But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me.
Parallel translations
- WEB 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.
- BSB “Do not stop him,” Jesus replied. “For no one who performs a miracle in My name can turn around and speak evil of Me.
- NKJV But Jesus said, “Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me.
- NASB But Jesus said, “Do not hinder him, for there is no one who will perform a miracle in My name, and be able soon afterward to speak evil of Me.
- NLT “Don’t stop him!” Jesus said. “No one who performs a miracle in my name will soon be able to speak evil of me.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Jesus tells them not to forbid the man, since no one doing a miracle in his name will quickly speak against him. Genuine work in Jesus' name should be welcomed.
Overview
Jesus corrects the disciples' narrow exclusivism. A person empowered to act in his name is, in that moment, aligned with him rather than against him. This guards against a tribal spirit that confuses loyalty to a group with loyalty to Christ, while still leaving room elsewhere for warnings about false teachers.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- 1 Cor 12:3Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.
- 1 Cor 13:1–2Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
- Phil 1:18What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.
- Matt 13:28–29He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?
- Matt 7:22–23Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
- Mark 10:13–14And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them.
- 1 Cor 9:27But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
- Acts 19:13–16Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the LORD Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Mark drives urgently to the cross, showing Jesus the Son of God as the suffering Servant who 'came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.'
How Mark 9:39 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.