He
said to them, “Elijah indeed comes first, and restores all things. How is it written about the Son of Man, that he should suffer many things and be despised? But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they have also done to him whatever they wanted to, even as it is written about him.”
Mark 9:12-13
Mark 9 [11.] They asked him, saying, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”
Mark 9 [12.] He said to them, “Elijah indeed comes first, and restores all things. How is it written about the Son of Man, that he should suffer many things and be despised? But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they have also done to him whatever they wanted to, even as it is written about him.”
Mark 9 [14.] Coming to the disciples, he saw a great multitude around them, and scribes questioning them. Immediately all the multitude, when they saw him, were greatly amazed, and running to him greeted him. He asked the scribes, “What are you asking them?”
Meaning:
The disciples had asked why the scribes taught that Elijah must come before the end (Mark 9:11). Jesus’ answer does three things. He agrees that Elijah comes first, he asks a question of his own about the suffering of the Son of Man, and he reveals that Elijah has already come and has been treated as the prophets were treated before him. Matthew adds that the disciples then understood that he was speaking of John the Baptizer (Matthew 17:10-13).
- “Elijah indeed comes first, and restores all things”
Jesus does not dismiss the scribes’ teaching. Malachi had promised that Elijah would come “before the great and terrible day of Yahweh” and “turn the hearts of the fathers to the children” (Malachi 4:5-6). The restoration in view is spiritual: a renewal of hearts through repentance, preparing a people for the Lord. That is exactly what John did when he preached “the baptism of repentance for forgiveness of sins” (Mark 1:4).
- “How is it written about the Son of Man … ?”
Jesus then turns the question around. If Elijah restores all things, why do the Scriptures also say that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be treated with contempt? The disciples expected a restored kingdom without suffering. But the prophets spoke of a servant who “was despised, and rejected by men; a man of suffering” (Isaiah 53:3). The title “Son of Man” comes from Daniel’s vision of one who receives everlasting dominion (Daniel 7:13-14), yet Jesus teaches that he will reach that glory only through rejection. The two kinds of prophecy fit together in him.
- “Elijah has come, and they have also done to him whatever they wanted to”
John the Baptizer, who came “in the spirit and power of Elijah” (Luke 1:17), had prepared the way. Instead of being welcomed, he was arrested by Herod for the sake of Herodias (Mark 6:17-20), and after a birthday feast he was beheaded in prison (Mark 6:26-28). The rulers did “whatever they wanted” with him.
- “Even as it is written about him”
The Old Testament does not predict John’s death in so many words, but it does record how the first Elijah was hunted. After the contest on Mount Carmel, Queen Jezebel swore to kill him (1 Kings 19:2), and Elijah complained, “they seek my life, to take it away” (1 Kings 19:10). Herodias played Jezebel’s part against the new Elijah, and this time the queen succeeded. What happened to the forerunner pointed to what would happen to the Messiah.
The Significance of Mark 9:12-13
- Glory through suffering
Coming straight after the transfiguration, these words keep the disciples from thinking that glory can bypass the cross. The same is true for believers: God’s purposes include suffering, and the way to resurrection goes through the cross.
- Faithful in a hostile world
Elijah and John stood up to powerful rulers and paid a heavy price. Christians may also face opposition for speaking the truth. The faithfulness of these prophets, and above all of Jesus, encourages believers to stay true to God whatever others choose to do to them.
Cross-References:
Matthew 17:13: "Then the disciples understood that he spoke to them of John the Baptizer." Matthew identifies the Elijah who had already come.
Isaiah 53:3: "He was despised, and rejected by men; a man of suffering, and acquainted with disease. He was despised as one from whom men hide their face; and we didn’t respect him." The Scriptures foretold the suffering and rejection of God’s servant.
1 Kings 19:2: "Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I don’t make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time!”" The first Elijah was hunted by a hostile queen, as John was.
Luke 1:17: "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 prepare a people prepared for the Lord." John was the promised Elijah.
Conclusion: Jesus confirmed that Elijah comes first to restore all things, but reminded his disciples that the Scriptures also speak of the Son of Man suffering and being despised. Elijah had already come in John the Baptizer, and like the first Elijah he was persecuted by a king and queen who did to him whatever they wanted. The forerunner’s fate foreshadowed the cross. Believers learn that God’s glory comes through suffering and that faithfulness is worth any cost.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible