Key Thought

Despite some of Jesus' own personal teaching, the disciples are having a very difficult time understanding that he must die and be raised from the dead. From their understanding and because of their expectations, the Messiah should be a conquering redeemer. With all the powerful displays they had seen from Jesus, we can understand that it must have been hard for them to even imagine anyone having the power of Jesus. Sometimes our understanding about Jesus' truth is blocked because of our expectations of him. Let's ask God to remove the blindness from our own eyes!

Today's Prayer

Today's Verses in Context

Then Jesus and his followers left there and went through Galilee. Jesus did not want the people to know where they were. He wanted to teach his followers alone. He said to them, “The Son of Man will be handed over to the control of other men, who will kill him. After three days, he will rise from death.” But the followers did not understand what he meant, and they were afraid to ask him. Jesus and his followers went to Capernaum. They went into a house. Then Jesus said to his followers, "I heard you arguing on the road today. What were you arguing about?" But the followers did not answer, because their argument on the road was about which one of them was the greatest. Jesus sat down and called the twelve apostles to him. Jesus said, "If any person wants to be the most important, then he must make all other people more important than himself. That person must serve all other people." Then Jesus took a small child. Jesus stood the child before the followers. Jesus held the child in his arms and said, "If a person accepts children like these in my name, then that person is also accepting me. And if a person accepts me, then that person is also accepting the One (God) that sent me."

— Mark 9:30-37 (ERV)

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