GREAT THINGS ENTERPRISE
CLAUDE BLACK
Mark 9:32
Fear of the Unknown
One day, Alice brought in the mail and handed me a letter from the IRS. I do not believe the IRS should be eliminated; I try to complete all my tax documents correctly, honestly, and on time. As a result, I rarely receive any communication from the agency. Perhaps I made a mistake on the last report; if so, I’d owe much more than I sent with the last completed forms. I sliced open the envelope, slowly unfolded the letter, and read it carefully. The letter informed me that I had miscalculated, and unless I notified the agency otherwise, they would send me a check for the difference. A check? I reread the dreaded letter, and sure enough, the mistake was in my favor this time.
My experience with the IRS letter may be somewhat akin to that of Jesus’ twelve disciples in Mark’s account of his teaching them about the near future—betrayal, death, and resurrection. Mark wrote, “But they did not understand the word, and they were afraid to ask him.” (Mark 9:32) Some writers suggest that the word translated “did not understand” may more accurately mean that they were unwilling to accept what Jesus implied. Earlier, disciple Peter confronted Jesus about such a prediction, and Jesus, in turn, accused Peter of thinking like men and allowing Satan to deceive him. (Matt. 16:21-23; Mark 8:31-33)
At this point, it seems the disciples expected Jesus to be the conquering warrior who would overthrow the Roman government and establish his kingdom—what Martin Luther called a “theology of glory.” Luke wrote, “It was concealed from them, so that they might not perceive it.” (Luke 9:45) However, Jesus was teaching them what Luther described as a “theology of the cross”—the suffering Savior.
Regardless of the case, they were afraid to ask Jesus for more information (cf. Luke 9:45). I can identify with the disciples’ fear as I stood there, holding the dreaded IRS envelope.
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