Mark 9:38 (YLT)

Passage

And John did answer him, saying, `Teacher, we saw a certain one in thy name casting out demons, who doth not follow us, and we forbade him, because he doth not follow us.'

Nearby Context

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.'

Mark 9:38 And John did answer him, saying, `Teacher, we saw a certain one in thy name casting out demons, who doth not follow us, and we forbade him, because he doth not follow us.'

Mark 9:39 And Jesus said, `Forbid him not, for there is no one who shall do a mighty work in my name, and shall be able readily to speak evil of me:

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

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 37's "Whoever may receive one of such children..." into verse 39's "And Jesus said Forbid him not for...", so "john" and "answer" 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 "answer" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.