First Must Be Last

Mark 9: 33-37 (September 20, 2009)

1) The Text

33Then they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the way?” 34But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another who was the greatest. 35He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” 36Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, 37“Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.”

2) The Context

At the time of Jesus, children were the most vulnerable members of society, and the "last of all" in social standing. Welcoming a child in Jesus' name is a radical reversal. Children were not outcasts. But they were non-persons. Jesus puts this reversal in the starkest, total, terms when he goes on: "whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me."

In Matthew's parallel account of the same passage Jesus says, "unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 18:3). Just one page later in Mark's Gospel the disciples rebuked people who brought little children to Jesus so that he would bless them. "When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, 'Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it'" (10:13–16).

3) Interpretation

In this passage, Jesus seeks to address the issue at hand—the disciples’ mistaken understanding of greatness. He told the disciples that in order to be first they must be willing to be last of all and servant of all. Contrary to societal notions of the nature of greatness, which was commonly associated with socioeconomic status, human connections, and influence, the importance and prominence of an individual in the kingdom of God was based on a completely different set of principles. God’s kingdom ushers in a new world order which radically reverses normative standards and declares a different definition of discipleship—service to others. The one who is willing to be last of all and servant of all is, in fact, great in God’s kingdom.

In most of Jesus’ parables, the time of instruction is generally a descriptive moment conveyed through words. In this case, however, Jesus engages the disciples in a living parable by using a child to illustrate his position. This move by Jesus is significant for a number of reasons. First, within Greco-Roman culture, children were regarded as insignificant within the fabric of the society.³ Theirs was a reality of marginality and they were, therefore, not welcomed as vital members of society. Second, it would have been quite unorthodox for a person of such import as a religious teacher to use a child within the context of teaching his disciples. Yet, Jesus, not interested in maintaining the status quo, makes a child an active participant in his discipleship lesson. Finally, in a world where status and honor were bound to those with whom one chose to affiliate, Jesus made it clear to all that in his world order he associated himself with the meek and mild, the humble and lowly, the marginalized, and helpless members of society. In so doing, Jesus turns the societal understanding of greatness on its head.

Furthermore, Jesus does not have a detached encounter with the child. He took the child, he put the child among them, and he took the child in his arms. The marginal status of the child as an insignificant and unwelcome member of society in no way kept Jesus from engaging the child through the ministry of inclusion and embrace. He was invested in doing life-changing ministry on the margins, impacting the lives of the lowly whom mattered least in society.4 “Jesus’ ministry presumes, and even demands, boundary crossings that transform the traditions and institutions over which the leadership has charge and control.”5 This child, whom society deemed as lacking in worth, was upheld as having much worth to Jesus. The child was of so much value to Jesus that he issued a change in the child’s physical and social location from the outside to the inside, from the margin to the center. While existing on the margins, children can be forgotten, ignored and left to figure out the mysteries of life on their own. However, it is in the center of human life where children can receive the love, support, and encouragement needed to thrive and grow.

When a child is welcomed, when their innate worth and value are upheld, when they are drawn into the center of life and heart, when they are touched and loved and cared for, Jesus says that he himself is welcomed by such actions. Moreover, when a person welcomes a child in this way, they not only welcome Jesus, but they also welcome God. So, if the church leaves out children, it is leaving out God. If politicians making policies leave out children, they are leaving out God. If culture leaves our children, it is leaving out God. For Jesus, welcoming the powerless essentially welcomes the most powerful One of all.

To welcome a child is to extend the simplest of acts to an individual that society normally dismisses. By extension, Jesus invites us to welcome every person in the same manner, without regard for external measures of their worldly importance, status, success or failure. The simple act of welcoming another person in that way, Jesus says, is to welcome him, and in turn to welcome God the Father who sent him. Similarly, to become or imitate children, as Jesus commands, is to understand our own selves in the same manner, not as people whose significance rests in titles, honors, successes or failures, as if those might gain or deny us favor with God and man, but in the knowledge that we are human beings loved by God. That, says Jesus, is the only way to experience the presence of his kingdom.

Jesus taught his followers the true meaning of leadership. Leadership does not mean power but service. Power strangles life and brings a slow death. But, service brings life, even from death itself. The measure of servant leadership lies not with adults, but with children.

4) Thought Exercise

What type of service brings you life?

How can we teach our children about service?