Jonah Albrecht

9-22-24

Pentecost 18

Mark 9:30-37

Received by the Gospel of the Son

30[The disciples] went on from there and passed through Galilee. And [Jesus] did not want anyone to know, 31for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise.” 32But they did not understand the saying, and were afraid to ask him. 33And they came to Capernaum. And when he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?” 34But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. 35And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” 36And he took a child and put him in the midst of them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them, 37“Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.”

To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to God and His Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever, Amen.

In the name of the Son who has received into the Kingdom of God through His own blood, dear fellow redeemed:

It didn’t take a long time living here for me to learn the woes of Seattle’s traffic. One thing in particular that stood out was the people who had an incessant need to be first. Especially when going to the airport, and there is a long line, there would be cars that zoom past in the open lane just to worm their way in at the front of the line, cutting all the other cars who had been waiting their turn. Now, I will admit I have my moments of impatience when stuck in traffic. But it reminds me of the natural inclination of people to have the desire to be first, to be the greatest.

If you think about it, this desire has no age barrier. Even in children, it is about having that one toy or gadget that your friends don’t have so you are the cool kid on the block. As adults, it might be getting that top promotion, or driving the nicest car. Now, having nice things and being popular is not wrong in and of itself. As with every good gift, it comes from our Heavenly Father. Yet, as is the case with our sinfulness, it depends on the attitude of our heart. Are we being selfish, or are we forgetting what God has called us to be as His children? Have we forgotten that we are no better than anyone else as we all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory?

Jesus flips the idea of being first on its head. He does so both in His own actions and in His teaching His disciples. In the first place, He reminds them that His mission on this earth was to show Himself as the servant of all. In the second place, He reminds His disciples, and us, that we are all received only by the Gospel of God’s Son.

30[The disciples] went on from there and passed through Galilee. And [Jesus] did not want anyone to know, 31for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise.” 32But they did not understand the saying, and were afraid to ask him.

This is the second time that Jesus told His disciples that He was going to Jerusalem, be betrayed, killed, but rise again on the third day. The first took place not long before this after He had fed the 4,000 and healed a blind man at Bethsaida. This was marked by Peter’s confession “You are the Christ the Son of the Living God,” and his rash response to Jesus’ prediction when Jesus tells him, “Get behind me Satan!” The last time Jesus predicts His death is on their way to Jerusalem leading up to Holy Week. Each of these predictions have something in common: The disciples did not understand what He was talking about.

To us, it seems like Jesus was pretty straightforward. They should have had no problems understanding what He was saying. And Jesus was straightforward. They didn’t understand, at least in part, because of their discussion on the road about who was the greatest. The entire time they had been with Jesus, they had faith and that faith was strengthened the more time they heard Him preach and saw what He did. However, their faith was still weak. Even until Jesus’ ascension into heaven, they thought His mission was to restore the glory of Israel and overthrow the oppressive Romans. They thought Jesus was there to lead them to better and greater things.

And He was, but not in the manner in which they originally hoped. Whether it was the glory of Israel, or personal glory they sought after, the reality of Jesus’ humility was lost on them. What king willingly makes himself a servant? What mighty leader offers himself in the place of his followers instead of leading them to victory?

Before we shout out with ridicule over such an obvious teaching of Jesus, we must put aside our rearview 20-20 vision for a moment and recognize how the church in our time also fails to recognize the reality of Jesus’ humility. How many churches out there intimately tie “faith” to an increase in riches or a much better life? They don’t proclaim the riches of heaven, or the better life in eternity with God, but rather your faith gets you what you want right now! Is that why Jesus humbled Himself? So you or I could use His name to escape the bad parts about this world, or get ahead of everyone else?

Do you place wagers with God like a gambler to a bookie trying to get a fast-pass to the good life in exchange for being a less-bad person? Or go through the motions so God might see you doing what He wants, but hoping He doesn’t notice when you push the boundary a little bit? That isn’t what Jesus humbled Himself for. He didn’t make Himself a servant so that you or I could use God’s grace however we want to.

Jesus humbled Himself in order that He might die. As Paul says in Philippians 2, Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Jesus became the servant of all because He knew we never would, that we never could. Our weakness of pride and self-righteousness is our downfall and makes it impossible to receive or be received by God.

But that all changed with Jesus. He flipped the script and accomplished, in your place, what was impossible for us to do. His death is your death to sin. His suffering is your suffering under God’s righteous judgment. His resurrection is your victory over sin, death, and this world. Jesus’ humility and servitude wasn’t a ploy to make Himself more appealing to people or to put on a charade. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mk. 10:45)

A ransom for many. He purchased your soul with His own life. Jesus said in John 15:13, Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. He actually did that. We might talk a good game about doing it, but it is exceedingly rare that one might give up his life for his friends. Many recipients of the Medal of Honor had done just that. But even they come short of the love that the Son of God showed for you. Jesus’ servitude didn’t just fall on those whom He liked. The Hitlers of the world, the Stalins of the world, and yes, even me. Jesus’ humble life, death, and glorious resurrection was done even for the most despicable people you can think of. As Paul reminds us, Jesus came to save sinners of whom I am chief.

With Jesus’ work accomplished, the Father received you into His family through the Gospel of His Son. His salvation work has made you His child, and as a child, an heir of the Father’s glory. Now, He calls you to follow in the steps of your Savior. Not to die for the sins of others, but to continue our lives on this earth as His humble servants of others.

What does God mean by being a servant? It isn’t what you might think. We traditionally think of servants as being the most shameful and degraded profession; that we must put ourselves under the boot of whomever, whenever. While we should always strive to act with the same love our Savior displayed and avoid unnecessary conflict, Jesus’ command here is one of exuberant joy.

Simply put: it is sharing the same Gospel that received you into God’s family with everyone around you. To illustrate His point, Jesus put a child before them saying, 37“Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.” What Jesus is talking about here is more than just caring for God’s little ones, both literal children and God’s spiritual children, in their physical and mental well-being. While those are important things, even those who are ignorant of Jesus’ mind and will can accomplish those things in a satisfactory way. Here, Jesus is imploring for their spiritual care.

As you and I have been called God’s children, we, by the Holy Spirit, understand how precious a statement that is. Each of you have a firsthand account of God’s unending grace and love in your life. Whether it started with your Baptism, or whenever He reached you with the Gospel of His Son, God saving you from a future in hell is the greatest act anyone has ever done for you.

As a child of God, you have an opportunity and privilege to carry that same Gospel message to reach others who are lost in their trespasses and sin. You also can bring the reminder of what the good news brings: Forgiveness of sins, Eternal life, and a relationship with God; to those who have already been received into God’s ever-growing family.

To be a servant of God today is just that: bringing the comfort of God’s Word to whomever needs it. And who really needs it? I can tell you for certain: There is not a single person sitting here today, or walking around outside this building who doesn’t need the message of Christ crucified for the sins of the world. You have the most joyful job in the entire world. You get to receive into the family of God all who call upon His name. That alone is worth being a servant for God.

But it gets even better: There is a reward that awaits each of God’s servants: Eternal glory in heaven. Paul tells us in Colossians 3, If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Your future, your eternal life is with God; in a place with no more tears, sorrow, pain, or suffering because you have been received by the Gospel of God’s Son. Amen.