Show Don't Tell: Mark 9:1

Instead of saying "Jesus promised some would see the kingdom come," hear the solemn declaration. After the hard teaching about cross-bearing and soul-forfeiting, Jesus adds: "Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see that the kingdom of God has come with power." What does this mean? The Transfiguration follows immediately in Mark—Peter, James, and John will witness kingdom glory on the mountain. Or perhaps the resurrection and ascension. Or Pentecost. Or the destruction of Jerusalem. What's clear: Jesus isn't speaking of something millennia away. Some standing there would see it. The kingdom's coming in power isn't merely future; it breaks into the present. The suffering Messiah will be vindicated—and some in that crowd would witness it before they died.