Mark 9:14 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them.

NIV: When they came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them.

NASB: And when they came back to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them, and some scribes arguing with them.

CSB: When they came to the disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and scribes disputing with them.

NLT: When they returned to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd surrounding them, and some teachers of religious law were arguing with them.

KJV: And when he came to his disciples, he saw a great multitude about them, and the scribes questioning with them.

NKJV: And when He came to the disciples, He saw a great multitude around them, and scribes disputing with them.

"Scribes" is from the Greek root word grammateus. These are the public servants who are experts in the Mosaic Law. Attempting to keep the Jews from breaking the God-given Law, they developed the Oral Law which was supposed to clarify and guard God's statutes. Instead, it just added a burden on the people God never intended (Matthew 23:4).

The office of scribe is a religious role; as a group, they have no specific political leaning, and some of them are also Pharisees. Despite their confidence in their position and their understanding of the written law, the scribes' fear of disrespecting God make them timid in their teaching. From the beginning of Jesus' ministry, people notice "he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes" (Mark 1:22). Unfortunately, when the scribes do speak with confidence, they often get it wrong (Mark 3:22).

The scribes are apparently arguing with the disciples because the disciples claim to follow Jesus but can't exorcize a demon from a boy (Mark 9:16–17). Jesus performed many exorcisms and had given the Twelve authority to expel demons in Galilee (Mark 6:7–13); if the transfiguration mountain is Mt. Meron, it's possible some of these people have even seen the disciples perform miracles. The scribes from Jerusalem claim that this power comes from Satan, not God (Mark 3:22), but it's interesting to note that the scribes, who claim to follow God, don't appear to even try to free the boy.

Mark 9:14–29 follows the transfiguration, where Peter, James, and John went up a mountain with Jesus and saw a display of His glory as God. They also saw Moses and Elijah and heard God affirm Jesus as His Son. Now the three disciples and Jesus return from the mountain and find the remaining disciples arguing with Jewish scribes. The disciples have tried to expel a dangerous demon from a young boy but have been unable despite having performed exorcisms before (Mark 6:7–13). Jesus explains that to do God's work, we need faith in Him and to be empowered by Him. This section is parallel to Matthew 17:14–20 and Luke 9:37–43.

Mark chapter 9 contains an account of Jesus' transfiguration, where three of the disciples witness Him in a glorified form. In this passage, Jesus also heals a demon-possessed boy. His teachings in this section include a prediction of His death and resurrection, and corrections to the disciples' errors on questions of pride and temptation.

Mark 9 continues Jesus' efforts to teach the disciples who He is, what He has come to do, and what their role is in His mission. The chapter begins with the transfiguration, where Peter, James, and John catch a glimpse of Jesus' glory, and ends back in Capernaum. Jesus spends most of that time teaching. Although the disciples do quarrel with the scribes, the misconceptions and errors Jesus addresses come from the disciples, themselves, not outsiders. In the next chapter, He will leave Galilee and travel toward Jerusalem and the cross.

The Gospel of Mark emphasizes both Jesus' servanthood and His role as the promised Messiah: the Son of God. This is done through a concise, action-packed style. Mark provides relatively few details, instead focusing on actions and simple statements. This relates to the Gospel's authorship, which is believed to be based on the memories of the apostle Peter. These include many of Jesus' miracles, in contrast to other Gospels which include many more of Jesus' teachings and parables. Mark also makes frequent mention of Jesus' ministry being misunderstood by others.