Mark 9:30-37[1]
In our world, we
celebrate “the best of the best.” And it’s a good thing to recognize the
commitment, dedication, and diligence that goes into seeking to do something
well. But since not everyone can be “the best of the best,” the rest of us may
find ourselves wondering where we fall in the “food chain” of society. I think
even young children among us can grasp that to some degree “losing” is really
not “okay.” So it is that many of may spend our lives trying be the “best” at
something. Life, however, has a way of taking us on journeys that we don’t
expect. Even when we work hard, apply ourselves with dedication, and make
sacrifices, we all sometimes find ourselves on the “losing” end.
I would say that the
fact of the matter is that there are a lot of people in this world who are
dealing with loss of one kind or another. Many are dealing with multiple losses
at once. The irony of life is that those who have lost the most usually have
the most to teach the rest of us about how to live. They approach life with
serenity, contentment, gratitude, and even generosity. When it comes to knowing
how to really live, the “least of the least” tend to do it far better than the
“best of the best.” Perhaps that should make us all stop and think about how we
measure what is “best” in life!
Our Gospel lesson for
today brings together several episodes related to this theme. It begins with
Jesus, whom Peter has already confessed to be the Messiah, telling the
disciples again that he is going to be killed. As I’ve mentioned before, in
their minds, Messiahs don’t get killed; they conquer and liberate their people
from their oppressors. Messiahs usher in the Kingdom of God on earth. The idea of
a Messiah being killed simply made no sense to them. I think when the Scripture
says, the disciples “did not understand what he was saying” (Mk. 9:32), it may
be an understatement!
It’s almost surprising
that, right after Jesus gives the disciples this shocking news a second time,
they began to argue about “who was the greatest” (Mk. 9:34). Mark doesn’t
specify the greatest at what. He simply says they were arguing about who was
the greatest. Set alongside Jesus’ prediction of his impending death, that in
and of itself seems out of place. Matthew’s Gospel brings the problem into
sharper focus: there they asked Jesus outright, “Who is the greatest in the
Kingdom of God?” (Matt. 18:1). It seems they were dreaming of having the places
of honor when Jesus ushered in the “kingdom” they were expecting.
Jesus’ answer to them
makes it clear that they had missed one of the most important lessons he tried
to teach them: “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of
all” (Mark 9:35). And to emphasize the point, Jesus seeks to correct his
disciples’ misguided ambition by embracing a child. He says to them, “Whoever
welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me
welcomes not me but the one who sent me” (Mark 9:37). We tend to view that as
something “tender,” because that’s the way we see children. As I’ve mentioned
before, that wasn’t always the way children were treated in that day. In many
cases they were simply mouths to feed and hands to be put to work as soon as possible.
Many children were the “least of the least” of all in that day.
But Jesus not only
said to embrace the children, he also told his disciples they had to become like children in order to enter
the Kingdom of God (Mk 10:13-16). Again, we take a “sentimental” approach to
this by thinking he’s talking about the trusting nature of a child. But I think
the disciples would not have found the idea of becoming like a child very
inviting. A child was someone you could treat however you wanted, and nobody
would be the wiser. Many children were among the most vulnerable, the weakest,
the lowest, and the last of all. They were among the “least of the least.”
Jesus told his
disciples that following him meant serving others, not seeking greatness. And
just in case they didn’t get the practical implications, he took a child and
said that the way they treated that child was the measure for their service. I
think this is Mark’s version of Matthew 25: “as you did it to the least of
these you did it to me” (Mt 25:40). The true test of one’s character is how you
treat those who cannot “report” you to anyone. But service in the kingdom of
God not only means caring for the “least of the least,” it also means taking
our place among them. I’d say that’s no more welcome to us than it was to
Jesus’ disciples.
It goes against the
grain; it’s about as contrary to our way of life as you can get. But while we
spend our efforts seeking to be “the best of the best,” Jesus calls us to give
up those ambitions and devote our lives to serving others. I think there’s
still room in that call for us to do what we do with commitment, dedication,
and diligence. One of our ordination vows calls those who would serve the
church to do so with “energy, intelligence, imagination, and love.” As I
mentioned last week, Jesus demands the best we have to give. But we must offer
our best in full recognition that Jesus also calls us to a path that leads us not
only to care for those who are most vulnerable in society. It also leads us to
take our place alongside the “least of the least.” It’s a path of “downward
mobility,” if you will. The path Jesus calls us to walk is one that takes us to
places where we offer the best we have to give not for our own enrichment but
for the benefit of others, especially the “least of the least.”
[1] ©
2021 Alan Brehm. A sermon delivered by Rev. Alan Brehm, Ph. D. on 9/19/2019 for
Hickman Presbyterian Church, Hickman, NE.
No comments:
Post a Comment