|
In this lesson:
Who is the greatest (9:33-37)? The anonymous miracle worker (9:38-40). Jesus teaches His Disciples. Study Tip: Reading each passage a second time reinforces the lessons learned. Plus, you catch important points you might have missed with the first read. |
|
The Gospel According to St. Mark
The King James Bible
The King James Bible
|
Mark: 9:33-50
The disciples are taught humility 33 And he came to Capernaum: and being in the house he asked them, What was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way? 34 But they held their peace: for by the way they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest. 35 And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all. 36 And he took a child, and set him in the midst of them: and when he had taken him in his arms, he said unto them, 37 Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me. 38 And John answered him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not us. 39 But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me. 40 For he that is not against us is on our part. 41 For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward. 42 And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea. 43 And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: 44 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. 45 And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: 46 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. 47 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire: 48 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. 49 For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt. 50 Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another. Some original manuscripts do not include verses 44 and 46. |
Margin notes:
"Being in the house." (9:33) - Peter owned a house in Capernaum, so this was probably his home. "What was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way." (9:33) - "What were you quarreling about on the road." "They held their peace." (9:34) - The disciples kept silent out of embarrassment. "Who should be the greatest." (9:34) - Apparently, the disciples forgot Jesus' teaching on humility (Matthew 5:3). "Whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me." (9:37) - Jesus is reinforcing this message from Luke 9:48 and John 12:44 "Forbid him not." (9:39) - God will use the positive testimony from any source (Numbers 11:26-29). "That can lightly speak evil of me." (9:39) - Means, "that will soon speak evil of me." "He that is not against us is on our part." (9:40) - "He that is not against us is on our side." When it comes to Jesus, you either believe, or you don't. There is no middle road, no neutrality. See also Matthew 12:30, Luke 9:50 and 11:23. "Whosoever shall offend." (9:42) - "Whoever tempts, leads astray." "Cut it off." (9:43) - A symbolic statement. Cutting off a limb doesn't deal with the root cause of sin. Here, Jesus is advising us to cut off an ungodly relationship or a sinful lifestyle. "It is better for thee to enter halt into life." (9:45) - "It is better for you to enter life crippled." "Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched." (9:48) - This is a paraphrase, referring to everlasting destruction, from Isaiah 66:24. "Salt is good." (9:50) - "Jesus used salt to illustrate three qualities that should be found in his people: (1) We should remember God's faithfulness, just as salt when used with a sacrifice recalled God's covenant with his people (Leviticus 2:13). (2) We should make a difference in the flavor of the world we live in, just as salt changes meat's flavor (see Matthew 5:13). (3) We should counteract the moral decay in society, just as salt preserves food from decay. When we lose this desire to salt the earth with the love and message of God, we become useless to him." (From the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; page 1905). See also Luke 14:34; and Colossians 4:6). |
Matthew 18:1-5 (lesson 35) and Luke 9:46-48 also touch on the disciple's argument over who was the greatest.
New Living Translation
Mark: 9:33-50
The Greatest in the Kingdom
33 After they arrived at Capernaum and settled in a house, Jesus asked his disciples, "What were you discussing out on the road?"
34 But they didn't answer, because they had been arguing about which of them was the greatest.
35 He sat down, called the twelve disciples over to him, and said, "Whoever wants to be first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else."
36 Then he put a little child among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them,
37 "Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes not only me but also my Father who sent me."
Using the Name of Jesus
38 John said to Jesus, "Teacher, we saw someone using your name to cast out demons, but we told him to stop because he wasn't in our group."
39 "Don't stop him!" Jesus said. "No one who performs a miracle in my name will soon be able to speak evil of me.
40 Anyone who is not against us is for us.
41 If anyone gives you even a cup of water because you belong to the Messiah, I tell you the truth, that person will surely be rewarded.
42 "But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone hung around your neck.
43 If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It's better to enter eternal life with only one hand than to go into the unquenchable fires of hell with two hands.
45 If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It's better to enter eternal life with only one foot than to be thrown into hell with two feet.
47 And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out. It's better to enter the Kingdom of God with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell,
48 'where the maggots never die and the fire never goes out.'
49 "For everyone will be tested with fire.
50 Salt is good for seasoning. But if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again? You must have the qualities of salt among yourselves and live in peace with each other."
This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word for word translation of the Bible. However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."
The Greatest in the Kingdom
33 After they arrived at Capernaum and settled in a house, Jesus asked his disciples, "What were you discussing out on the road?"
34 But they didn't answer, because they had been arguing about which of them was the greatest.
35 He sat down, called the twelve disciples over to him, and said, "Whoever wants to be first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else."
36 Then he put a little child among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them,
37 "Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes not only me but also my Father who sent me."
Using the Name of Jesus
38 John said to Jesus, "Teacher, we saw someone using your name to cast out demons, but we told him to stop because he wasn't in our group."
39 "Don't stop him!" Jesus said. "No one who performs a miracle in my name will soon be able to speak evil of me.
40 Anyone who is not against us is for us.
41 If anyone gives you even a cup of water because you belong to the Messiah, I tell you the truth, that person will surely be rewarded.
42 "But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone hung around your neck.
43 If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It's better to enter eternal life with only one hand than to go into the unquenchable fires of hell with two hands.
45 If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It's better to enter eternal life with only one foot than to be thrown into hell with two feet.
47 And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out. It's better to enter the Kingdom of God with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell,
48 'where the maggots never die and the fire never goes out.'
49 "For everyone will be tested with fire.
50 Salt is good for seasoning. But if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again? You must have the qualities of salt among yourselves and live in peace with each other."
This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word for word translation of the Bible. However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."
Key verses from this passage
"And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all." (9:35)
"Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another." (9:50)
"Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another." (9:50)
Today's Question:
1. What did the child have to do with the disciples? (9:36)
You can receive these lessons up to five times per week. If you would like to change the number of times you're getting them, let us know.
1. What did the child have to do with the disciples? (9:36)
You can receive these lessons up to five times per week. If you would like to change the number of times you're getting them, let us know.
Answer: (Do you agree?)
1. Children are helpless, simple, unaffected, and unpretentious. They don't worry about who is in charge or makes the most money. Jesus used the child both as a lesson in humility and to rebuke the disciples for arguing who among them was the greatest. Jesus was teaching the disciples (and us) that greatness in God's eyes is not about power or position. The path to righteousness is to be humble before God (see also 1 Peter 5:5-6) and serve others. Jesus taught the disciples that they were all equal, none greater than the other. Unfortunately, they didn't learn the lesson well. In Mark 10:35-45 they will argue again over who is the "greatest."
Application thought for the day:
What spiritual lessons can we learn from salt (9:49-50)? How can you apply these lessons to your life?
Free Bible course since 2007.
Please help us spread the Good News of Christ.
Please help us spread the Good News of Christ.
Visit us on social media below.
Explore hundreds of our original postings.
Explore hundreds of our original postings.
Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke. Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series" published by NavPress Books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; "The Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies"; "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers published by Barbour publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course the "King James Bible". All were critical in putting these lessons together.
© 2026 evolke
© 2026 evolke