The Road to Greatness.

· Date Preached: 6 April 2003, McCook AM
· Text: Mark 9:30-37, 42, 10:13-16, 32-52
· Subject: Why does the messiah have to suffer?
· Complement: The one who is willing to put the interests of the lowest ahead of his own interests, even in suffering is the greatest in the kingdom.
· Exegetical Idea: The messiah must suffer because the kingdom of God values sacrifice for those of the lowest status as greatest.
· Homiletical Idea: Because Jesus lived and died to serve so we must serve each other.
· Purpose: The hearer should see that as the body of Christ, we must be involved with one another in discipleship and service.
· Type: Narrative

The words rang—echoing in our shocked minds.

“The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him and after three days he will rise.”

It was as if we were knocked off balance. When our shock faded it allowed us to see and the world slowly came to motion again, and the sound again began to return to our ears, as if it had been on a journey down a long road. I turned to John and we exchanged questioning looks.

“This must be another parable, but I don’t even want to guess at the meaning.”

The others expressed their wonder in hurried hushed voices.

“Who is going to die? It’s the Romans; they will kill man, all of Israel if we do nothing! Is that when he will be king? Surely he is not going to die, he couldn’t die, he…

On they went. We didn’t understand what Jesus said half the time, or at least when we tried to interpret it we all had a different version and we never quite got it right. One thing we knew, we had found something good. Something revolutionary. We put all of our hopes in this man attaching our lives and future to him. There were times we were frightened of him too. Who is this man? He could heal the sick, cast out demons even the wind would be silent and the sea lay down trembling at the sound of his voice.

None of us dared ask him what he was talking about. We didn’t understand him, but we loved him. If he were talking about dying, leaving us, our hopes and lives left in the balance—no I won’t think of it. Who would meet our needs? Jesus took care of us with frightening power and ability. We’d make ourselves believe anything to get around what he seemed to be saying. What if our darkest suspicions were true—that he meant that he would die?

Kings are meant to rule not to die!

Soon the group grew silent. We walked trudging down the road. All our hopes and aspirations came into focus again. The words Jesus had just spoken had shaken them, and to the man each of us was trying to regain the security we once held inside ourselves.

John turned to me, “James, what do you think you and I will do when Jesus is king?”

John, you know Jesus has his eye on us. There isn’t a place that he doesn’t take you, Peter and me. We’ll certainly not be forgotten. Jesus will put us on his cabinet or even have us reign with him like we’ve talked about.

“That will be nice James, I just wanted to hear it again. Who do you think will be the greatest in his kingdom? Peter?”

This was a game we loved to play. Soon some others were slowing down to put in their nominations and explain their reasons. It was a spirited contest. The reasons were sometimes sarcastic, and the ribbing would be great road fun.

John and I were brothers, Peter and Andrew were brothers and our partners in the fishing industry. Before we left everything…. We got on pretty well traveling together. We didn’t quite get guys like Matthew or Judas, they were banker types. We all pretty much looked out for ourselves, oh yes we were all together in our cause and in our decision to leave everything to go after Jesus, but we all had our eyes on some great job in the kingdom.

We had our little groups you see. The whole entourage was huge. We gravitated towards others like us. There were the 72, and of course the 12, we stuck together based on how much we saw Jesus. Even within the 12 though there were people who rubbed you the wrong way. We were little groups of brothers, or friends or fisherman. It was almost as if we were on the same road by coincidence. We were so assured of our own strength, needing no help.

Is it just a Galilee thing? Or do you have factions and inner rings in your congregation as well? What is your journey like together? Are you like we were, concerned about what you get out of the service, or are you serving one another? Imagine if you will, our ragamuffin band trudging together, jostling one another hot and dusty, sometimes with tempers growing short. Is that your experience together? Are you on the same road by coincidence, or are you guiding one another down the road?

By this time our game was really getting heated— angry hushed voices, glares and an unseen tussle ended the game. We never let Jesus hear us; we walked slower and let him get ahead with a few others.

Somehow we figured that he wouldn’t be interested in the game—or more to the point we would be embarrassed if he knew we were expecting positions in his kingdom that he may not be intending to give us. We were about to find out how much he was interested.

Once we made it to Peter’s house in Capernaum, Jesus asked,

“What were you arguing about on the road?”

A silence choked us. We were ashamed children caught breaking a window. Sitting down Jesus broke our awkward stalemate calling us around him.

“If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and servant of all.”

He cut to the heart of our argument. He knew exactly what we were discussing. I could feel embarrassment creeping up my neck with hot pins. But his eyes met blank stares; we did not comprehend what he meant.

He went on to dramatize the point. He took a child and stood him among us. As he spoke, he put his arms around the child and hugged him.

If anyone receives one of these little children in my name he receives me. If you make it your business to adopt someone who has no status and serve him—serve him like a king, you will be great in my kingdom. Yes he will receive me and the one who sent me.

He went on…

And if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin. (Here he pointed not to the child but to us.) it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around his neck.

We who were concerned with being the greatest, were almost insulted to be compared with children. Looking back though how tender, that he being God, Messiah and King would call us his children.

Look around you. What do you see next to you? Strangers? An empty seat? Or children that you can serve. Even if you’re an actual child and the child of God next to you is a grown up do you see someone you can serve? Or if you’re sitting with your own child, do you see someone who needs your services to guide them? What needs are here in this place that you can meet? Friends…

I can’t think of how many times I wished I had grasped what he was talking about. Looking back, how unimportant our arguments were on the road.

As the road took us through Judea, people started bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them. Maybe because he called us children, we forgot that he had said “Whoever welcomes one of theses little children in my name welcomes me.” We were on the road. We were getting closer to Jerusalem. We had bigger thoughts in our heads. Thoughts of kingdoms and political position.

“John,” I said, “Go tell Jesus that Peter and I will keep him free from being bothered.”

Jesus was not as pleased as I thought he’d be. In fact he was pretty upset.

“Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them.”

I felt embarrassed, I felt like I had never in my whole life understood anything, never done anything right and good, until this moment when I saw the deep disappointment in Jesus’ eyes. At that moment I saw my place clearly, I was humbled. Jesus with one look both destroyed me, and rebuilt me.

When John and I were kids, there was a bully named Matthew that was my friend only when he needed something from me. He taught me that a friend is someone that you can use to get something you want, and that if you weren’t part of our group you were nobody. Often, because of him I wasn’t very nice to John because he wasn’t part of our group, he was just a younger tag along. But that day, in Jesus’ eyes I saw what it meant to include people and not to use them, and just like John, deep in those eyes I also found a friend that sticks even closer than a brother.

That was the way he was, to be around him was to grow, to be healed, to have every need met. At that moment he saw my need and met it. He humbled me. At last I realized that it was good to be like a child. Not exclusive. Not petty and cruel, but accepting. I saw myself now and for the rest of my life like a child, but I was still blind! How quickly I would miss it again.

The closer we got to Jerusalem… he kept repeating what was to happen. We… we continued to be concerned about who was the greatest.

“We are going up to Jerusalem,” he said, “and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles, who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later He will rise.”

Even after saying that, John and I asked to rule with him in his kingdom.

“Teacher,” I said, “we want you to do for us what ever we ask.” Like little children we played the game.

“What do you want me to do for you?” He asked with a chuckle.

“Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.”

His face suddenly became serious and sullen.

“You don’t know what you’re asking. Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with.”

We knew the way he was talking there would be trouble ahead, but we would go anywhere with him, even if we died trying. John’s voice spoke with resolve when he answered, “We can.”

Jesus said “you will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they were prepared for.”

We went a way a little embarrassed, and when the others found out what we had asked, the were upset. Peter and Andrew just thought it was funny, Judas made some cutting remarks about our intentions and commitment to the cause.

Then Jesus called us all together. “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, who ever wants to become great must be your servant, and who ever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

As we were leaving Jericho for Jerusalem, Jesus healed a blind man who was along the road. Right there on the side of the road, a man who had never seen saw. Right there on the side of the road a man saw Jesus for the first time.

On the Road!

If only we knew where that road was taking us. If only we knew who was on that dusty path with us—who it was leading us all the way to Jerusalem.

It was we who were blind, we had never seen Jesus for who he was, only what we wanted him to be. Never had we seen how deeply he provided for each of our needs, or what he saw we could become as a community. He was so determined, we were so blind.

Why couldn’t we see it!?

This dirt worn pat was leading Jesus to an execution.

So many times we asked why. I found the answer back on the road when he took up the child.

Up on the cross he was the picture of greatness. There was no greater in this kingdom than its king bludgeoned and bloody, restrained and powerless.

He had the interests of his children, servants, even the enemies of his kingdom ahead of his own. He provided for them with his own life, the only way to open our eyes to his kingdom.

That day our eyes were open—our blindness was healed. We disciples had a long journey, and along the road we argued and looked out for our own needs. At the end of this journey was an upper room. Now we served each other. With out Jesus there to meet our every need, we found his spirit working through us to meet each others needs. This new journey we began together. This new road is the road of love and service.