we able to force that evil spirit out?" 29Jesus answered, "That kind of spirit can be forced out only with prayerg." 35Jesus sat down and called the twelve apostlesi to him. He said, "Whoever wants to be the most important must make others more important than themselves. They must serve everyone else." 36Then Jesus took a small child and stood the child in front of the followers. He held the child in his arms and said, 37"Whoever accepts children like these in my name is accepting me. And anyone who accepts me is also accepting the one who sent me." 39Jesus said, "Don't stop him. Whoever uses my name to do powerful things will not soon say bad things about me. 40Whoever is not against us is with us. 41I can assure you that anyone who helps you by giving you a drink of water because you belong to the Messiahk will definitely get a reward. 49"Everyone will be salted with fire.o 50"Salt is good. But if it loses its salty taste, you can't make it good again. So, don't lose that good quality of salt you have. And live in peace with each other." aGod¡¯s kingdom The ¡°reign¡± or ¡°rule¡± of God over all people who submit to him by accepting Jesus as the Messiah (the appointed king), who represents God¡¯s kingdom on earth. Jesus was the perfect example of submission to the will of God. When people give control of their lives to Jesus, they become part of God¡¯s kingdom and begin to enjoy the blessings he has promised his people from the beginning. (Note that in Matthew this term also translates the Greek word ¡°kingdom¡± by itself or the phrase, ¡°the kingdom of the heavens,¡± which was used by Jews as a way to avoid saying the divine name.) bElijah A very important Israelite leader and prophet who spoke for God during a 25-year period ending about 850 b.c. In the time of Jesus, the Jews were expecting Elijah to come again before the Messiah. See Mal. 4:5-6. cMoses One of the most important leaders of the Israelites during the time of the Old Testament. God used him to give the people his law, which is often called ¡°the Law of Moses.¡± dSon of Man The name that Jesus most often used for himself. The phrase in Hebrew or Aramaic means ¡°human being¡± or ¡°mankind,¡± but in Dan. 7:13-14 it is used of a future savior and king, and this was later understood to be the Messiah, the one God would send to save his people. e9:11 Elijah must come See Mal. 4:5-6. fScripture Part of the Scriptures or ¡°Holy Writings¡± - the Old Testament. g9:29 prayer Some Greek copies have ¡°prayer and fasting.¡± hCapernaum A town on the northern shore of Lake Galilee where Jesus often spent time and taught. iapostle A follower of Jesus chosen to represent him in a special way. During his earthly ministry, Jesus named twelve men as apostles. They had the specific responsibility and authority to represent him and proclaim his message throughout the world. Later, he appeared to Paul and gave him a similar commission, especially to non-Jewish people. Barnabas, Paul¡¯s missionary companion, and James, the brother of Jesus, are also called apostles, as well as several others in the New Testament. Some of these occurrences of the word, however, have the more general sense of ¡°messenger¡± or ¡°representative.¡± jdemon An evil spirit from the devil. kMessiah A Hebrew word that has the same meaning as the Greek word Christ (see ¡°Christ¡±). It was a title for the kings of God¡¯s people in the Old Testament and for the special king God promised to send as a ¡°savior¡± to defeat evil and establish the reign of God. Many prophets made it clear that this new kingdom would be eternal; that is, not only would the promised Messiah bring about a time of justice and right living among God¡¯s people here on earth, but also his kingdom would extend beyond this world to life forever with God. However, most Jews of the first century expected the Messiah to be a political ruler here on earth who would defeat the other nations and return the nation of Israel to a position of great glory and power. But God intended his Messiah to establish a new ¡°Israel,¡± an eternal kingdom that would bless all the nations. lmillstone A large, round stone used for grinding grain. m9:44 Some Greek copies add verse 44, which is the same as verse 48. n9:46 Some Greek copies add verse 46, which is the same as verse 48. o9:49 Some Greek copies add, ¡°and every sacrifice will be salted with salt.¡± In the Old Testament salt was put on sacrifices. This verse could mean that Jesus¡¯ followers will be tested by suffering and that they must offer themselves to God as sacrifices. |