Let’s begin. Start with a prayer and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you what he wants to show you.
Read Mark 9:30-37 in your Bible. As you are reading, ask the questions of who, what, when, where, why, and how as well as any repeated words or phrases. We’ll go through these together. Look for a verse(s) that stand out to you the most. The one that grabs your attention.
Now let’s go through these questions together.
Who? Who is speaking, who is being mentioned?
Jesus, the disciples, and a child
When?
This is a continuation from the previous verses. (See the previous post for more information.)
Where?
They were passing through Galilee and went to Capernaum, Jesus’ hometown.
What? What is happening in these verses?
Jesus was tryin to tell the disciples once again (8:31) about his death and resurrection that would be taking place in the the near future, but they did not understand what Jesus was talking about. Then the subject changes to the disciples debating as to who was the greatest out of them all. When Jesus asked what they were discussing, they kept silent.
Why? Why is this being mentioned? Why is this/will be happening?
We know that Mark’s writing this to us to continue to show us as evidence to who Jesus was as the Messiah. Not only that, but we are being shown the lessons that Jesus is trying to teach the disciples so that we may learn and understand them as well.
How does this happen/take place?
Mark is gonna continue telling us the stories just like a long drawn out movie. (Just a little humor.) Jesus made it a point to be alone with his disciples to train them and teach them what he wanted them to know while he still had time.
Repeated words or phrases?
Receives, according to the ESV, or welcomes in the NLT.
Before we continue any further, what verse(s) stood out to you?
The verse that stood out to me was verse 35.
“He sat down, called the twelve disciples over to him, and said, “Whoever wants to be first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else.”” (NLT)
What does this mean?
Jesus is take some time to teach his disciples, once again (8:31) about what is to come. But they had a different idea of what the Messiah was going to do for them, so they did not understand and definitely did not dare to ask a question, possibly from fear of being rebuked like Peter was the last time this topic came up. Then the disciples oblivious to what Jesus was trying to teach them, they carried on about who is the greatest of them all, full of pride and arrogance. But Jesus tells them that if they want to be great they need to be like him, a servant, a servant who puts others above themselves.
What does this mean to me?
Once again I have picked a passage of scripture that is loaded. I will try to stick to the main one that stuck out to me the most with a few extra nuggets. Since you already know what my verse is, I’m sure you have figured out what the topic is.
Jesus set an example in every area of our lives, and it is no different here. Lately, I’ve been thinking about the scripture in Matthew 28:19-20 where Jesus instructs us to go make disciples. I’ve been asking the question as to how. Jesus ministered to thousands, but he only discipled 12 by spending time with them and teaching them privately as we see here in verses 30-32. So that is a lesson on its own but a good one especially for leaders.
Let’s move on. Here Jesus just told the disciples that He is going to die and then in three days He will rise again. What do they do? They start in at each other about who is better than who. Who is gonna be first. Granted this conversation may have been fueled by the three disciples who accompanied Jesus during the transfiguration. What’s funny about this is that when Jesus asked them what they were talking about, they knew how ridiculous it was to be talking in such a way. They knew because they did not want to answer Him. This showed how prideful and arrogant that the disciples were, and yet Jesus still chose them. Another little nugget.
Here is the verse that stood out to me. It is at this point that Jesus tells us how we can be great. Most of us want to be great in some capacity. Being great does not mean being well known or famous. We all just want some type of recognition that we did or are doing a good job, whatever it may be. And Jesus gives us the key to being great. If you want to be great, you must serve. Basically, Jesus was telling the disciples in verse 35 to be like him.
There are people that I think are great. When I think of what makes them great, whether it be professional or personal, it always comes back to how they serve, whether it be their family, their community, or their colleges. Each one has service around them. Serving is as simple as cleaning the toilets or taking care of children. Every time I hear someone say that they want to Pastor or be a leader in a church, my response is, “Great. Now, go clean the toilets.” Jesus’ whole ministry was serving the people even unto death. He was a great servant leader and the example to follow. We have to put aside our pride and arrogance to learn how to serve others. True greatness is shown by how many we serve and not how many serve us.
I love how Jesus ends this point about whoever receives a child receives Him, not just Him, but receives the Father who sent Him. This was so important because in that time and culture. Children were considered property and not individuals. Children, until a certain age, were insignificant and unimportant. This is when a child is seen and not heard. But Jesus is saying that even the child is important; they are individuals too. Being great includes accepting others.
What verse spoke out to you and what is God trying to show you through it? Write it out in your journal. Then say a prayer and have a conversation with God about it.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, first of all thank you for being an example for us to follow. Thank you for your patience as you try to teach us something and we’re just not getting it. Jesus, forgive me for the times when I have missed it, and I have allowed pride and arrogance take over. Holy Spirit, help be more like Jesus, a humble servant. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.
Candy McKee 