NT lesson 39-40 Mark 9

From  https://www.lds.org/manual/new-testament-seminary-teacher-manual?lang=eng

Lesson 39: Mark 9:1–29

Introduction

Jesus was transfigured in the presence of Peter, James, and John. He then taught them about the role of John the Baptist as an Elias who was to prepare the way for the Messiah. After Jesus returned to His other disciples, a man pleaded with Him to cast an evil spirit out of his son. Jesus cast out the evil spirit and taught His disciples about the need for prayer and fasting.

I. Mark 9:1–13  Jesus is transfigured in the presence of Peter, James, and John and teaches about Elias

---Invite several volunteers to come to the front of the class and briefly demonstrate an activity that increases physical strength.

• Why would someone want or need to increase his or her physical strength?
• How might physical strength be likened to spiritual strength, or faith in Jesus Christ?
• What are some situations in which our faith in Jesus Christ might be tested and in special need of being strengthened? (Write students’ responses on the board.)

---As we study Mark 9:1–29  look for truths that can help you strengthen your faith in Jesus Christ.

---Mark 9:1–13 contains an account of Jesus’s transfiguration in the presence of Peter, James, and John on the Mount of Transfiguration. This passage also recounts that Jesus taught these Apostles that John the Baptist had fulfilled the prophesied role of an Elias, or one who prepares the way for the Savior’s coming (see Joseph Smith Translation, Mark 9:10 [in Mark 9:12, footnote a]).

II. Mark 9:14–29 Jesus casts an evil spirit out of a man’s son

---Read Mark 9:14–15 looking for the scene the Savior encountered as He returned from the mountain to His other disciples. Ask students to report what they find.

---Invite one student to read the words of the Savior and another student to read the words of the father in the account that follows in Mark 9:16–24 (you might assign these parts before class and invite these students to locate their respective lines). Consider performing the role of the narrator or inviting a third student to do so. Ask the assigned students to read their parts in Mark 9:16–18 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for what the father sought from the Savior’s disciples.

• What was this father seeking for his son? (You may need to explain that the son was possessed by an evil spirit, which caused speech loss, deafness [see Mark 9:17, 25], and other maladies. Whenever the evil spirit seized hold of the son, the son would convulse, foam at the mouth, grind his teeth, and become rigid.)

---Imagine being this father and ponder how your faith in the Savior and His power might have been affected when the disciples could not heal your son.

---Invite the assigned students to continue reading aloud their parts in Mark 9:19–22. Ask the class to follow along, imagining how this father may have felt as he conversed with the Savior.

• What do you think this father was feeling as he conversed with the Savior?

---Read aloud the following statement by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Ask the class to listen for what Elder Holland adds to our understanding of this father’s feelings and pleas.

“With no other hope remaining, this father asserts what faith he has and pleads with the Savior of the world, ‘If thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us’ [Mark 9:22; italics added]. I can hardly read those words without weeping. The plural pronoun us is obviously used intentionally. This man is saying, in effect, ‘Our whole family is pleading. Our struggle never ceases. We are exhausted. Our son falls into the water. He falls into the fire. He is continually in danger, and we are continually afraid. We don’t know where else to turn. Can you help us? We will be grateful for anything—a partial blessing, a glimmer of hope, some small lifting of the burden carried by this boy’s mother every day of her life’” (“Lord, I Believe,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2013, 93).

---Invite the student assigned the part of the Savior to read Mark 9:23 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for what the Savior taught this father.

• Whom did this father need to believe in?
• What principle did the Savior teach this father? (Students may use different words, but make sure they identify the following truth: If we believe in Jesus Christ, all things will be possible to us. You may want to suggest that students mark the words in verse 23 that teach this principle.)

---Notice that “all things” pertains to all righteous blessings that are in accordance with God’s will, purposes, and timing.

• How can believing this principle help someone who faces difficulties that seem impossible to overcome?

---Invite the student assigned the part of the father to read Mark 9:24 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for the father’s response to the principle the Savior taught.

• How would you describe this father’s faith at that moment?

---Ask students to note the two parts of this father’s response. Invite a student to read aloud the following statement by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland. Ask the class to listen for what the father’s declaration illustrates about what we can do in times of “unbelief,” or times of doubt or fear.

“When facing the challenge of faith, the father asserts his strength first and only then acknowledges his limitation. His initial declaration is affirmative and without hesitation: ‘Lord, I believe.’ I would say to all who wish for more faith, remember this man! In moments of fear or doubt or troubling times, hold the ground you have already won, even if that ground is limited. In the growth we all have to experience in mortality, the spiritual equivalent of this boy’s affliction or this parent’s desperation is going to come to all of us. When those moments come and issues surface, the resolution of which is not immediately forthcoming, hold fast to what you already know and stand strong until additional knowledge comes” (“Lord, I Believe,” 93–94).

• What can we learn from this father about what we can do in times of unbelief? (After students respond, write the following incomplete statement on the board: If we hold on to what we believe …)
• What can we learn about dealing with unbelief from the other part of this father’s statement in verse 24? (After students respond, add the following phrase to the statement on the board: and seek the Lord’s assistance, …)

---Read Mark 9:25–27 looking for what the Savior did in response to the father’s pleas.

• What did the Savior do in response to the father’s pleas?
• How would you complete the statement on the board, based on what you have learned from this account? (After students respond, complete the sentence on the board so it conveys the following principle: If we hold on to what we believe and seek the Lord’s assistance, He will help us strengthen our faith.)

---Refer to the situations listed on the board, which you discussed at the beginning of the lesson.

• How can this principle be used in such situations?
• When have you or someone you know received the Lord’s help in a time of unbelief by holding on to belief and seeking His help? (You might want to share an experience as well.)

---Encourage students to apply this principle during times of unbelief.

---Remind students that this father initially brought his son to some of Jesus’s disciples to be healed. Invite students to imagine they are these disciples.

• What might you have been thinking or feeling after failing to cast the evil spirit out of the boy?

---Invite a student to read Mark 9:28 aloud, and ask the class to look for the question the disciples asked Jesus.

• What question did the disciples ask Jesus?

---Ask students to review Mark 9:19, looking for how the Savior described the people, including His disciples, who were present. (They were “faithless.”) Explain that faithless here refers to a lack of faith in Jesus Christ. Faith in Jesus Christ is needed for priesthood blessings to be effective.

---Read Mark 9:29 looking for the Savior’s response to His disciples’ question.

• What did the Savior teach His disciples?
• How can prayer and fasting influence a person’s faith? (After students respond, help them understand the following truth: We can increase our faith in Jesus Christ through prayer and fasting.)

---Invite a student to read aloud the following statement from the booklet True to the Faith. Ask the class to listen for different situations in which this truth could apply:

“This account [of Jesus casting out an evil spirit from a man’s son] teaches that prayer and fasting can give added strength to those giving and receiving priesthood blessings. The account can also be applied to your personal efforts to live the gospel. If you have a weakness or sin that you have struggled to overcome, you may need to fast and pray in order to receive the help or forgiveness you desire. Like the demon that Christ cast out, your difficulty may be the kind that will go out only through prayer and fasting” (True to the Faith: A Gospel Reference [2004], 67).

• According to this statement, what are some situations in which this truth could apply?
• When has prayer and fasting helped increase your faith in Christ and allowed you to receive the righteous blessings you sought?

---Ask students to reflect on blessings they seek for themselves or others that might be obtained by increasing their faith in Jesus Christ through prayer and fasting. Invite them to write down a goal to pray and fast for these blessings on the next fast Sunday.

Scripture Mastery Review

Consider looking ahead at some of the scripture mastery passages students may not yet be familiar with. Invite them to read and mark them. You might assign a new scripture mastery passage to each student or to pairs of students and ask them to draw on pieces of paper pictures that depict the truths taught in their passages. Invite them to explain their pictures to the class. You might display the pictures for future reference.

(Note: You could use this activity at the beginning or end of any lesson, as time allows.)

Commentary and Background Information

Mark 9:22–24. Holding on to what we believe and seeking help to strengthen our belief

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles gave the following counsel regarding strengthening our belief:

“When problems come and questions arise, do not start your quest for faith by saying how much you do not have, leading as it were with your ‘unbelief.’ … I am not asking you to pretend to faith you do not have. I am asking you to be true to the faith you do have. Sometimes we act as if an honest declaration of doubt is a higher manifestation of moral courage than is an honest declaration of faith. It is not! So let us all remember the clear message of this scriptural account: Be as candid about your questions as you need to be; life is full of them on one subject or another. But if you and your family want to be healed, don’t let those questions stand in the way of faith working its miracle. …

“… When doubt or difficulty come, do not be afraid to ask for help. If we want it as humbly and honestly as this father did, we can get it. The scriptures phrase such earnest desire as being of ‘real intent,’ pursued ‘with full purpose of heart, acting no hypocrisy and no deception before God’ [2 Nephi 31:13]. I testify that in response to that kind of importuning, God will send help from both sides of the veil to strengthen our belief” (“Lord, I Believe,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2013, 94).

If any of your students are struggling with doubts or fears arising from questions about the doctrine or history of the Savior’s Church, you could invite them to study relevant entries from the Church’s Gospel Topics pages (see lds.org/topics).

Mark 9:28–29. Fasting combined with prayer

Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught the following:

“We observe that in the scriptures, fasting almost always is linked with prayer. Without prayer, fasting is not complete fasting; it’s simply going hungry. If we want our fasting to be more than just going without eating, we must lift our hearts, our minds, and our voices in communion with our Heavenly Father. Fasting, coupled with mighty prayer, is powerful” (“The Law of the Fast,” Ensign, May 2001, 73).

For more instruction about combining fasting with prayer, including its effect of bringing increased spiritual power into our lives, see Elder Carl B. Pratt, “The Blessings of a Proper Fast,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2004, 47–49.

Supplemental Teaching Idea

Mark 9:1–29. Obtaining blessings

The following teaching idea could be used as an alternate way to begin the lesson. The teaching idea at the beginning of the lesson about increasing our physical strength and our spiritual strength, or faith in Jesus Christ, could be used later in the lesson, immediately before a student reads Mark 9:24.

Read the following scenarios aloud and invite students to think about what the scenarios have in common:

1. A young woman is critically injured in a car accident. Doctors give her a small chance of survival.
2. A young man wants to excel in school, but he has always struggled with reading.
3. A woman is constantly negative. She wants to think and speak more positively but struggles to do so.
4. An older man desires to be baptized, but for the past several decades he has been addicted to smoking cigarettes.

• What do each of these scenarios have in common?

Invite students to think about any blessings they or someone they know are seeking that seem impossible to obtain. Invite them to look for a principle in Mark 9:1–29 that can help them obtain these blessings.

© 2016 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.

Right margin extras:

Avoid wasting class time

When class begins on time and when students perceive that there is no time to waste, they will feel a sense of purpose. An efficient and effective beginning to the class can help students make more of their learning experiences in the scriptures.

Lesson 40: Mark 9:30–50

Introduction

Jesus told His disciples of His approaching death and Resurrection and taught them about who will be the greatest in God’s kingdom. He warned of the consequence of leading others to sin and instructed His disciples to separate themselves from influences that would lead them to sin.

I. Mark 9:30–37  Jesus foretells His death and Resurrection and teaches about who will be the greatest in God’s kingdom

---Bring to class an item that has a strong aroma that students will recognize (such as a freshly cut orange or onion, or fresh bread). Before class, place the item in the classroom out of students’ sight.

---Begin the lesson by asking students whether they noticed a new aroma when they entered the classroom.

• What, if anything, did this aroma influence you to think about or do once you recognized it?

---Similar to how an aroma can influence us, we can influence others’ thoughts and behaviors. Look for truths in Mark 9:30–50 that can help you consider your influence on others’ efforts to follow the Savior as well as the influence others have on you.

---After casting an evil spirit out of a young man (see Mark 9:17–29), the Savior traveled through Galilee with His disciples.

---Read Mark 9:31–32 looking for the events the Savior prophesied of.

• What events did the Savior prophesy of?

---Mark 9:33–37 tells us that when Jesus came to Capernaum, He taught His disciples about who will be the greatest in the kingdom of God. He also instructed them to receive into the Church people who humble themselves like children and who receive Him (see Joseph Smith Translation, Mark 9:34–35 [in Mark 9:37, footnote a]). (Note: These teachings will be discussed in greater depth in the lesson for Mark 10.)

II. Mark 9:38–50  Jesus warns against influencing others to sin and not separating oneself from evil influences

---Read Mark 9:38 looking for the situation the Apostle John told the Savior about.

• What did John report to the Savior?

---The Apostles forbade this man from casting out devils because he was not a traveling companion of the Twelve Apostles. However, the Savior told them not to forbid the man (indicating he was a righteous man who had authority) and taught that people who help His representatives will be rewarded (see Mark 9:39–41).

---Read Mark 9:42  looking for the Savior’s warning. Explain that in this context the word offend means to influence others to stumble, to lead astray, or to influence someone to sin or abandon their faith.

• What group of people did the Savior warn against influencing to sin? (You may need to explain that the “little ones that believe in [Jesus]” include those who are young in the faith, such as youth and new converts, as well as His humble, trusting disciples of any age.)
• What was Jesus’s warning against influencing His disciples to sin? (He indicated it would be better to die than to experience the intense suffering and separation from God that we will experience if we influence others to sin.)
• What principle can we learn from the Savior’s warning in verse 42? (Students may use different words but should identify the following principle: If we influence people who believe in Jesus Christ to sin, we will be held accountable before God.)
• In what ways might someone influence people who believe in Jesus Christ to sin?

---Remember the aroma in the classroom and that like an aroma, we have a positive or negative influence on others. Ponder your influence on people who believe in Jesus Christ.

---Can I have a volunteer who is wearing shoes with laces to come to the front of the class? Please untie and retie one of your shoes using only one hand.

---While the student tries to do this, ask the class:

• What challenges would you experience if you lost one of your hands?
• What, if anything, would be worth losing your hand for?

---The deliberate removal of a body part is known as amputation and may be performed if a body part becomes seriously damaged, infected, or diseased. Although amputation and subsequent recovery can be painful and traumatic, this process can prevent an infection from spreading to the rest of the body and causing further damage or death.

---Read Mark 9:43 looking for what the Savior taught about when it would be better to lose one hand than to keep both.

• When would it be better to lose one hand than to keep both?
• Do you think we should take this teaching literally and cut off a hand that has “offended” us, or influenced us to sin? (You may need to explain that the Savior was not saying that people should literally cut off their hands. Rather, He was using a figure of speech to emphasize the importance of what He was teaching.)

---Can I have a volunteer draw an image of a person on the board please?

---While the student is drawing, explain that the Joseph Smith Translation of Mark 9:43–48 can increase our understanding of the Savior’s teachings in this passage. In these verses, we learn that the Savior used the hand, foot, and eye to symbolize influences in our lives that can lead us to sin.

---Instruct the student who is drawing on the board to circle a hand, a foot, and an eye on the image he or she drew. Then invite the student to return to his or her seat.

---Take turns reading aloud from Joseph Smith Translation, Mark 9:40–48 (in the Bible appendix) looking for what the Savior likened to a hand, a foot, and an eye that have “offended” someone, or influenced someone to sin. (You may need to explain that the word life in Joseph Smith Translation, Mark 9:40–41, 43 refers to eternal life.)

• According to this translation, what do the offending hand, foot, and eye represent? (The hand represents our family members and friends, the foot represents people we look to as an example of how to think and act, and the eye represents our leaders.)

---Label these parts with their interpretations on the image the student drew on the board.

• What did the Savior teach us to do with unrighteous influences, or influences that lead us to sin?
• In what ways might separating ourselves from unrighteous influences be similar to amputating a hand or foot?
• What can happen if we do not separate ourselves from unrighteous influences? Why?
• What truth can we learn from the Savior’s teachings in these verses? (Students may use different words but should identify a truth similar to the following: It is better to separate ourselves from unrighteous influences than to end up being separated from God. Using students’ words, write this truth on the board.)

---Invite a student to read aloud the following statement by Elder Walter F. González of the Seventy. Ask the class to listen for other influences we should separate ourselves from.

“It follows that such cutting off refers not only to friends but to every bad influence, such as inappropriate television shows, Internet sites, movies, literature, games, or music. Engraving in our souls this principle will help us to resist the temptation to yield to any bad influence” (“Today Is the Time,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2007, 55).

• What challenges might we experience by separating ourselves from unrighteous influences?
• How can we know the appropriate way to separate ourselves from unrighteous influences?

---Separating ourselves from unrighteous influences does not mean treating others rudely, condemning others, or refusing to associate with people who are not faithful Church members. Rather, we should separate from, or avoid interacting closely with, people who would lead us to sin. Although we may not be able to remove or avoid every influence that can lead us to sin, the Lord will bless us as we try to separate ourselves from any evil influence we can and as we try to develop self-discipline to avoid influences that we cannot completely remove.

---To help students further understand this truth, invite two students to come to the front of the class. Instruct each student to read aloud one of the following scenarios and to ask the associated questions to the class. Invite the class to respond to the questions based on the truth identified in Mark 9:43–48.

Scenario 1. I have friends who often encourage me to participate in activities that break God’s commandments. However, I think I can be a good influence on them if I continue to spend time with them.

• Won’t I lose my ability to influence these friends for good if I separate myself from them? What type of relationship should I have with them?
• What should I say and do to appropriately separate myself from these friends?

Scenario 2. I have been a fan of a popular band for several years. In some of their recent music and interviews they have encouraged behaviors and ideas that oppose the Lord’s standards and teachings.

• It’s only music and words, right? So what is the danger of continuing to listen to their music and following them on social media?

---Thank the volunteers for their help, and invite them to return to their seats. Ask the class:

• Even though separating ourselves from influences that lead us to sin can sometimes be difficult, what can we gain through this sacrifice? (Many blessings, including eternal life.) Why is this reward worth any sacrifice?
• When have you or someone you know chosen to separate from unrighteous influences? (Remind students not to share anything that is too personal or private.) What was difficult about separating from that influence? What blessings came from doing so?

---Ponder whether there are any influences in your lives that might be leading you to sin. Write in your class notebooks how you will separate yourselves from these influences.

---In Mark 9:49–50  the Savior instructed His disciples to have peaceful relationships with each other.

---Conclude by encouraging students to act on any promptings they received during this lesson.

Commentary and Background Information

Mark 9:31. “The Son of man”

The “Son of man” is “a title that Jesus Christ used when speaking of Himself (Luke 9:22; 21:36). It meant the Son of the Man of Holiness. Man of Holiness is one of the names of God the Father. When Jesus called Himself the Son of Man, it was an open declaration of His divine relationship with the Father. This title is found frequently in the Gospels. Latter-day revelation confirms the special meaning and sacredness of this name of the Savior (D&C 45:39; 49:6, 22; 58:65; Moses 6:57)” (Guide to the Scriptures, “Son of Man,” scriptures.lds.org).

Mark 9:38–40. The man who cast out devils in the Savior’s name

Elder Bruce R. McConkie of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained that the Apostle John was concerned about the man who cast out devils in the Savior’s name possibly because the man “was not one of the inner circle of disciples who traveled, ate, slept, and communed continually with the Master. Luke has it: ‘He followeth not with us’; that is, he is not one of our traveling companions. But from our Lord’s reply it is evident that he was a member of the kingdom, a legal administrator who was acting in the authority of the priesthood and the power of faith. Either he was unknown to John who therefore erroneously supposed him to be without authority or else John falsely supposed that the power to cast out devils was limited to the Twelve and did not extend to all faithful priesthood holders. It is quite possible that the one casting out devils was a seventy. There is no New Testament record of the calling of the first quorum of seventy, but when Jesus (at a later day) called a second quorum of seventy into the ministry, he expressly gave them the power to cast out devils. (Luke 10:1–20.)” (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 3 vols. [1965–73], 1:417).

“The Savior’s answer to John, recorded in Mark 9:40, reassured John and the Twelve that the man was a disciple with authority, though not an Apostle” (New Testament Student Manual [Church Educational System manual, 2014], 125).

Mark 9:42. “It is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck”

Elder Bruce R. McConkie of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught about the Savior’s warning in Mark 9:42:

“Few crimes are as gross and wicked as that of teaching false doctrine and leading souls away from God and salvation. … If eternal joy is the reward given those who teach the truth and bring souls to salvation, shall not those who teach false doctrines and lead souls to damnation receive as their reward eternal remorse? (D&C 18:10–16.)

“… It is better to die and be denied the blessings of continued mortal existence than to live and lead souls from the truth, thereby gaining eternal damnation for oneself” (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 3 vols. [1965–73], 1:420).

Mark 9:43–48. Separating ourselves from influences that would lead us to sin

President Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught about when it is appropriate to separate ourselves from those would lead us to sin:

“With whom will you choose to associate?

“You will mingle with many good people who also believe in God. Whether they be Jewish, Catholic, Protestant, or Muslim, believers know that there actually is absolute truth. …

“As you move along life’s journey, you will also become acquainted with people who do not believe in God. Many of them have not yet found divine truth and don’t know where to look for it. But you youth of the noble birthright are coming to their rescue. …

“As you mingle with nonbelievers, be aware that there may be a few who do not have your best interest at heart (see D&C 1:16; 89:4). As soon as you discern that, flee from them quickly and permanently (see 1 Timothy 6:5–6, 11)” (“What Will You Choose?” Ensign, Jan. 2015, 33, or Liahona, Jan. 2015, 21).

Mark 9:43–48. Going “into hell … where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched”

The word hell in Mark 9:43, 45, 47 is a translation of the word gehenna, which is the Greek form of the Hebrew words ge hinnom, meaning “valley of Hinnom.” In this deep valley on the south side of Jerusalem, “idolatrous Jews offered their children [as sacrifices] to [the pagan god] Moloch (2 Chr. 28:3; 33:6; Jer. 7:31; 19:2–6)” (Bible Dictionary, “Hell”). After King Josiah ended this practice, the valley was “used as a place for burning the refuse of the city (2 Kgs. 23:10) and in that way became symbolic of the place of torment (Matt. 5:22, 29–30; 10:28; 18:9; 23:15, 33; Mark 9:43, 45, 47; Luke 12:5; James 3:6). Expressions about ‘hell-fire’ are probably due to the impression produced on men’s minds by the sight of this ceaseless burning and are figurative of the torment of those who willfully disobey God” (Bible Dictionary, “Hell”).

Mark 9:44, 46 refer to the rebellious having a worm that “dieth not.” Some types of worms gnaw through refuse. Parasitic worms infest living bodies, causing various ailments and intense pain. Thus, the worm that “dieth not” represents the memories and remorse of conscience of the rebellious that will continually gnaw at and torment them in the next life.

• © 2016 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.

Right margin extras:

Capture and maintain students’ interest

Because some students have a limited attention span, look for ways to rekindle their interest and enthusiasm throughout the lesson. This should be done in a way that focuses students’ attention on the scripture passages they will study.