Mark 9:13Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

But what Christ answered to this, is seen by what follows, And he answered and told them, Elias verily cometh first, and restoreth all things; in which He shews that Elias will come before His second advent. For the Scriptures declare two advents of Christ, namely, one which has taken place, and another which is to come; but the Lord asserts that Elias is the forerunner of the second advent.

Which He did lest men should be offended, hearing such glorious things of Him Whom they were about to see crucified. It was not therefore fitting to say such things of Christ before He suffered, but after His resurrection they were likely to be believed.

This, which is peculiar to Mark, means, that when death shall have been swallowed up in victory, we shall have no memory for the former things. It goes on, And they asked him, saying, Why say the Scribes that Elias must first come.

After the shewing of the mystery on the mount, the Lord commanded His disciples, as they were coming down from the mount, not to reveal His transfiguration, before the glory of His Passion and Resurrection; wherefore it is said, And as they came down from the mountain, he charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the dead.

Or thus; the disciples thought that the change which they had seen in Him in the mount, was His transformation to glory; and they say, If Thou hast already come in glory, wherefore doth not Thy forerunner appear? chiefly because they had seen Elias go away.

As they descended from the Mount of Transfiguration, a striking scenario greeted them. A large assembly of individuals had gathered, where the other disciples, whom they had left behind, were in conflict with the scribes. The contention arose because the disciples were unable to cast out a man possessed by a demon, who had been brought before them. They aimed to rely solely on the authority of Jesus’ name; however, their faith faltered, rendering their efforts ineffective. They ought to have engaged in earnest preparation through fasting and prayer, allowing the name of Jesus to manifest its full power through them. Yet, this was neglected. Meanwhile, the scribes seized this situation to cast aspersions on the disciples, questioning the efficacy of Jesus’ power, which incited anger among some onlookers. Thus, this was the scene unfolding beneath the mountain.

Jesus descended from the mountain and encountered His disciples, along with the remaining nine apostles, amidst a crowd that included scribes. A conflict arose between the disciples and the scribes. The subsequent narrative reveals that while Jesus was away, a man afflicted by a demon was presented to His disciples, but they were unable to heal him. The scribes derided the followers of Jesus and, naturally, cast aspersions on Jesus Himself; the disciples felt humiliation due to their inability to aid the afflicted man.

Upon the Saviour's return to His disciples, He discovered them engulfed in confusion and facing significant challenges. A large crowd had assembled around them, and among those present was a boy tormented by an evil spirit. His father sought healing from the disciples; however, they were unable to grant his request, which led to ridicule from the irate Jews and scribes who took pride in their knowledge.

The narrative regarding the healing of the boy is expressed with greater detail in Mark than in Hebrews. Mark provides a more comprehensive account than Matthew does, which only captures the essence of the event. Mark's description includes the particulars of the setting that enrich Matthew's narrative; however, fundamentally, both tell the same story (cf. Matt. 17:14-21). The account notes that "the scribes disputing with them," refers to the disciples. This conflict seems to have emerged because the Lord's disciples were unable to expel the unclean spirit from the boy brought before them while the Lord was on the mount of transfiguration with three of His disciples. During this time, the scribes likely mocked the disciples and verbally attacked the Lord Himself, misleading the people with erroneous notions regarding the actions and teachings of Jesus Christ.