You Must Be One Who Serves All People (Mark 9:30-37)

 

You Must Be One Who Serves All People (Mark 9:30-37)

Who is the greatest? The greatest in this world and the greatest in the kingdom of heaven are different. The greatest in the kingdom of heaven has no self, relies wholly on God, and reigns with the Lord. They are not a slave to discontent and complaining, but enjoy gratitude, peace, and rest.

In Mark 9:30-37, Jesus taught who the greatest person is. The disciples had a strong desire to become great, but they did not yet know how to become the greatest. Jesus personally demonstrated the secret of becoming the greatest in the kingdom of heaven through His death on the cross and His resurrection. That secret is that He bore the sins of the whole world and obeyed God the Father even unto death. At this time, God raised the Son to life again, seated Him at the highest throne in heaven, and made Him King of kings and Lord of lords.

He Speaks Of His Death And Resurrection For The Second Time (Matthew 17:22-23; Luke 9:43b-45)

30 They left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, 31 because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise.” 32 But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it (Mark 9:30-32).

Jesus did not want anyone to know. This was to teach the disciples first. The disciples did not yet know the suffering Christ. They expected Jesus to be an earthly Messiah who would build a liberated kingdom of Israel.

However, Jesus came to this earth as the suffering Christ. He came to be the Passover Lamb who would lead those under the power of sin and death to eternal life by liberating them from that darkness and those chains (John 1:29). Jesus gave His own body a sacrificial offering to atone for the sins of humanity, enabling those who believe in Him to gain eternal life. The suffering Christ is the true Messiah prophesied by the Law and the Prophets.

Therefore, Jesus repeatedly taught the disciples about the suffering He would receive and His resurrection. This was the second time. Jesus spoke specifically that He would be condemned by the Jewish religious leaders and be delivered into the hands of the Gentiles to be killed. However, He also said that He would rise again three days after His death. The time was not long left.

However, the disciples did not understand what Jesus said and were afraid to ask. When Jesus first spoke of His death and resurrection, Peter and the disciples argued that such a thing would never happen (Mark 8:31-32). But this time, not only did they not understand, they were even afraid to ask what it meant. This is proof that they were having difficulty accepting Jesus’ death.

We are no exception. Why do we experience difficulty? No one wants self-denial—that is, to die. Observe yourself to see how you react when you are criticized without cause. Christ had no reason to suffer, but He endured the suffering of shedding His blood and dying to redeem this world. It is not an easy path to understand this truth through life and obey it.

Self-denial is dying with Christ. This is laying down one’s self-assertion and demands completely. Death is laying down all discontent and desires as well. That is truly a difficult thing. Self-denial is truly difficult because it means that the self disappears. For the self to disappear is for one’s existence to completely collapse.

However, this is not the end. It is the starting line of new life. It is the first step of living by the power of the resurrection. It is the beginning of the ability and authority to truly govern life, to love one’s enemies, and to forgive. It is the only way to rest and be at peace while suffering randomly, amidst the pressures and challenges of reality.

Who Is The Greatest (Matthew 18:1-5; Luke 9:46-48)

33 They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?” 34 But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest (Mark 9:33-34).

However, the disciples did not yet know the gospel truth of the cross and resurrection. Instead, they argued over who was the greatest in the kingdom Jesus would establish. Their keenest interest was who would become the prime minister and who would be the second-in-command in Jesus’ kingdom. There was no better hope than the dream that a permanent free kingdom would be established, liberated from Roman oppression.

Everyone wants to be great. They seek recognition, praise, and glory. Of course, this does not mean so-called success like wealth or power that can be obtained in this world. The presence or absence of wealth or power does not determine who is great. The great person is big-hearted, generous, composed, and above all, fears God.

The Desire To Be Great Originally Came From God

God created man in His own image and likeness. This means that man was created as a temple for God’s Holy Spirit to dwell in (1 Corinthians 3:16). From the beginning, God made man a holy being of glory and honor in whom His Spirit dwells. From the beginning, He blessed man to be united with Him and to rule over all things together with Him (Genesis 1:26-28).

What is the promise God gave to Abraham? It is that He would make him into a great nation and make his name great (Genesis 12:1-2). However, Israel is not a great nation on earth, but merely a small minority (Deuteronomy 7:7-8). And Abraham only fathered a few sons, including Isaac. The promise God gave to Abraham is not fulfilled in this world (Hebrews 11:39). It means He made him the father of faith. Therefore, through Abraham, He reveals the way for anyone to be justified by faith (Genesis 15:6). He shows the path of faith that restores man to the original purpose and intent for which He created him.

God created man to be a little lower than the angels for a time, but in Christ, man rules over all things with Him (Hebrews 2:7-8). To accomplish this, Jesus accepted the sacrifice of death on the cross (Hebrews 2:9). Therefore, whoever is in Christ Jesus shall not perish but have eternal life.

God chose Israel to be His own possession, to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Exodus 19:5-6). A king rules, and a priest performs the role of going before God to offer sacrifices. He called and blessed them to rule together before God.

Truly Great People Rule Their Lives

Therefore, a great person rules their life in the Lord. They are free from fear and anxiety and enjoy peace. Being free from the shackles of feelings of loss and complaining, they offer thanksgiving and praise. Liberated from being slaves to hatred and desire for revenge, they love and forgive. Not bound by worldly things such as material wealth or success, they look toward the hope of heaven.

What truly troubles people? Physical, economic, political, and social environments seem to be the factors. But that is not so. It is an unquenchable thirst and desire. No matter how much one possesses or achieves, the human heart cannot be filled. It is different from animals that lie down and sleep when full. From the beginning, man was created as a being that cannot be filled by material things alone.

The one who can fill a person is God the Father, who pours out the water of eternal life from heaven within Christ Jesus. God wants and blesses us to come to the Lord, drink the living water, and have eternal life, regardless of where we are, when it is, or what our circumstances are. God did not spare His own Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the true bread of man, and gave Him up for us.

"But whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life" (John 4:14). "I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world" (John 6:51).

We obtain true life by eating and drinking the Word of God, that is, the Lord Jesus Christ. By faith in the merit of the torn flesh and shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are forgiven of all sin and unrighteousness. And we boldly come before the throne of grace in heaven to drink the living water—drink, and drink again. By faith, we eat our true food daily and sit with the Lord Jesus Christ at the right hand of the heavenly throne, ruling over all things.

53 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. 57 Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me” (John 6:53-57).

The One Who Serves All Is First

35 Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.” 36 He took a little child whom he placed among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, 37 “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me” (Mark 9:35-37).

Jesus taught the secret of truly becoming first. In fact, the Lord Jesus Christ set the example Himself. Though Jesus was originally in the very nature of God, He laid aside His equality, took the form of a man, and came to this earth. Although Jesus could still have judged this world as God, He instead took the sins of this world upon Himself and died on the cross (Philippians 2:6-8).

God raised the Lord Jesus Christ, who took the form of a servant and was obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross and burial, with the power of resurrection on the third day. And He exalted Him to the highest throne in heaven, making every knee in heaven, on earth, and under the earth bow to His authority, government, and power (Philippians 2:9-11).

Therefore, the way to be first is to be the last of all and the servant of all. Jesus did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). What disturbs the human heart is the thirst to be served, recognized, and praised. Following the example of Jesus, if you deny yourself and follow the way of the Lord’s cross, you will gain peace and rest through the power of resurrection.

Jesus said that welcoming one little child is welcoming Him, and welcoming Him is welcoming God who is in heaven. A little child is weak and is in absolute need of protection. The Law commanded us not to forget or neglect to care for the orphan and the widow (Exodus 22:22-23; Deuteronomy 14:28-29). We are all like little children before God. That is why God feeds, cares for, and protects us.

The kind word of forgiveness, the love, and the forgiveness we show to someone today is a living sacrifice offered to the Lord Jesus Christ and God.

The King will reply, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40).

Amen!

May 31, 2026

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Scripture quotes are from the NIV.