Mark 9:30-41
Introduction
In today’s passage Jesus spends some time with the twelve disciples and deals with two issues that are important for us today. Bear this in mind as we examine today’s passage.
Verses 30 to 32
Jesus is now heading south with the disciples. They are heading to Jerusalem, passing through Galilee for the last time.
Verse 30 tells us that Jesus wanted to pass through Galilee unnoticed. This was because He wanted to concentrate on teaching the disciples.
The first thing that Jesus teaches them as they pass through Galilee is that, ‘He is to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill Him; and when He has been killed, He will rise three days later.’ This is not the first time that Jesus has told them about this. We last saw Him speak about it in Mark 8:31. The new detail that He provides in today’s passage is that He is going to be delivered into the hands of men.
Some bibles incorrectly translate what Jesus said in Verse 31. They say that, “The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men.” The present continuous tense in this translation incorrectly suggests that this has already begun. No, Jesus is talking about something that is going to happen to Him in the future. Jesus was delivered into the hands of men when Judas was paid to do this in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Jesus was delivered into the hands of evil men when Judas betrayed Him. This was no chance happening - Jesus foretold it. It was part of the Father’s plan of salvation for mankind. In order for The Father’s plan to succeed, Jesus would have to be delivered into the hands of evil men.
Verse 32 shows us that the disciples still didn’t understand what Jesus was saying.
Verses 33 to 35
On their way to Capernaum, the disciples were having an argument about something and in Verse 33 Jesus asks them what it was.
Verse 34 tells us that the disciples did not answer Jesus. I suggest that they kept silent because they were ashamed and embarrassed. Remember that Jesus has been telling them that he was going to suffer and die and here they are arguing about who among them is the greatest.
Arguing about who is the greatest is something that people often do. Can you think of any examples? The only one who deserves to be called the greatest is Jesus.
And now we come to the first important issue that Jesus addresses. In Verse 35 we are told that Jesus sat down. Jesus did this because He was assuming a teaching posture. In those days rabbis sat down to teach.
Jesus is about to teach something very important. Jesus is dealing with the issue of greatness. The first thing that Jesus says to them is, “If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.”
It is a common aspiration of mankind to be first, to be important, to be great. Everyone wants to be significant. We want our lives to count. We do not want to fail in the goals we pursue. The last thing that we want is to come in last. We dream of glory, of winning, of reaching the pinnacle of success, of getting to the top, of attaining greatness. Does any of this sound familiar.
But Jesus turns these ideas on their head. Jesus tells the disciples that if this is what they want, they must choose to be last. Jesus tells them that the way to greatness is through service. If you want to be great you must become a servant.
Verses 36 to 37
In these verses Jesus uses a little boy to illustrate what He has just taught the disciples. What He says is not to be taken literally. Jesus is just using the little boy to make a point.
So, what is Jesus showing us through this illustration? In those days, the mortality rate of children was very high. The vast majority of infants died before they were five years old. This meant that in those days a little child was not considered significant until they reached an age where they were able to survive to maturity. So, Jesus takes a little boy who was not considered significant to make a point about being great.
What is the point that Jesus is making? God chooses those who are insignificant to represent Him and do His work. Jesus chooses those whom the world disregards as those who will do His work. And we, as believers, are to receive or accept the insignificant ones that God has chosen.
Are you one of those whom the world disregards as insignificant? If you are, then praise the Lord.
Verses 38 to 41
And now we come to the second important issue that Jesus addresses. John brings up a new subject. The disciples had seen someone casting out demons. The man cast out the demons in the ‘name of Jesus’. This means that the man casting out the demons was a follower of Jesus.
The disciples tried to prevent the man from casting out demons because he was not following the disciples. The man was not one of them.
In Verse 39 Jesus tells the disciples that they should not try to stop the man. Then in Verse 40, He tells them why they should not stop him. Jesus tells the disciples that they must accept the man because he is on their side even though he is not one of them. And finally, in Verse 41 Jesus uses the example of someone serving the disciples in the name of Jesus. In this example the person doing the serving is a Christian because only a Christian can do things in the name of Jesus.
What does this mean for us today? Among Christians today there are differences between us, covering everything from the way we dress to the way we worship and to what we believe. And as long as the differences do not involve the essentials of Christianity, we are to respect and accept each other as fellow believers. If there are other Christians who differ on non-essential issues and they are genuine Christians, we must accept them. Sadly, today there are many Christians, especially church leaders, who do not obey this teaching by Jesus. They are intolerant of anyone who disagrees with their theology, even on peripheral issues such as tithing. At the same time there are many Christians who will tolerate any differences, including essentials such as the way of salvation.
We need to discern the difference between essential issues and non-essential issues. We must accept others who have differences with us on non-essential issues. And we must distance ourselves from heresy wherever we find it.