Jesus has been performing His ministry in the regions outside of Jerusalem, but the time is coming for Him to make His way there where betrayal, a cross, and death await Him. Again He reminds the disciples that this is the purpose for which He came to earth.
"They left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, because He was teaching His disciples." (Mark 9:30-31a) He needs some time away from the crowds so He can speak privately with the men who will soon be carrying the gospel to the world. These men must receive enough instruction now to be able to understand the redemptive power of Jesus' death and resurrection when those things come to pass.
"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.' But they did not understand what He meant and were afraid to ask Him about it." (Mark 9:31b-32) Up until now it's been difficult for me to understand why the disciples didn't grill Jesus with question after question. I'm the type of person who usually has to keep digging until I get an answer, even when I know the answer is going to hurt. I've always said I'd rather be told the truth, even if it hurts, than to be deceived. But this morning I was reading William Barclay's commentary on Mark 9 and he explains the disciples' reaction like this, "They were like men who knew so much they were afraid to know more. A man might receive a verdict from his doctor. He might think the general purport of the verdict bad, but not understand all the details, and he might be afraid to ask questions, for the simple reason that he is afraid to know any more. The disciples were like that."
Mr. Barclay's comments remind me of my mother's behavior upon receiving her diagnosis of terminal cancer. She asked little to no questions. My brother related to me that she told him she didn't ask the doctor how long she might have to live because she didn't want to know. The diagnosis itself was almost more than she could bear; knowing more details wasn't going to make her feel any better. The disciples are faced with news so bad they can hardly bear it. Knowing more details isn't going to make them feel any better. If they don't ask about the "when" and the "how", they can keep pretending Jesus' death is somewhere far off in the future. It allows them to put some distance between themselves and something they don't want to accept.
In order to take their minds off an unpleasant subject, the men indulge themselves in speculating which of them is Jesus' favorite and which of them will hold the highest position in His kingdom. They argue the matter all the way back to the house at Capernaum. "They came to Capernaum. When He was in the house, He asked them, 'What were you arguing about on the road?' But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest." (Mark 9:33-34) Here the disciples remind me of a group of small children. When I was a kid riding in the back seat of the car with some of the other little girls in my family, we'd often do or say things that got us into trouble with the adults in the front seat. All of a sudden one of our moms would turn around and demand to know what was going on back there. We'd all clam up. You could hear a pin drop. We didn't want to admit what the commotion was all about. The disciples behave the same way in verse 34. They know Jesus won't approve of what they've been doing, so they clam up.
Jesus knows why they've been arguing and He demonstrates His knowledge by what He does next. "Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, 'Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.'" (Mark 9:35) What a contrast we find between Jesus' teachings and the teachings of the world! The world says to us, "Step on anybody you have to step on in order to climb to the top of the ladder. Talk yourself up and push yourself forward at every opportunity. Show the bosses you're better than everyone else in the company. Watch the performance of those around you and be ready to stab them in the back with any misconduct you see. You are number one! You have to look out for number one." But Jesus says, "Do you want to be somebody great? Then serve others! Follow My example. I am the crown prince of heaven, yet I came to earth to serve mankind. I could have remained where I was, basking in the adoration of all the angels, seated on a throne beside the Father....but how would that have benefited you? It's My ministry as a servant that benefits you. Go and do likewise."
"He took a little child whom He placed among them. Taking the child in His arms, He said to them, '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 9:36-37) The Lord sets a small child on His lap, perhaps one of the children of Peter or Andrew in whose home Jesus is staying. He uses a humble and helpless child to illustrate His point. It's human nature to seek out people with the most influence and to try to impress those who can do the most for us. But Jesus reminds the disciples that every person is of equal value. If we are not willing to serve the weakest and most helpless among us, we do not have a heart like Christ's. He is saying, "If you will humble yourselves and serve even those who can't do anything for you, you are serving Me because you are behaving like Me. If you serve only those who can help you on your way, you are just serving yourselves."
There is no greater way to honor the Lord than to be like Him. Can we truly say we are His if we don't resemble Him in the slightest?
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