Service Leads to Honor (Mark 9:30–50)

Jesus was still leading His disciples to Jerusalem, and as they went, He reminded them of what would happen to Him there. Note that He also reminded them of His resurrection, but they were unable to understand what He was saying, and they were afraid to ask. After they heard what Jesus had said about His own suffering and death, you would think they would have forgotten their own selfish plans and concentrated on Him. Perhaps the fact that Peter, James, and John had gone on the mount with Jesus had added some fuel to the fires of competition.

I. Arguments on the Path of Discipleship (9:30–37)

30 Then they departed from there and passed through Galilee, and He did not want anyone to know it. 31 For He taught His disciples and said to them, “The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him. And after He is killed, He will rise the third day.” 32 But they did not understand this saying, and were afraid to ask Him. 33 Then He came to Capernaum. And when He was in the house He asked them, “What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road?” 34 But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest. 35 And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.” 36 Then He took a little child and set him in the midst of them. And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them, 37 “Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me.”

A. The disciples were arguing about which of them was the greatest.

After they heard what Jesus had said about His own suffering and death, you would think they would have forgotten their own selfish plans and concentrated on Him. Perhaps the fact that Peter, James, and John had gone on the mount with Jesus had added some fuel to the fires of competition.

As the disciples were arguing about which of them was the greatest, Jesus was trying to instill in them a whole new set of attitudes about life and death. There is, however, some evidence that the disciples were gaining insight. Probably they feared further questioning about what Jesus said due to the apprehension of facing a complete revelation of the suffering that lay ahead. Or they may have feared being rebuked like Peter. Nevertheless, as the following passage indicates, their minds were wrongly occupied with the question about who among them was the most important.

B. Jesus taught not only by his words but also by symbolic actions.

His use of the child is an acted parable, a dramatized illustration. The meaning of the symbolic action cannot be grasped without recognition of the lowly place occupied by children in ancient society and a realization that the same Aramaic word means both child and servant.

A child in the Bible is both a symbol of innocence and of helplessness and vulnerability. The disciples are exhorted to become humble like a child, and a child represents any helpless person but especially a humble fellow believer whom the true disciple is to receive. 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 outcasts and oppressed is a way of accepting both God and Jesus. Greatness in the kingdom consists not of position but of ministry.

II. The Question About the Independent Exorcist (9:38–41)

38 Now John answered Him, saying, “Teacher, we saw someone who does not follow us casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow us.” 39 But Jesus said, “Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me. 40 For he who is not against us is on our side. 41 For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.

A. John felt it necessary to defend the disciples.

Imagine telling a man to stop casting out demons when the nine disciples had failed to deliver the deaf and dumb boy from Satan’s power! To use the name of Jesus is the same as working under His authority, so the men had no right to stop the man. John offered this comment as a declaration. He did not request Jesus’ approval. He seems to have assumed that this was the right course of action.

The objection of John, who evidently was speaking on behalf of all the disciples, was only that the man was not part of their little group and had not been authorized by Jesus to use his name. Jesus exposed the dark underside of thinking that Christianity is an exclusive group of people.

B. Jesus’ lesson continues.

All who with any degree of sincerity do something for or on behalf of Jesus (note “in my name”) were to be recognized as allies, if not fellow disciples. The lesson for the church today is that tolerance, acceptance, and recognition should be extended to other persons of faith and to persons of other theological persuasions.

Sadly, few individual Christians and Christian groups throughout the history of the church have followed this teaching of Jesus. Exclusiveness rather than inclusiveness has been the rule. The “cup of water” may be taken literally because water was precious, or it may be viewed as symbolic of any kind of hospitality. The word “you” refers to any disciple of Jesus who is engaged in any kind of ministry or who is in any kind of need.

III. Hellfire and Damnation (9:42–50)

42 “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea. 43 If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched—44 where‘Their worm does not dieAnd the fire is not quenched.’ 45 And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame, rather than having two feet, to be cast into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched—46 where‘Their worm does not die And the fire is not quenched.’ 47 And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire—48 where‘Their worm does not die And the fire is not quenched.’ 49 “For everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt. 50 Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another.”

A. Jesus did not treat John’s statement lightly.

Jesus went on to explain the danger of causing others to stumble and therefore stop serving the Lord. “These little ones” refers to all God’s children who follow Christ and seek to serve Him. The way believers treat others in the family of God is a serious thing, and God wants us to “have peace one with another”. The disciples did not get along with each other, nor did they get along with other believers!

The “little ones” of this verse represent the immature, weak, and perhaps new believers. To cause these to sin or stumble will bring serious judgment. The judgment is pictured as a large millstone tied around the neck.

B. This solemn message about hell carries a warning to all of us to deal drastically with sin.

Whatever in our lives makes us stumble, and therefore causes others to stumble, must be removed as if by surgery. The hand, foot, and eye would be considered valuable parts of the body, yet they must be removed if they are causing sin. Of course, the Lord is not commanding literal physical surgery, since He had already made it clear that sin comes from the heart.

Salt speaks of purity and preservation. It was used in Old Testament days in the establishing of covenants. The disciples were God’s salt, but they were in danger of losing their flavor and becoming worthless. Instead of rebuking others, the disciples should have been examining their own hearts! It is easy to lose our “saltiness” and become useless to God. Christians will experience the fire of trials and persecutions and they need to stand together, no matter who is the greatest! Commitment and character are the essentials, if we are to glorify Him and have peace with each other.