Mark 9:30-37 (NRSV)
Read Mark 9:30-37 on biblegateway.com
Verse 33Then they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, "What were you arguing about on the way?"
Verse 34But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another who was the greatest.
Verse 35He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, "Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all."
Verse 36Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them,
Verse 37"Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me."
Devotion
Much has been written about greatness. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “Everybody can be great, because everyone can serve.” Mother Teresa said, “We cannot do great things. We can only do little things with great love."
In Mark 9, Jesus tells his disciples, “The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again.” Yet no sooner had Jesus said this than the disciples began to argue among themselves about which one of them was the greatest.
While volumes have been written about greatness and leadership, precious little has been written about service and humility. Jesus, as he always does, turns the disciples’ (and our society's) idea of greatness upside down.
Jesus meant it when he said, “Whoever wants to be first of all must be last of all and servant of all.” Reggie McNeal has said, “Jesus' idea of greatness always revolves around humility and service.” This is the life to which Jesus calls us.
Prayer
Creator God, by the power of your Holy Spirit, move us to truly desire the life of humble service to which your Son our Lord calls us. Amen.