Who is the Greatest?

Who is the Greatest?

Mark 9:30-41

Jesus and the disciples are on their way to Capernaum. As usual, Jesus uses their time alone to teach them.

Jesus again tells them that He’ll be killed, but that He’ll rise again from the dead. They hear what He says, but they don’t understand and they’re afraid to ask what He means.

The disciples don’t understand the truth the Messiah must give His life for His people. That He came into this world “not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

They won’t understand until after He dies on the cross and rises from the dead.

Of course, the world has a problem with the image of a suffering Savior. The idea that God would have to die for sins so that sinners could be saved flies in the face of religion. According to religion, we’re able to work our way to God. But God says that we can’t get to Him by works. The only way we can come to God is through a relationship with Jesus.

The world hears the message of the cross and says its foolishness. To say that Jesus must die so that sinners could be saved is more than they can handle. The disciples are in the same boat.

· They see Jesus establishing His kingdom.

· They see Him reigning in power and glory.

· They see Him defeating their enemies and restoring Israel.

· They can’t see Him dying for sin.

In our text, we move from the teaching of Jesus’s death and resurrection to who is greatest.

Christ uses these events to teach His people then, and now, that true greatness come from humble service to others.

As we look at this conversation between Jesus and the disciples, we might just discover that those we think are the greatest among us might not be great at all. We might also discover that the path to true greatness is available to anyone willing to walk it.

Let’s pray, and then read our text.

Pray!

Mark 9:30–41 ESV

They went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he did not want anyone to know, 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.” But they did not understand the saying, and were afraid to ask him. 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.” John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” But Jesus said, “Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. For the one who is not against us is for us. For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward.

The first that we see is

A Debate

When they reach Capernaum, Jesus wants to know what they were debating about on the way. His question is met with silence. Apparently, they were embarrassed by their discussion, because they’d been arguing about who was the greatest. They’d been arguing over who was the number one disciple!

What made them to start thinking like this?

Maybe it had something to do with the fact that Jesus had chosen Peter, James and John to go with Him up Mount Hermon. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that when these three came down, they were told not to talk about what they had seen or heard.

These men had comeback all excited about what they’ve seen. They might be saying,:

“Man, I’ve never seen anything like that! Have you?”

“That was the most amazing experience of my life!”

They came down that mountain having seen the glory of God; having seen Elijah and Moses; and having heard the voice of God.

They’re thrilled. I can see them smiling; talking together; and feeling a little bit more important than the others.

While three of the disciples experienced a powerful mountaintop experience, the other disciples have been fighting a battle in the valley.

· They’ve been in an argument with the scribes.

· They’ve been ridiculed by the crowd.

· They failed miserably in a spiritual battle.

They have no use for the excitement or the silence of Peter, James and John.

As they walk, they begin to talk. The nine ask the three about what happened on the mountain and the only answer they get is, “Sorry Charlie. We can’t tell you.”

You can imagine, this would have caused the nine disciples to feel left out. The other three might have felt and acted superior to the others. You can almost imagine what their conversation would have sounded like.

Peter, James and John make the case that one of them is surely the leader of the group since they were chosen to go with Jesus and the others weren’t.

· Maybe Peter says, “Well, it’s obvious that I’m the leader. After all, it was me that first said Jesus was the Messiah.”

· Maybe Andrew says, “Wait just a minute! I introduced you to Him. If it weren’t for me, you’d still be out there on a boat fishing.”

· Maybe John and James speak up, “Hold it right there! We were the first to follow Him. We’ve been with Him longer.”

· Maybe Judas says, “What about me? He trusts me to take care of the money.”

Each one thinks he’s more qualified than the others. Each one thinks he’s more worthy of honor. Each one thinks he should be the leader.

It’s no wonder these men were embarrassed by their argument. When they were talking among themselves the issue seemed important. But, when they stood before Jesus, they suddenly see how silly, immature, arrogant and self-centered they’d been.

He’s been talking about eternal things. They could only focus on their own self-interests.

Jesus has just reminded them He is going to die and rise from the dead. And, all they can do is fight about who should be first!

No wonder they’re embarrassed. It’s still embarrassing when it happens today!

But it does happen! Everywhere you go in the church, in any church, you find the people who want to be important, the people who want to be recognized for what they do or what they give.

In 3 John, John condemned a man that “likes to put himself first, (and) does not acknowledge our authority.” He wanted to be number one. He wanted to control the church. He wanted to run everything. He wanted to be in charge and to do things his way.

Let me just set the record straight.

There are no big “I’s” and little “you’s” here.

When this life is over; all of our petty and silly efforts to be first will be revealed to be as childish as it is. When that time comes, do you want to stand before Him in embarrassment because you wanted to be first? Or do you want to hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant?”

The choice is yours.

There is a debate and next:

A Demonstration

In order to correct the immature and foolish thinking of His disciples, Jesus sat down to teach them. When a rabbi sat down, he was assuming a place of authority over his students. When Jesus sat down, His disciples knew they needed to listen up!

When Jesus begins to teach, He presents a paradox. He tells them that the way to greatness is through serving others. He tells them that the door to first place is located in the servant’s rooms.

Jesus is teaching them that true greatness only comes through serving others. That’s a lesson that’s been lost on us. Some people think they deserve respect and preferential treatment just because they occupy a certain position.

If you really want others to respect you, serve them. Put them before yourself and meet their needs, forgetting about your own needs. Give them the first seat, without wanting anything in return.

When we humble ourselves, He’ll lift us up in His time.

To put an even finer point on what He’s teaching, Jesus takes a child and places him before the disciples. He tells them that if they receive a child in His name is, in fact, receiving both the Son and the Father Who sent Him.

The word “receive” carries the idea of “displaying hospitality.” In those days, hospitality was everything. When a person showed up at your house, you were expected to “receive” them and serve them, meeting all their needs.

Jesus is telling us that when we serve the least among us, we’re really serving Him. By serving Him, we’re serving His Father as well.

Jesus could’ve just told them this. But why did He use a child?

I think there are several reasons.

· First, children in that society were at the bottom of the ladder. They were looked at as property and mostly ignored by adults.

· Second, Jesus used a child to teach His disciples about service because children really can’t do anything for adults. A child can’t improve a person’s position in society. A child can’t add to your success. A child can’t make you more important in the eyes of the world.

But a child can teach you much about ministry!

Think about it, every parent here knows what happens when you have a new baby. That child demands everything! From day one it must be served; every need must be met by a willing adult.

Children come into our homes and they take constant care and attention. If they’re ignored, they let you know all about in loud and irritating way. When parents have children, they learn what giving and service are all about.

· When a child is born, you give and you give and you give.

· When that child grows, you give and you give and you give.

· Often, even as they reach adulthood, you give and you give and you give.

Jesus used a child because children need to be served, but they can’t serve us in return.

That’s a lesson we need to take to heart. Too often, we only serve those who can do something in return for us. The Lord would have us reach out to those who are the neediest. He’d have us serve those who cannot or even will not serve us in return. He desires that we do as He did and give our all for those who may break our hearts in return.

Often the church will reach out, but when we do, we often reach out to people who are like us. We look for those we think will be a blessing to the church. We want people with money, talent and potential. We look for people who can help us become a success.

Jesus, on the other hand, had a habit of reaching out to people who could do nothing for Him in return.

That’s what Jesus did the night before He died.

His disciples were so busy arguing about who should be the greatest that not one of them would humble himself and wash the feet of the others. But, when they finished their meal in the upper room, Jesus put a towel around His waist and washed His disciple’s feet.

Jesus took the place of a slave and washed the dirty feet of men who would run away before dawn. He washed the feet of Peter who would deny Him three times. He even washed the feet of Judas who would betray Him in to the hands of His enemies that very night.

Jesus freely served those who would break His heart. When the next day dawned, Jesus performed the greatest service of all when He went to the cross to die for sinners who hated Him and wanted nothing to do with Him.

Jesus set the example for us.

· He was a servant of the neediest people of all.

· He was a servant to those who could never repay Him.

· He was a servant to those who would fail Him, deny Him, and dishonor Him.

· He was a servant to you and all mankind when He died on the cross.

We need to set our hearts on those who need Jesus, without regard for what they can bring to the table or contribute to the church. We need to fulfill His command to “Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled.” (Luke 14:23)

We need to wash the feet of those around us, regardless of their position in society, their ability to help us, or their power and influence. We need a heart that is willing to serve the least among us for His glory!

There is a debate, a demonstration and finally:

A Declaration

When John hears the words of Jesus, he brings up an event that had occurred sometime earlier.

Apparently, the disciples had encountered someone who was casting out demons in the name of Jesus. But, because he wasn’t following Jesus, the disciples rebuked him and told him to stop what he was doing.

John’s saying, “Jesus, we saw this guy who was using Your name to cast out demons. But we set him straight! We told him he wasn’t doing it like we do it and we let him know that our way is the only way that it can be done. So, we put him out of business!”

Jesus responds by telling them to leave people like that alone. If they’re doing good works in the name of Jesus, they’re not against Him, but they’re working for Him.

Jesus goes on to tell them that even if someone just gave a disciple a cup of water in His name, that person would surely be rewarded for their service.

There are several lessons here for the church today, if we’re willing to listen.

Often, we’re just like the disciples. If a church, a ministry or an individual doesn’t do everything just like we do, then we’re quick to condemn them. We’re quick to judge them. We’re quick to lash out against them. We’re quick to try and silence them.

There are a few truths we have forgotten!

No church, no preacher and no ministry has an exclusive lock on the truth

In other words, God didn’t put us as the final determiner of who is and who isn’t serving Him. The truth is always much bigger than our understanding of it! The primary thing is whether or not He’s being glorified.

When it comes to churches, one size does not fit all

Not everyone responds to the way we do things here at Ashland Avenue. This church isn’t for every believer!

As much as it may bother us at times, God does use people who do things differently than us. We need to be careful that we don’t judge a church, a ministry or a preacher just because they’re different than we are.

Some churches use different styles of music, use different Bible translations or different standards on how you dress. They might even have drums and lights.

But what I want you to understand is that if they love Jesus and the Gospel is being preached, we’re all on the same team.

We don’t need to worry about what anybody else is doing. We need to be concerned about what He’s leading us to do in order to reach the people all around us. But if we’re not reaching people, something got to change here.

In the end, every church and every ministry must be judged by the kind of people it produces

If a ministry produces worldly people, it’s of the world, no matter what they say. If a ministry produces Godly people, it’s a tool that God is using, no matter how we feel about it!

During the Revolutionary War, General George Washington came up on a group of men who were trying to pull down a tree. They were almost able to get the job done, but they lacked just a little strength. It appeared that the help of just one more man would be enough to get the job done.

Washington noticed their commanding officer standing off to the side, shouting orders.

“Why don’t you help them?” Washington asked.

The officer responded indignantly, “Sir, I am their commander! I give the orders and they do the work!”

Hearing that, Washington got off his horse, took off his coat, rolled up his sleeves and gave the tired men the help they needed to complete their task.

When they were finished, Washington looked at the officer and said, “Sir, if your men need any further assistance, please call on me at any time.”

The officer said, “Thank you friend, and where may I call for you if I need you?”

Washington said, “You can find me in the commanding General’s tent.” With that he rode off leaving the astonished and embarrassed officer in his wake.

Who’s the greatest at Ashland Avenue?

· The greatest person in this church is the person who serves others selflessly, with no thought for what they might receive in return.

· The greatest person in this church is the person who is willing to take the last place so that others can be first.

· The greatest person in this church is the person who seeks to serve those who can never give anything back in return.

Does that describe you?