Mar 9 | Comm | STEP | And he said to them, "Truly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God come with power."

‏ Mark 9

1 And he said to them, "Truly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God come with power." 2 After six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, 3 and his clothes became dazzling, exceedingly white, as no launderer on earth could bleach them. 4 And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. 5 And Peter said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. And let us make three tabernacles—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." 6 For he did not know what to say, for they were greatly afraid. 7 And a cloud came and overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud, "This is my beloved Son. Listen to him!" 8 Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only. 9 And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10 So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what the rising from the dead meant. 11 And they asked him, "Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?" 12 Then he said to them, "Elijah does come first and restores all things. And how is it written of the Son of Man, that he must suffer many things and be treated with contempt? 13 But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did to him whatever they wished, as it is written of him."

14 And when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them. 15 Immediately, when they saw him, all the people were greatly amazed, and ran to him and greeted him. 16 And he asked them, "What are you discussing with them?" 17 And one of the crowd answered him, "Teacher, I brought my son to you, who has a mute spirit. 18 And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to cast out the spirit, but they could not." 19 He answered him, "O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to me." 20 And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. 21 And Jesus asked his father, "How long has he been like this?" And he said, "From childhood. 22 And it has often thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have pity on us and help us." 23 Jesus said to him, "If you can, all things are possible to him who believes." 24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, "I believe; help my unbelief!" 25 And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, "You dumb and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him, and never enter him again." 26 And the spirit cried out, convulsed him terribly, and came out. And the boy was like a corpse; so that many of them said, "He is dead." 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. 28 And when he had come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, "Why could we not cast it out?" 29 And he said to them, "This kind can only come out by prayer."

30 Then they departed from there and passed through Galilee, and he did not want anyone to know it. 31 For he was teaching his disciples and said to them, "The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and when he is killed, after three days he will rise." 32 But they did not understand the saying, and they were afraid to ask him. 33 And they came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, "What were you discussing on the road?" 34 But they kept silent; for on the way they had discussed with one another who was the greatest. 35 And he sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, "If anyone desires to be first, he must be last of all and servant of all." 36 And he took a little child, and put him in the midst of them. And taking him in his arms, he said to them, 37 "Whoever receives one of these little children in my name receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me." 38 John said to him, "Teacher, we saw a man casting out demons in your name and we forbade him, because he was not one of us." 39 But Jesus said, "Do not forbid him, for no one who does a miracle in my name can soon afterward speak evil of me. 40 For he who is not against us is for us.

41 For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in my name, because you belong to Christ, will by no means lose his reward. 42 "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung round his neck and he were thrown into the sea. 43 If 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, to the fire that shall never be quenched. 45 And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell. 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, 48 where ‘their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.’ 49 For every one will be salted with fire. 50 Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another."