9:2 Six days later 3 Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John and led them alone up a high mountain privately. And he was transfigured before them, 4
9:38 John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him because he was not following us.”
1 sn The strong man here pictures Satan.
2 sn Some see the imagery here as similar to Eph 4:7-10, although no opponents are explicitly named in that passage. Jesus has the victory over Satan. Jesus’ acts of healing mean that the war is being won and the kingdom is coming.
3 tn Grk “And after six days.”
4 sn In 1st century Judaism and in the NT, there was the belief that the righteous get new, glorified bodies in order to enter heaven (1 Cor 15:42-49; 2 Cor 5:1-10). This transformation means the righteous will share the glory of God. One recalls the way Moses shared the Lord’s glory after his visit to the mountain in Exod 34. So the disciples saw Jesus transfigured, and they were getting a sneak preview of the great glory that Jesus would have (only his glory is more inherent to him as one who shares in the rule of the kingdom).
5 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
6 tn Grk “in [the] name that of Christ you are.”
7 tn Or “bear the Messiah’s”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
sn See the note on Christ in 8:29.
8 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
9 tn The imperfect ἐδίδασκεν (edidasken) is here taken ingressively.
10 sn A quotation from Isa 56:7.
11 tn Or “a hideout” (see L&N 1.57).
12 sn A quotation from Jer 7:11. The meaning of Jesus’ statement about making the temple courts a den of robbers probably operates here at two levels. Not only were the religious leaders robbing the people financially, but because of this they had also robbed them spiritually by stealing from them the opportunity to come to know God genuinely. It is possible that these merchants had recently been moved to this location for convenience.
13 tn See the note on the word “slave” in 10:44.
14 tn Grk “giving.”