Mark 10:44 (ASV)

Passage

and whosoever would be first among you, shall be servant of all.

Nearby Context

Mark 10:42 And Jesus called them to him, and saith unto them, Ye know that they who are accounted to rule over the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great ones exercise authority over them.

Mark 10:43 But it is not so among you: but whosoever would become great among you, shall be your minister;

Mark 10:44 and whosoever would be first among you, shall be servant of all.

Mark 10:45 For the Son of man also came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

Mark 10:46 And they come to Jericho: and as he went out from Jericho, with his disciples and a great multitude, the son of Timaeus, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the way side.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "whosoever", "first", "shall", and "servant". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "whosoever" and "first", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 43's "But it is not so among you..." into verse 45's "For the Son of man also came...", so "whosoever" and "first" belong inside that flow. In Mark context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "whosoever" and "first" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.