TRUE GREATNESS - by Revd Gilbert Wong

SCRIPTURE:    Mark 9:30-37

The 15th Sunday after Trinity
24 September 2006

SERMON IN A SENTENCE:   Jesus says that to be great in his eyes -- in God's eyes -- we need to welcome (serve) a child (who stands for every person in need).

INTRODUCTION

Days before Jesus were due to be in Jerusalem – the place of his trial and crucifixion – he is spending more time with his disciples.  Jesus is withdrawing himself from the crowd so that he could teach his 12 disciples plainly (9:30-31). 

Even though Jesus spends private time instructing his disciples, his disciples remain unable to understand the lesson.  Three points if you like of Jesus’ lessons: first that Jesus would be betrayed and secondly he would be put to death and finally, he will rise from dead.  The following verse (9:32) tells us that his disciples did not only fail to understand Jesus, they were too afraid to ask him.

1.  GOD AGENDA

There is certainly this huge gap between their expectations and Jesus’ prediction that they are afraid to seek clarification.  Or maybe they do not want to reveal their ignorance.  Or maybe they have seen Jesus rebuking Peter in a harsh manner and are reluctant to invite another similar rebuke.  Or maybe they caught a glimpse of the horror and would rather not ask.

Isn’t it true of us too?  When we do not understand something, we would rather not ask lest we reveal how foolish we are.  We would rather ignore it than face up to it.  Because of this unwillingness, we find ourselves facing the same problem time and again.  Hudson Taylor the famous missionary to China once returned to England in the hope of recruiting more missionaries to go with him to China.  And one of his requirements was that the would-be missionaries should seek clearance from their parents.  Why? Should they not go in the name of the Lord?  After all, it is the Lord who calls.  Let us not worry about what other people might think of our calling.  We are prepared to pay any price to answer God’s call.  I am sure Hudson Taylor would not object to those strong convictions.  But what he is getting at is simply this:  if you could not overcome the fear of seeking your parents for blessings and permission, you are likely in the mission field to meet people who behave just like your parents.  In other words, if you failed to face your problem at home, you are likely to face the similar problems on the mission field.

This is to say that our present problems are not to be avoided.  We learn from it and after that become better equipped to handle bigger challenges.  And so, for us to face the truth is always hard.  And yet, we must be dedicated to the truth and leaving anything especially pride aside to pursue truth.

Some churches celebrate Easter but miss out Good Friday.  Churches claim the promises of eternal life and avoid the demands of the cross.  Just witness the prosperity gospel which promises us ways of detouring around the cross.  The cross is ever behind us. 

Once truth is not pursued for truth’s sake, our own becomes the deciding factor. 

2.  OUR AGENDA

The disciples as we are told in scriptures argued about who would be the greatest.  They were probably behind Jesus arguing amongst themselves.  When asked by Jesus, they were too embarrassed to answer him. 

The disciples knew how inappropriate it was to talk about rewards when Jesus was at pain to tell them that their future look pretty bleak.  These two positions one of rewards and the other of pain are simply too jarring.  The disciples simply went back to what was closest to their hearts and simply ignored what they could not understand.

Of course we readers have the advantage from hindsight that the disciples were wrong.  And today we too are the disciples of Christ and his message of the cross remain strong and firm.  Lest we think that we would not commit the same error as the disciples, we should be careful.  In Galatians 6:2, Paul urges us to ‘watch yourself, or you also may be tempted’. 

In other words, the disciples are object lessons for us.  Truth has to be humbly received.  One sad fact is that science is now pursued with God, and the same danger applies to the church when we use management method without prayer to God.  Because prayer does not give us anything material in nature, we tend to ignore the life of prayer.  And we do run the same danger when we begin to rationalise how things should be done.  And very little is mentioned of prayer. 

Pray for PCC as they sought to come together soon for a time of prayer and planning.  Leaders of our church would be invited to this retreat.  It is a serious retreat.  It is not a convenient way to say ‘I am not interested’; or ‘I am not a leader’; or whatever you may have to say.  ‘I am into this kind of thing’.  Pray which is the least you can do.  But how do we that.

We need to learn to move from our agenda to God’s agenda. 

3.  OUR AGENDA TO GOD AGENDA

Jesus calls the 12 to attention.  The lesson turns the conventional wisdom on its head.  The first becomes last and the last become first.  “The pre-eminent status in the kingdom of God is characterised by the twin elements of lowliness and service… (it is) simply as one whose job it is to provide for the needs of others” (France, 374).

Jesus is not rejecting prominence and greatness.  He simply redefines what is prominence and greatness.  To Jesus, the truly great person is a servant – a person who spends his or her day taking care of other people.  We see how Mother Teresa – the servant people – inspires great affection and wield great influence.  The small boy with five loaves and two fishes gave the little he had and Jesus used the little to bless thousands.  So do not belittle your contributions whether big or small.  In God’s economy, there are always room. 

We tend to think of successful people as being on top and unsuccessful as being at the bottom.  Jesus chose another image, the image of arounders.  That is to say that Jesus is in the middle, and those who are his disciples’ position ourselves around Jesus.  We do not need to jockey for positions in the inner ring.  There is room for everyone in the circle of arounders.

And Jesus uses a child to teach us that!  He takes the child in his arms or embraces the child.  Jesus’ gesture must be profoundly disturbing to the disciples because in that time and place children have so little status – rank between a woman and a slave.  The child represents the lowest order in the social scale.  A child is under the authority and care of others and who has not yet reached the right of self-determination.

To be great is for us to welcome the child.  How does that work?  The principle is simply that of a king’s representative who is accorded the status of the king himself.  Kings expect people to treat their emissaries with great respect, and the person who refuses to do so insults, not the emissary, but the king himself. 

In 8:37, Jesus links the child to himself and himself to God.  So that if you welcome a child you get credit for welcoming Jesus, and the person who welcome Jesus get credits for welcoming God.  But the child is also a symbol for anyone who is in need, helpless, or of lowly status.  We should consider that Jesus is calling us to welcome the homeless (St George’s Place, Drug Rehabilitation Centres), the disabled, the mentally ill, the sick, the uneducated, the Third World person, and anyone else who cannot repay our hospitality or make it “worth our while”.  With this teaching, Jesus does not abolish ambition, but redirect it.  For the ambition to have things done for us (our agenda), Jesus substituted the ambition to do things for other which is God’s agenda.

Our church cannot remain unaffected.  And I sincerely pray that in 2007 we would be able to see some substantial work done for the hungry, the homeless, the orphans, care for the sick and many other basic needs.  AMEN.

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