Mark 9:30–37

³⁰They went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he did not want anyone to know, ³¹for 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." ³²But they did not understand the saying, and were afraid to ask him. ³³And they came to Capernaum. And when he was in the house he asked them, "What were you discussing on the way?" ³⁴But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. ³⁵And 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." ³⁶And he took a child and put him in the midst of them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them, ³⁷"Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me."

Ever take a family vacation in the car? Sometimes, by the time you are on the way home, after everyone is exhausted and tired of being cramped up inside the car for two weeks, things can get pretty miserable. Tempers are short, the kids get rowdy, everyone is irritated with each other, and it seems like one continuous argument. Perhaps that's what it was like for Jesus and the disciples on their way home after a long trip of preaching, teaching, healing the sick and casting out demons. The disciples were arguing all the way home. Jesus was trying to teach them some things, like you parents who think up educational games to occupy the kids in the car, but they just kept on fighting.

While they were traveling home, Jesus was trying to tell them that he was about to die. He would be "delivered into the hands of men and they would kill him." In the Old Testament he says he "was like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter." His heart was filled with sorrow, but it only made him feel worse that the only friends he could turn to for support were more interested in which of them was the most important than in his grief and sorrow.

The Epistle lesson talks about jealousy and selfish ambition being the causes of quarrels and fights, just what was happening to the disciples. Let us study these texts this morning to see how Christ's humility and death free us from our pride to be servants to all.

Let's pray:

Dear Heavenly Father, free us from our selfish ambitions and quarreling, and give us faith to hear your words and find in Christ's humility and death deliverance from our pride and sin and create in us a heart of humble service to all. Amen.

Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

It was the second time that Jesus tried to talk about his death to his disciples. The first time Peter had strongly objected when Jesus said he was going to die. Jesus rebuked Peter sharply, and even called him "Satan." This time after his announcement, the disciples began arguing about who was the most important. Looking back at it, it seems like a rather silly argument. If Jesus was going to die, their mission would be over. Their little band of disciples would break up, they would have to go into hiding to escape capture by the people who were going to kill Jesus, and the whole question of who was greatest would become irrelevant.

But, who was the greatest? I want to be! No, I am! It went on and on. But before we criticize the disciples for not understanding about Jesus' death. Before we judge them for wanting to be the most important, let's take a look at ourselves. We follow and worship a Lord who humbly served others as a servant, who washed people's feet, the job of slaves, who gave himself for all people, healing, feeding them, working around the clock to serve the crowds of people selflessly and then even suffered and died for them, taking their insults and hatred and rejection and finally put up with being nailed to the cross. We call ourselves his disciples, yet we want to be looked up to, respected, appreciated, and thanked for our service in the church. We insist that people respect our position of authority, listen to us and do what we say both here at church and in our secular jobs, our homes and among our friends. Yes, we want glory and success and power and fame, even while we profess to serve the One who humbled himself to be born in an animal feed trough in a barn, who lived in poverty, one who wandered around as a homeless, itinerant teacher; one who washed people's feet. One who was hated and despised and who ultimately was executed by a Roman court of law as a common criminal. So, while we claim to be disciples of this humble man who made himself lower than the lowest, we insist on our status. We insist on getting respect. We want to be appreciated. There is something wrong with this picture.

We just aren't any better than the original disciples of Jesus as silly and foolish as they often seem to us, we aren't much different. We really aren't the great followers of Jesus we think we are. We fail at obeying God's commands. We fail at humility. We fail at being servants of all. We are filled with selfish ambition and pride. Which is not the wisdom from above.

And because of this very sinful nature of ours, Jesus was talking about his death. Because of our pride and desire to be the most important, Jesus humbled himself and made himself the lowest of all. Because of our insistence on being respected, he was reviled, scorned, and hated. Though he is the one who has every right to be the most important and respected, he made himself the last and the least of all. He has the authority and power to give us what we deserve, to wipe us out, to condemn us to eternal death and punishment. But instead, He became poor in order to make us rich. He became the lowest of all in order to lift us up. He became a slave in order to free us from slavery. He became guilty of our sin to make us innocent and righteous and holy before God. He died to give us life. In spite of the fact that by nature we are enemies of God, he became our friend. Jesus was the greatest, but he became the last of all and the servant of all in order to save us.

That is why he told his disciples he would be handed over to men and killed. He was the innocent lamb who silently allowed himself to be led to the slaughter. He gave his life as a ransom for us. To make us poor, miserable sinners into the children of God.

So When they finally got home to Capernaum, and went into the house, Jesus gathered his disciples around him and picked up a child and set him in the middle of them. Holding the child in his arms, he tells the disciples, "If you want to be first, you must become the last of all and the servant of all." Jesus is talking about himself: for he is first and foremost of all things, but he made himself last and least of all and a servant of all. The child, the least of all, the lowest of society, the weakest, the humblest, the most dependent, was a picture of who and what Jesus himself was; humble, lowest, weakest of all. "Unless you become like one of these children, you shall never enter the kingdom of heaven. " This child represented Jesus. "Whoever receives one such child in my name," he said, "receives me."

The truth is, that child puts us all to shame. We who so often consider the children unimportant. Just as in the time of Jesus, we too think of children as untrained, noisy, bothersome. Why pay any attention to them? The disciples of Jesus kept putting their feet in their mouths, just like us. Once they tried to send the children away, so as not to bother Jesus. Boy, did Jesus rebuke them! They did not understand that this child represented Jesus and all who are poor, weak, humble, lowly and meek. "Blessed are the poor, for theirs is the kingdom of God. Blessed are the hungry now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you when people hate you and when they revile you and spurn your name for your reward is great in heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." Yes, the most important in the kingdom; the highest ranking people in the church, are the children, the poor, the weak, the humble sinner, the suffering, the sick, the elderly, the handicapped, the homebound, the despised, the lowest classes of people. For Jesus himself became one with them. They are raised up and exalted in the kingdom. They are the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. "Whoever would be great among you must be your servant and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many." He who receives a little child in the name of Jesus receives Jesus. He who receives a poor man in the name of Jesus receives Jesus. He who receives the homeless, the jobless, the sick, the elderly, the handicapped, the mentally retarded, the blind and the deaf in the name of Jesus receives Jesus. "Whatsoever you do to one of the least of these, you do unto me." And he who receives Jesus receives the Father, for He and the Father and the Holy Spirit are one God, one Trinity.

And he who receives Jesus receives forgiveness of sins and eternal salvation, because Jesus humbled himself and went to the cross. In spite of our sinful pride and selfish ambition, he became poor, weak, despised and rejected, in order to pay for our sin and set us free. He who receives Jesus in baptism dies to sin and is raised unto God. Therefore, put aside your shameful pride and put on Christ, the humble servant of all. Putting off all selfish ambition, put on the meekness of wisdom. For "The wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere."

For this Jesus became the lowest of all and the servant of all; going like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter. He was handed over to men to be killed to pay for our sins and on the third day he rose again to raise us from the dead on the Last Day and give us his life. As we eat his body and drink his blood this morning, he comes to dwell in you and to live out his life of humble service to all mankind in and through you. In Holy Communion, the first shall become last of all and the servant of all as we take on the humility and servitude of Jesus.

Amen.