They went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he did not want anyone to know, for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise.” But they did not understand the saying, and were afraid to ask him. And they came to Capernaum. And when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?” But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” And he took a child and put him in the midst of them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.”” (Mark 9:30–37, ESV)Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
The disciples are acting like children. It happens all the time on my bus route. Two young kids pushing and shoving to be first on the bus. Being first, or greatest, is important to people. It is reflected in Children. The disciples were “arguing”. St. Paul, in his letter to Jude, uses the same word to describe the argument between Satan and Michael the archangel over the body of Moses. It wasn’t a simple argument, but contentious. The disciples were contending over the prospect of being greatest. They were pushing each other aside and down, trying to be first on the bus. They wanted to be greatest.
A few moments before, Jesus told them who was greatest. He is. Listen, anyone who predicts
The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise. (Mark 9:31, ESV)… and then actually carries it out, is the greatest. It’s and apologetic argument to say to someone who doubts what Jesus says, to tell them, “Well, Jesus said he was going to rise from the dead, and then did it. If he did rise from the dead, he, at the very least, he deserves to be heard.”
But his disciples are afraid to ask about it because they don’t understand. They hear the words, but they can’t comprehend what they mean. Resurrection from the dead was the furthest thing from their minds. And especially that a person could rise by his own power. They were focused on who would be first when Jesus came to power.
In the text Mark gives us another interesting detail.
for he was teaching his disciples (Mark 9:31a, ESV)The word he uses is διδάσκω. It means to teach. Mark puts it in the imperfect tense. For those of you who aren’t grammatically inclined that means “he had a habit of teaching them” or “he was teaching them, as was his habit” or “he regularly taught them”. It was one of many times he told them that he was going to be delivered, die and rise again after three days. The predictions appear three times in the Gospel of Mark (and three times in, Matthew and Luke also). But it is obvious he said it many more times. So, according to Mark, Jesus told them many times he was going to die and rise again. It just didn’t sink in. The closest they come is when Peter says to Jesus, “I won’t let that happen!” And Jesus calls him Satan. You can see why they might be reluctant to ask about it. The disciples just don’t get what Jesus is all about. They have their eyes on an earthly kingdom. Jesus comes to set people free from sin. It doesn’t really come home to them until after the resurrection. That’s when they see and understand what Jesus was saying. It isn’t because Jesus wasn’t speaking clearly. He tells them who he is when he refers to himself as “Son of Man”. That phrase refers to God himself in the book of Daniel.
“I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.” (Daniel 7:13–14, ESV)The son of man here is very clearly God himself, looking like a human being. So, when Jesus calls himself the Son of Man he is talking about his divine nature, combined with his human nature. There is no way this should get past the disciples, but as I said, they missed it.
So, isn’t it funny that the disciples are arguing about who is the greatest, when the greatest is walking right there with them on the road?
Jesus is, in fact, the greatest among them. He says,
“If anyone would be first, he must be last of all, and servant of all.”And he uses a child to make his point. To be first, you must even serve even children. To understand this point we must put ourselves in ancient times. Children were indeed precious, however, because of the mortality rate among children, it wasn’t considered profitable to invest much time in them until they were adults. They were only potential adults. But Jesus sets this notion on its head. You must receive the least of us, even children! Jesus does what he always does, turns everything around and sets it on its head. If we look at things from Jesus’ point of view infant baptism makes sense. They are full people for whom he died. They are not only potential people, they are people in need of salvation. Children are worth the investment. It isn’t surprising that he would provide a way for even the youngest of children to be saved.
This is what makes Jesus the greatest one. He values all people, even and especially children. He invested his time in them. Luther understood this also. Each section of The Small Catechism begins with the phrase,
As the Head of the Family Should Teach It in the Simplest Way to His Household .Household included children. That is why Jesus has such a strong admonition to those who lead children into sin.
but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. (Matthew 18:6, ESV)Those are strong words of judgment. God is serious about saving children.
Jesus’ attitude shows his greatness. Great people care about the least of people. Jesus cares about children. We get a glimpse of this in Matthew’s Gospel.
But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 19:14, ESV)
He told that to his disciples when they rebuked people who wanted Jesus to lay their hands on their children. Jesus himself says they belong to him in his kingdom.
Jesus also not only predicts his death and resurrection, but he does also it, and he does it for everyone, even children.
When he hangs on the cross suffering, just as he said he would, he has all people, even children, everywhere in his mind. He has you and me, people of all nations, children everywhere, on his lips when he says, “It is finished.” That’s who he dies for, everyone, children included. And he rises from death for them. There is no question about who is greatest. It is the one who gives himself, even to death on a cross, for the sake of all children, and people. And then raises himself from death to prove it. Because of the greatest man that ever lived we, and our children have forgiveness of sin. There is no one who can top that.
When did the Church follow Jesus and hold children in high esteem? Well, it seems they began baptizing infant almost immediately. That’s God’s grace that he even puts faith in children, before they even understand what faith is. That’s God’s care for children.
So, when Jesus gives his example of his salvation being for children also, it is a good thing. The Disciples were acting like children. If we are honest, we too often act like children. We contend to be first on the bus. We hold a grudge when we are hurt. We give the silent treatment to people. We laugh at people who are different from us, under our breath. In other words, we act as if we don’t know better, when we do. We fall into childish sin.
Thank God he saves children, even those who act like children. We don’t deserve his forgiveness; he gives it freely. That what baptism is, a free gift of forgiveness even to those who don’t understand what’s happening. Jesus’ death and resurrection are that for us, beyond our understanding. When we see our childish actions, we know we don’t deserve forgiveness. But God forgives, that is his nature, that is the gift of Jesus.
As with children, we need to hear it again and again, so that it sinks in. Because we are like children, God makes sure we hear it again and again. That’s what church is about. That’s why we focus on forgiveness here. That’s why God has given us various was to hear it, including visuals.
So, thank God he saves children, because we so often act just like them. Amen.
The peace of God that passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
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