a day in the life of Jesus

Mark 8:34-38 (New International Reader's Version)

34 Jesus called the crowd to him along with his disciples. He said, "If anyone wants to come after me, he must say no to himself. He must pick up his cross and follow me.

35 If he wants to save his life, he will lose it. But if he loses his life for me and for the good news, he will save it.

36 What good is it if someone gains the whole world but loses his soul?

37 Or what can anyone trade for his soul?

38 "Suppose you are ashamed of me and my words among these adulterous and sinful people. Then the Son of Man will be ashamed of you when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels."

Mark 9 (New International Reader's Version)

1 Jesus said to them, "What I'm about to tell you is true. Some who are standing here will not die before they see God's kingdom coming with power."

2 After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him. He led them up a high mountain. They were all alone. There in front of them his appearance was changed.

3 His clothes became so white they shone. They were whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them.

4 Elijah and Moses appeared in front of Jesus and his disciples. The two of them were talking with Jesus.

5 Peter said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters. One will be for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."

6 Peter didn't really know what to say, because they were so afraid.

7 Then a cloud appeared and surrounded them. A voice came from the cloud. It said, "This is my Son, and I love him. Listen to him!"

8 They looked around. Suddenly they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus.

9 They came down the mountain. On the way down, Jesus ordered them not to tell anyone what they had seen. He told them to wait until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

10 So they kept the matter to themselves. But they asked each other what "rising from the dead" meant.

11 Then they asked Jesus, "Why do the teachers of the law say that Elijah has to come first?"

12 Jesus replied, "That's right. Elijah does come first. He makes all things new again. So why is it written that the Son of Man must suffer much and not be accepted?

13 I tell you, Elijah has come. They have done to him everything they wanted to do. They did it just as it is written about him."

14 When Jesus and those who were with him came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them. The teachers of the law were arguing with them.

15 When all the people saw Jesus, they were filled with wonder. And they ran to greet him.

16 "What are you arguing with them about?" Jesus asked.

17 A man in the crowd answered. "Teacher," he said, "I brought you my son. He is controlled by a spirit. Because of this, my son can't speak anymore.

18 When the spirit takes hold of him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth. He grinds his teeth. And his body becomes stiff. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit. But they couldn't do it."

19 "You unbelieving people!" Jesus replied. "How long do I have to stay with you? How long do I have to put up with you? Bring the boy to me."

20 So they brought him. As soon as the spirit saw Jesus, it threw the boy into a fit. He fell to the ground. He rolled around and foamed at the mouth.

21 Jesus asked the boy's father, "How long has he been like this?"
"Since he was a child," he answered.

22 "The spirit has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us. Please help us."

23 " 'If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for the one who believes."

24 Right away the boy's father cried out, "I do believe! Help me overcome my unbelief!"

25 Jesus saw that a crowd was running over to see what was happening. Then he ordered the evil spirit to leave the boy. "You spirit that makes him unable to hear and speak!" he said. "I command you, come out of him. Never enter him again."

26 The spirit screamed. It shook the boy wildly. Then it came out of him. The boy looked so lifeless that many people said, "He's dead."

27 But Jesus took him by the hand. He lifted the boy to his feet, and the boy stood up.

28 Jesus went indoors. Then his disciples asked him in private, "Why couldn't we drive out the evil spirit?"

29 He replied, "This kind can come out only by prayer."

30 They left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were.

31 That was because he was teaching his disciples.
He said to them, "The Son of Man is going to be handed over to men. They will kill him. After three days he will rise from the dead."

32 But they didn't understand what he meant. And they were afraid to ask him about it.

33 Jesus and his disciples came to a house in Capernaum. There he asked them, "What were you arguing about on the road?"

34 But they kept quiet. On the way, they had argued about which one of them was the most important person.

35 Jesus sat down and called for the Twelve to come to him. Then he said, "If you want to be first, you must be the very last. You must be the servant of everyone."

36 Jesus took a little child and had the child stand among them. Then he took the child in his arms. He said to them,

37 "Anyone who welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me. And anyone who welcomes me doesn't welcome only me but also the One who sent me."

38 "Teacher," said John, "we saw a man driving out demons in your name. We told him to stop, because he was not one of us."

39 "Do not stop him," Jesus said. "No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me.

40 Anyone who is not against us is for us.

41 "What I'm about to tell you is true. Suppose someone gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to me. That one will certainly not go without a reward.

42 "What if someone leads one of these little ones who believe in me to sin? If he does, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around his neck.

43-44"If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It would be better for you to enter God's kingdom with only one hand than to go into hell with two hands. In hell the fire never goes out.

45-46"If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It would be better for you to enter God's kingdom with only one foot than to have two feet and be thrown into hell.

47 "If your eye causes you to sin, poke it out. It would be better for you to enter God's kingdom with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell.

48 In hell, " 'The worms do not die. The fire is not put out.' —(Isaiah 66:24)

49 Everyone will be salted with fire.

50 "Salt is good. But suppose it loses its saltiness. How can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves. And be at peace with each other."

Important points:

1. (8:34-38) From my Life Application Study Bible-- When Jesus said that we must pick up our cross, he meant that following him requires ultimate submission. "Jesus was talking about the heroic effort needed to follow him moment by moment, to do his will even when the work is difficult and the future looks bleak." Also--"We should be willing to lose our lives for the sake of the gospel, not because our lives are useless but because nothing--not even life itself--can compare to what we gain with Christ."

2. (9:1-13) "The transfiguration revealed Christ's divine nature. God's voice exalted Jesus above Moses and Elijah as the long-awaited Messiah with full divine authority. Moses represented the law, and Elijah the prophets. Their appearance showed Jesus as the fulfillment of both the Old Testament law and the prophetic promises."

3. (9:14-29) "The disciples would often face difficult situations that could be resolved only through prayer. Prayer is the key that unlocks faith in our lives. Effective prayer needs both an attitude--complete dependence--and an action--asking. Prayer demonstrates our reliance on God as we humbly invite Him to fill us with faith and power. There is no substitute for prayer, especially in circumstances that seem impossible."

4. From Hondo--I especially like verses 33-50 in Chapter 9. Jesus tells us that we must have a sincere desire to serve in order to be a great leader. He tells us how vitally important it is for us to lead our children to God. He tells us how foolish we are to let petty differences divide us, when we should be unified in the supreme goal of building up the kingdom of God. He tells us how harshly we will be judged if we lead a child to sin. Finally, he repeats his admonition to us to be "salt in the world." From my Life Application Study Bible:

"Jesus used salt to illustrate three qualities that should be found in his people: (1) We should remember God's faithfulness, just as salt when used with a sacrifice recalled God's covenant with His people (Lev. 2:13). (2) We should make a difference in the 'flavor' of the world we live in, just as salt changes meat's flavor (Matt. 5:13). (3) We should counteract the moral decay in society, just as salt preserves food from decay. When we lose the desire to "salt' the earth with the love and message of God, we become useless to Him."