Mark 9:10-13- Opening the Bible

They seized upon that statement, discussing with one another what rising from the dead meant. They asked Him, saying, "Why is it that the scribes say that Elijah must come first?" 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."

The disciples and Jesus were coming down from the mountain, when Jesus told them to not speak of the transfiguration until the Son of Man had been raised from the dead.  Again, the disciples did not understand that Jesus meant a specific raising from the dead three days after he would be killed—they thought he meant the resurrection at the end of the age.  Thus, they thought he intended for them never to tell anyone until the judgement day.  

Then the disciples refer to Malachi 4:1-6 which speak of the final day and of the fact that Elijah would come first.  Having just seen Elijah, they wondered why he did not come, if the judgement day is so near.  Jesus affirmed the prophecy of Malachi.  

Then he offers them another mystery—if the judgement day is so near, why do the Scriptures say that the Christ would suffer so much?  Isn’t that supposed to happen?  The disciples do not understand this.  

Then Jesus mentions that the Elijah that “is to come” has already come, and that he suffered, just as the Son of Man is to suffer as well.  Here we have our first hint that Jesus is speaking of John the Baptist as the fulfillment of Elijah’s coming.  Since John wore the garb of Elijah, and suffered at the hand of a Jewish king like Elijah, and called for repentance like Elijah, the comparison seems apt.

Here, the disciples listen to what the Father had just told them, and they pay attention to the Son.  So they ask him questions about the Scriptures and pay attention to his answers. But Jesus' answers are somewhat mystifying and don't make a lot of sense.  They require thought and come at the Scriptures from a new direction.

Jesus is the one teacher, the only one to truly interpret the Scriptures.  We hear the standard theories about the Bible and we can know all the basic answers.  But we do not truly understand the Scriptures until Jesus has laid them out for us.  The Scriptures are contradictory, and confusing.  Then Jesus speaks, and we are even more confused because our initial interpretation is destroyed.  Then, when we consider his words carefully and think again what the Scriptures mean, it all becomes clear.