Mark 9:30-37

Great to be back here with you all this evening as we continue in Mark. It’s been another two weeks or so since we have been in Mark since having our game & movie night as well as our Mr. Freeze week.

I hope it’s been a great week for you. I hope you are doing well in class. I hope you are not blaming your teachers and or coaches for your misfortunes… (that was free.)

(Mark 9:14-29) Our last couple of lessons in Mark have spoken about trying to drive out demons without prayer, without first going to the Father. This continued battled against evil.

(Mark9:1-13) We also spoke about the walk up the mountain and the transfiguration. That was cool! Don’t forget about that because there is a possibility that plays a apart in some of our passage this evening.

This evening we are in Mark 9:30-37

Mark 9:30–37 ESV

30 They went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he did not want anyone to know, 31 for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise.” 32 But they did not understand the saying, and were afraid to ask him. 33 And they came to Capernaum. And when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?” 34 But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. 35 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.” 36 And he took a child and put him in the midst of them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them, 37 “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.”

Jesus Again Foretells Death, Resurrection

V. 30-32

I don’t know if you have ever gone through this as children. I’m guessing you have but I could be wrong.

As a father, when there is something coming up in, right now particularly Everlee’s life or McKinlee’s life that is potentially going to be a shocker if you will, Adrian and I try our best to prepare her for it.

McKinlee has this blind faith in us. And she should. We are her parents who have been commanded to bring her up. And she should be able to have this blind faith in us that we are going to protect her and be there for her.

The most recent situation like this was McKinlee having her tonsils taken out. This is a pretty big deal for a 7 year old. Shoot for that matter it would be a big deal for me! I’ve never been put under.

We had to prepare her for being put under, being put to sleep, and then the grogginess that would ensue after and her throat being in pain and discomfort. We prepared her for that. She knew what was coming. She knew the reason we were having to do it. For her to stop getting strep. For everybody else to stop getting strep. So she can be better. She was prepared.

Now, that didn’t in any way take away the her being frightened when she came to from being asleep. It didn’t take away the discomfort that was in her throat soon after. BUT, it did give her understanding of what she was going through before it hit her and therefore she was prepared for it and even more so did not lose faith in her daddy and momma. If anything it built her faith in us because we knew, we told her, and we were right in what we said.

IMAGINE for just a sec, her faith in us if we made the appointment to get her tonsils taken out. We knew. But didn’t tell her a thing about it. The day comes. We randomly take her to the doctor with no warning. We take her to this back room and tell her to put this gown on. They put this mask on her and put her to sleep. They do the surgery and she wakes up still not knowing… :o WOW!

Students, Jesus is doing His Father’s will in preparing His disciples for this dramatic event that will take place. Did McKinlee fully understand what we were telling her about her surgery when we were warning her? No..

The disciples do not fully understand what Jesus is talking about. But He is warning them nonetheless to better prepare them for this dramatic event SO THAT their faith won’t be completely SHOCKED.

Will it take away the confusion at times, no. Will it take away the pain, no. But without them even knowing, Jesus is preparing them in a way where their faith won’t be destroyed when it does actually happen. He is actually preparing them for their faith to be bolstered.

You also add to this that the apostles are still operating under this preconceived notion that

“the state of Christ’s kingdom would be prosperous and delightful, and that, as soon as He made Himself known, he would be universally recieved with the highest approval or praise. They never thought it possible that the priests, and scribes, and other rulers of the church would oppose Him.”

Maybe the disciples are afraid to ask anything because they don’t want to be rebuked like Peter. Maybe they don’t want to ask Him anything for fear of more revelation about suffering.

Whatever the reason… it’s not the top thing on their mind at the time...

Who is the greatest?

V.33-37

Strangely, the TOP THING on their minds were you would be the GREATEST in this NEW KINGDOM that would come from Christ’s reign.

This again, coming from their preconceived notions about what Jesus was here to do.

I laughed because I was reading a commentary about this that spoke about some scholars would questionable the probability that grown men would be walking around arguing about who the greatest is?

HA HA HA! Whoever wrote this DOES NOT KNOW MEN!

There is something instilled into us to want to be great!

PRIDE. AMBITION.

These are temptations in every age. No matter the year.

You add on top of that a possible jealousy of the other 9 when Peter, James and John were taken up the mountain with Jesus. You know that there was some sort of feels going on with the other 9 for not getting to go up along with them.

This comes right after at some point.

GUYS are often competitive. Especially when you pit 12 of them together in a group like this.

And guess? God also wants this for us!

Genesis 12:2 ESV

2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.

Genesis 39:2 ESV

2 The Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, and he was in the house of his Egyptian master.

Romans 8:28 ESV

28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

KINGDOM GREATNESS though.... is not what they were thinking. GREATNESS has nothing to do with their position in the political ranks like they thought.

AND SO…

Jesus sits.

Jesus calls the attention of the whole group of 12.

Scripture says that

Mark 9:36–37 (ESV)

36 And he took a child and put him in the midst of them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them, 37 “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.”

Jesus goes at the normal view of greatness. The worlds thought of greatness is position, money, having others work for you.

Jesus’ point here is that in the Kingdom of God, ordinary human values are reversed. That there is this paradox type of thing going on in the Kingdom of God and the gospel where the way of service, the way of Jesus Himself - is the way to true greatness.

He takes a child in order to guide them through this acted out parable.

In order to understand this illustration, you must understand the lowly place occupied by children in ancient society.

But also realize that the Aramaic word used here means both child and servant.

A child in the Bible is both a symbol of innocence and of helplessness and vulnerability.

Here, the child represents any helpless person but especially a humble fellow believer whom the true disciple is to receive.

To “welcome”, or “receive” means to be concerned about, to care for, to show kindness to.

To many teenage Christians are calling themselves Christians while also playing the social ladder game within Jim Ned and socially outcasting your own brothers and sisters in Christ.

Teenage Christians are being more worried about their own social standing rather than holding up another believer in the midst of ignorant social shaming.

WE MUST STOP THIS. WE MUST be concerned about, care for and show kindness especially to those who we know as eternal brothers and sisters in Christ. If we don’t, want makes us different?

Jesus says to do this in HIS NAME.

To do so in the name of Jesus means to do as He would do, to do so for His sake, to do so as a Christian.

To accept the outcast and oppressed is a way of accepting both God and Jesus. Greatness in the kingdom consist not of position but of ministry.