March 30, 2020
Mark 9:33-37
33 Then they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the way?” 34 But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another who was the greatest. 35 He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” 36 Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, 37 “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.”
As a kid in elementary school, I once got in trouble because of running in the hallways going to lunch. A friend and I were in quite a hurry to get to lunch and be first in line, apparently the food for lunch was quite desirable. Halfway down the hallway we got caught by a teacher. Naturally, the teacher, who knew exactly what we were doing, held us up until every other kid in the school got their lunch and then he allowed us to go. Instead of being first we ended up being last. Instead of having the best slice of square lunch-room pizza, we ended up having peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, that was all they had left.
Just as my friend and I had to switch places, Jesus tells his disciples also to switch places. He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” The first place in things has always been considered a place of honor, a place worth fighting for and competing for. Whether it is the admiration of others, the power the position brings, the influence and control the position has, everyone wants to be first. But, Jesus tells his disciples that in order to truly be great one should not seek the first, but instead seek the last place, the place no one wants, in order to be last of all and servant of all. Jesus tells his disciples to switch places.
What precipitated these comments, is the argument between the disciples about who is the greatest, who was going to be in the first place. The disciples it seems were jockeying for who would fill that first spot, the right-hand man, the grand vizier of Jesus’ kingdom. I can almost see the argument, each of the 12 boasting and bragging about their personal merits, abilities and accomplishments. I can do this, I am better at this, my family is better than yours, I have more money, I am better educated, I am more charismatic, I…. Each of the 12 were trying to triumph over the other 11 to obtain the first place, the biggest piece of the pie, the admiration and the power of being Jesus’ first disciple. The disciples had traded the Grace of God for power and glory. The disciples had switched places.
Shamefully, with much grief, causing great personal angst, the same thing is going on today in America’s churches. Many church leaders, ministers of grand cathedrals, and seminary presidents, have traded away the Grace of God for political power and human admiration. Instead of having gratitude and humility as disciples of Jesus Christ, these leaders are vying for power and glory. Everyone wants the President’s ear to influence policy and direction. Everyone wants to be open for Easter, regardless of the cost in the human lives of their congregations. Everyone wants the Presidential Medal of Freedom, or a million listeners, or a million viewers, or a million book buyers. Everyone wants their church or institution open on Easter, the Sunday with the greatest attendance, the greatest giving. And we have traded away the Grace of God for human political power and human admiration. We have been caught arguing about who is the greatest; we have been caught in triumphalism, instead of discipleship.
I can see the 12 arguing and I can see today’s Christendom arguing, but I can also see Jesus shaking his head; because just as the disciples had their teachable moment, so too do we. Jesus sits his disciples down and he begins to teach them and to teach us. Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.” The significance of the child and the 12 welcoming a child, does not seem so strange and challenging to us today, but to the world of the disciples, this idea and saying was scandalous. Because in a patriarchal and chauvinistic society, raising and tending children was women’s work, not the work of disciples studying under a rabbi. The job of the disciple was study and imitating the teacher. Jesus says to be his disciple or student, one must not be seeking to become the Master of many, but instead the servant of all. And that is shocking and outrageous, instead of trying to be better than others, one should instead make others better, not power over others, but power into others
While you and I do bear no responsibility for Seminaries or universities, nor bear responsibility for Cathedrals or a congregation of tens of thousands of people, nor have the ear of public officials and those in great influence, we do bear responsibility for our own little corner of the Kingdom of God. While others might be scrambling for more, we seek to bear responsibility for the sake of others. While leaders might desire to become proud of their churches, or institutions, seeking glory and recognition and wealth, we as leaders of our small flock and small institution seek to serve and better others as expense of ourselves. Instead of seeking to make Trinity and ourselves famous, we only wish to share the name of Jesus Christ. While others are trading Grace for power, we seek only in gratitude and humility to trade power for Grace. While others are trying to prove their theology and ethics and morality is better than others, we instead try to meet people where they are in the hopes of empowering and better that other person. We seek not to triumph; we seek instead to serve.
My friends you and I are facing not only a difficult moment because of our quarantines, we also face a difficult moment because the old temptations are creeping in again. The church in every age is sorely tempted not just by plague and famine outside, but we are sorely tempted by heresy and error inside. None are greater than the Church’s temptation to triumphalism, the desire to argue and fight over who is the greatest! But surely as Jesus Christ taught the 12 and the 12 eventually listened; so too will we, who are the bearers of the Jesus’ Spirit hear the call and Word of the Master, not to seek the first place but to be last of all and servants of all. Jesus never exchanges Grace for power, neither should we. Let us instead learn gratitude and humility in discipleship. Let us learn to trade power for Grace. Amen and Thanks be to God!
Prayer
O Holy and Loving God, we thank you for your love and your Grace which never lets us go, even unto ourselves and our poor choices. We ask once again for the Spirit of your Son Jesus, which will lead us and equip us with all gratitude and humility necessary to follow your will for our lives. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
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