Who is the greatest? Mark 9:33-41
Jesus and the disciples arrive in Capernaum and settle down at the house. Apparently, they’ve kept their distance from him as he is curious as to what they have been talking about on the road. No one is willing to speak up, but Mark admits to the reader that they had been discussing who was the greatest among them.
The last words Jesus had spoken to them were about his coming suffering and death, followed by his resurrection. Now they were competing for greatness in his coming kingdom! No wonder Mark says of them, “they did not understand” (9:32).
Jesus sat down and began to teach them that the kingdom’s system of values was unlike that of the earth. To be first in that kingdom is to be last here, to serve and not to be served. A small child is to be received with more dignity and love than the greatest of kings. It is among the small and weak that Jesus is to be found. And where Jesus is found, so is the One that sent him.
John speaks up. Whether he felt guilty or just missed Jesus’ point we are not told. He relates how the disciples stopped a man from casting out demons. His reasoning is telling. He does not justify this prohibition by declaring the man was not part of their group. Instead, he calls on the rules of rank and order. This man should be stopped because “he was not following us.” A small distinction, yes, but one that puts John and the disciples one notch above this man.
Jesus will have none of it. He points out the flaw in their puffed up reasoning. No one doing such a miracle in his name would soon speak evil of Jesus. He applies a simple rule of thumb: He who is not against us, is for us. To serve the Master in doing his work is more important than trying to figure out who’s in and who’s out. Leave that to Jesus. Focus on doing what he would have you do instead.
Copyright 2020 David J. Cooley
