Mark
9:30-37
The
Reverend Bill Macelvaney was a famous civil rights leader; but he was
also the president of the St. Paul School of Theology in Kansas City,
a major Methodist seminary. When the search committee was seeking a
president they had narrowed down the list to five persons, and
couldn't seem to settle on one. They had a brilliant idea. They
sent representatives to the institutions of these five, who were to
find out what a random janitor thought about the candidate. In
Macelvaney's case, the janitor raved about him, because whenever he
would pass him in the hall, he would stop and ask after his family
and spend a few moments in conversation. The other janitors
questioned only knew of
their bosses.
My
mother came from a large family – ten kids. Most of them had kids
as well, and so I am one of thirty cousins. If you had asked, I
think most of us would have identified a favorite uncle, and it would
probably be my Uncle Will. In our extended family at various get
togethers we would segregate ourselves – the women with the women,
the men with the men, and the kids with the kids, usually further
divided by age But Uncle Will was the first to notice an unhappy
kid, and would always stop to talk to us, even when we were very
young. His interest in his nephews and nieces continued right up
until he passed away. Of all my uncles and aunts he was the only one
who wrote to me when I was in college. With Uncle Will, you knew you
were accepted.
I
tell these stories because they shed light on today's gospel. First
of all, Jesus and his posse are headed for Jerusalem. Jesus has been
predicting that he would go to Jerusalem and be put to death and rise
again on the third day. Today's gospel takes place after the
Transfiguration, so it's possible that at least Peter, James and John
who witnessed this, now believe Him. And perhaps that was the
subject of their argument about who was greatest. Who would take
over if, God forbid, Jesus' prediction came true. If you were to
read this same story in Matthew, the disciples ask Jesus who is
greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven? But here, it's right now. Jesus
asks them what they were arguing about and they remain silent. In
the gospel of Matthew we have that famous passage that says you have
to become like a little child to enter the kingdom of heaven. Here,
Jesus says :”If a man wants to be first, he shall be last of all
and servant of all.” Nothing about the kingdom of heaven. And
Jesus illustrates this point by taking a child and saying, “Whoever
receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives
me receives not me, but the one who sent me.”
Why
a little child? Our imaginations are always hampered by pictures
we've seen. The little child in the pictures is always a boy who
looks about ten or so, standing politely in front of Jesus. But we
don't know; it could have been a screaming baby or a four year old
girl, it doesn't say. Little children, in Jesus' time were seen very
differently than they are today. They were loved by their parents,
of course; but other than seeing to their necessities, nothing was
expected of the littlest ones. When children reached an age where
they could learn how to run a household for the girls or pick up a
trade for the boys, then people outside the immediate family began to
take an interest. This was reflected in the fact that orphans, as
they do today in some countries, lived on the streets. The
scriptures frequently point out that widows and orphans have a
special claim on God's people.
So
for Jesus, the little child who had nothing to offer, who was totally
dependent on others, represented all of those at the margins, all of
those who society saw as a burden. And as he does elsewhere, Jesus
identifies himself with these, and makes the claim that if you
receive one of these, it's the same as receiving God Himself.
So
how does that translate in practical terms? First, a quiz.
Who
won best supporting actress in the recent Emmy awards? [Alex
Borstein]
Who
was the Superbowl MVP in 2016? [Von Miller]
Who
is the current secretary general of the United Nations? [Antonio
Gutterez}
If
you could answer all three without too much effort, give yourself an
A.
Now
three more questions.
Name
your favorite grade school teacher.
Name
someone who really influenced your life in a good way.
Name
someone you would turn to for advice in making a life-changing
decision.
I
think most of us could answer those three questions very easily.
The
point is that the answers to the first three questions identify
people of great accomplishment – but their moments in our memory
fade quickly. The ones who really had an impact, the ones we will
never forget, are the ones we recalled in the second three questions.
The
janitor who knew Reverend MacElvaney will never forget him. I and my
cousins will never forget my uncle Will. And the child who Jesus
accepted probably always remembered that moment when he was welcomed
instead of ignored, by the teacher who attracted crowds and worked
miracles.
And
to be great in Jesus' eyes is to be a person who will be remembered
for making a difference in someone's life.
