This is the final piece in my series of articles based on Mark 8:22 to 9:1. After sharing my take on the first two parts of the entire narrative, we now approach the third and last part, and that is chapter 9:1. Let us quote the text:
Truly, I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see that the kingdom of God has come with power.
The verse talks about the coming of the kingdom of God with power. That is the plain meaning that you can get after reading the text. The question that bothers me is the connection of the coming of the kingdom of God with power to the sections that preceded it: 8:22 to 26 and 8:27 to 38. What’s the connection of the healing of the blind man to the coming of the kingdom? And not only that, how about the relationship of the coming of the kingdom to the identity of the Messiah, his approaching death, and discipleship?
As I said in my previous post, “the popular understanding of Jesus and biblical Christianity is generally mistaken.” And part of such misunderstanding is the misconception about the nature and character of God’s kingdom.
Given the above consideration, we are now ready to answer the question about the kind of Christianity that is biblically faithful. How do you know that your understanding of Christianity is biblically faithful? The narrative answers this question in three ways:
Your understanding of Christianity is biblically faithful if you don’t see miracles as the pathway to power, (8:22-26).
Seeing miracles as a way to power and prestige is a misuse of miracles. Miracles don’t attract attention to themselves. Miracles are signs of the existence of a higher reality than the one we visibly see with our natural eyes. Miracles serve to confirm the power of the gospel; they should not rival the preaching of the gospel. Miracles should direct our attention to the person and works of Christ.
Your understanding of Christianity is biblically faithful if it is rooted in the knowledge of the person and works of Christ, (8:27–38).
If someone tells me that they know Jesus Christ, I have to ask him where such knowledge comes from. If it comes from the critical scholars, the traditions of men, and even from popular opinion, I doubt if such knowledge is true. The true knowledge of the Son of God must be informed by the special revelation of God, which is the Old and the New Testaments.
And lastly, your understanding of Christianity is biblically faithful if you have a vision of the distinct character and nature of the kingdom of God, (9:1).
Even the apostles misunderstood the character of God’s kingdom. They thought of it as a kingdom like that of the Roman Empire. Since both suffering and resurrection characterized the King in this kingdom, the kingdom of God is radically different from the kingdoms of men. Its principles and ways run contrary to what we see in the kingdoms of this world.
In summary, I explore in this article how Mark 8:22–9:1 reveals three key aspects of a biblically faithful understanding of Christianity: the proper role of miracles, the true knowledge of Christ, and the distinct nature of God's kingdom.
The Previous Two Articles:
Encountering Jesus: The Healing of the Blind Man in Mark 8:22-26
From Miracles to the Cross: Understanding Biblical Christianity
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