Mark 9:33-37 They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?” But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest. Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.” He took a little child and had him stand among them. Taking him in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”
Jesus addresses the disciples' disputation about who would be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven by saying that anyone who desires to be the greatest must be the VERY LAST, THE SERVANT OF ALL. The idea of being greatest by being last runs counter to man's basic fallen nature. For in the world of men, being first means you are successful in controlling your life and the lives of others. Recognition and honor belong to those who are in control, such as rulers, leaders, and bosses, but not to those who have no power, who are always under the thumb of the powerful. When the disciples were arguing, they were considering who should receive the most honor in the kingdom of heaven. Who should God bless with the prominent position of being the closest to Jesus? Of course, each of them was probably adding up the merits in his life to justify why he should be placed at Jesus' right hand. Each was attempting to come up with the highest score, so he would be the most blessed by God. But Jesus threw them a curve; actually, He turned their world upside down when He responded to their ideas of who should be the greatest in the kingdom of God by pointing to a child. A child has no power: a child is not physically strong enough to force others to obey. Yes, a child can cry, whine, and protest; but in the final analysis, a child can be ignored, for he or she cannot force adults to act. Jesus says, Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me. Practically, in context of what He had previously said about being the last, He is saying, whoever is a servant to these helpless, powerless ones, receives me. Therefore, whoever makes himself last, even when comparing himself to a little child, will be considered the greatest in God's Kingdom.
This revelation of being the least in order to be the greatest is a difficult concept for human beings to accept, for in general they spend their whole lives placating their self-willed desires. We basically believe the world should be ordered so we receive the goodness of others in the form of deference to our needs and wants. We believe, since we are going around once, our lives should be lived according to our needs, not necessarily for others. We discover in the Garden of Eden, this self-willed spirit manifesting itself in Adam and Eve's decision to eat of the Tree of Knowledge. Their decision not to obey God put them in control of their lives. They subverted God's supreme place in all of creation by acquiescing to the serpent's question: "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?" By accepting the serpent's devious implication about what God really said, they exposed themselves to be like God. Actually, their decision superimposed their will on God's will. They became the authority in their lives. In reality they were choosing to be like God, deciding what is good and what is evil. Rather than being dependent on God, they became independent of God. Sadly, the first thing we read about the consequences of being independent from God is Cain's decision to murder Abel. Cain murdered Abel for his own reasons. Man's independent nature would now lead him into a life of violence and death. He would no longer be dependent upon God: He would decide what was best for him in his personal life. In the world of his construct, he would find no rest or comfort. In his kingdom, man would live in an environment of disharmony and death. There would be no rest, no comfort there: no Garden of Eden. Jesus often talked with his disciples about fruit and the will of God. Once he said you can recognize who people are by their fruit, and He went on to say, Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 7:21)
The Christian life is one of service, sacrifice. This world is not our home, we are aliens passing through, looking to a heavenly city. We are to live by the Spirit, not by our self-willed nature. We are to emulate God who blesses the just and the unjust. He provides for those who cannot provide for themselves. He provides abundant life. God is in the service mode at all times. As Christians we say He is a good God. We should also be good as He is good by serving others. We are to take care of those who cannot provide for themselves by giving to the poor, helping the widows, providing for the orphans, visiting the sick, caring for the aliens. Then the King will say to those on his right, "Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me." Then the righteous will answer him, "Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?" The King will reply, "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." God is God: He does not have to be a servant to anyone. But He chooses servanthood because of his great love for his creation. Even though we are greatly honored as sons and daughters of the Most High, we are to be servants to the lowest of the low. We are great when we are like God. He made us in his likeness to carry out his purposes. The Bible says, they will know we are Christians by our love. Love is an action verb. Let us display our greatness by loving the people in the world as Jesus indicated when he pointed to a little child.
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