Mark 9:35 (ASV)

Passage

And he sat down, and called the twelve; and he saith unto them, If any man would be first, he shall be last of all, and servant of all.

Nearby Context

Mark 9:33 And they came to Capernaum: and when he was in the house he asked them, What were ye reasoning on the way?

Mark 9:34 But they held their peace: for they had disputed one with another on the way, who [was] the greatest.

Mark 9:35 And he sat down, and called the twelve; and he saith unto them, If any man would be first, he shall be last of all, and servant of all.

Mark 9:36 And he took a little child, and set him in the midst of them: and taking him in his arms, he said unto them,

Mark 9:37 Whosoever shall receive one of such little children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever receiveth me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 34's "But they held their peace for they..." into verse 36's "And he took a little child and...", so "called" and "down" 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 "called" and "down" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.