Mark 9:30-32 30And going out from there, they passed through Galilee, and he did not want anyone to know, 31for he was teaching his disciples and saying to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of people, and they will kill him, and when he is killed, after three days he will rise.” 32But they did not understand the saying, and they were afraid to ask him.
The journey towards the cross begins with earnestness as Jesus and his disciples go through Galilee towards Jerusalem. The group left the area of the transfiguration and headed to the familiar territory of Galilee, where Jesus spent the majority of his ministry. The following scenes take place in Capernaum, one of the “headquarters” of the ministry. These experiences were the last of Jesus’ ministry in Galilee, according to Mark’s account. Jesus passed through Galilee, the place of his youth, teaching, healing, and disciples. These verses are a reflection of his life up until this point.
Jesus intended his time in Galilee to be a private experience with his disciples. He had to make sure they were ready for what would come next. The time for revelation to the crowds through healing had ended, and it was time to face the call for the spiritual healing of the whole world. The theme of Jesus’ teaching shifts to the need for his suffering. No crowds were involved at this point. The verb was teaching is imperfect tense suggesting ongoing activity and reflection. The disciples had not yet understood the message or implications of the call to carry their cross. They were confused by Jesus’ message of his death and resurrection death and afraid to ask him about his predictions.
The deep issue for them was that they were still thinking on the earthly and political levels about the Messiah. Their fear to ask Jesus only revealed their deeper heart issue of a lack of faith and commitment. They were like the father of the epileptic boy: they believed because of what they had seen and experienced yet still had not come to the place of sanctified faith. Their journey models the path many people take in their walk of discipleship. The promise of eternal life is appealing and simple to receive. Evangelistic methods proclaim the easy path of “accepting Jesus into your heart.” The next step of growth in grace through sanctification is the difficult part because it calls for more than the faith of the crowds but the faith of committed discipleship. The call is to face the cross and to die there. Victory for the disciples would not be found in Galilee but Golgotha.
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