Bible Study recap: Mark 9. 30 - 37

At first glance, this little piece of scripture is straightforward. We see the typical secrecy about his identity and presence, although there’s an implication that this knowledge of Jesus’ death and resurrection is specially reserved for the disciples.

As they argued on the road, was it a result of the news they just heard? Were they arguing about who was going to replace Jesus as the leader? Is that why they were so embarrassed, because they were acting like greedy heirs dividing up the estate before the benefactor died?

It’s worth noting that the disciples are afraid to speak up. They didn’t ask questions when they didn’t understand Jesus. They were also afraid to answer Jesus. He knew what they were talking about, it seems, but wanted them to admit it, failing to take responsibility for their words.

At this point, Jesus expounds on what true greatness, honour and leadership is about: service. Caring for the needs of others, going so far as to be a “slave”. Granted we live in a different reality than the civilization of the Roman Empire and slave has a particular meaning for our sensibilities.

Yet the call to be a slave has its shortcomings. The difference between being a slave is to serving another because you have to, versus serving another person because you want to. Truly the motivation cannot be for personal gain or an unstated desire for honour and greatness. We act in ways that use the strengths of our spirit and our talents.

We're inspired by many people who gave freely and willingly of themselves: Mother Teresa, Florence Nightingale, Norman Bethune, and Ghandi. If we are to change the world, we don’t as much as we may think. A middle school class in the States calculated the need for only 20 Gandhis .

We do what we can to think of others, extend a warm welcome, and support all children. The act of welcome involves risk and vulnerability, yet is the simplest example of living out Christ’s message. He points to the example of a child, a person without status in those times. By tending to those who are the most powerless, those same people who also have the most potential.

Jesus with the child was also a dramatic reminder of the fragile value of life. How many children didn’t make it to adulthood in those days? So the lessons for us in our lives are: celebrate the gift of each day, speak up when we have something to say, welcome others.