A reading
from Mark 9:30-37
New Revised
Standard Version
Jesus Again
Foretells His Death and Resurrection
30 They went
on from there and passed through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know it; 31
for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is to be
betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being
killed, he will rise again.” 32 But they did not understand what he was saying
and were afraid to ask him.
Who Is the
Greatest?
33 Then they
came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you
arguing about on the way?” 34 But they were silent, for on the way they had
argued with one another who was the greatest. 35 He sat down, called the
twelve, and said to them, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and
servant of all.” 36 Then 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.”
This is the
Gospel of the lord.
“Among the
many fabled and accomplished tribes of East Africa, there is no tribe
considered to have warriors more fearsome or more intelligent than the mighty
Maasai. The tribe is unique and popular due to their long preserved culture.
Despite
education, civilization and western cultural influences, the Maasai people have
clung to their traditional way of life—making them a symbol of Kenyan culture.
So it is not
surprising, then, to learn that the traditional greeting passed among the
Maasai warriors; “Kasserian Engeri,” translated “And how are the children?” is
still the traditional greeting used today. This greeting acknowledges the high
value that the Maasai place on children’s well-being.
Even warriors
with no children of their own give the traditional answer, “All the children
are well,” meaning that peace and safety prevail; the priorities of protecting
the young and the powerless are in place; that the Maasai people have not
forgotten their reason for being. Their proper function and their
responsibilities.
“All the
children are well” means life is good.
It means the
daily struggles of existence—even among the poor and the marginalized—are seen.
That the village is committed to providing proper care for those (who are) incapable
of providing for themselves.”[i]
This is a
question I am afraid to answer. Jesus
states that we must welcome a child. We must become as servants. Yet how many
of us even have a concept of what this may mean? I think we need to understand
what it means to be servants and slave then we must ask ourselves what does it
mean to welcome a child? What does it
mean to be hospitable to a child? What does it mean to ask “how are the
Children?” and can we answer “the Children are well.”
“The word in
the New Testament usually translated as “servant” actually means “slave,” and
referred to someone who was owned or controlled by someone else, not just a
servant hired to do a certain job. Some slaves performed menial household tasks.
Others, called “stewards,” supervised the work of lesser servants or managed
the master’s finances. In the time of Jesus, some people were slaves because
they were born to slave parents. Others were captured in war and were forced to
become slaves. Some people actually sold themselves as slaves because they
could have a higher standard of life as a slave than if they had to keep
struggling to find housing or food on their own.
Some slaves
were better educated than their masters and served as teachers of their
master’s children. Slaves of rich masters had all kinds of opportunities that
they would never have had on their own. But slaves had no freedom, and their
owners could do with them whatever they wanted, including selling them to
someone else. After slaves became 30 years old, many would become “freedmen,”
with duties to the former master and his family. Some slaves earned enough
money to buy their own freedom, which would mean that their children could be
free also.”[ii]
For the most
part your life is not your own. You
belong to someone else and you do as they wish. You follow their commands…now
there might be something there…
Professor of
biblical theology at Princeton, C Clifton black reminds us that “Last week’s
Gospel lection, Mark 8:27-38, jabbed three sharp barbs:
Jesus’
prediction of his suffering, murder, and resurrection (8:31)
Peter’s
repudiation of Jesus’ destiny (8:32)
Jesus’
rebuttal of Peter and command that his followers take up their crosses
(8:33-38).
This week
the same pattern recurs:
Jesus’
prediction of his betrayal, murder, and resurrection (9:31)
The
disciples’ incomprehension of their teacher’s teaching (9:32-34)
Jesus’
correction of the Twelve with a surprising definition of discipleship
(9:35-37).
In case
Mark’s audience has failed as miserably as the Twelve to get the point, the
same scheme unfolds in Chapter 10: prediction (verses 33-34), misunderstanding
(verses 35-39a), readjustment (verses 39b-45).
Why this
repetition? Two reasons. First: Discipleship in Mark is hard to accept. Second:
In this Gospel Jesus’ closest followers are so dense that light bends around
them.”[iii]
Again, one
can hear why discipleship is so hard to accept.
Jesus is literally telling them your life can no longer be yours…you are
not number one! And worse you must become as a servant/slave.
Mark really does not have a high opinion of
the disciples nor their capabilities. Jesus has laid out the pattern which he
will follow. As a matter of fact he has
told them over and over again.
“Dopey disciples
‘But they
did not understand [Jesus’] saying [in 9:31], and they were afraid to ask him’
(9:32). What’s not to understand? Jesus has already said much the same in
8:33-38. But the Twelve in Mark’s Gospel never understand Jesus (4:13; 6:52;
8:17, 21). In fact, the last words uttered by Peter, last of the twelve
hangers-on, is, ‘I neither know nor understand what you mean’ (14:66). This
claim, asserted outside the house where Jesus is betrayed by his countrymen, is
a chicken-hearted lie that captures the ironic truth. As for the disciples’
fear to ask (9:32), that too is true to form: throughout Mark they are scared
spitless (4:40-41; 6:50; 9:6; 10:32; 16:8). Those with faith in Jesus have
nothing to fear (4:40-41; 5:33-34, 36), but not once does Mark ever attribute
faith to the Twelve (compare the usually nameless nobodies in 2:5; 5:34; 9:24;
10:52).”[iv]
Basically,
for mark the 12 are the fools. The
chosen are not capable. Nameless
nobodies…the crowd who lowers the paralyzed man, because of their faith healed
him…The woman who touched Jesus clothes; “Daughter your faith has made you
well…” Jesus says to a father “If you are able – all things can be done for one
who believes…” the man’s son is healed of a demon. The Blind man asks to see and Jesus tells him
Go; your faith has made you well”
All these miracles of faith happen to the
nameless, to those who live outside of society.
You see it was their illness and or their family’s illness that made
them outcasts and shunned and nameless.
“Immediately
after Jesus has reminded them of his impending humiliation, his followers are
shamed to silence: they’ve been quarreling over which of them is tops in their
own pecking order (9:33-34). Given antiquity’s preoccupation with social
status—not so very distant from our own—that debate is predictable. But in
Mark’s context, it’s nonsensical, since Jesus is superior to them all.
Disregarding the General, these foot soldiers’ bicker over their respective
ranks. The picture is clear: those with the greatest benefit of Jesus’
instruction set for themselves low standards and consistently fail to achieve
them.”[v]
In other words the disciples are arguing over what is not at all important and
as far as Jesus’ teachings go this is absolutely a waste of anyone’s
time…except ours for it serves as a reminder to fucus on the lessons, Jesus’
message.
So to prove
his point Jesus invites a child into the circle. The verse says he places a child among them.
To be counted among something or placed among something can bring an image of
equality. “Primer interpares.” The first
among equals. Jesus is placing the child
among those quarreling over first place and says here is first place. This is how you become first.
“just as the
saving of one’s life requires its sacrifice for the gospel’s sake, so too does
primacy in discipleship demand taking a place last of all, as everyone’s servant
(9:35)…
A child
epitomizes the most subservient human in ancient society, one with slightest
status. In Jesus’ presence a little child literally has ‘standing’.”[vi]
So this begs
the question I opened with how are the children. Do we welcome a child as a one
of the first disciples? Do we honor our Children by leaving them a better
world? A safer world? It breaks my heart but many of us are failing the
children of this world.
“Education
Week journalists, in 2018, began tracking shootings on K-12 school property
that resulted in firearm-related injuries or deaths. That year, there were 24
such incidents. There were 25 in 2019.
We continued
tracking school shootings in 2020, when there were 10 such incidents…The
COVID-19 pandemic appears to have interrupted the trend line. That fall off in
numbers is probably due to the shift to remote learning for nearly all schools
for part or all of 2020.”[vii] That would seem like good news but
unfortunately so has reporting of child abuse dropped because our schools are
the first line of defense.
How are the
Children?
Somehow the
idea of childhood safety has become skewed in this light of the pandemic. People suddenly are afraid to vaccinate their
children when we know vaccinations stop pandemics in their path. How many children get polio today? Or
measles? or rubella. I know this is controversial but should it be? I work in
health care and I am constantly being bombarded by infections and death.
“Dr.
Federico Laham, medical director of infectious diseases at Arnold Palmer
Hospital, says pediatric cases at the hospital have “skyrocketed” over the last
few weeks. “We have seen a dramatic increased number of children especially
those under 17,” Laham said. “The number of patients admitted to the hospital
has tripled during this last month in August.”[viii]
How are the
Children?
Finally
let’s say we get beyond guns…
Let’s say
the pandemic subsides…
Lets say
childhood hunger is averted…
What kind of
world are we leaving for the Children?
I have
worked with many a non profit. I have
worked at or hosted many events. When
one rents a space we have a saying…leave it better than when you found it.
How are the
Children?
We need to
do a lot of work on our behavior. Remember we are only visiting this
planet. We do not own it and we need to
leave it better than when we found it.
The UCC
recently passed the rights of nature… “First Congregational Church of Redlands
in California became a strong advocate for it. In a letter to delegates
attending the General Synod gathering, it wrote, “What this resolution of the
Rights of Nature does, among many things, is put us directly in touch with our
moral responsibility and profound gratitude to the Earth and all living beings,
and our deep commitment to healing our society and our world in all
life-affirming ways. Learning to experience our interconnectedness with ‘all
relations’ is crucial.”[ix]
For the
Children of this world;
we must advocate and fight for the
environment…
We must
advocate and fight for Gun reform…
We must
advocate and fight for equal access to health care
We Must
advocate and fight for food accessibility…
For the
Children of this world we must become as a slave and obey the masters law…Love
God and love each other as you would love yourself and follow Christs example by placing the
Child among us as equal if not more important than ourselves.
Once all of
this work is done and done well then when asked How are the children then and
only then will we be able to answer…All the Children are well….meaning peace
and safety finally prevail.
[i] https://www.ucc.org/news_traci_blackmon_how_are_the_children/
[ii] https://bibleresources.americanbible.org/resource/slaves-and-servants-in-the-time-of-jesus-history-and-culture
[iii] https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/ordinary-25-2/commentary-on-mark-930-37-7
[iv]
Ditto
[v] Ditto
[vi]
Ditto
[vii] https://www.edweek.org/leadership/school-shootings-this-year-how-many-and-where/2020/01
[viii]
https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2021/08/31/arnold-palmer-medical-director-says-pediatric-hospitalizations-have-skyrocketed/
[ix] https://www.ucc.org/a-new-first-united-church-of-christ-declares-that-nature-has-rights/
