Mark 9:14-10:31 (New International Version)

The Healing of a Boy with an Evil Spirit

 ¹⁴When they came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them. ¹⁵As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him.

 ¹⁶"What are you arguing with them about?" he asked.

 ¹⁷A man in the crowd answered, "Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. ¹⁸Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not."

 ¹⁹"O unbelieving generation," Jesus replied, "how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me."

 ²⁰So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.

 ²¹Jesus asked the boy's father, "How long has he been like this?"

   "From childhood," he answered. ²²"It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us."

 ²³" 'If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes."

 ²⁴Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"

 ²⁵When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the evil^[a] spirit. "You deaf and mute spirit," he said, "I command you, come out of him and never enter him again."

 ²⁶The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, "He's dead." ²⁷But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up.

 ²⁸After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, "Why couldn't we drive it out?"

 ²⁹He replied, "This kind can come out only by prayer.^[b]"

 ³⁰They left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, ³¹because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, "The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise." ³²But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it.

Who is Greatest?

 ³³They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, "What were you arguing about on the road?" ³⁴But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest.

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

 ³⁶He took a little child and had him stand among them. Taking him in his arms, he said to them, ³⁷"Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me."

Whoever Is Not Against Us Is for Us

 ³⁸"Teacher," said John, "we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us."

 ³⁹"Do not stop him," Jesus said. "No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, ⁴⁰for whoever is not against us is for us. ⁴¹I tell you the truth, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to Christ will certainly not lose his reward.

Causing to Sin

 ⁴²"And if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around his neck. ⁴³If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out.^{[c] 45}And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell.^{[d] 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 hell, ⁴⁸where
   " 'their worm does not die,
      and the fire is not quenched.'^{[e] 49}Everyone will be salted with fire.

 ⁵⁰"Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other."

Mark 10

Divorce

 ¹Jesus then left that place and went into the region of Judea and across the Jordan. Again crowds of people came to him, and as was his custom, he taught them.

 ²Some Pharisees came and tested him by asking, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?"

 ³"What did Moses command you?" he replied.

 ⁴They said, "Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and send her away."

 ⁵"It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law," Jesus replied. ⁶"But at the beginning of creation God 'made them male and female.'^{[f] 7}'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife,^{[g] 8}and the two will become one flesh.'^[h] So they are no longer two, but one. ⁹Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."

 ¹⁰When they were in the house again, the disciples asked Jesus about this. ¹¹He answered, "Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her. ¹²And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery."

The Little Children and Jesus

 ¹³People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. ¹⁴When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. ¹⁵I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." ¹⁶And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.

The Rich Young Man

 ¹⁷As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. "Good teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

 ¹⁸"Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good—except God alone. ¹⁹You know the commandments: 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.'^[i]"

 ²⁰"Teacher," he declared, "all these I have kept since I was a boy."

 ²¹Jesus looked at him and loved him. "One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."

 ²²At this the man's face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.

 ²³Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!"

 ²⁴The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, "Children, how hard it is^[j] to enter the kingdom of God! ²⁵It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

 ²⁶The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, "Who then can be saved?"

 ²⁷Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God."

 ²⁸Peter said to him, "We have left everything to follow you!"

 ²⁹"I tell you the truth," Jesus replied, "no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel ³⁰will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life. ³¹But many who are first will be last, and the last first."