Church Fathers Commentary Mark 9:9-13

"And as they were coming down from the mountain, he charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, save when the Son of man should have risen again from the dead. And they kept the saying, questioning among themselves what the rising again from the dead should mean. And they asked him, saying, [How is it] that the scribes say that Elijah must first come? And he said unto them, Elijah indeed cometh first, and restoreth all things: and how is it written of the Son of man, that he should suffer many things and be set at nought? But I say unto you, that Elijah is come, and they have also done unto him whatsoever they would, even as it is written of him." — Mark 9:9-13 (ASV)

Origen of Alexandria: After the showing of the mystery on the mountain, the Lord commanded His disciples, as they were coming down from the mountain, not to reveal His transfiguration before the glory of His Passion and Resurrection.¹

This is why it is said, And as they came down from the mountain, He charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the dead.

St. John Chrysostom: Here, He not only orders them to be silent but, by mentioning His Passion, also implies the reason they were to be silent.²

Theophylact of Ohrid: He did this so that people would not be offended by hearing such glorious things about Him whom they were about to see crucified. Therefore, it was not fitting to say such things about Christ before He suffered; after His resurrection, however, they were likely to be believed.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: But they, being ignorant of the mystery of the resurrection, seized on that saying and disputed with one another.³

This is why the text continues, And they kept that saying with themselves, questioning one with another what the rising from the dead should mean.

Pseudo-Jerome: This, which is unique to Mark, means that when death has been swallowed up in victory, we will have no memory of former things.

It goes on, And they asked Him, saying, Why say the Scribes that Elias must first come?

St. John Chrysostom: The disciples’ intention in asking this question seems to me to be this: We have indeed seen Elijah with You, and we saw You before we saw Elijah. But the Scribes say that Elijah comes first; therefore, we believe they have lied.

The Venerable Bede: Or, to put it another way, the disciples thought that the change they had seen in Him on the mountain was His transformation to glory. They were essentially asking, “If You have already come in glory, why does Your forerunner not appear?” This was chiefly because they had just seen Elijah go away.

St. John Chrysostom: But what Christ answered is seen in what follows: And He answered and told them, Elias verily cometh first, and restoreth all things. In this, He shows that Elijah will come before His second coming. For the Scriptures declare two advents of Christ: one that has already taken place and another that is yet to come. The Lord, however, asserts that Elijah is the forerunner of the second advent.⁴

The Venerable Bede: Again, the phrase “He will restore all things” refers to what Malachi points out, saying, Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet, and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers (Malachi 4:5-6). Elijah will also pay the debt of death, which he has delayed by his prolonged life.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Now, the Lord presents this to oppose the Pharisees’ notion that Elijah was the forerunner of the first advent, showing that it led them to a false conclusion. This is why He adds, And how it is written of the Son of man, that He must suffer many things, and be set at nought.

It is as if He had said: When Elijah the Tishbite comes, he will pacify the Jews and bring them to the faith, thus being the forerunner of the second advent.

If, then, Elijah is the forerunner of the first advent, how is it written that the Son of man must suffer? One of two things must therefore follow: either Elijah is not the forerunner of the first advent, and thus the Scripture will be true; or he is the forerunner of the first advent, and then the Scripture which says that Christ must suffer will not be true.

For Elijah must restore all things, in which case there will not be a single unbelieving Jew; all who hear him must believe his preaching.

The Venerable Bede: Alternatively, the phrase And how it is written could mean this: in the same way that the prophets have written many things in various places concerning the Passion of Christ, Elijah also, when he comes, is to suffer many things and be despised by the wicked.

St. John Chrysostom: Now, just as the Lord asserted that Elijah was to be the forerunner of the second advent, He consequently asserted that John was the forerunner of the first.

This is why He adds, But I say unto you, that Elias is indeed come.

Glossa Ordinaria: He calls John “Elijah” not because he was Elijah in person, but because he fulfilled the ministry of Elijah. For as Elijah will be the forerunner of the second advent, so John has been the forerunner of the first.

Theophylact of Ohrid: For John also rebuked vice and was a zealous man and a hermit like Elijah. But they did not listen to him as they will listen to Elijah; instead, they killed him in wicked sport and cut off his head.

This is why the text continues, And they have done unto him whatsoever they listed, as it is written of him.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: Alternatively, the disciples asked Jesus how it was written that the Son of man must suffer. In answer to this, He says that just as John came in the likeness of Elijah and they mistreated him, so also must the Son of man suffer according to the Scriptures.⁵

1. in Matt. tom. 12, 43
2. Hom. in Matt., 56
3. Vict. Ant. e Cat. in Marc.
4. Hom. in Matt. 57
5. Vict. Ant. e Cat. in Marc.