He took a little child whom he placed among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, “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 9:36-37)
The words of our text today follow an argument among Jesus' disciples. The argument centered around who was greatest among them. Jesus responds to their foolishness by saying, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all." He then places a child among his childish disciples and tells them that to welcome a child is to welcome him.
Jesus was constantly turning the tables on the values of the world around him. Children held little value in a society that revered age and wisdom. To place a child in the middle of their argument was to call these arrogant men to humility, servanthood, and most importantly, Christlikeness.
Arrogance has no place at the cross. One cannot take up the cross of Christ and be concerned about his or her position among others. The TNIV rendering of verse thirty-five emphatically places the servant as "...the very last, and the servant of all." Christ was willing to position himself as the very last. Why would we argue to place ourselves in any other position?
Prayer: Christ, who made yourself the very last, may we follow your example to be servant of all. Amen.
Jim Abernathy
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