Mark 9:41 (WEB)

Passage

For whoever will give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because you are Christ’s, most certainly I tell you, he will in no way lose his reward.

Nearby Context

Mark 9:39 But Jesus said, “Don’t forbid him, for there is no one who will do a mighty work in my name, and be able quickly to speak evil of me.

Mark 9:40 For whoever is not against us is on our side.

Mark 9:41 For whoever will give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because you are Christ’s, most certainly I tell you, he will in no way lose his reward.

Mark 9:42 Whoever will cause one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for him if he were thrown into the sea with a millstone hung around his neck.

Mark 9:43 If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having your two hands to go into Gehenna, into the unquenchable fire,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "whoever", "give", "water", "drink", "name", "christ", "most", and "certainly". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "whoever" and "give", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 40's "For whoever is not against us is..." into verse 42's "Whoever will cause one of these little...", so "whoever" and "give" 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 "whoever" and "give" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.