Mark 9:30-50

Read Mark 9:30-50

Helpful Background Information: 

• In Mark 9:30-32, Jesus again predicts His coming suffering, death, and resurrection. This is the second time He has spoken plainly about the cross, yet the disciples still do not understand. Instead of asking questions, they remain silent, afraid to admit their confusion. What follows shows just how deeply they misunderstand Jesus’s mission: while He is talking about giving His life, they are arguing about which of them is the greatest. This contrast is intentional. Mark wants us to see how different Jesus’s definition of greatness is from our own natural instincts.

• He tells them that anyone who wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all. He then places a child among them and uses the child as an example of greatness. In verses 38-41, John interrupts Jesus with a concern that reveals another misunderstanding of greatness. The disciples tried to stop a man from casting out demons because “he was not following us.” Their issue was not loyalty to Jesus, but control over who counted as an insider. Jesus corrects them by showing that God’s work is bigger than their group and that anyone acting in His name is not the enemy. 

• The rest of the passage (vv. 42-50) reinforces how seriously Jesus takes this version of greatness. He warns against causing others to stumble and uses strong language to stress the cost of discipleship. 

• Being “salted with fire” is refining work God does in His people through testing, discipline, and sacrifice. Jesus warns that salt that loses its saltiness is useless, just as discipleship that avoids humility and holiness loses its purpose. He then ties everything together by calling His followers to “have salt in yourselves” and to “be at peace with one another.” 

Reflection Questions: 

• Why do you think the disciples were afraid to ask Jesus about His prediction of suffering and death (vv. 30–32)?

• Jesus says that to be first, one must be last and servant of all (v. 35). What does serving others look like in your everyday life right now?

• Why do you think Jesus used a child as an example of greatness (vv. 36–37)? What qualities of a child does God value?

• Jesus uses some pretty extreme language about removing anything that leads us to sin (vv. 43–47). What might this look like practically in your own life?