The right ambition (part 2)
| 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." (Mark9:36-37) |
Jesus had already sat down like a rabbi and inverted power and value completely as He taught them about being a servant.
Now He adds a visual illustration...
In Graeco-Roman times and Israelite society children were loved, but they had no rights and no social standing at all. Children were dependent, powerless and vulnerable. They could offer no reward or advantage to the one who welcomed them.
Jesus is challenging the disciples to greatness through service and sacrifice.
To welcome and serve a child was service without explicit reward or advantage.
It was sacrificial and could often be costly, draining, and exhausting. (As anyone who has walked the corridors with a querulous infant knows)
Welcoming the helpless and powerless without reward or advantage is the service we are called to.
This kind of service:
- Was the pathway to true greatness
- Meant you were actually serving God
- Is radically counter-cultural and is a hallmark and benchmark of the Kingdom of God
Jesus is hammering His point home: "Greatness in His Kingdom is measured by our willingness to serve the least and welcome the overlooked."
How good are we at serving? Especially when there is more cost than reward?
