The 4 Letter Word

 Mark 9:12 (KJV) And he answered and told them, Elias verily cometh first, and restoreth all things; and how it is written of the Son of man, that he must suffer many things, and be set at nought.

We read something similar back in Chapter 8

Mark 8:31 (KJV) And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.

There is a phrase that is used in each verse that I found interesting: “must suffer many things” out of that little phrase there’s one word that caught my attention. It was the four letter word “must” Here is why. When I was doing electrical work they had and still do a book called the electrical code book NEC (The National Electrical Code) when you see the word “MUST” in that code book it meant it had to be. So when I read “the Son of man must suffer many things” it meant it had to be. Webster said this “A man must eat for nourishment, and he must sleep for refreshment. We must submit to the laws or be exposed to punishment. A bill in a legislative body must have three readings before it can pass to be enacted.” But when we read Mark 9:31 (KJV) For he taught his disciples, and said unto them, The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise the third day. The four letter word “MUST” is gone and we read “The Son of man is delivered” But Jesus is not taken or imprisoned at this time because we read that He leaves and He came to  Capernaum

Mark 9:33 (KJV) And he came to Capernaum: it’s a fact Jesus will be delivered over to sinful men in the near future; these men think they have great power. At that time it appears and it looks like they do but it’s all false. We are seeing the same today, men who are in prestigious places of power thinking they are in control. But they too will discover they aren’t, but it will be too late. Their power will not keep them from  being exposed to God’s punishment. “The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men”  already in action for we read in Mark 3:6 (KJV) And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against him (Jesus), how they might destroy him (Jesus).