Bible Passage: Mark 9:30-37
Pastor: Michael Willitz
Sermon Date: September 26, 2021

Bulletin September 26, 2021

Mark 9:30–37

³⁰They went on from there and passed through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know this, ³¹because he was teaching his disciples. He told them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill him. But three days after he is killed, he will rise.”

³²But they did not understand the statement and were afraid to ask him about it.

³³They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the way?” ³⁴But they remained silent, because on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. ³⁵Jesus sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them, “If anyone wants to be first, he will be the last of all and the servant of all.” ³⁶Then he took a little child and placed him in their midst. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, ³⁷“Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me. And whoever welcomes me, welcomes not just me but also him who sent me.”

True Greatness

Dear fellow redeemed in Jesus Christ, the Son of God and Son of Man,

53 years ago, a revolution began. It was an athletic revolution in the track and field world. You could say that 53 years ago the event of high jump was turned on its head. It was the 1968 summer Olympics in Mexico City, and a young high jumper from Oregon named Dick Fosbury did something that the world had never seen. With a running start, Fosbury launched himself over the high jump bar with his belly facing up and his head and shoulders leading him toward the mat. His performance gained him an Olympic gold medal, and his innovative technique became known as the “Fosbury Flop.” Very quickly, others began to imitate this high jump pioneer, and today you’d be hard-pressed to find an elite jumper who does not use the “Fosbury Flop” technique.

Today in our text, our Savior serves as a pioneer. Jesus takes our concept of greatness, and he turns it completely on its head. He gives us a definition of greatness that, apart from him, we would never have known. So, let us listen to our Savior, let us watch what he does, and let us imitate his technique as he teaches us about True Greatness.

Jesus’ disciples assumed that they knew all about greatness. At least they thought they knew enough to make a ranking of themselves. Was Peter the greatest? He was the one who correctly confessed that Jesus was the Christ. Where did James and John rank? Could they be the greatest? They had been on the mountain with Peter to see the Transfiguration of Jesus. Perhaps, was Judas the greatest? He was the money-man, the keeper of the purse. They argued with one another about who was the greatest, and their argument betrayed the fact that they didn’t know as much about greatness as they assumed.

Like those disciples, we all have some inborn assumptions about greatness. Maybe we think that greatness is having the most power, when you are the one calling the shots and other people have to listen to what you say. Or maybe we think that greatness is having the most stuff, when you own everything you could want, and you have the means to do whatever you want to do. Maybe we think that greatness is a matter of recognition, when someone puts a medal around your neck or a few initials behind your last name. There are a number of different criteria we might use to try to measure greatness. But Jesus turns every human assumption on its head when he tells us that greatness isn’t a matter of advancing ourselves. Instead, true greatness is a matter of serving others.

This is what Jesus says to his disciples following their argument on the road, “If anyone wants to be first, he will be the last of all and the servant of all,” [35]. So the first one is the one who puts himself last. The first one is the one who serves all of the others. Notice that Jesus gives his disciples something positive to strive for. Jesus wants his disciples to aspire toward greatness. He isn’t trolling his disciples. He isn’t squashing out all ambition, but he is re-orienting it. He wants these runners to run, but he wants to turn their feet in the opposite direction. Instead of being eager to advance themselves, he wants them to be eager in serving others. That is true greatness, and Jesus is the ultimate example.

If anyone could be called “first,” it’s Jesus. He is before all things and above all things; he is the eternal and all-powerful God. Yet, he chose to reveal his greatness to us in a lowly display of selfless service. He showed himself to be the first by humbling himself to the position of last. Maybe you remember how the Apostle Paul describes this humiliation of Jesus in Philippians chapter 2:

Though he was in the form of God, he did not consider equality with God as a prize to be displayed, but he emptied himself by taking the form of a servant. When he was born in human likeness, and his appearance was like that of any other man, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross, [6-8].  

If Jesus had wanted to glorify himself, he could have displayed his divine glory all the time for all the world to see. Instead, he invited only three of his disciples to see his glory at his Transfiguration. If Jesus had wanted to promote himself, he could have put on a show at every town in Galilee. Instead, he was passing through Galilee quietly, to reach Jerusalem and the cross that was waiting for him there. Even as his disciples bickered on the road over which one of them was the greatest, Jesus was patiently teaching them that he would be betrayed, and he would die, and then he would rise. He was intent on humbling himself to the point of death even the most shameful death on cross. Like a “Fosbury Flop”, our Savior took a headfirst plunge to the lowest position of all, so that he could save sinners, proud sinners, selfish sinners, sinners like the disciples, and sinners like us. He dove to the depths, suffering our sin and shame, so that he could raise us to the heights of his glory in heaven.

When you consider what Jesus has already given you, it makes the things that this world calls “great” look pretty insignificant. You want wealth? How about this for wealth: a glorious inheritance that cannot perish, spoil, or fade is being kept in heaven for you. You want power? How about this for power: The King on the throne at the right hand of the Father is ruling and governing all things with your welfare in mind. You want recognition? How about this for recognition: the only righteous and fully selfless life that has ever been lived has been credited as yours.

Those who live their lives for the purpose of advancing themselves won’t scrape together the tiniest crumb compared to the blessed bounty that is already yours because Jesus has served you. Instead of living our lives trying to serve and advance ourselves, our Savior calls us to imitate him. He calls us to go counter to the way of this selfish world. He calls us to follow his pattern and to lead lives of True Greatness by putting all others before ourselves and living to serve them.

Jesus also shows us a wonderful example of the people around us whom we may selflessly serve. Our text says,

Then he took a little child and placed him in their midst. 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, welcomes not just me but also him who sent me,” [36,37].

Our world does not place a very high value on children, and the world in Jesus’ day did not place a very high value on children. But do you know who loves the little children? Jesus does. Do you know who wants the little children to be served and cared for? Jesus does. Do you know who highly values all the service that we render to children because we believe in Jesus? Jesus does, and God the Father does.

The way we view children is really a reflection of the way we view greatness. In the world’s view, children are always going to get in the way. They cost a lot of money. Sometimes they can ruin your stuff. Caring for a child will take time and attention away from your career. It will destroy your social life. It might even take away your ability to volunteer at church. On top of that, so many of the things you do for a child go completely unnoticed by the rest of the world. You’re not going to get paid a bonus when you change an especially criminal diaper. You’re not going to get a trophy for making amends with your neighbor after your child puts a baseball through his window. But while the whole world neither sees nor appreciates this service, when it is done with faith in Christ, it is precious to him.

You could be a CEO with a thousand employees following your lead. You could be an emperor with a million troops ready to charge at your command. You could be an Olympian with five gold medals proudly displayed on your wall. But can any of those things compare with the honor that Christ bestows in our text when he says that the one who receives a child in his name receives him and the one who sent him. The care that Christians give to children is a mighty example that true greatness is found not in self-advancement, but in service.

So let us learn from Jesus. Let us watch as he shows us what true greatness means. Let us rejoice in the service that he has given us. Let us recognize that in him we have more than we can ever ask or imagine. And let us imitate our Savior, placing others before ourselves living our lives to serve them.

Amen.

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