Mark 9:35 (YLT)

Passage

and having sat down he called the twelve, and he saith to them, `If any doth will to be first, he shall be last of all, and minister of all.'

Nearby Context

Mark 9:33 And he came to Capernaum, and being in the house, he was questioning them, `What were ye reasoning in the way among yourselves?'

Mark 9:34 and they were silent, for with one another they did reason in the way who is greater;

Mark 9:35 and having sat down he called the twelve, and he saith to them, `If any doth will to be first, he shall be last of all, and minister of all.'

Mark 9:36 And having taken a child, he set him in the midst of them, and having taken him in his arms, said to them,

Mark 9:37 `Whoever may receive one of such children in my name, doth receive me, and whoever may receive me, doth not receive me, but Him who sent me.'

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 34's "and they were silent for with one..." into verse 36's "And having taken a child he set...", so "called" and "having" 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 "having" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.