Mark 8:27–10:52

PETER’S CONFESSION OF THE MESSIAH

²⁷Jesus^c went out with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the road he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?”

²⁸They answered him, “John the Baptist;^d others, Elijah; still others, one of the prophets.”^e

²⁹“But you,” he asked them, “who do you say that I am?”

Peter^f answered him, “You are the Messiah.”^{g 30}And he strictly warned^h them to tell no one about him.

HIS DEATH AND RESURRECTION PREDICTED

³¹Thenⁱ he began to teach them that it was necessary for the Son of Man^j to suffer many things and be rejected^k by the elders,^l chief priests, and scribes,^m be killed, and riseⁿ after three days.^{o 32}He spoke openly about this. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. ³³But turning around and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan!^p You are not thinking about God’s concerns^A but human concerns.”

TAKE UP YOUR CROSS

³⁴Calling the crowd along with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself,^q take up his cross,^r and follow me.^{s 35}For whoever wants to save^t his life will lose it,^u but whoever loses^v his life^w because of me^x and the gospel^y will save it.^{z 36}For what does it benefit^aa someone to gain^ab the whole world^ac and yet lose^ad his life?^{ae 37}What can anyone give in exchange for his life?^{af 38}For whoever is ashamed^ag of me and my words^ah in this adulterous and sinful^ai generation,^aj the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when he comes in the glory^ak of his Father^al with the holy^am angels.”^an

9Then he said to them, “Truly I tell you,^ao there are some standing here who will not taste death^ap until they see the kingdom of God come in power.”^aq

THE TRANSFIGURATION

²After^ar six days^as Jesus took Peter, James, and John^at and led them up a high mountain^au by themselves to be alone. He was transfigured^av in front of them, ³and his clothes^aw became dazzling—extremely white^ax as no launderer on earth could whiten^ay them. ⁴Elijah^az appeared to them with Moses,^ba and they were talking with Jesus. ⁵Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi,^bb it’s good^bc for us to be here. Let’s set up three shelters:^bd one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”—⁶because he did not know what to say,^be since they were terrified.^bf

⁷A cloud^bg appeared, overshadowing^bh them, and a voice^bi came from the cloud:^bj “This is my beloved^bk Son;^bl listen to him!”^bm

⁸Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus.

⁹As^bn they were coming down the mountain,^bo he ordered them to tell no one what they had seen^bp until the Son of Man^bq had risen^br from the dead.^{bs 10}They kept this word^bt to themselves, questioning what “rising from the dead” meant.

¹¹Then they asked him, “Why do the scribes^bu say that Elijah must come first?”^bv

¹²“Elijah does come first and restores^bw all things,”^bx he replied. “Why then is it written^by that the Son of Man must suffer^bz many things and be treated with contempt?^{ca 13}But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did whatever they pleased to him, just as it is written^cb about him.”

THE POWER OF FAITH OVER A DEMON

¹⁴When^cc they came to the disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and scribes disputing^cd with them. ¹⁵When the whole crowd saw him, they were amazed and ran to greet him. ¹⁶He asked them, “What are you arguing with them about?”

¹⁷Someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher,^ce I brought my son to you. He has a spirit^cf that makes him unable to speak.^{cg 18}Whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive it out, but they couldn’t.”

¹⁹He replied to them, “You unbelieving^ch generation, how long will I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring him to me.” ²⁰So they brought the boy to him. When the spirit saw him, it immediately threw the boy into convulsions. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth. ²¹“How long has this been happening to him?” Jesus asked his father.

“From childhood,” he said. ²²“And many times it has thrown him into fire or water to destroy^a him. But if you can do anything, have compassion^b on us and help us.”

²³Jesus said to him, “ ‘If you can’?^A Everything is possible^c for the one who believes.”^d

²⁴Immediately the father of the boy cried out, “I do believe; help my unbelief!”

²⁵When Jesus saw that a crowd was quickly gathering, he rebuked^e the unclean^f spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf^g spirit, I command you: Come out of him and never enter him again.”

²⁶Then it came out, shrieking and throwing him^B into terrible convulsions.^h The boy became like a corpse, so that many said, “He’s dead.” ²⁷But Jesus, taking him by the hand, raised him,ⁱ and he stood up.

²⁸After he had gone into the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”

²⁹And he told them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer.”^Bj

THE SECOND PREDICTION OF HIS DEATH

³⁰Then^k they left that place and made their way through Galilee, but he did not want anyone to know it.^{l 31}For he was teaching^m his disciples and telling them, “The Son of Manⁿ is going to be betrayed^C into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after he is killed, he will rise^o three days later.”^{p 32}But they did not understand this statement, and they were afraid to ask him.^q

WHO IS THE GREATEST?

³³They^r came to Capernaum.^s When he was in the house,^t he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the way?”^{u 34}But they were silent,^v because on the way they had been arguing with one another about who was the greatest.^{w 35}Sitting down, he called the Twelve^x and said to them, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be last and servant of all.”^{y 36}He took a child,^z had him stand among them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them, ³⁷“Whoever welcomes^A one little child such as this in my name^aa welcomes me. And whoever welcomes me does not welcome me, but him who sent^ab me.”^ac

IN HIS NAME

³⁸John^ad said to him, “Teacher,^ae we saw someone^B driving out demons^af in your name,^ag and we tried to stop him because he wasn’t following us.”^ah

³⁹“Don’t stop him,” said Jesus, “because there is no one who will perform a miracle^ai in my name who can soon afterward speak evil of me. ⁴⁰For whoever is not against us is for us.^{aj 41}And whoever gives you a cup of water to drink^ak in my name, because you belong to Christ^al—truly I tell you,^am he will never lose his reward.^an

WARNINGS FROM JESUS

⁴²“But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to fall away^ao—it would be better for him if a heavy millstone^ap were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.

⁴³“And if your hand causes you to fall away, cut it off.^aq It is better for you to enter life maimed^ar than to have two hands and go to hell, the unquenchable fire.^{as 45}And if your foot causes you to fall away, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame^at than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. ⁴⁷And if your eye causes you to fall away, gouge it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God^au with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown^av into hell,^{aw 48}where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.^{E 49}For everyone will be salted with fire.^{FGax 50}Salt is good, but if the salt should lose its flavor, how can you season it?^ay Have salt^az among yourselves, and be at peace^ba with one another.”

THE QUESTION OF DIVORCE

10He^bb set out from there and went to the region of Judea^bc and across the Jordan.^bd Then crowds converged on him again, and as was his custom he taught^be them again.

²Some Pharisees^a came to test^b him, asking, “Is it lawful^c for a man to divorce^d his wife?”^e

³He replied to them, “What did Moses^f command you?”

⁴They said, “Moses permitted us to write divorce papers^g and send her away.”^h

⁵But Jesus told them, “He wrote this command for you because of the hardness of your hearts.^{i 6}But from the beginning^j of creation^k God^H made them male and female.^{Il 7}For this reason a man will leave^m his father and mother^{J 8}and the two will become one flesh.^Kn So they are no longer two, but one flesh. ⁹Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”^o

¹⁰When they were in the house again, the disciples questioned him about this matter. ¹¹He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife^p and marries^q another commits adultery^r against her. ¹²Also, if she divorces her husband^s and marries another, she commits adultery.”

BLESSING THE CHILDREN

¹³People^t were bringing little children^u to him in order that he might touch them, but the disciples rebuked^v them. ¹⁴When Jesus saw it, he was indignant^w and said to them, “Let the little children come to me.^x Don’t stop^y them, because the kingdom of God^z belongs to such as these. ¹⁵Truly I tell you,^aa whoever does not receive^Aab the kingdom of God like a little child^ac will never enter it.” ¹⁶After taking them in his arms, he laid his hands on^ad them and blessed^ae them.

THE RICH YOUNG RULER

¹⁷As^af he was setting out on a journey,^ag a man ran up, knelt down^ah before him, and asked him, “Good^ai teacher,^aj what must I do to inherit^ak eternal life?”^al

¹⁸“Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked him. “No one is good except God alone.^{am 19}You know the commandments: Do not murder;^an do not commit adultery;^ao do not steal;^ap do not bear false witness;^aq do not defraud;^ar honor^as your father and mother.”^Bat

²⁰He said to him, “Teacher,^au I have kept all these from my youth.”

²¹Looking at him, Jesus loved him^av and said to him, “You lack one thing: Go, sell all you have and give to the poor,^aw and you will have treasure^ax in heaven.^ay Then come,^C follow me.”^{az 22}But he was dismayed by this demand, and he went away grieving,^ba because he had many possessions.^bb

POSSESSIONS AND THE KINGDOM

²³Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for those who have wealth^bc to enter the kingdom of God!”^bd

²⁴The disciples were astonished at his…