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Mark 9:30 - 37
As A Little Child

From this point on in the Gospel of Mark, we are looking at the closing phase of Jesus' earthly ministry. He would soon be going directly to Jerusalem, directly into the hands of His enemies, and they would arrest Him and hand Him over to the Romans for crucifixion.

Because these events were soon to come, Jesus wanted to keep out of the public arena as much as possible so that He could devote the little time He had left to teaching His disciples the things they still needed to learn before His departure. His first priority, of course, was to prepare them for the terrifying jolts to their faith that were coming.

Jesus had told His disciples many times of His coming death, each time with similar results: they didn't really understand. They didn't understand how the great Jewish Messiah could be killed, and they certainly didn't understand what He said about rising from the dead! They thought they already knew the way things should go, and they wanted Him to fulfill - not contradict - their expectations! So Mark tells us that "they were afraid to ask Him" about this "dying" and "resurrection" of which He spoke.

After the few words recorded here, Jesus didn't say any more for a while. He just let His words "sink in."

The disciples spoke amongst themselves. They tried to speak quietly to keep their conversations from Him, but He knew what they were talking about on the way to Capernaum. Still, He didn't interrupt them, because He also knew exactly when it would be best for Him to plant a few more ideas in their hearts.

Of course we don't know the details of their conversation while they were on the road, but we do know that at some point it was about which of them should be the greatest in the coming messianic kingdom.

It would probably be a good guess that they interpreted Jesus' talk about "resurrection" not as resurrection from death, but merely as resurrection from the lowest point of Jesus' earthly career, to be followed by exaltation to the throne of the messianic kingdom. Such thoughts would naturally lead to conversation about their own (important) positions within that kingdom. Jesus knew all about these quietly-held conversations, yet still He kept silent while they travelled.

Once in Capernaum, though, and comfortably behind the closed doors of the house, it was time for a reality session, a session that would better prepare them for an entirely different future and an entirely different kind of kingdom than they expected – the one that was actually coming. He began by asking them what they'd been discussing. He already knew the answer, of course, but He wanted them to feel at least a little convicted about their own selfishness.  Of course none of them wanted to answer.

Jesus, though, making it plain that He was about to impart to them a major teaching, seated Himself in the cross-legged manner of the Rabbis of the time, then formally called all of His disciples to gather before Him.

From our vantage point, we would have expected Him to simply tell them how wrong it was of them to be seeking their own advancement to places of importance. But He didn't. In fact, He did Just the opposite - He gave them instructions about the very best way to get to the very top spot!

But Jesus' definition of that "top spot" was unique and not the one they (or we) would normally think of. Most people, including the disciples, would see it quite differently than He did. He told them that if they really wanted the position of most importance in the coming Kingdom, then they could have it - by assuming in the present time a place of least significance and of most service to others!

It's plain that Jesus ranks people differently than we do.  It's plain that He ranks those highest whom we would rank lowest. They're the ones who would be the least noticed in human society, because they serve all the rest! Think about it - is that your understanding of what the "top spot" should be like?

Put another way, Jesus is just telling them - and us - that He greatly values those who are motivated only by love for and commitment to the good of others. He most values those who prove that love by action. It's not the one who devotes himself to the good of others for the sake of praise and advancement that He values, but it's the one whose dedication to others is for the sake of the Savior, for the sake of Him Who loved him and gave Himself for him!

With this extremely important qualification, then, Jesus teaches that it is very right and very pleasing to Him that the disciples - and ourselves as well – should reach for the "top spot" in the Kingdom!

At this point in His teaching, Jesus beautifully illustrated what He was saying. He took a little child and placed him in the midst of His discipleship schoolroom. The child stood there, in the midst of twelve men who were probably strangers to him, men who were much larger than he and who must have seemed very intimidating.

But Jesus removed the intimidation. He took the child into His arms, thus making him feel loved and safe. The point He was making was that the disciples needed to relate to all whom they served with the same love and care Jesus had for the little child! The one who serves in that manner has reached the top spot!

In other words, He means, first of all, that the disciples' greatest concern shouldn't be to serve the important people in society. Instead they should be serving the needs around them, especially the needs of people who are entirely unnoticed, or who are even despised by society - the "little children" of the world.

The child of Jesus' illustration had only one qualification - he had an observable need. Jesus supplied the need, and He supplied it lovingly. The disciples were to do the same. So should we.

Secondly, their service and ours didn't need to be important to men or call attention to itself. Ministry to need alone should be the aim. It needed to be so lovingly self giving that it reflected the love of God and the love of His Son. The need might only have been for encouragement, or it might have been for a thousand dollars, or it might have been for several hours of hard physical work. But whatever it was, Jesus made it clear by His example that the need should to be met in a thankful, cheerful, loving and caring spirit, a spirit that was constantly trying be like that of a Lord "Who gave Himself for us, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God" (1 Pet. 3:18).

Jesus wanted them (and us) to know that there's a reward for that kind of service. He said, "Whoever receives a little child like this on account of My name - receives ME. And whoever receives Me does not receive Me, but Him Who sent Me. That kind of "receiving" just amounts to giving care out of love to Jesus Christ. Jesus sees such giving as service to Himself. He assured them and He assures us that He really does receive such service as though it were directly rendered to Himself - and that His Father views it in the same light.

There's an obvious but necessary caution: the service we give can't be motivated by a desire to buy our Lord's favor. It has to come out of a heart of joy in the love of Christ. It can't be done to "pile up points" with God.

We need to be so careful about such wrong motivation!  Yet the solution isn't to avoiding serving.  What's needed instead is an ongoing effort to become more and more acquainted with the Lord Himself. We need to love Him more and more because of Who and what He is. He gives us a promise.  He says, "And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart." (Jer. 29:13) The heart that truly adores Him is the heart most likely to render acceptable service.

Not that any of our service in this world is ever entirely pure. It isn't. But praise God, it can come at least in part from the overflow of His Spirit's work in us. If you're deeply convinced that Jesus Christ is the only Savior - that He's sent from the heart of God for you - then it's a certain that you have His Spirit within you, and the result is that your efforts are acceptable to God through His Son! Then Zephaniah'a prophecy is true for you when he says, "The Lord your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing." (Zeph. 3:17)

Oh let us love Him! Oh let's give ourselves entirely to Him! Let's aim at the very top spot!  Let's love one another and welcome the opportunity to serve one another in His Name. We'll never be the losers!

Truly it is far more blessed to give than to receive!
Look at people who receive and have every heart's desire... bored, jaded, empty lives.
Look at the believer who gives and serves.. never bored with life, happy, fulfilled, knowing that they are appreciated by their fellows and most of all by God.
We are created FOR good works,saved by GRACE .

Amen!  Oh God, move us to aim high!  Truly high.