Mark 9: 30-37 [we are not able to meet in person due to COVID]
There are a few things that stand out in this passage for me this week; the first is the disciples were silent because of fear, the discussion about greatness, and the idea of turning things upside down.
Sometimes people are called the greatest cricketer, comedian, politician, whatever… of all time.
How do we
decide who is the greatest?
And I wonder what would make one the greatest disciple?
This
conversation happens just after Jesus tells the disciples again that he will be
handed over to people who will kill him, and three days later he will rise. Now
I get that this would be confusing or weird for the disciples to hear, even the second time around.
But, looking
at the life of Jesus, and hearing that we will die and rise again, arguing over
who is the greatest, seems ridiculous.
Twice in this passage the disciples stay quiet. Firstly, when Jesus reminds them of his coming death, they do not understand, but they keep quiet because they are afraid.
I wonder
what they are afraid about.
Is it that they would have to accept that what Jesus said will come true. That their
idea of a Messiah who will overthrow the Roman oppressors is not wrong.
Maybe they don’t want to appear foolish.
There are
times I haven’t asked questions because I thought everyone else understood
except me, and I would look silly. This happened a lot in class at college.
When I did ask, people would thank me at lunchtime, they also did not
understand or want to appear foolish, but they were pleased when I asked.
I wonder if the
disciples were all waiting for someone else to ask Jesus to explain what he
meant.
The second time the disciples stay quiet is when Jesus asks them what they were talking about as they walked to Capernaum. I wonder if this time they stayed quiet because they knew that arguing about greatness does not fit in with the way of Jesus. Like when you ask a child what they have in their mouth, and they know it is something they should not have. All innocent looks and no words.
What do you
not ask?
When do you
stay silent?
Jesus then makes
2 statements in this part of the passage about greatness, the first is that
greatness is about serving, but not only serving people we like, or people who
are like us. “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.”
Then Jesus
goes on to give an example of what that serving might look like. “Whoever
welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me
welcomes not me but the one who sent me.”
Now this is
no cute, sweet, innocent picture. In Jesus’ time, children were at the bottom of
the human pecking order. They rated
lower than women, and just above the cattle. The child is an illustration of the
type of people to welcome, the vulnerable, the lowly, the powerless, the one
without income or property or rank, welcome the outcast, the one who has no
means to repay.
The kind of greatness which God values
in human beings is not having power and wealth but having compassion.
This reminds
me how strange the kingdom of God is in modern times, well, it was strange in the
first century as well.
As a
church, as a group of disciples, we follow the One who came and ate with sinners,
loved all people, forgave sinners, and reminded people who judged that they
would be judged. We follow the One who came and made people whole, saw the
dignity in every human, refused to treat women or children or servants as second-
or third-class citizens. The One who said the first will be last and the last
will be first; and the greatest is the servant of all.
This kingdom
of God was, and is, coming into being,
·
where love flourishes
·
where fear does not stop us from speaking
·
where all people are included
·
where all people are valued
This is an upside-down kingdom, where
children and slaves and women are not property but people. Where love and compassion
are more important than wealth or status. Where love and compassion replace
fear and apathy.
Jesus is teaching the disciples, and
us, about a different way of living.
In a world, then and now, where armies
and money and prestige were seen as signs of greatness, Jesus talked of
serving.
In a world where having more was a
sign of being blessed, Jesus spoke of sharing and trusting God for each day.
In a world where people were divided
by race and gender and work, Jesus says everyone counts, all are equally loved
and cherished by God. All are included.
Our nation, and the world, is divided
today in so many ways. Access to clean water and food. Access to health care
and education. Access to safe and secure housing. And now we see divisions over
who has access to COVID vaccines.
You may have heard people say, “we are
all in this together”. Well yes, and no. We are all in the same storm, but some
have a surfboard, some have a dinghy, and some have a supertanker. We are in the
same storm, but our experience is different.
How we live shows God’s love and grace.
When we share resources shows God’s generosity.
When we listen to another’s pain or anxiety,
when we include the outcast,
when we welcome the addict, the abused, the prisoner,
we see a glimpse of the Kingdom of God.
