A Conversation with the Twelve. This section illustrates the kind of teaching which Jesus gave in private to His disciples. It may embody fragmentary recollections of a particular discussion, but more probably Mk. has strung together utterances and incidents belonging to different occasions, the connecting links being sometimes the mere repetition of a single word, such as cause to stumble (Mark 9:42 f.), or fire (Mark 9:48 f.), or even in my name (Mark 9:37; Mark 9:39). The latter half of Mark 9:37 and Mark 9:41 are paralleled in Matthew 10:40-42, where they are rightly connected more closely together.
Mark 9:33-37. The question of precedence seems to have occupied the minds of the disciples more than once. It reveals the ideas of the Kingdom which made it difficult for them to understand the Cross. Jesus corrects their ambitions by laying down the principle of greatness through service which is further developed in Mark 10:42 f. The introduction of the child, and the saying about receiving a little child, do not seem to continue the lesson. Mk. has omitted the pointed sayings recorded in Matthew 18:3 f. Mk. alone gives us the characteristic action of Jesus in throwing His arms round the child (cf. Mark 10:16). The phrase in my name is ambiguous. Swete says, on the ground of My Name, i.e. the act being based upon a recognition of his connexion with Me. This is supported by parallels, and in that case, the child represents humble believers who bear Christ's name. But perhaps it means simply for My sake (see Montefiore).
Mark 9:38-40. The Exorcist who Stood Outside the Apostolic Succession. The disciple John now recalls the case of one who effected cures in the name of Jesus, but did not join His followers. If historic, this incident reveals the freedom with which the disciples brought their questions to Jesus. Its historicity has been challenged on the ground that such exorcisms in the name of Jesus would not have taken place in His lifetime. Loisy regards the reference to receiving little ones and the lesson of tolerance in this incident, as a plea for a frank recognition of Paul by the original apostles. But we do not know that any such plea would have been either necessary or intelligible when the gospel was written. Neither Mark 9:37 nor the description of the exorcist really fits the position of Paul and his relations with the Twelve. No Paulinist would defend Paul by claiming that he would not readily speak evil of Christ (Mark 9:39). Nor is the use of the name of Jesus in exorcism during His lifetime incredible, if Jesus exerted the influence over demons which Mk. attributes to Him.
Mark 9:41-50. Mark 9:41 is the complement of Mark 9:37, but it also connects with the verses immediately preceding. The disciple who receives a child for Christ's sake is richly rewarded. Conversely, not only a spiritual skirmisher like John's exorcist, but anyone who renders the least service to a disciple is within the circle of blessing. On the other hand, the man who shakes the faith of a humble believer deserves a severe punishment. The following verses (Mark 9:43-48) turn from offences against others to offences against one's-self. Jesus urges men to make the hardest sacrifices to avoid fatal temptations. RV rightly omits Mark 9:44; Mark 9:46. The scene of corruption in the accursed valley of Gehenna (Jeremiah 7:31 *) is described in words taken from the last verse of Isaiah. The valley, which lies to the south-west of Jerusalem, had been defiled by Moloch-worship (p. 480). In Enoch (Enoch 27:1, see Charles's note) it was the appointed place of punishment for apostate Jews. The description implies eternal loss rather than everlasting torture.
Mark 9:49 f. Detached sayings, which suggest first that every man must be purified by fire (? persecution or the last judgment) though not all must be punished by fire. and second, that the contribution of the disciples to the health of the world depends on their own whole-someness. The need of harmony among the disciples brings us back to the starting-point of Mark 9:34.