THE MASTER’S GUIDE TO GREATNESS—Mark 9:30-37
Admit it: We all want to be great. (And why not?)
We want to be successful—competent, effective, recognized for what we do. We want to be influential, so that people listen to us and take us seriously. We want be liked, valued, and loved.
Some of us might want to be the top dog, the one with status and power, the one who makes the decisions and tells others what to do. Others don’t want that pressure. But all of us want to be great, even if it is only the greatest “me” I can be.
But how do we become great in the kingdom of God?
Jesus was the greatest man who ever lived. Even before his birth, the angel said to Mary, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. HE WILL BE GREAT and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David..” (Luke 1:30-32) He was the Messiah prophesied for centuries.
In his ministry, Jesus exuded the authority of God himself. People gathered around him to hear what he said and to marvel at the miracles he did. After he rose from the dead and ascended into heaven, millions put their faith in him, and even unbelievers have recognized him as one of the greatest people who ever lived.
WHAT DOES JESUS SAY ABOUT HOW TO BE GREAT IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD?
Mark 9 begins with a “mountaintop experience.” Jesus took Peter, James, and John to the top of a mountain, where was “transfigured.” His body and even his clothes shown with glory, and Moses and Elijah joined him. Then he came down from the mountain, still exuding an aura of greatness, so that Mark 9:15 says, “As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him.” He then proceeded to cast out an evil spirit that was oppressing a boy.
Jesus must have been feeling it! So what did he do next?
READ Mark 9:30-32.
Twice already Jesus had tried to get his disciples to understand that he was going to the cross. The first time, Peter rebuked him for it. On the mountaintop, the three disciples discussed it among themselves, but they did not ask him what he meant. The disciples needed to understand what was coming, so Jesus got them off by themselves and poured out his heart to them. It did not go so well: “They did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it.”
Why were the disciples afraid to ask Jesus what he meant?
Jesus had no tolerance for trick questions; he exposed them as ridiculous or malicious. He rebuked people for questions rooted in an attitude of unbelief. Yet Jesus welcomed honest questions, so why were his disciples afraid to ask him what he meant when he talked about his betrayal and death?
I think the disciples were afraid of what he meant. They didn’t want to understand what he clearly was telling them.
Husbands and wives do this sometimes. They don’t hear what their partner is saying because they don’t want to hear what is really being said. Maybe they laugh it off or slough it off as just a fit of emotion or exaggeration.
Sometimes the words just don’t sink in. People are only half listening, while they are thinking about something else, watching the game, or playing on their phone.
Sometimes the words being said seem so outlandish that the mind shuts them out. Or, in the case of the disciples, they are too unsettling to seriously consider.
The disciples did not understand what Jesus was saying, because his message did not fit in with their plans for Jesus and for themselves. They did not want to hear it.
The cross of Jesus is not an easy message to accept, even today. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 1:23, “We preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to gentiles…” If we truly understand the cross, it upsets us. It confronts us with the horrible reality of evil in the world. It destroys our self-righteousness, for Jesus would not need to go to the cross if we could make ourselves right. It reminds us what Jesus did to save us, and the debt of love we owe in return. It humbles us, for every person, no matter how great, must kneel at the foot of the cross to be saved. The ground is level there.
Jesus poured out his heart to his disciples, but what were they thinking about?
READ Mark 9:33-34.
The disciples were like kids in the back seat of the car; “What are you arguing about?” asks a parent. “Nothing,” they reply. But of course it is never about nothing. For the disciples, it was about who was the greatest among them.
Maybe the argument started with the three disciples who had been invited to go up the mountain with Jesus. Why did they get more “alone time” with him? Did they think they were better than the rest? Maybe the others asked, “What happened on the mountain?” Jesus had told them not to tell anyone, so they probably said, “We can’t tell you.” Of course the others would say, “Oh? Don’t you think we deserve to know as much as you?”
The argument could have started from the failure of the nine disciples who had stayed behind. The father of the demon-possessed boy had begged them to cast out the evil spirit, and they had not been able to do it. Was the argument about who was better at praying or doing what disciples do? Could the chosen three disciples have done better? Were some of the disciples feeling inadequate, trying to bring the others down to their level?
Or was this just what people do when they get in a group? The disciples did it more often, usually while they were walking behind Jesus and they thought he couldn’t hear them.
People do this! Husbands and wives try to prove who is better with the kids, with money, or with choosing friends. People at work compete for recognition and rank. People in the church or community seek power and influence.
Whatever the argument was about, they didn’t care to discuss it with Jesus, because they knew he wouldn’t approve! So Jesus laid it on the line:
“Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.” (Mark 9:35)
Jesus had a way of turning everything upside down. In Mark 8:35, he said, “Whoever wants to save their life will lose it.” Jesus demonstrated the truth of that by going to the cross. Here, he applies it to everyday life: To be great, put others first and serve them.
How can you be a great husband or wife, a great father or mother? Jesus tells you to be a servant of all. He is not telling you to be a doormat, but he is telling you to consider how you can serve your family by being strong, unselfish, and committed to the good of all.
How can you be great at work? Jesus is not telling you to be lazy or unassertive—just the opposite! Serve the company, serve people, serve the greater good, and you will be great!
***A few years ago, a hot topic in organizational leadership was “servant leadership.” An article in Forbes pointed to the problem in the discussion: “If everybody agrees about servant leadership, why is it so rare?” It is so rare because self-centered people cannot find the motivation to serve others.**
The motivation to serve others will not come from ourselves, but from God. We will serve others when we value them as God values them.
How does Jesus get his point across? Jesus looks around the room, and he sees a little child. Since they are in Capernaum, it might have been Peter’s child! He takes the child in his arms, and says, “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.” (Mark 9:37)
Why a child? A child is not going to advance a career or give status in the world. A child is not going to pay a huge salary or make you the CEO of the company.
Yet even serving a child is a way to serve Jesus and serve your heavenly Father.
THAT IS GREAT NEWS! You don’t have to be a superstar to be great in the kingdom of God.
You can be a parent who pours your life into your children, through good times and challenging times.
You can be a small group leader for our youth, who greatest role is simply to show that you care.
You can be a faithful prayer warrior, who lifts up forgotten or unloved people.
You can be the one who shows up to work every day, sharing the light of Christ.
You can be the one who gives, who helps, who loves, who listens, who encourages.
If you do those things for Jesus Christ, you do them for the one who sent him.
