Matthew Henry Commentary Mark 9:1-13

"And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There are some here of them that stand [by], who shall in no wise taste of death, till they see the kingdom of God come with power. And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and bringeth them up into a high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them; and his garments became glistering, exceeding white, so as no fuller on earth can whiten them. And there appeared unto them Elijah with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus. And Peter answereth and saith to Jesus, Rabbi, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah. For he knew not what to answer; for they became sore afraid. And there came a cloud overshadowing them: and there came a voice out of the cloud, This is my beloved Son: hear ye him. And suddenly looking round about, they saw no one any more, save Jesus only with themselves. 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 9:1-13 (ASV)

Here is a prediction of the near approach of Christ's kingdom. A glimpse of that kingdom was given in the transfiguration of Christ. It is good to be away from the world and alone with Christ; indeed, how good it is to be with Christ glorified in heaven with all the saints!

However, when things are going well for us, we are prone not to care for others; in the fullness of our enjoyments, we often forget the many needs of our fellow believers. God acknowledges Jesus and accepts him as his beloved Son, and is ready to accept us in him. Therefore, we must also acknowledge and accept him as our beloved Saviour, and surrender ourselves to be ruled by him.

Christ does not forsake the soul when joys and comforts depart from it. Jesus explained to the disciples the prophecy about Elias. This was very relevant to the mistreatment of John the Baptist.