Mark 9:38 (DBY)

Passage

And John answered him saying, Teacher, we saw some one casting out demons in thy name, who does not follow us, and we forbad him, because he does not follow us.

Nearby Context

Mark 9:36 And taking a little child he set it in their midst, and having taken it in his arms he said to them,

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

Mark 9:38 And John answered him saying, Teacher, we saw some one casting out demons in thy name, who does not follow us, and we forbad him, because he does not follow us.

Mark 9:39 But Jesus said, Forbid him not; for there is no one who shall do a miracle in my name, and be able soon [after] to speak ill of me;

Mark 9:40 for he who is not against us is for us.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "john", "answered", "saying", "teacher", "some", "casting", "demons", and "name". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "john" and "answered", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 37's "Whosoever shall receive one of such little..." into verse 39's "But Jesus said Forbid him not for...", so "john" and "answered" 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 "john" and "answered" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.