"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." Mark 9:33-34 NKJV
Jesus and His disciples were on their way back to Capernaum, when He overheard them arguing. He had reminded them that He would have to suffer death in the very near future but, He would be resurrected back to life three days later. Although sorrowful, they didn't really understand what He was telling them and focused more on who would be the greatest in the Kingdom. They may have meant, who would be in charge after Jesus had died, ignoring the resurrection. Whatever they were thinking, there was a dispute among them about this and Jesus knew about it.
When they arrived, they all sat down and Jesus asked them what they had been arguing about. However, they remained silent, possibly because they were embarrassed and ashamed about what they had been disputing. It was almost like they were suffering the silence of shame. Jesus knew their hearts though and started talking to them that if they wanted to be first, they must become last being a servant to all. In other words He was discussing humbling themselves.
Whether we are in work, at church or just in your house or garden, you will always find competition. 'My dad's got a better job than your dad'. 'Our car is much bigger and faster than your old wreck.' Then of course, there is the job vacancy, where candidates battle it out to gain being noticed and score points. You only have to watch The Apprentice to see what I mean. Here candidates live together in a house, laughing and joking and, seem like friends. However, this is short lived when they begin tearing each other apart in their bid to win.
It can be like this in a church environment. Some preachers feel that they are better at sermons than others. Others, after preaching, wait for the 'pat on the back' from the congregation. RT Kendall often mentions how he has felt he wanted this at times. But, there is no competition in the Kingdom of God. It doesn't matter to God that someone has led thousands to Jesus and another person has only had one person. God is not impressed by a competitive spirit. This is not the Olympics, it is Calvary that we come from and Jesus wants each one of us to focus on this. He has no favourites and He is not impressed by fancy showmanship. He is interested in people coming to salvation and that is all. And this should be our uppermost thought too.
Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.
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