And they came to Capernaum. And when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?” But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” And he took a child and put him in the midst of them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.” (Mark 9:33-37, ESV)
First of all, was it normal back then for strangers to just enter a random house in the middle of their trip? Jesus and His gang seemed to have did that a lot.
Anyway, as an intro into Jesus' next teaching, He starts with a question that can come off as ignorant, but really, it's a very smart way of calling someone out. Call them out by making them call themselves out.
When Jesus asks what they were talking about, they kept silent, because they knew that their topic of discussion was not a very positive one. It was a discussion that they were all ashamed of, so it seems like they know what was wrong here.
The disciples seemed like they were hoping for something outside of salvation in Christ. I guess they thought that since they were with the supposed political liberator of the Jews, they would also increase in status, honour, glory, etc. But Jesus counters this idea with the fact that if anyone wants to be first, he must be last of all AND servant of all. In essence, you gotta do what Jesus is doing right now.
Jesus, who already had all the glory and honour, stepped down from His throne and became a servant for all mankind.
I recently saw a news video about a high school football team that scored the touchdown of the year with one kind act. Check it out here...
What I find most interesting is when one of the kids starts to fess up that he wouldn't have normally done this for someone else, and how it genuinely made him happy to have made someone else happy.
And then this kid starts crying, and confessing that he used to think more about himself, and less about others.
I don't know if these guys were Christian or not, but ESPECIALLY if they weren't then it goes to show that there is something profound about considering someone else as more important than yourself. Profoundly awesome, that is.
Jesus then grabs a kid (again, a bit strange that they walk into a random house with kids in it, and then Jesus just grabs one for example) and explains that anyone who goes as far as to receive a child receives both Jesus and God, the one who sent Him. This sorta rings with the same vibe as when Jesus said, "for whatever you do for the least of these, you have done for me as well."
After all, children were sometimes marginalized in ancient societies. To receive a child was to receive the lowest of people, at the time. Jesus calls us to do just that, to receive even the lowest of people.
Back in the video, they helped a mentally disabled student. Let's face it, in high school especially, mentally disabled students were often HEAVILY looked down upon, and we gave them inappropriate nicknames for them, and we made fun of them behind their backs, etc. None of that is biblical, but it goes to show that we have placed disabled kids on a socially low level. What these students did for this disabled student is exactly what Christ called us to do; to receive with open arms even those most would consider socially off.
In light of all of this though, what Jesus wants us to understand most is that the first thing to being first is to be last. In this life, we must actively seek out opportunities to serve others. Within the body, we must seek to consider each other more important that ourselves, and to outdo one another in honour.
I love that last one, especially, as if honouring someone was a glorious competition. But this is how it's supposed to be. In this life, this is what it's supposed to look like.
Why?
Because in the next life, we will receive our eternal reward, which is God Himself. Just as Jesus said, if you receive the lowest, you will also receive the greatest.
What the disciples argued about was backwards. We don't seek glory now, because we'll get it later. If we seek glory now, we will reap nothing after. But if we seek service now, we will reap glory after.
Receive what is low now, and we will receive the Most High, Jesus Christ Himself.
-simon
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