The Priority of the Cross

Jun 28, 2026 • Rory Mosley

050 The Priority of the Cross

Mark 9:9-13

June 28, 2026

As you know, we are now in the second half of Mark’s gospel.

The first 8 chapters were spent with one primary goal in mind and that was to reveal WHO JESUS IS.

That question was finally answered by Peter in Mark 8:29

Mark 8:29 “And He continued by questioning them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered and said to Him, “You are the Christ.”

Peter rightly identified Jesus as God’s anointed One.

· He is the Messiah.

· He is the Christ.

· He is the King who will reign on David’s throne.

· He is the Sovereign Lord.

But there is more to know about Jesus than just who He is.

The second part of the gospel is regarding His work.

WHY DID HE COME?

And as soon as Peter answered part 1 correctly,

Jesus immediately transitioned to that second major truth.

Mark 8:31 “And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.”

Jesus is God’s Messiah

He came to suffer, die, and rise from the dead.

This truth will now become the focus of Mark’s gospel.

And just like the first part, it will take a while for the disciples to get it.

You’ll see in our text this morning Jesus again mentions His resurrection and the disciples are TOTALLY CONFUSED by it.

Later:

Mark 9:31-32 “For He was teaching His disciples and telling them, “The Son of Man is to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill Him; and when He has been killed, He will rise three days later.” But they did not understand this statement, and they were afraid to ask Him.”

· There Jesus again announces His death, but the disciples remain clueless.

In fact, the very next passage says:

Mark 9:33-34

“They came to Capernaum; and when He was in the house, He began to question them, “What were you discussing on the way?” But they kept silent, for on the way they had discussed with one another which of them was the greatest.”

It’s obvious they missed the whole point of Jesus suffering and dying,

They’re still jockeying for power.

Or even in chapter 10

Mark 10:32-34 “They were on the road going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking on ahead of them; and they were amazed, and those who followed were fearful. And again He took the twelve aside and began to tell them what was going to happen to Him, saying, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and will hand Him over to the Gentiles. “They will mock Him and spit on Him, and scourge Him and kill Him, and three days later He will rise again.”

· Jesus again gives a direct announcement of His coming death.

But it’s like the disciples have a mental block regarding the subject,

For the very next story says this:

Mark 10:35-37 “James and John, the two sons of Zebedee, came up to Jesus, saying, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask of You.” And He said to them, “What do you want Me to do for you?” They said to Him, “Grant that we may sit, one on Your right and one on Your left, in Your glory.”

It’s like they can’t hear a thing.

The truth of His death and resurrection just isn’t sinking in.

AND THAT BECOMES EVIDENT AGAIN HERE THIS MORNING.

BACKDROP

· Jesus has just been on the mountain

· He was transfigured before Peter, James, and John.

· They saw His glory, as well as Elijah and Moses standing with Him.

· Peter was specifically reprimanded again,

· This time told to listen to what Jesus was saying.

In order to clarify what the message that Peter needed to hear,

Mark records for us the conversation coming down the mountain.

This is here to show you the message Peter wasn’t hearing.

It is here to show us the preeminent message of Christianity.

We are reminded of the priority of the cross.

We’re going to break this text down into 4 points this morning.

#1 THE CONSTRAINT

Mark 9:9

“As they were coming down from the mountain, He gave them orders not to relate to anyone what they had seen, until the Son of Man rose from the dead.”

We are again confronted with what has

Seemed to be A FAMILIAR OCCURRENCE in the ministry of Jesus.

Even after Peter correctly identified Jesus as the Messiah:

Mark 8:30 “And He warned them to tell no one about Him.”

And here it happens again.

It’s not hard to imagine the topic of conversation

· They are reliving everything that just occurred on the mountain.

· They are analyzing the brightness of Christ’s glory.

· They are discussing the appearance of Moses & Elijah.

· They are talking about the terror of the cloud.

They are just rehashing the details.

And perhaps one of them says something like,

· “I can’t wait to tell Andrew about this!”

· “Thomas is never going to believe this!”

But any excitement to share this experience with others will have to wait.

For Jesus “gave them orders not to relate to anyone what they had seen, until the Son of Man rose from the dead.”

“relate” is (dee-aye-GAY-oh-my)

It means “to lead or carry a narration through to the end;

set forth; recount; relay in full; describe.”

You’ve probably had someone do that to you before.

· They are in some sort of amazing situation

· Then begin to recount to you every little detail of what happened.

Jesus knows that the disciples are planning just such a re-telling.

They are going to fill everyone in on every little aspect of this event.

And Jesus immediately puts a constraint on them.

They are not to narrate this story to anyone.

BUT we do find that it is a temporary constraint.

Jesus says, “UNTIL the Son of Man rose from the dead.”

They are sworn to secrecy until after the resurrection.

IT IS THE SAME POINT we have made at other times

When Jesus called for discretion after a miracle.

HE IS CONTROLLING THE NARRATIVE.

· Though it was necessary and even beneficial for these three disciples to see

His glory, this is NOT THE MESSAGE He wants proclaimed.

· If they go out and start spreading the news of His glory and of Moses and Elijah

then the kingdom fever is going to reach a whole new height.

· Everyone is going to think it is the end and that Jesus is about to reign.

Jesus tells them not to share this story

Until they are able to put it in its proper place.

For as amazing as this scene was, this is NOT the preeminent scene.

This event is NOT the event that needs to be broadcast to the world.

THERE IS ANOTHER EVENT THAT IS COMING,

That is the one that needs to captivate the speech of the disciples.

THERE IS ANOTHER EVENT COMING,

That is the one that needs to be declared to the world.

So Jesus in effect says, “Don’t go out preaching about My glory until you know what it is.”

So He puts a constraint on the disciples.

It is a gag order.

That leads to the second point:

#2 THE CONFUSION

Mark 9:10

“They seized upon that statement, discussing with one another what rising from the dead meant.”

A moment ago Peter, James, and John had been reliving all the events that occurred on the mountain.

Now they have a new a topic of discussion.

What in the world does He mean by “rising from the dead”?

NOW, IT’S NOT LIKE THAT IS A CRYPTIC STATEMENT.

It’s not even outside the parameters of a day in the life of Jesus.

Have they not seen Him raise several from the dead already?

· We know about Jarius’ daughter.

· We know about the widow from Nane and her son.

· And there may have indeed been more.

· Lazarus is coming.

Not only that, but Jesus had just told them a week ago:

And yet it is clear that they weren’t listening then.

They have no clue what He means.

They have yet to accept the reality of His coming death.

And so any talk of a resurrection is confusing to them.

But it is clear to us what event is meant to trump

The greatness of the one they just witnessed on the mountain.

One might think that the transfiguration of Jesus

Would be the pinnacle event of His entire life.

Jesus just revealed that it WILL NOT BE.

The pinnacle event will be His resurrection.

· Once that occurs He won’t have to worry about the disciples emphasizing the wrong thing.

And here it is clear why they needed the gag order.

They don’t have any idea what He means by that statement.

· For one, He’s not dead.

· And for another, after what they’ve seen on the mountain, they can’t imagine

anyone killing Him.

THIS STATEMENT ON RESURRECTION CONFUSED THEM.

The Constraint, The Confusion

#3 THE CONCERN

Mark 9:11

“They asked Him, saying, “Why is it that the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”

This is one of the most remarkable conversation jumps

Mentioned anywhere in the gospels.

· Jesus just stated for the second time in a week that He is going to rise from the dead.

· The disciples admittedly do not understand what He’s talking about, and yet they are content not to know.

For they immediately return to the previous topic of discussion.

They remain enamored with His glory and the timing of His kingdom.

“We don’t know what all this death and resurrection talk is,

but the kingdom should be coming any day.”

AND YET, THERE IS ONE THING THAT IS BOTHERING THEM.

· Where was Elijah?

· Why didn’t he come?

They know they just saw him on the mountain,

But he didn’t stay long and he only appeared to the men on the mountain.

They were having an eschatology problem.

Every scribe they had sat under had explained to them

How Elijah would first appear and then the Messiah would come.

They were certainly now convinced that Jesus was the Messiah,

So it bothered them that they had never seen Elijah.

This is the question they confront Jesus with.

JESUS’ ANSWER AGAIN ADDRESSES

Their FAILURE to listen or understand what the MAIN ISSUE is.

#4 THE CORRECTION

Mark 9:12-13

“And He said to them, “Elijah does first come and restore all things. And yet how is it written of the Son of Man that He will suffer many things and be treated with contempt? “But I say to you that Elijah has indeed come, and they did to him whatever they wished, just as it is written of him.”

We want to break this down a little further

For here we find the point of the text.

So let’s listen as Jesus answers their question.

1) YOU HAVE A PRECISE EXPECTATION (12a)

“And He said to them, “Elijah does first come and restore all things.”

In other words, “What you have been taught is not wrong.”

· The teaching of the scribes is accurate

· That is what Scripture prophesies

For example:

Isaiah 40:3-8 “A voice is calling, “Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness; Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God. “Let every valley be lifted up, And every mountain and hill be made low; And let the rough ground become a plain, And the rugged terrain a broad valley; Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed, And all flesh will see it together; For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” A voice says, “Call out.” Then he answered, “What shall I call out?” All flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, When the breath of the Lord blows upon it; Surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.”

This actually may have been the chief passage on the disciple’s minds.

Isaiah specifically said that

· Before the glory of the LORD would be revealed

· There would be a voice calling out to clear the way for Him.

· There would be one who would call to make smooth in the desert a highway for God.

· There would be a messenger who would elevate the significance and authority and permanence of the word of God before the people.

So why did the disciples expect that this person was Elijah?

Because years later…

Malachi would bring even more clarity to that prophecy.

Malachi 3:1-3 “Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says the Lord of hosts. “But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. “He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to the Lord offerings in righteousness.”

Malachi was clear that “the LORD whom you seek will suddenly come to His temple.”

But again, like Isaiah said,

First there would be a messenger who would “clear the way” before Him.

Malachi explains why such a messenger was necessary.

Because even though people were excited for the coming of the LORD,

They were in no way prepared for Him to come.

Malachi asked, “But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears?”

Israel, in her sinful state, may have wanted their Lord to come, but they were certainly not ready for Him.

· If He showed up in glory it would be a train wreck!

· It would be an Isaiah 6 moment over the whole nation.

· It would be like when God showed up before Job riding the whirlwind.

If He showed up without warning

It would only mean death and judgment for the people

For they were living in sin and not prepared to meet their God.

We think of powerful Psalms like:

Psalms 15 “O Lord, who may abide in Your tent? Who may dwell on Your holy hill? He who walks with integrity, and works righteousness, And speaks truth in his heart. He does not slander with his tongue, Nor does evil to his neighbor, Nor takes up a reproach against his friend; In whose eyes a reprobate is despised, But who honors those who fear the Lord; He swears to his own hurt and does not change; He does not put out his money at interest, Nor does he take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken.”

Psalms 24:3-4 “Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? And who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood And has not sworn deceitfully.”

This nation was not ready for His coming.

· They needed a messenger to prepare them.

· The bride needed an attendant to come early and help her clean up and be presentable.

No doubt they had counted on this.

Instead of striving to be pleasing to God

They would just wait for the messenger to come to help them.

And then Malachi ACTUALLY NAMES who this messenger would be.

It would be the closing text of the entire Old Testament.

Malachi 4:5-6 “Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. “He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse.”

Malachi actually named the messenger.

It would be Elijah.

· Before God would send the King, He would first send Elijah to prepare the people for the King’s coming.

· Before they would stand before the glory of God they would be made ready to do so by Elijah.

AND THAT IS WHAT THE DISCIPLES ARE NOW CONFUSED BY.

· They saw the glory of the King, but no Elijah.

· They believe Jesus to be the Messiah, but Elijah did not come first.

And so they are confused.

But Jesus lets them know that their expectation is on point.

Elijah certainly “does come first and restore all things.”

They were correct.

You have a precise expectation.

However:

2) YOU HAVE A PARTIAL UNDERSTANDING (12b)

“And yet how is it written of the Son of Man that He will suffer many things and be treated with contempt?”

The problem with the disciples

Was not that they were mistaken with what they knew,

It is that they didn’t know everything they should.

They only expected the Messiah to come in glory,

And they expected Elijah to come before Him.

What they never expected was for the Messiah to first come in contempt.

This is the truth that Jesus has been trying to teach them.

This is the truth that they have been unwilling to see.

They have missed what the Scripture says about His suffering.

Did Daniel not prophecy that the Messiah would be cut off?

Daniel 9:26 “Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined.”

Did Zechariah not point out that Israel would reject her shepherd and sell Him for 30 pieces of silver?

Zechariah 11:12-13 “I said to them, “If it is good in your sight, give me my wages; but if not, never mind!” So they weighed out thirty shekels of silver as my wages. Then the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter, that magnificent price at which I was valued by them.” So I took the thirty shekels of silver and threw them to the potter in the house of the Lord.”

Did Zechariah not also point out that God’s anointed Shepherd would be struck and that His sheep would be scattered?

Zechariah 13:7 “Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, And against the man, My Associate,” Declares the Lord of hosts. “Strike the Shepherd that the sheep may be scattered; And I will turn My hand against the little ones.”

Did David not reveal that He would feel forsaken of God?

Psalms 22:1 “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Far from my deliverance are the words of my groaning.”

· And that He would be despised by the people and mocked by the people?

· And that His bones would pop out of joint?

· And that they would give him gall to drink?

· And that they would pierce His hands and feet?

· And that they would gamble over His clothes?

Psalms 22:6-18 “But I am a worm and not a man, A reproach of men and despised by the people. All who see me sneer at me; They separate with the lip, they wag the head, saying, “Commit yourself to the Lord; let Him deliver him; Let Him rescue him, because He delights in him.” Yet You are He who brought me forth from the womb; You made me trust when upon my mother’s breasts. Upon You I was cast from birth; You have been my God from my mother’s womb. Be not far from me, for trouble is near; For there is none to help. Many bulls have surrounded me; Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled me. They open wide their mouth at me, As a ravening and a roaring lion. I am poured out like water, And all my bones are out of joint; My heart is like wax; It is melted within me. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, And my tongue cleaves to my jaws; And You lay me in the dust of death. For dogs have surrounded me; A band of evildoers has encompassed me; They pierced my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones. They look, they stare at me; They divide my garments among them, And for my clothing they cast lots.”

Did Isaiah not say that they would strike Him with their fist?

Isaiah 50:6 “I gave My back to those who strike Me, And My cheeks to those who pluck out the beard; I did not cover My face from humiliation and spitting.”

Did Isaiah not also say that He would be a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief?

Isaiah 53:3 “He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.”

WHAT ABOUT ALL OF THOSE PROPHECIES?

The disciples weren’t wrong about the prophecies they read,

They were just too selective in what they read.

They couldn’t put it all together

Because they hadn’t grabbed all the puzzle pieces they needed.

John MacArthur put it this way:

“The disciples asked Him how He could be the Messiah if Elijah had not come; He in turn asked them how He could be the Messiah if He did not suffer as the Old Testament predicted.”

(MacArthur, John [The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Mark 9-16; Moody Publishers, Chicago, IL; 2015] pg. 18)

And this is the point Jesus is seeking to drive home.

Earlier He told them “not to relate to anyone what they had seen, until the Son of Man rose from the dead.”

If they went out talking up that transfiguration story

Then everyone would miss the entire point.

And this is where we want to make a little application here this morning.

For we see the same issue creep in to evangelical life even today.

Jesus wouldn’t allow His disciples to go out and preach

Until they understood what the most important message was.

Here He makes it absolutely clear what that message is.

It is His death and resurrection.

· That is the message.

· That is what we are to be captivated with.

If we get sidetracked with messages of

Glory or dominion or preeminence or even peace, joy, and rest,

We run the risk of missing the point.

We live in a world of a prevailing prosperity gospel

That focuses only on the glory of the kingdom.

It is a message of healing and prosperity and glory.

And certainly we look forward to those days.

· Certainly we look forward to Christ’s glorious return.

· Certainly we long for a day when sin and sickness and death are destroyed.

BUT THAT IS NOT THE MESSAGE FOR TODAY.

That is not the message we go out and preach to the world.

THE PRIORITY IS THE CROSS.

What did Paul say?

2 Corinthians 2:1-2 “But I determined this for my own sake, that I would not come to you in sorrow again. For if I cause you sorrow, who then makes me glad but the one whom I made sorrowful?”

When we go out preaching messages of glory to a lost world,

· We teach the unredeemed to focus on their sickness and their poverty

· And to see Jesus as the One who eliminates their suffering.

But that is a dangerous message for the unredeemed.

“For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?”

However, when we go out preaching the message of the cross and resurrection

· We force the unredeemed world to focus on their sin

· And the need for repentance and faith.

The disciples ran the risk of focusing on and proclaiming the wrong glory

And that leads me to ask you another question this morning.

WHAT IS THE GLORY OF CHRIST?

What did God point out?

Philippians 2:8-11 “Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

· It was His humiliating death that caused God to crown Him with glory.

Isaiah 53:11-12 “As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, As He will bear their iniquities. Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, And He will divide the booty with the strong; Because He poured out Himself to death, And was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, And interceded for the transgressors.”

· It is because of His atoning sacrifice that God allots Him a portion with the great.

And even consider the songs of heaven.

Revelation 5:9-10 “And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. “You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.”

Revelation 5:12 “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.”

Even in heaven, when Christ’s glory is on full display,

The priority is His death and resurrection.

The disciples were about to go out and preach the wrong glory.

Jesus told the disciples NOT TO go out and preach that message,

At least not UNTIL they had the gospel complete in their minds.

The pinnacle event of His life would NOT BE the transfiguration,

It would be His resurrection, and that is what was to be preached.

And if you read the book of Acts you know that they got that right.

As remarkable as the event on the mountain was, it is only mentioned a couple of times by those men.

· Peter references it in his final letter.

· John references it to open his gospel account.

· But those men camped on the death and resurrection.

That is the point Jesus is making here.

Make sure you know what the chief message is.

While you are right about Elijah coming first,

There is a greater message that you have failed to grasp.

Namely that the Son of Man “will suffer many things and be treated with contempt.”

· He is a Man of sorrows.

· He is a Man who came to suffer and die.

Get that message first.

A Precise Expectation

A Partial Understanding

3) A PARTICULAR BLINDNESS (13)

“But I say to you that Elijah has indeed come, and they did to him whatever they wished, just as it is written of him.”

Jesus again points out the blindness of the disciples.

They were waiting for Elijah to come

And to turn the hearts of the people back to God.

And by their own admitting they did not think he had come.

Now, when I read all those passages about Elijah coming earlier,

You already knew that it was John the Baptist.

But the disciples had not made that observation.

Why did they not see it?

· Because John had suffered.

· Because John had been executed.

They eliminated John the Baptist from contention

Because He had been killed by the world.

They just had no room in their theology

For a suffering Savior or a suffering forerunner.

And Jesus exposes that as well.

“Elijah has indeed come, and they did to him whatever they wished”

· You know the story about him being arrested by Herod

· Then executed as a granted request to the daughter of Herodias.

· John had been killed.

John had first been rejected and scorned.

Matthew 11:18 “For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon!’”

Matthew 21:25 “The baptism of John was from what source, from heaven or from men?” And they began reasoning among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say to us, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’”

Luke 7:30 “But the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected God’s purpose for themselves, not having been baptized by John.”

John was rejected too.

Then Jesus says, “just as it was written of him.”

That’s a difficult statement because

There is no recorded prophecy in the Old Testament about Elijah coming and suffering.

However there are stories of how the world sought to kill Elijah in his day.

1 Kings 19:1-2 “Now Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me and even more, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.”

And when Elijah approached the LORD:

1 Kings 19:10 “He said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”

What they wanted to do to Elijah they actually did John.

This is why the disciples could not make the connection.

They had no room for a suffering Savior or a suffering forerunner.

And that is why they were not ready to preach.

AND SO WE’LL SAY IT LIKE THIS:

Until you are captivated by the cross and resurrection,

You are not yet ready to proclaim the message of Christ.

THAT IS THE PRIORITY.

I know we often times push evangelism in the church hard.

We tell people to go out and witness, and it is commanded.

BUT DON’T MISS THE POINT THAT

· Though Jesus would commission the disciples to take the gospel to the world,