25. When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he gave an order to the evil spirit. He said, “You spirit that won’t let him talk, I command you to come out of him and never enter him again.”
26. The evil spirit screamed, shook the child violently, and came out. The boy looked as if he were dead, and everyone said, “He’s dead!”
27. Jesus took his hand and helped him to stand up.
28. When Jesus went into a house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we force the spirit out of the boy?”
29. He told them, “This kind of spirit can be forced out only by prayer.”
30. They left that place and were passing through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where he was
31. because he was teaching his disciples. He taught them, “The Son of Man will be betrayed and handed over to people. They will kill him, but on the third day he will come back to life.”
32. The disciples didn’t understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him.
33. Then they came to Capernaum. While Jesus was at home, he asked the disciples, “What were you arguing about on the road?”
34. They were silent. On the road they had argued about who was the greatest.
35. He sat down and called the twelve apostles. He told them, “Whoever wants to be the most important person must take the last place and be a servant to everyone else.”
36. Then he took a little child and had him stand among them. He put his arms around the child and said to them,
37. “Whoever welcomes a child like this in my name welcomes me. Whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.”
38. John said to Jesus, “Teacher, we saw someone forcing demons out of a person by using the power and authority of your name. We tried to stop him because he was not one of us.”
39. Jesus said, “Don’t stop him! No one who works a miracle in my name can turn around and speak evil of me.