26. The spirit screamed and made the boy shake all over. Then it went out of him. The boy looked dead, and almost everyone said he was.
27. But Jesus took hold of his hand and helped him stand up.
28. After Jesus and the disciples had gone back home and were alone, they asked him, “Why couldn't we force out that demon?”
29. Jesus answered, “Only prayer can force out that kind of demon.”
30. Jesus left with his disciples and started through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know about it,
31. because he was teaching the disciples that the Son of Man would be handed over to people who would kill him. But three days later he would rise to life.
32. The disciples did not understand what Jesus meant, and they were afraid to ask.
33. Jesus and his disciples went to his home in Capernaum. After they were inside the house, Jesus asked them, “What were you arguing about along the way?”
34. They had been arguing about which one of them was the greatest, and so they did not answer.
35. After Jesus sat down and told the twelve disciples to gather around him, he said, “If you want the place of honour, you must become a slave and serve others!”
36. Then Jesus made a child stand near him. He put his arm around the child and said,
37. “When you welcome even a child because of me, you welcome me. And when you welcome me, you welcome the one who sent me.”
38. John said, “Teacher, we saw a man using your name to force demons out of people. But he wasn't one of us, and we told him to stop.”
39. Jesus said to his disciples:Don't stop him! No one who performs miracles in my name is going to say something bad about me the next minute.