Mark 9:13-34

¹³However, I tell you that Elijah has come, and they abused him in whatever way they wanted, just as Scripture said they would.”

¹⁴When they returned to the other disciples, they saw them surrounded by a large crowd and some religious teachers arguing with them.

¹⁵As soon as the crowd saw Jesus they were in total awe, and ran to greet him.

¹⁶“What are you arguing with them about?” Jesus asked them.

¹⁷One of the people in the crowd answered, “Rabbi, I brought my son to you. He has an evil spirit that prevents him speaking.

¹⁸Whenever he has a seizure it throws him down, and he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and he becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive it out of him, but they couldn't do it.”

¹⁹“You unbelieving people!” Jesus responded. “How long must I remain here with you? How long do I have to put up with you? Bring him over here to me!”

²⁰So they brought him to Jesus. When the evil spirit saw Jesus it immediately sent the boy into convulsions and threw him on the ground, where he rolled around, foaming at the mouth.

²¹“How long has he had this?” Jesus asked the boy's father. “Since he was small,” the father replied.

²²“Often it throws him into the fire to burn him to death, or throws him into water to drown him. Please have mercy on us and help, if you can.”

²³“Why do you say, ‘if you can?’” replied Jesus. “Whoever trusts has every power!”

²⁴“I do trust in you,” the man shouted out right away. “Help me not to distrust you.”

²⁵Jesus, seeing that the crowd was closing in, commanded the evil spirit, “Spirit that causes deafness and dumbness, I order you to come out of him and never return.”

²⁶The spirit screamed and threw the boy into severe convulsions. Then the spirit came out of the boy and left him for dead—to the extent that many of the people said, “He's dead.”

²⁷But Jesus took the boy by the hand and helped him up, and he got to his feet.

²⁸Later, when Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him in private, “Why couldn't we drive the evil spirit out?”

²⁹“This kind can't be driven out except by prayer,” Jesus told them.

³⁰They left and passed through Galilee. Jesus didn't want anyone to know where he was

³¹because he was teaching his disciples. “The Son of man will be betrayed to human authorities,” he told them. “They will kill him, but three days later he will rise again.”

³²They didn't understand what he meant and were too afraid to ask him about it.

³³They arrived at Capernaum, and once they were inside the house where they were staying, Jesus asked them, “What were you talking about on the way?”

³⁴But they didn't say anything because they had been arguing over who was the most important.