The Greatest

 Mark 9:30-37

They argued on the road about who was the greatest. They are coming in to Jerusalem, the disciples and Jesus. They are expecting Jesus to do the opposite of what he is telling them. Instead of death and humiliation they are seeing triumphal entry and taking over everything. After all Jesus spoke to them of the kingdom of God, shouldn't this be here on earth? Shouldn't it be that we are all ones who are most important because we have been following him all this time? Who should get the best bits? And so they argue on the road because they miss the point Jesus is making. He has to die, because his kingdom is not of this world.

Not of this world and we miss the point. The kingdom of God is a kingdom of paradox. You must be the littlest, you must be the servant (not over everyone), you must empty yourself, you must sell everything, you must search for it like a pearl of greatest price. The kingdom of God is harder for us to find than we think, because our minds are set on earthly things.

We think too much of what is happening right here and now and forget to ask where is the kingdom of God we are missing. The Vacation Bible School this summer had us being spies to figure out what this is. We had to look closer and deeper. One day we looked at all the little bugs in the garden or how the flowers were made because understanding it is like this and we do this our whole life long.

Today Jesus takes a child. I've been wondering why a child. All your commentators will say its because they were the least important in ancient society, so this is why he takes a child as the example. But really think about it. A child has so much to teach us about faith and our position in it. A child tries our patience many times as we answer questions of why in a three year old. Or a child has a sense of wonder about the world we don't normally see, they help us to be in awe of it. A child forgives, soon and readily, they don't hold a grudge, they just know forgiving will get us back into relationship, full stop. Are you getting the picture? There are so many things a child teaches us and I'm sure you can think of your own examples.

Who is the greatest? Sometimes we get consumed with this. Jesus tells us not to be. Let it go, let it be what everyone else is looking for. Our job is to welcome a child. Welcome the child in us to find God's kingdom. Maybe if we worried more about this, than we would be able to start to see this all around us.