Verse: Mark 9:1-50

I have neglected this part of my life for a few days, and I apologize.
Today, we see Jesus transfigured on the mountain. His clothes become blindingly white: "...whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them..." Then Elijah and Moses appear, and begin talking to Jesus. To add to the scene, the voice of God comes from a cloud that envelops them. It says "'This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!'"
I believe that Jesus brought Peter, James and John with Him to witness this because He knew that it would strengthen their faith. I think this was the best way to stop their doubts about Jesus.
Then Jesus tells them not to tell anyone about what they have seen until they see the Son of Man rising from the dead. They do not understand what he means by 'rising from the dead.' After this they ask Him "Why do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?" Jesus responds with "To be sure, Elijah does come first, and restores all things. Why then is it written that the Son of Man must suffer much and be rejected? But I tell you, Elijah has come, and they have done to him everything they wished, just as it is written about him." This question probably stems from Jesus' prophesy of His own death.
The disciples do not understand why Jesus has to suffer. Their worldly views disrupt their ability to understand the grand scheme of things, and they question or doubt the necessity of anything that doesn't make sense to them, as we all do. We need to learn to accept God's plan, and what happens to us. We are not always in control, which is a good thing. If we look back on certain times in our life, we see that it is definately a good thing that we did not have control. We learn many things about ourselves, our faith and others and their faith during times of trial. Without that, where would you be today? I guarantee you would not be as wise without trials.
Next, we see Jesus drive a demon out of a young boy. There are two important points made in this passage, and I will do my best to keep them separate as I discuss them, as to keep the meanings clear.

• The first point is that Jesus' disciples could not drive out the spirit. This is pointed out at the beginning of the story, but the reason is given at the end: "This kind can come out only by prayer." They relied solely on their own inner strenght to drive out the demon, but he was stronger than they were. If they had called upon God to assist them, the demon would have been no problem. This is an issue in our lives today; we do not understand when to pray. We pray for silly things, like help with a girl, or tests. But when it comes to matters concerning our faith, we rarely ask for God's guidance. We do this because it is difficult to overcome our ego and admit that we do not know what is best for ourselves. It is easy to ask for an 'A' or to ask for attention from someone, but when we have issues that affect our faith, such as dating, it is difficult to ask for directions, and even harder to follow sometimes. If we are head over heels for someone, it would be difficult for us to listen to God if he tells us that they aren't the right person for us right now. It is very easy for the heart of man to overrule the brain of man. But we must let the Heart of God lead us in every aspect of our lives.


• The other point has to do with believing fully in the Lord. The man asks Jesus "But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us." Jesus replies with "Everything is possible for him who believes. This is so true. We may not recognize it, but sometimes we ask God to 'do what you can.' God can do anything. For example, if we are asking about dating, we should not ask 'Do what you can to make this work' because it may not be best for that relationship to work. Rather, ask 'Lord, do what is necessary for me to grow in You." Have faith in Him, and follow His directions, and life will turn out great in the end.
  

Again we see Jesus predict His own death, and the Disciples are confused. Remember, it may not make sense to you now, but things will come together later. Have patience in the Lord, as His patience is unlimited, and we must do our best to live like Him.
Next we hear Jesus ask the disciples about their arguement. They had been arguing about who was the greatest. Jesus says "If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all." and follows that with "Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me."
In this, he is saying that he who puts himself last and does everything in the name of the Lord for those other than himself will reap the most rewards in Heaven. Sacrificing our time for God is the least we can do. Remember, Jesus paid the ultimate price: He lost his life for us, so that we may live forever in Heaven.
Next, the disciples tell Jesus that they saw a man casting out demon's in Jesus' name, and told him to stop. Jesus says "No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us. I tell you the truth, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to Christ will certainly not lose his reward."
This is very important. We must not criticize others' work in Christ, because they are making headway in their own department. We may not agree with everything they say, but as long as they are following the teachings of Jesus, they can do no harm.
The last part of this chapter is about temptation. Jesus says "If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out." It is very important that we disengage ourselves from that which makes us sin. If we constantly spend time in tempting situations, it is dangerous for our faith, and those we teach. If a student spends a lot of time at parties, there is a chance that he will fall into temptation, whether it be drinking, drugs or girls. Temptation surrounds us in almost everything that we do, but we need not fear: We shall never be tempted more than we can bear. (1 Cor 10:13)
As a final warning, Jesus says to "...be at peace with each other." We must make sure that we do not inhibit the work of other Christians by disagreeing with them or accusing them of misleading their followers. As long as we are all headed the right way, we will all be okay.