Grace and Space

Mk 9:30-37

Once Peter has made his confession about Jesus, and Jesus delivers the first prediction of the passion and rebukes Peter, Mark begins his second major Gospel theme of powerlessness. Jesus is the rejected, suffering, and dying Son of Man. He is on his way to Jerusalem to accomplish this mission.
Authentic followers of Jesus are those who are willing to participate in his rejection, suffering, and death, which are not usually thought to be the locus of power. For Mark, power is found in powerlessness.
Throughout Mark’s Gospel, the disciples never seem to get this message. This is why they are portrayed as arguing about who is the greatest. Members of Mark’s community, who understood power as greatness and not as powerlessness, would see themselves in this description of the disciples. The disciples (historical) and Marcan (contemporary) have it all wrong. Jesus points this out in this passage by teaching that the person who wants to be first must be “the last of all and the servant of all” (v 35). A child appears on the scene to illustrate this message.
In the ancient world, a child was a powerless person. A child had no rights. A child was totally dependent on his or her parents. A child was the best example of powerlessness.
Therefore, Jesus declares, “Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the one who sent me” (v 37).
Authentic discipleship has nothing to do with greatness or power. Authentic discipleship involves rejection, suffering, and death; it consists of being a servant and being as dependent upon God as a child is upon his or her parents.