There are so many interesting things one can take from this week’s Gospel reading from Mark chapter 9. For me, the one thing that stands out most is Christ’s questioning of his disciples while they were on the way to Capernaum.
Jesus asked them what they were arguing about on the way. They were certainly embarrassed and didn’t want to say, but of course Jesus already knew the theme of their argument: Who was the greatest among them?
This was an opportunity for Jesus to share another one of his radical, counter-cultural teachings. He told them that anyone who wants to be first “must be last of all and servant of all.”
To be first, in this context, means highest-ranked or most influential. Think for a moment about the most influential people in our culture. How many of them have achieved their level of notoriety by being servants of all?
To further his teaching, Jesus uses a child as an example.
“Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.”
So what is the significance of the child? In this context, a child is the embodiment of “the least.” A child, especially in those days, was of low social status, powerless and, in many ways, of little use until they were old enough to work.
You may recall in the Gospel of Matthew there’s the famous verse in which Jesus says “let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” He said those words after the Disciples had rebuked parents who wanted Jesus to pray for their children.
So when we think of this child, let’s also think about others in our world whom God is calling us to serve, the voiceless and oppressed. Let us think about the classmate who needs a kind word of affirmation; let us think about the kid in the lunchroom sitting alone; let us think about those who grieve being different; let us think about the people we encounter everyday who need a helping hand.
See you Sunday night!
The Pipe 