Luke 9:37-48 Meaning: Down from the Mountain
37On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great multitude met him.
38Behold, a man from the crowd called out, saying, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only born child.
39Behold, a spirit takes him, he suddenly cries out, and it convulses him so that he foams; and it hardly departs from him, bruising him severely.
40I begged your disciples to cast it out, and they couldn’t.”
41Jesus answered, “Faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.”
42While he was still coming, the demon threw him down and convulsed him violently. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father.
43They were all astonished at the majesty of God. But while all were marveling at all the things which Jesus did, he said to his disciples,
44“Let these words sink into your ears, for the Son of Man will be delivered up into the hands of men.”
45But they didn’t understand this saying. It was concealed from them, that they should not perceive it, and they were afraid to ask him about this saying.
46An argument arose among them about which of them was the greatest.
47Jesus, perceiving the reasoning of their hearts, took a little child, and set him by his side,
48and said to them, “Whoever receives this little child in my name receives me. Whoever receives me receives him who sent me. For whoever is least among you all, this one will be great.”
37And it came to pass, that on the next day, when they were come down from the hill, much people met him.
38And, behold, a man of the company cried out, saying, Master, I beseech thee, look upon my son: for he is mine only child.
39And, lo, a spirit taketh him, and he suddenly crieth out; and it teareth him that he foameth again, and bruising him hardly departeth from him.
40And I besought thy disciples to cast him out; and they could not.
41And Jesus answering said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you, and suffer you? Bring thy son hither.
42And as he was yet a coming, the devil threw him down, and tare him. And Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the child, and delivered him again to his father.
43And they were all amazed at the mighty power of God. But while they wondered every one at all things which Jesus did, he said unto his disciples,
44Let these sayings sink down into your ears: for the Son of man shall be delivered into the hands of men.
45But they understood not this saying, and it was hid from them, that they perceived it not: and they feared to ask him of that saying.
46Then there arose a reasoning among them, which of them should be greatest.
47And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a child, and set him by him,
48And said unto them, Whosoever shall receive this child in my name receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me receiveth him that sent me: for he that is least among you all, the same shall be great.
37And it came to pass, on the next day, when they were come down from the mountain, a great multitude met him.
38And behold, a man from the multitude cried, saying, Teacher, I beseech thee to look upon my son; for he is mine only child:
39and behold, a spirit taketh him, and he suddenly crieth out; and it teareth him that he foameth, and it hardly departeth from him, bruising him sorely.
40And I besought thy disciples to cast it out; and they could not.
41And Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you, and bear with you? bring hither thy son.
42And as he was yet a coming, the demon dashed him down, and tare him grievously. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the boy, and gave him back to his father.
43And they were all astonished at the majesty of God. But while all were marvelling at all the things which he did, he said unto his disciples,
44Let these words sink into your ears: for the Son of man shall be delivered up into the hands of men.
45But they understood not this saying, and it was concealed from them, that they should not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask him about this saying.
46And there arose a reasoning among them, which of them was the greatest.
47But when Jesus saw the reasoning of their heart, he took a little child, and set him by his side,
48and said unto them, Whosoever shall receive this little child in my name receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me receiveth him that sent me: for he that is least among you all, the same is great.
37And it came to pass on the next day, they having come down from the mount, there met him a great multitude,
38and lo, a man from the multitude cried out, saying, `Teacher, I beseech thee, look upon my son, because he is my only begotten;
39and lo, a spirit doth take him, and suddenly he doth cry out, and it teareth him, with foaming, and it hardly departeth from him, bruising him,
40and I besought thy disciples that they might cast it out, and they were not able.'
41And Jesus answering said, `O generation, unstedfast and perverse, till when shall I be with you, and suffer you? bring near hither thy son;'
42and as he is yet coming near, the demon rent him, and tore him sore, and Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the youth, and gave him back to his father.
43And they were all amazed at the greatness of God, and while all are wondering at all things that Jesus did, he said unto his disciples,
44`Lay ye to your ears these words, for the Son of Man is about to be delivered up to the hands of men.'
45And they were not knowing this saying, and it was veiled from them, that they might not perceive it, and they were afraid to ask him about this saying.
46And there entered a reasoning among them, this, Who may be greater of them?
47and Jesus having seen the reasoning of their heart, having taken hold of a child, set him beside himself,
48and said to them, `Whoever may receive this child in my name, doth receive me, and whoever may receive me, doth receive Him who sent me, for he who is least among you all--he shall be great.'
37And it came to pass on the following day, when they came down from the mountain, a great crowd met him.
38And lo, a man from the crowd cried out saying, Teacher, I beseech thee look upon my son, for he is mine only child:
39and behold, a spirit takes him, and suddenly he cries out, and it tears him with foaming, and with difficulty departs from him after crushing him.
40And I besought thy disciples that they might cast him out, and they could not.
41And Jesus answering said, O unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you and suffer you? Bring hither thy son.
42But as he was yet coming, the demon tore him and dragged him all together. And Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the child and gave him back to his father.
43And all were astonished at the glorious greatness of God. And as all wondered at all the things which [Jesus] did, he said to his disciples,
44Do ye let these words sink into your ears. For the Son of man is about to be delivered into men's hands.
45But they understood not this saying, and it was hid from them that they should not perceive it. And they feared to ask him concerning this saying.
46And a reasoning came in amongst them, who should be [the] greatest of them.
47And Jesus, seeing the reasoning of their heart, having taken a little child set it by him,
48and said to them, Whosoever shall receive this little child in my name receives me, and whosoever shall receive me receives him that sent me. For he who is the least among you all, he is great.
Meaning in one sentence
Jesus comes down from the Transfiguration to heal a boy, predict his death, and teach about true greatness. Find the meaning of Luke 9:37-48.
Context
The scene shifts sharply. Luke tells us that the day after the Transfiguration, Jesus and the three disciples who had seen his glory come down the mountain. A large crowd waits, and a desperate father cries out. His only son is tormented by a spirit that throws him into convulsions, and the nine disciples left behind could not drive it out. Jesus heals the boy in a moment, but the people barely catch their breath before he speaks again, this time about his own betrayal. The disciples do not understand, and they are afraid to ask. As they walk, an argument breaks out over who is the greatest among them. Jesus, seeing what is in their hearts, takes a little child and stands him by his side. In that one gesture, he shows them what true greatness looks like.
Key Words
Two words in Jesus’ cry sting the air: apistos (faithless) and diestrammenē (perverse). The first means literally “without trust,” not just toward God but toward the power of God at work in him. The second pictures something twisted, turned aside from the right path. Jesus is not just scolding one father; he sees a whole generation, disciples included, who have lost their footing.
Then comes the word megaleiotēs, “majesty,” used only here and in 2 Peter 1:16. It speaks of the sheer greatness of God that crashed into that valley. People were astonished at it, but Jesus redirects that wonder toward the cross.
Later, Jesus uses the word dechomai for “receives” a child. This is not a casual welcome; it means to take someone into your care and fellowship, to treat them as family. The person who does that to a powerless child does it to Jesus himself, and to the Father who sent him.
How Christians Read This Verse
Many Christian readings of this passage focus on the inability of the disciples and Jesus’ call to faith. In Protestant traditions, the stress often falls on the failure of the disciples and the need for prayer and fasting, trusting God when human strength falls short. The lesson about the child is seen as a radical redefinition of greatness: humble service, not status.
Catholic and Orthodox readers often highlight the concrete act of welcoming a child as an encounter with Christ himself, and through him with the Father. The healing of the boy displays Jesus’ divine authority and compassion. Some traditions also see the disciples’ misunderstanding of the suffering prediction as a reminder that the cross remains a mystery human minds cannot grasp.
All traditions agree that Jesus meets us in our confusion and failure and gently reorients our hearts toward the way of humility.
A common misunderstanding
A common misreading is that Jesus calls the demon-possessed boy’s father “faithless and perverse.” In fact, the Greek shows he is addressing a whole generation (“O faithless and perverse generation”), including the crowd, the scribes, and the disciples who could not cast out the demon. Jesus is not blaming the father for his son’s suffering. He is lamenting the widespread lack of trust in God’s power that leaves people helpless.
Living This Out
You may have had a mountaintop moment, a retreat, a powerful worship service, a clear sense of God’s presence. Then you come down, and the real world hits: a family crisis, a health scare, a conflict at work. The disciples on the plain couldn’t fix it. That is the moment to bring the need to Jesus, just as the father did.
This week, pay attention to who seems least important around you, a child, a new coworker, someone who can do nothing for you. Notice whether you are tempted to argue about who deserves more respect. Jesus stood a child beside him and said, “Whoever receives this little child in my name receives me.” That is greatness in his eyes.
Main takeaway: Jesus came down from glory to meet our deepest need, and he calls us to welcome the least as if we were welcoming him.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
Jesus came down from a beautiful mountain to help a sick boy. His disciples couldn't help, but Jesus could. He wants us to ask him for help and to be kind to people who are small or in trouble.
For ages 9, 12
Right after the most amazing moment of Jesus' life, the Transfiguration, he came down and walked straight into a desperate situation. The disciples had failed to heal a boy, and they started arguing about who was the greatest. But Jesus didn't get frustrated with them. He healed the boy, then taught them that real greatness is welcoming people who have nothing to offer you, just like a little child. Next time you feel left out or unimportant, remember: Jesus says that’s exactly where greatness starts.
Questions People Ask
Why did Jesus call the crowd 'faithless and perverse'?
Jesus was addressing the whole generation of people around him, including his own disciples. They had seen his power but still struggled to trust God to work through them. 'Faithless' means without trust, and 'perverse' means twisted away from the right path.
What does it mean to 'receive this little child in my name'?
To receive a child in Jesus' name means to welcome and care for someone who has no status or power, treating them as you would treat Jesus himself. It is the opposite of arguing about who is greatest. It shows that true greatness is humble service.
Why couldn't the disciples cast out the demon?
Luke does not give a direct reason here, but other Gospel accounts (Mark 9:29) say that this kind of evil spirit requires prayer and fasting. The disciples may have relied on their own ability rather than depending fully on God. Jesus' words about faithlessness point to a deeper lack of trust.
Why did the disciples argue about who was greatest while Jesus was talking about his death?
The disciples did not understand Jesus' prediction about being betrayed. They still expected him to set up a political kingdom where they would hold important positions. Their argument shows how far their minds were from the way of the cross, which is why Jesus had to teach them about humility.
What does 'the least among you all, this one will be great' mean?
Jesus turns the world's idea of greatness upside down. The person who lowers themselves to serve others, especially those who cannot repay them, is truly great in God's kingdom. Greatness is not about having power over others but about receiving and serving the powerless.
For pastors & researchers
Greek interlinear, 8 commentaries & word study