Mark 9:25-50 ▼

25 When Jesus saw that a crowd had come running, He rebuked the unclean spirit. “You mute and deaf spirit,” He said, “I command you to come out and never enter him again.”

26 After shrieking and convulsing him violently, the spirit came out. The boy became like a corpse, so that many said, “He is dead.”

27 But Jesus took him by the hand and helped him to his feet, and he stood up.

28 After Jesus had gone into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”

29 Jesus answered, “This kind cannot come out, except by prayer and fasting.”

30 Going on from there, they passed through Galilee. But Jesus did not want anyone to know,

31 because He was teaching His disciples. He told them, “The Son of Man will be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill Him, and on the third day He will rise.”

32 But they did not understand this statement, and they were afraid to ask Him about it.

33 Then Jesus came to Capernaum. While He was in the house, He asked them, “What were you discussing among yourselves on the way?”

34 But they were silent, for on the way they had been arguing about which of them was the greatest.

35 Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the last of all and the servant of all.”

36 Then He had a little child stand among them. Taking the child in His arms, He said to them,

37 “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in My name welcomes Me, and whoever welcomes Me welcomes not only Me, but the One who sent Me.”

38 John said to Him, “Teacher, we saw someone who does not follow us driving out demons in Your name, and we forbade him, because he does not accompany us.”

39 “Do not stop him,” Jesus replied. “For no one who performs a miracle in My name can turn around and speak evil of Me.

40 For whoever is not against you is for you.

41 Indeed, if anyone gives you even a cup of water in My name because you are Christ’s, truly I tell you, he will never lose his reward.

42 But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a millstone hung around his neck and to be thrown into the sea.

43 If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two hands and go into hell, into the unquenchable fire,

44 where ‘their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched.’

45 If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and be thrown into hell, into the unquenchable fire,

46 where ‘their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched.’

47 And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell,

48 where ‘their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched.’

49 For everyone will be salted with fire, and every sacrifice will be salted with salt.

50 Salt is good, but if the salt loses its saltiness, with what will you season it? Have salt among yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”