Welcoming the vulnerable

Jeff Garrison
Bluemont and Mayberry Church
September 22, 2024
Mark 9:30-37

At the beginning of worship: 

Ever been caught by an embarrassing question? The type that, if answered honestly, is incriminating? 

In the ninth grade, I fell asleep one afternoon. It was after lunch and was warm in a building without air conditioned. In the middle of a dream, somewhere in the twilight zone, I heard the teacher call on me. This teacher knew the tricks. She asked her question first, then called my name. When I jumped to attention it was too late. “I don’t understand what you’re asking,” I replied, reaching for a reprieve. She was on to me. “Admit it, Mr. Garrison,” she said in an accusatory voice, “You were sleeping.” Yes madam, I’m sorry.” I tried to sound contrite. 

Have you ever been there? Put on a spot. Maybe your parents asked if you completed your homework before you went out to play. Or, with the blue lights flashing, a police officer asked how fast you were going. Of your boss asked if you’ve finished a job that should have completed hours earlier. We’ve all have had embarrassing questions. And it was no different for the disciples. 

But we shouldn’t forget, there may be embarrassing questions coming at the final judgment. Will we be asked about mistreating others who we perceive as different or below us? Or, will we be asked to justify snide remarks we made or an offensive meme we’re dropped onto social media? Such behavior should call forth not just confession, but also repentance. Jesus, as we’ll see today, has a higher expectation of us. 

Before the reading of Scripture: 

In our reading today, we hear for the second time Jesus predict his death and resurrection. There are three such predictions in Mark’s gospel. All three follow a predictable pattern. As soon as Jesus makes the prediction, the disciples go off on a tangent showing their lack of understanding. At the first prediction, Peter challenges Jesus’ idea of the Messiah suffering.^[1] Here, all the disciples seem complicit. In the last prediction, James and John beg for an honored place.^[2]

Read Mark 9:30-37

Jesus and his disciples head south, through Galilee, toward Capernaum. Along the dusty road, Jesus again talks about his upcoming passion—his betrayal, suffering, death, and resurrection. The confused disciples don’t know what to say. 

Imagine them walking, kicking up stones. Soon they change the conversation and focus on their dreams. This was their first mistake. They’re to be following Jesus, not their own goals. 

In their dreams, they see themselves in the limelight as Jesus takes his rightful place on the throne of David. They envision riding in chariots, wonderful homecomings, and standing beside Jesus in his glory. And then it hits them… not all of them could be in seated at Jesus’ right side. There could only be one prime minister, one foreign minister, and so on. 

Or maybe they ponder who will take over when Jesus travels. Who’ll be assigned as “vice-messiah’? Who will Jesus choose as his right-hand man? Who’s done the best work and thereby earned a place of honor? The disciples seem to have included a bunch of type A personalities, guys who believe in themselves. Or at least they believe in themselves when there are no challenges. After all, all of them are a bit shaky in their faith. Here, safe on the path, an argument ensues as they each advance accolades as to why they are so good. They all want to be king of the hill, or at least right next to King Jesus on his hill.

I wonder where Jesus was during this conversation. Perhaps he was walking behind, chuckling with amusements, as adults often do when listening to kids trying to outshine each other. Or maybe he was up ahead, leading the way and could hear the disturbance behind him. Wherever he was, he waits till they reached their destination before commenting. 

Arriving at Capernaum, they entered the house. If you remember, the house in Capernaum served as a home base for Jesus. This will be his last time we’re told of him being there.^[3] Also, remember how in Mark, Jesus private teachings are often inside.^[4] This way, the disciples are away from the public. It’s a good trait, for they won’t be embarrassed. Jesus asks about their argument. 

Silence. No one answers. Perhaps they fear Jesus’ wrath. Jesus, however, knows the details of their argument and proceeds to teach. 

“Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all,” he begins. Sounds familiar? It should, this is one of Jesus’ most favorite lines. With slight modification it appears six times in the synoptic gospels—that’s twice each—Matthew, Mark, and Luke.^[5] Repetition, like this, implies importance.  

Certainly, we all know this teaching from Jesus, yet it’s one we probably ignore because we don’t know what to do with it. After all, shouldn’t we honor those who strive to be the best and not a servant? 

Most people don’t harbor desires of being a servant. Neither did the disciples. They wanted to be great. The Twelve weren’t interested in being a servant nor becoming a martyr, even though they’ll all get the chance to serve, and several ended up dying for Jesus. 

Jesus then employs an object lesson. He calls over a kid. Holding the child in his arms, he tells the disciples they must be able to welcome a child, for in doing so they welcome him, and by doing that they welcome the one who sent Jesus, our Father in heaven.

There is a different understanding of and appreciation for children in our society than there was in the first century. Children today aren’t only loved. They often become the focal point for the parents. They’re doted on. Think about it. If you have kids, what percentage of your conversations with your spouse focuses on your children. I bet it’s significant. The adage that children are to be seen and not heard went out the window generations ago. Today, we see and hear children. But it wasn’t that way in Jesus’ day.^[6]

In the first century, children had a lesser role. They were seen as property, as slaves. Paul reminds us of this in Galatians.^[7] I know some of us thought we were slaves when we had to mow the lawn, but that’s beside the point. 

In another way, children were the parent’s social security system. The reason to have a mess of kids was to have someone to look after you. Another reason was the infant mortality rate. One estimate is that ½ of the children died before they reached their 16^th birthday. Such a statistic discouraged parents from becoming overly attached. If you had a bunch of kids, you can’t worry too much about the sick one…

Now, Jesus’ teachings here aren’t anything new. The Hebrew Scriptures contain similar concerns. They were to take special care of the widows, orphans, and foreigners—in other worlds, those who didn’t have the means to care for themselves.^[8]

Somewhere I read that one good way to judge a nation, or a group of people, is by how they treat the lowest members of their society. If they are honored and cared for, it’s probably a good place to live. On the other hand, if the poor and defenseless find themselves trampled upon, it’s a society everyone will have to watch their backs. If we evaluated our nation by such standards, what grade would we receive?

Jesus models servanthood. He informs his disciples that, like him, they must be servants in the world. We must show hospitality to all, even to children who at the time would have had no status. Yet the disciples have a hard time understanding Jesus’ message. 

In the next chapter, we’ll see that children brought to Jesus were being sent away. Our Savior doubled down, telling the disciples that if they couldn’t be like a child, they couldn’t enter the kingdom.^[9] In other words, the disciples must be childlike, a humbling proposition to a society where children were not afformed much protection. 

The disciples argued over who was the greatest and we, in our own way, may argue the same. But let’s be clear, striving to be our best doesn’t upset Jesus. It’s the concern with being the greatest, as if we’re in some kind of competition with others for the position of honor. Such competition of leads to a willingness to walk over others. It’ll get us in trouble. 

Such an attitude causes us to see the world not as a gift for all to enjoy but as something solely for our own profit. The book of James tells us such desires lead to conflicts and disputes.^[10] Certainly, a few people excel in such an environment. Those who do are often bullies and become steamrollers. They make few real friends. But if we set our sights on being a faithful disciple, willing to serve others, we might surprise ourselves as we rise toward the top. 

Successful businesses know this. They focus on serving their customers. The customer comes first. Christians are to be no different. We’re called by God into the church to serve God’s customers, the people of the world. There’s a lot of hurting people out there, and they need to be loved, to feel important, and to know someone cares for them. 

The last point I’d like to make this morning is that being a servant doesn’t just apply to our personal lives. It also applies to the church. When we, as a Christian community, are hospitable, caring for folks and reaching out to others, we will become more attractive to the community. Hospitality is contagious and needed in our world today.

Have you fulfilled Jesus’ calling to be a servant. It’s not too late to start. Begin now. Look around. Find someone who needs a friend. Seek out people different from you, especially those others marginalize. Try to meet them. Greet them in a manner which they feel cared for. Advocate for their needs. 

Remember, our faith is based on relationships. Because of the relationship we have with God, showing us his love through his Son, we can respond by being in relationship with others. In doing so, we share and model our Father’s love. Amen.  

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^[1] Mark 8:27-33.  See also https://fromarockyhillside.com/2024/08/25/who-do-you-say-that-i-am/

^[2] Mark 10:32-38.

^[3] After this passage, Mark doesn’t even mention Galilee until after the resurrection. James R. Edwards, The Gospel According to Mark (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2002), 283. 

^[4] Edwards, 285. 

^[5] Matthew 20:26-27, 23:11-12; Mark  9:35, 10:43-44; and Luke 9:48 and 22:26. 

^[6] See Edwards, 287-288. 

^[7] See Galatians 4:1. 

^[8] See Deuteronomy 10:17-19, 14:29, 24:19-22, and 27:19. 

^[9] Mark 10:13-16.

^[10] James 4:1.