The Meaning of Mark 9:38 Explained

Mark 9:38

KJV: And John answered him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not us.

YLT: And John did answer him, saying, 'Teacher, we saw a certain one in thy name casting out demons, who doth not follow us, and we forbade him, because he doth not follow us.'

Darby: And John answered him saying, Teacher, we saw some one casting out demons in thy name, who does not follow us, and we forbad him, because he does not follow us.

ASV: John said unto him, Teacher, we saw one casting out demons in thy name; and we forbade him, because he followed not us.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And  John  answered  him,  saying,  Master,  we saw  one  casting out  devils  in thy  name,  and  he followeth  not  us:  and  we forbad  him,  because  he followeth  not  us. 

What does Mark 9:38 Mean?

Verse Meaning

This is the only place where the synoptic writers mentioned John speaking out alone. John spoke for the other disciples in the house ( Mark 9:33).
Evidently the exorcist was a believer in Jesus though not one of the Twelve or possibly not even one who spent much time following Jesus around. He evidently commanded demons to leave the people they afflicted by using Jesus" name. The Twelve apparently did not mind that this man claimed Jesus" authority to exorcize demons. They objected to his actions because Jesus had not commissioned him to do so as He had the Twelve ( Mark 3:14-15). Perhaps his success and the recent failure of the nine disciples irritated them further. In view of what Jesus had just said about receiving little children, John wondered if the Twelve had done right in rebuking the man. They had tried to protect Jesus" honor by rebuking him (cf. Numbers 11:26-29).
"It is striking ... that after each of the three major prophecies of the passion the evangelist inserts the response of one of the three disciple who were closest to Jesus: Peter (Ch. Mark 8:32 f.), John (Ch. Mark 9:38), and James , with John (Ch. Mark 10:35-37). Mark shows in this way that even the most privileged of the disciples failed to understand what the passion signified for their life and mission." [1]

Context Summary

Mark 9:30-50 - The Path To Greatness
Such were the hopes awakened by the Transfiguration and the following miracles that the disciples were led to speculate upon their relative position in the Kingdom. Jesus therefore took a little child for His text, and preached to them a sermon on humility. How constantly the Master speaks of the little ones! He says that we must be converted to become like them; that to cause them to stumble will involve terrible penalties; that they are not to be despised; that each has an angel of the Father's presence-chamber appointed to his charge; that to seek and to save one He is prepared as the shepherd to traverse the mountains; that it is not the Father's will that one of them should perish. How infinitely tender and humble was His love for them!
Let us strive to cut off whatever causes us to stumble. It may be a friendship, a pastime, a pursuit, a course of reading; but there must be no quarter given, no excuse accepted. As soon as the soul dares to make this supreme renunciation, there is an accession of life. Whenever the body loses the use of one member, such as the eye, there is an accession of vigor in others; so, to deny the lower is to open the door to the higher, and, though maimed, to enter into life. Mark 9:44-48 evidently refer to the valley of Hinnom, where fires were kept burning to consume waste. [source]

Chapter Summary: Mark 9

1  Jesus is transfigured
11  He instructs his disciples concerning the coming of Elijah;
14  casts forth a deaf and mute spirit;
30  foretells his death and resurrection;
33  exhorts his disciples to humility;
38  bidding them not to prohibit such as are not against them,
42  nor to give offense to any of the faithful

Greek Commentary for Mark 9:38

Because he followed not us [hoti ouk ēkolouthei hēmin)]
Note vivid imperfect tense again. John evidently thought to change the subject from the constraint and embarrassment caused by their dispute. So he told about a case of extra zeal on his part expecting praise from Jesus. Perhaps what Jesus had just said in Mark 9:37 raised a doubt in John‘s mind as to the propriety of his excessive narrowness. One needs to know the difference between loyalty to Jesus and stickling over one‘s own narrow prejudices. [source]
In thy name []
John's conscience is awakened by the Lord's words. They had not received the man who east out devils in Christ's name. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Mark 9:38

Luke 9:49 Master [επιστατα]
Only in Luke in the N.T. as already four times (Luke 5:5; Luke 8:24, Luke 8:45; Luke 9:33).We forbade him (εκωλυομεν αυτον — ekōluomen auton). Conative imperfect as in Mark 9:38, We tried to hinder him.Because he followeth not with us Present tense preserved for vividness where Mark has imperfect μετ ημων — e4kolouthei Note also here “with us” (ημιν — meth' hēmōn) where Mark has associative instrumental hēmin It is a pitiful specimen of partisan narrowness and pride even in the Beloved Disciple, one of the Sons of Thunder. The man was doing the Master‘s work in the Master‘s name and with the Master‘s power, but did not run with the group of the Twelve. [source]
Luke 9:49 We forbade him [εκωλυομεν αυτον]
Conative imperfect as in Mark 9:38, We tried to hinder him. [source]

What do the individual words in Mark 9:38 mean?

Answered Him - John Teacher we saw someone in the name of You casting out demons who not does follow us and we were forbidding him because he was following us
Ἔφη αὐτῷ Ἰωάννης Διδάσκαλε εἴδομέν τινα ἐν τῷ ὀνόματί σου ἐκβάλλοντα δαιμόνια 〈ὃς οὐκ ἀκολουθεῖ ἡμῖν〉 καὶ ἐκωλύομεν αὐτόν ὅτι ἠκολούθει ἡμῖν

Ἔφη  Answered 
Parse: Verb, Imperfect Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: φημί  
Sense: to make known one’s thoughts, to declare.
  - 
Parse: Article, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
Ἰωάννης  John 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: Ἰωάννης 
Sense: John the Baptist was the son of Zacharias and Elisabeth, the forerunner of Christ.
Διδάσκαλε  Teacher 
Parse: Noun, Vocative Masculine Singular
Root: διδάσκαλος  
Sense: a teacher. 2 in the NT one who teaches concerning the things of God, and the duties of man.
εἴδομέν  we  saw 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 1st Person Plural
Root: εἶδον 
Sense: to see with the eyes.
τινα  someone 
Parse: Interrogative / Indefinite Pronoun, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root: τὶς  
Sense: a certain, a certain one.
ὀνόματί  name 
Parse: Noun, Dative Neuter Singular
Root: ὄνομα  
Sense: name: univ.
σου  of  You 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive 2nd Person Singular
Root: σύ  
Sense: you.
ἐκβάλλοντα  casting  out 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root: ἐκβάλλω  
Sense: to cast out, drive out, to send out.
δαιμόνια  demons 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Neuter Plural
Root: δαιμόνιον  
Sense: the divine power, deity, divinity.
ἀκολουθεῖ  does  follow 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: ἀκολουθέω  
Sense: to follow one who precedes, join him as his attendant, accompany him.
ἡμῖν〉  us 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Dative 1st Person Plural
Root: ἐγώ  
Sense: I, me, my.
ἐκωλύομεν  we  were  forbidding 
Parse: Verb, Imperfect Indicative Active, 1st Person Plural
Root: κωλύω  
Sense: to hinder, prevent forbid.
ὅτι  because 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: ὅτι  
Sense: that, because, since.
ἠκολούθει  he  was  following 
Parse: Verb, Imperfect Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: ἀκολουθέω  
Sense: to follow one who precedes, join him as his attendant, accompany him.
ἡμῖν  us 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Dative 1st Person Plural
Root: ἐγώ  
Sense: I, me, my.

What are the major concepts related to Mark 9:38?

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