Mark 9:1 - Truly I tell you

9:1

This is one of the sayings of Jesus that we wish He hadn’t said. Not because of the implications it has for us, but because we have problems trying to understand it. It is also one of the places where the chapter division seems to be in the wrong place. This verse really belongs with the preceding section. The problem of interpretation is that it is taken by some as referring to the return of Christ, i.e. taking “see that the kingdom of God has come with power” as referring to the return of Christ. The NIV translation actually gives an interpretation that does make sense. ESV has “Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power.” If we stick with the NIV translation/interpretation then what is happening is as follows. Jesus has just been talking about His death, and the need for the disciples to be prepared for extreme suffering. All this makes the kingdom of God look like an admirable, but ultimately miserable, failure. Something that ultimately achieves nothing. So what Jesus is saying is that some of them would, before they die, see that God’s purposes, His kingdom, has come with power. It is really achieving something, and something momentous. Related to this is another interpretation, and that is that Jesus is speaking about the transfiguration. Given that the account of the transfiguration is placed immediately after 9:1, it seems highly likely that the transfiguration is related to the 9:1 saying. While the verse may cause us problems, it is clear that it did not present a problem to Mark! It clearly does not refer to the second coming, for then Jesus would have been mistaken.