Mark 9:33-37 (New King James Version)

Page 1546 in the pew Bibles

    
³³ Then He came to Capernaum. And when He was in the house He asked them, “What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road?” ³⁴ But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest. ³⁵ And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.” ³⁶ Then He took a little child and set him in the midst of them. And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them, ³⁷ “Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me.”

Today’s scripture of course starts off with a journey,  actually it’s the end of one. As you read through gospels, you will find that there is a lot of time spent on the road. The distance from where Jesus and his followers were, Ceasarea Philippi and to where they got to, Capernaum, is about fifty miles and they got there, once again, in about four words. Verse 33: They came to Capernaum. In reality, that’s a lot of time traveling. It makes so much sense that we describe our spiritual walk as a journey because we see that that is exactly what Jesus and his disciples seem to have done the most of, they travelled. The difference between our travelling and theirs, though, is that they walked. We almost always ride. We hop in our cars and we drive. What a wonderful thing that the country has been opened up by the highway. But it still takes large amounts of time that somehow we have to kill. So, we have travel games, right? The license plate game . . . The alphabet game. . . With all the travelling they did, I think the disciples had games, too. There was a lot of time to kill. Games like, “Camels, one hump or two?” . . . There were a lot of animals travelling on the road besides camels; there were horse, donkeys, sheep. I’m sure that an age old favorite was the all popular, “What have I got on my sandal?”

Some people sing songs right. We have radios and cd players to sing with now but I’m sure you all remember when all there was, was an am radio in the car that didn’t work real well, if it worked at all. So we use to sing songs, Take me out to the ball game, home on the range, Someone’s in the kitchen with Dinah.

Jesus disciples and apostles probably sang songs too. They probably sang songs like “Twelve Apostles in the Bed”. Twelve apostles in the bed and the little one said, roll over, roll over . . .

Of course, arguing while on a long trip is also a favorite pastime. My Kids always used to play the “let’s fight until we get dad to switch lanes by turning around and yelling at us from the front seat” game. Always a favorite. Especially when the game ends with being pulled over by a cop. 

               Two tourists were driving through Wisconsin. As they were approaching

Oconomowoc, they started arguing about the pronunciation of the town's

name. They argued back and forth until they stopped for lunch. As they stood at the counter, one tourist asked the blonde employee. "Before we order, could you please settle an argument for us? Would you please pronounce where we are... very slowly?

The waitress leaned over the counter and said, Burrrrrr, gerrrrrr, Kiiiing."

In today’s scripture story, the disciples travelling with Jesus were no different than people who travel today. They were bored on the road. Walking fifty miles is not only hard work, it’s tedious. So they started arguing. I think they were trying to get Jesus to pull over. But he didn’t. Remember, this was a fifty mile, walking trip. This argument could have gone for quite a while. Jesus waited until they were sitting down. They had gotten all settled in the house they were staying in. Maybe there were some hard feelings that had carried over from the argument. Arguments can do that. They had finished their journey. They had reached their destination and as far as we know, nothing had been said about it up to this point; but then he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?” This is such an important question, it must have embarrassed Jesus to have to bring it up with his followers. But it is a question that they could not ignore. We try to ignore it and usually we’re pretty successful at it until we read a scripture like this. Most of the time, I think we quickly get on to the next subdivision in our Bibles.  But the question: “What are you arguing about?” is simply too important to just gloss over.

We know from the rest of this portion of scripture that the disciples knew that Jesus was disapproving of what they were arguing about. It probably had not entered their minds until that moment that Jesus was going to question them about it. We don’t know if they knew when they were arguing that it wouldn’t go over very well with Jesus but they knew it as soon as he asked: What were you arguing about? Now some arguments shouldn’t happen, but some should. This is apparently one that shouldn’t have because in response to Jesus’ question, the disciples go silent. Paul tells us in 2 Timothy 2: 24 “Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments because you know they produce quarrels.”   And I think that is exactly what happened here; there was quarreling; there were hurt feelings; there were damaged friendships; maybe fractured relationships and the shame of their arguing kept the disciples and the apostles from explaining to Jesus what their arguing was about.

How many arguments have you been in like that? How many times have you been in a quarrel that you shouldn’t have participated in? How many heated discussions have you been baited into that if Jesus asked you what you were arguing about, you too, like the people in today’s scripture reading, would go conspicuously silent? I don’t know what the disciples were thinking. They were travelling with the man. They had to know that Jesus could hear what was going on. But somewhere inside themselves they pretended that He couldn’t hear or maybe that he didn’t care or maybe that arguing about who was the top dog was the right thing to do. Then Jesus asked the question and they knew immediately that they were way off base.

What had these men been arguing about? Scripture tells us that they had been arguing about who was the greatest. Who was most important? Who had the most power? It’s a very important topic, isn’t it? It is something that has been a topic of argument and of quarrels and fights, since time began. Who is going to make the decisions; who’s opinion will get listened to the most: who is the greatest; who will decide where we are walking to next; who is the most important person among us? And no doubt, they had some interesting arguments.

Well, of course it has to be me said, Peter because I’m physically stronger than everyone else. No, it’s me said Matthew because I have such great connections having been a tax collector and all. No, it’s me said Simon because I’m such a fanatic about politics. No, it’s me said Judas because I’m so good with money. It was all about them. It was all about what they were going to get out of being one of Jesus’ followers. Self centeredness is apparently nothing new. Jesus heard all this and he was about to use this powerful moment when his disciples were fighting among themselves, to help them realize the focus of his kingdom was not to be on them at all. The kingdom of God was not to be a self centered economy.

Now a certain amount of self centeredness is important. When you are on an airplane and the steward is giving you instructions on survival, they always say put your oxygen mask on first before you help the person next to you, right? Why is that? It’s because if you don’t get air, you will pass out and then you will be no good to anybody. In fact, you become a burden.

In this case, however, the apostles are looking to bolster themselves up by looking for things that will make them feel important. They are only pursuing the ideal of their day which I might add, is a very self centered ideal and really hasn’t changed very much. If they could see or hear themselves, they would have known how silly they were being. Clothes don’t make the person, houses don’t make the person, careers and positions of power obviously don’t make the person. Jesus owned nothing and as far as the scriptures are concerned, he doesn’t appear to be a slave to fashion, yet what greater person has ever lived? Jesus’ followers were focusing on themselves and that, ladies and gentlemen, is not the focus of God’s kingdom.

Stan Mikita, a professional hockey star, used to get into a lot of fights during games. He stopped when his eight-year-old daughter asked a very grown-up question: "How can you score goals when you're always in the penalty box, Daddy?”  He had lost his focus and it took a child to give it back to him.

  Jesus says, you want to be the greatest in the kingdom of God, then here’s what you do, you serve. You become that which is not going to make you very great in the world’s eyes. You stop trying to outdo each other in money, fashion, and politics and you serve. Jesus took a child. A powerless, penniless, child, with no influence, no ability to put in a good word for Jesus with the authorities, nothing; and he said, accept this child as if she were me.

If Jesus knocked on your door and needed dinner what would you do? If you saw Jesus in the street and he needed shelter what would you do? If you saw Jesus in the supermarket and he just needed a friend, what would you do? Jesus is very clear throughout scripture that the poor, the needy, the lonely, the helpless, and the powerless children of all ages are where you will find Him.

  Jesus took this image and he lived it out on the cross. He became the servant of all humankind in the sacrifice that he made there. At the end of his life on earth, He had no money. The only fame that he had got him executed. He had no worldly power to protect him. Yet, he went to the cross for a humanity that would be helpless without him. We have the ultimate example of servanthood in our Lord Jesus Christ.

When we are confronted with the question, “What are you arguing about?” and all that it represents may God give us the ability to stop, look around and see those that need to be served. And may God give us the strength and courage, to serve.