Mark 9:30-10:12

Contemporary English Version

Jesus Again Speaks about His Death

(Matthew 17.22,23; Luke 9.43b-45)

³⁰ Jesus left with his disciples and started through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know about it, ³¹ because he was teaching the disciples that the Son of Man would be handed over to people who would kill him. But three days later he would rise to life. ³² The disciples did not understand what Jesus meant, and they were afraid to ask.

Who Is the Greatest?

(Matthew 18.1-5; Luke 9.46-48)

³³ Jesus and his disciples went to his home in Capernaum. After they were inside the house, Jesus asked them, “What were you arguing about along the way?” ^34 (A) They had been arguing about which one of them was the greatest, and so they did not answer.

^35 (B) After Jesus sat down and told the twelve disciples to gather around him, he said, “If you want the place of honor, you must become a slave and serve others!”

³⁶ Then Jesus asked a child to stand near him. He put his arm around the child and said, ^37 (C) “When you welcome even a child because of me, you welcome me. And when you welcome me, you welcome the one who sent me.”

For or against Jesus

(Luke 9.49,50)

³⁸ John said, “Teacher, we saw a man using your name to force demons out of people. But he wasn't one of us, and we told him to stop.”

³⁹ Jesus said to his disciples:

Don't stop him! No one who works miracles in my name will soon turn and say something bad about me. ^40 (D) Anyone who isn't against us is for us. ^41 (E) And anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name, just because you belong to me, will surely be rewarded.

Temptations To Sin

(Matthew 18.6-9; Luke 17.1,2)

⁴² It will be terrible for people who cause even one of my little followers to sin. Those people would be better off thrown into the ocean with a heavy stone tied around their necks. ^43-44 (F) So if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off! You would be better off to go into life paralyzed than to have two hands and be thrown into the fires of hell that never go out.^{[a] 45-46} If your foot causes you to sin, chop it off. You would be better off to go into life lame than to have two feet and be thrown into hell.^{[b] 47 (G)} If your eye causes you to sin, get rid of it. You would be better off to go into God's kingdom with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell. ^48 (H) The worms there never die, and the fire never stops burning.

⁴⁹ Everyone must be salted with fire.^[c]

^50 (I) Salt is good. But if it no longer tastes like salt, how can it be made salty again? Have salt among you and live at peace with each other.^[d]

Teaching about Divorce

(Matthew 19.1-12; Luke 16.18)

10 After Jesus left, he went to Judea and then on to the other side of the Jordan River. Once again large crowds came to him, and as usual, he taught them.

² Some Pharisees wanted to test Jesus. So they came up to him and asked if it was right for a man to divorce his wife. ³ Jesus asked them, “What does the Law of Moses say about this?”

^4 (J) They answered, “Moses allows a man to write out divorce papers and send his wife away.”

⁵ Jesus replied, “Moses gave you this law because you are so heartless. ^6 (K) But in the beginning God made a man and a woman. ^7 (L) That's why a man leaves his father and mother and gets married. ⁸ He becomes like one person with his wife. Then they are no longer two people, but one. ⁹ And no one should separate a couple that God has joined together.”

¹⁰ When Jesus and his disciples were back in the house, they asked him about what he had said. ^11 (M) He told them, “A man who divorces his wife and marries someone else is unfaithful to his wife. ¹² A woman who divorces her husband^[e] and marries again is also unfaithful.”