Sermon 22nd September 2024 – 18th Sunday after Pentecost
Text: Mark 9:30-37 – Welcoming the
child
We live in a society that places a
lot of importance on our position and status in life. And sadly we often
compare ourselves to others hoping that they will fail so we can feel better
about ourselves. Value can be assigned to various things - an individual’s
possessions, career, even the suburb they lived in. In my previous parish you
thought twice about wandering through Frankston North but if you lived in
Frankston South you were highly respected. The value of one’s social location
often determines whether a person is considered acceptable or not. Even today
people make judgments when they hear about crimes and violence in “the western
suburbs” and take that as something natural. But when it happens in the eastern
suburbs we are shocked – that sort of thing doesn’t happen here.
St Paul in Philippians urges us as
Christians to have a different mindset. Paul says: be like-minded as Christ,
having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of
selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above
yourselves, That’s very different to how value is placed in today’s society.
In looking at today’s Gospel
lesson from Mark, we are confronted with the story of Jesus’ disciples
grappling with the question of greatness. Having just heard Jesus speak about his
upcoming death they now hear Jesus speak about it again – The Son of Man is to
be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after
being killed, he will rise again.” That
didn’t sound very great. But, like the first time they did not understand what
he was saying and were afraid to ask him. This was not what they were expecting
from a leader who was supposed to lead them into their understanding of
greatness. They are, no doubt, afraid of the implications of his impending
death. Were they frightened that they
too would have to go along this path? Certainly after Jesus’ death this was
high on their minds – when they were locked away for fear of the Jews.
Had they followed Jesus originally
for different reasons – for social acceptance? Was it considered the in thing
to do – to follow this new leader who had come onto the scene and was creating
waves. So, they begin to talk about greatness among themselves.” However, Jesus is teaching an alternative
standard for measuring greatness. The
Gospel tells us, “He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, ‘Whoever
wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.’” This is similar to
what Paul said in Philippians when he said: That Jesus did not consider
equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made
himself nothing by taking the very nature[b] of a servant, being made in human
likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by
becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to
the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,
So this was greatness but not by
what they achieved but by what God gave. There are many ways we serve God and
the church. But, what does being a
servant of all look like? How do we
embody being “last of all and servant of all?” Jesus gives us an education. He calls on them
to place themselves in the situation of a child. 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.’” This went against how the disciples saw the value of
children.
When people brought little
children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them the
disciples rebuked them. Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do
not hinder them, the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these. Have you ever
heard or used the term – our children are the future of the church? I know what
that means but sometime we forget that our children are the present church as
much as we are. They might not be able to vote – or sit on committees or
receive Holy Communion – but they are not less members of the body of Christ
because of that.
In defining greatness through this
living example of a child, Jesus is providing the disciples with valuable
lesson about greatness. And this is
about welcoming a child. This is different to the example of having faith as a
child – it is about welcoming a child. The disciples pushed the children away
because they didn’t seem important. What value could they add to Jesus’
ministry? And yet, they embody Jesus’ ministry.
So many times Jesus welcomed
people who seemingly added nothing to his ministry and from the outset could
seem to hinder it. Like Zacchaeus whom people despised and yet Jesus welcomed
him and went to his house to eat. Jesus welcomed a woman caught in adultery
that the Pharisees wanted to be rid of. He welcomed the leper whom society had
cast out. He welcomed a woman of ill-repute who washed his feet with her tears
and dried them with her hair, much to the disgust of his host, Simon the
Pharisee for welcoming such a woman. If Jesus were a true prophet he would know
what sort of woman she was – he is, and he did! He welcomed another woman of
questionable morals and from a tribe shunned by Jews – when he drank with the
Samaritan woman. None of these added to Jesus’ earthly greatness but allowed
him to embody how God receives us.
If I were God I would question his
decision to welcome me – and yet he does. And he welcomes me because I am a
child of God through my Baptism not because of anything I have achieved or
contributed. In this example Jesus holds us a young child — powerless,
vulnerable, unable to defend themselves. And this is who Jesus tells the
disciples to welcome: the powerless, the vulnerable, the ones whose voices are
ignored in the world. What does the world say – children should be seen and not
heard. Jesus says that by welcoming people like that, the ones who can’t
influence society and don’t strive to be in charge, they welcome Jesus. Not
only do they welcome him, they welcome God who sent him. Welcoming the powerless is a far cry from
arguing over who is the greatest! Compare that to what James says about human
values: Earthly, unspiritual, devilish. And
where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and
wickedness of every kind. Human ambition that seeks worldly greatness: You want
something and do not have it; so you commit murder. And you covet something and cannot obtain it;
so you engage in disputes and conflicts.
Being vulnerable, being a servant,
being like a child, is what Jesus tells his disciples he’s come to do when he
predicts his death and resurrection for a second time. This humility promotes
behaviour that is pure, peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and
good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy, says James. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in
peace for those who make peace.
Jesus did not come to take over
the Roman empire and restore the worldly nation of Israel, as they expected. He’s
come to do something so revolutionary the disciples can’t imagine it: defeat
death itself. Death will not be defeated with a sword. Death will be defeated
with a cross, with Jesus’ cross and with unconditional love And it was defeated
in his rising again — just like he told the disciples it would be, even if they
didn’t understand him.
So we too are challenged to
example the same humility by submitting to God. And by doing that we don’t need
to worry what the world thinks about us. Whether we are successful, rich, have
a multitude of possessions. We have something that is priceless. We are
children of God welcomed by our heavenly Father and loved by him
unconditionally.
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