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| Mark 9:30-37 |
In today’s Gospel we hear a story of Jesus
teaching his disciples something very simple yet confusing; we become first by
being last, we win by losing, we gain by giving away. Jesus explains to His
disciples that he will one day have to suffer and die but that by losing his life and dying on a cross
that all people gain access to
heaven, eternal life with God.
In the Gospel Jesus’ disciples aren’t
getting the message, instead they are arguing about which one of them is the
most important, the greatest of the disciples. Jesus disagrees and continues to
teach them, telling his disciples that if
anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant
of all. Jesus’ message seems contradictory. We have learned and practice
regularly in America that to be first you have to beat out other people and fight
to get ahead.
Jesus introduces a sort of Christian math
where we gain by giving away, we win by losing. This contradiction is fully revealed
to us when Jesus died on the cross for us a real sign of contradiction. Jesus
showed that He was most powerful and that He was the loving King of the World
when he allowed Himself to be arrested, beat up and killed on a cross. When
Jesus lost his life by dying for us, each of us gained access to eternal life.
Jesus died for our sins so that we might be forgiven and made whole when we
unite ourselves to Jesus. He showed his power and strength through gentility
and sacrificial love.
As followers of Jesus we unite ourselves
to Jesus by imitating Him and making His sacrificial love present in the world
today through our own lives. When we are other-centered instead of
self-centered, putting the needs and desires of others before our own needs and
wants, we show the love of Jesus to the world. We are not weak when we let
others gain something, rather, we show true strength, by imitating Jesus as we
serve others. Jesus shows us that true strength, success, and power are found
in serving others, not being served. As Mother Theresa said, we are not called to be successful but
faithful. True success for Christians, comes from how faithfully we follow
Jesus not by what title we have, how much stuff we have, or how many friends we
have.
This Week
Keep
track of how many times you put someone else and their needs/wants first
instead of yours
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