In a microcosm, the conflict between Jesus' teaching versus the instinctive expectations of His disciples which twisted that teaching, represented the coming conflict between His teaching and the political leaders of His people. For the previous five centuries, the spiritual nature of the Hebrew frame of reference had been corroded and replaced with shiny new rationalist assumptions adulterously adopted from Hellenism. It would never be enough to simply teach the Twelve the difference, because it had never been a matter of human understanding, but the divine revelation of God. This revelation in many ways bypassed understanding, and dwelt in the spirit, with truth for which no words exist. That the Jews had completely lost all this guaranteed they would miss the whole point of Jesus' ministry, as reflected in the slowness of His disciples to grasp just what He was saying.
Jesus bluntly announces this Kingdom He has been preaching would appear during the lifetime of some of those standing there with Him there in region of Ceaserea Philippi. As far as we know, only Judas missed out, but the point was His preaching pointed to an event which would manifest itself in real time and space very shortly. There would be real angels, and real heavenly glory seen with human eyes. While this declaration continues the teaching of the previous chapter, it also begins a series of lessons in just how thoroughly unprepared these men were to grasp what was coming. As soon as the words left Jesus' mouth and entered their ears, the words took on a wholly different meaning and connotation. They persisted in assuming the nature of the Kingdom was merely a change in politics.
A foretaste of that spiritual Heavenly Kingdom was in store for at least the inner circle of the Twelve. After about a week in that area, Jesus led Peter, James and John up a rather high mountain, isolated away from other human company. There, Jesus took on the divine form which was His nature, a nature manifested by glowing brightly in this dull and sin-darkened world. Two others appeared there, holding a discussion with Jesus in a like glorified form. From the context, the three disciples knew it was Moses and Elijah. Both of these men left no grave on earth; Jesus would leave one empty. Moses had seen God, and conversed with Him often, and clearly supported as Lawgiver what Jesus had been teaching and doing. Elijah, as the most legendary prophet of miracles and pure character, knew all too well what Jesus faced in hearts closed to the truth. Their discussion centered on Jesus' soon suffering and death.
Did the three disciples pick up on this? Apparently not at that point, for instead they began babbling about setting up a temporary lodging for the divine trio so this could continue. Surely this must be part of the plan to take over the world! But no; God the Father showed His presence in the form of a heavy cloud, as He had done since time began on this world. He pointedly identified Jesus as His very Son. His voice commanded the disciples pay attention to what Jesus said, to rebuke them for running off at the mouth with their own desires and plans. With that, the scene faded back to its previous mundane, weather scarred mountain top.
Had it been real? On the hike back down from the peak, Jesus warned the three not to mention this episode until after He had risen from the dead. Ever missing the point, they tossed around what "rising from the dead" had to do with their work. Then, they seized upon the fact Elijah had been standing there, and wondered if this was fulfillment of the Scribes' teaching from Malachi 4:5. Jesus confirmed that as one of the few things the Scribes got right, then linked it to Isaiah's teaching the Messiah must suffer and die. Why did they keep shutting out the part of God's Word they didn't want to deal with? At any rate, Elijah had come, and they treated him poorly, which was hardly new for anyone preaching truth. The disciples never seemed to grasp they were in the same company as those who killed the prophets, because they refused to move beyond their childish dreams of political change.
The scene which welcomed their return was the usual crowd of peasants, with the remaining nine disciples and the others in Jesus' entourage in the middle. Sadly, they were having a loud argument with a detachment of those Scribes previously mentioned. Even in the far northern reaches of Jewish territory, these oppressive busybodies hounded Jesus. The crowd was stunned by this unexpected appearance of Jesus, and mobbed Him enthusiastically. Upon reaching the center of activity, Jesus asked the Scribes what this was all about. Before anyone else could answer, someone in the crowd told Jesus he had brought his demonized son for deliverance, but the disciples failed. A primary manifestation of the demon was keeping the boy from hearing or speaking properly.
Jesus was deeply torn by the meaning of this failure. Not just His disciples and their own lack of commitment to truth, but the whole nation had strayed from the truth for centuries. By embracing the delights of Hellenistic rationalism, and the human pride of assuming all things could be understood by the mind of man, the leadership of the Jews had corrupted the unquestioning reverence and and dependence on a mysterious God to right things they never could understand. This failure was the very cause of so many in Israel being demonized. Upon being led near Jesus, the demon convulsed the boy much like an epileptic seizure. Jesus asked how long the boy had been like this, and man described how since early childhood the demon had tried to kill the boy by causing seizures near fire and water. The man was desperate for his son's relief.
He requested Jesus to help if He could. Jesus seized up those words. It was not a matter of what Jesus could do, but of what the man's faith would embrace. The man tearfully admitted he was crippled in that respect. Seeing how the scene was getting out of control, Jesus ordered the demon to depart, and not to return. The boy collapsed, seemingly dead. Jesus pulled the boy to his feet and all was well. When they returned to their lodging, the disciples asked Jesus why they could not dispatch the demon. Mark records a brief answer which most people today miss for much the same reason Jesus' disciples probably did. It's not the rigors of discipline, but the kind of commitment to truth which leads people to sacrifice themselves in death of self to overcome. The whole issue of shedding this world for Heaven was still a foreign concept to the Twelve, and its exclusion from the nation's teaching was what brought the demons among Jews in the first place. The stubborn insistence all God's blessings were strictly material, and perhaps intellectual, had left the nation exposed to spiritual forces excluded from reckoning by such teaching. Thus, the only remedy was to recover the spiritual powers of God by death of the self.
As they journeyed back toward their home in Capernaum, Jesus returned to the teaching which dominated the trip out to Ceaserea Philippi. The Messiah must suffer betrayal and execution. The third day following He would be raised. The whole image was so foreign to their worldly Jewish teaching, it passed over their heads. On the journey, they lapsed into an animated discussion amongst themselves. When they got home, Jesus asked them what it was about, but they were too embarrassed to admit they had been debating and bickering about their relative positions in the Messiah's royal court, which must be settled now because surely this Kingdom thing was, as they had been preaching, right on top of them. Jesus patiently showed how they had it all wrong: Serving is greatness.
Theirs was a worldly perspective, and leading meant greatness, honor, and power. Jesus brought a little child into the group discussion, then hugged him close. Explaining the action, Jesus told them the nature of the Kingdom service was to reach out to the least important, the most powerless. Building barriers to keep out the nobodies of the world, like the Jewish leadership, was a sin. If any of them failed to find the importance of loving the most unlovable in this world, they were unfit to serve in the Kingdom. Rejecting the lowly meant rejecting Jesus, for He chose to ignore the world's estimation of what made men important. And rejecting Jesus meant rejecting the Father who created all things. The only ones fit to lead in the Kingdom were the ones who led the way in the path of sacrifice.
The mention of "in My name" caught at something else in John's memory. He mentioned repeated run-ins with a fellow who insisted on casting out demons in Jesus' name, but didn't travel with them as a disciple under their leadership. Jesus explain, like leadership, the Kingdom definition of following was different from theirs. Any man who manifested Jesus' power in faith was hardly an enemy. Such a man was following Jesus' teaching, or no miracles would happen. He went on to warn them hindering someone's faith because they didn't follow some artificial rules of membership was a grave sin, worthy of a horrifying execution.
Indeed, embracing death in this world in favor of life in the next was the one absolute requirement for the Kingdom. To drive the point home, Jesus used graphic images of self-maiming, should that prove to be the only way they could conquer sin in their lives. It was typical Hebrew hyperbole, but the principle was all to literal. Hell was not simply a scare tactic to keep children in line. The Valley of Hinnom, where trash and rot were abundant, and the fires were kept burning by adding rock sulfur, was a fit symbol for Hell. It was almost a song the way Jesus phrased it, with a refrain repeating the warning of Isaiah 66:24. Fire purified away sin, and if all you had was sin, you had a terrifying expectation of eternity. Whom the fire does not destroy will be utterly changed. Welcome the fire of God, for it will make you more like Him.
Salt was included in Temple sacrifices. It also preserved things which tended to rot. We know today it makes the food inhospitable to bacteria and putrefying agents. Salt in that land was minded from exposed rock faces, and included a wide range of impurities we don't find in our stores these days. The salt itself could become corrupted, and would turn colors, losing its salty taste. It was then tossed out into the gutters like the worthless dirt it had become. What would happen if the preserving power of God was missing from society? It had nearly been lost by the time Jesus came along. As with all Hebrew symbols, the point was not to identify salt as an allegory for a particular thing, a single quality, but to understand by its influence and effects. Truth preserves what matters. What cannot preserve is hardly truth. A primary manifestation of truth is peace, peace which comes from dismissing the cares of human ambition and dreams. When people of God commune in self-sacrifice, debates are absent, because no one seeks his own, but seeks God.
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By Ed Hurst
05 April 2008
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