Mark 9:33-50
Who Is the Most Important Person?
Jesus and his disciples came to a house in Capernaum. There he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?” But they kept quiet. On the way, they had argued about which one of them was the most important person.
Jesus sat down and called for the 12 disciples to come to him. Then he said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last. They must be the servant of everyone.”
Jesus took a little child and had the child stand among them. Then he took the child in his arms. He said to them, “Anyone who welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me. And anyone who welcomes me also welcomes the one who sent me.”
Anyone Who Is Not Against Us Is for Us
“Teacher,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name. We told him to stop, because he was not one of us.”
“Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me. Anyone who is not against us is for us. What I’m about to tell you is true. Suppose someone gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah. That person will certainly not go without a reward.
Leading People to Sin
“What if someone leads one of these little ones who believe in me to sin? If they do, it would be better if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It would be better for you to enter God’s kingdom with only one hand than to go into hell with two hands. In hell the fire never goes out. If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It would be better to enter God’s kingdom with only one foot than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. If your eye causes you to sin, poke it out. It would be better for you to enter God’s kingdom with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell. In hell,
“ ‘The worms that eat them do not die.
The fire is not put out.’ (Isaiah 66:24)
Everyone will be salted with fire.
“Salt is good. But suppose it loses its saltiness. How can you make it salty again? Have salt among yourselves. And be at peace with each other.”
Mark 10:1-12
Jesus Teaches About Divorce
Jesus left that place and went into the area of Judea and across the Jordan River. Again crowds of people came to him. As usual, he taught them.
Some Pharisees came to test Jesus. They asked, “Does the Law allow a man to divorce his wife?”
“What did Moses command you?” he replied.
They said, “Moses allowed a man to write a letter of divorce and send her away.”
“You were stubborn. That’s why Moses wrote you this law,” Jesus replied. “But at the beginning of creation, God ‘made them male and female.’ (Genesis 1:27) ‘That’s why a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife. The two of them will become one.’ (Genesis 2:24) They are no longer two, but one. So no one should separate what God has joined together.”
When they were in the house again, the disciples asked Jesus about this. He answered, “What if a man divorces his wife and gets married to another woman? He commits adultery against her. And what if she divorces her husband and gets married to another man? She commits adultery.”
