March 4th, 2012
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Become a Servant Mark 9:30-37
A. The origin
1) Jesus' death and resurrection was prophesied only to the disciples (30, 31)
They left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, "The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise." (30,31)
2) The ability to trust without understanding (32)
But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it. (32)
B. Becoming a servant
1) We tend to want others to serve us (33, 34)
They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, "What were you arguing about on the road?" But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest. (33,34)
2) If we want to be first, we must be last (35)
Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, "If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all." (35)
3) If we don't welcome those who are small, we do not welcome God (36, 37)
He took a little child and had him stand among them. Taking him in his arms, he said to them, "Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me." (36,37)
Summary
The disciples wanted Jesus to be a political and religious authority figure and they also wanted to share in Jesus' power and status. All human beings have the desire to be noticed, to attain higher status than the people around us, and to be served rather than to serve. Jesus did not share this desire. Jesus was God and deserved to be served by all, and yet, he became the servant of all through his life and death on the cross. If we want to follow Jesus, we need to control our tendency toward sin, take on Jesus' perspective, and do as he did.
For Discussion
1) Why were the disciples unable to accept Jesus' words?
2) Why does Mark equate welcoming children with welcoming God?