Jump Start # 1457

Mark 9:33 “They came to Capernaum; and when He was in the house, He began to question them, ‘What were you discussing on the way?’  But they kept silent, for on the way they had discussed with one another which of them was the greatest.”

Jesus knew. He always knew. It’s easy for us to look at the Gospels with an idealistic thought that it would have been wonderful to walk and travel with Jesus. I find the text showing more of a painful journey in which the Lord was molding the thinking and building the faith within those twelve apostles. There were several uncomfortable moments with the Savior. Jesus wasn’t afraid to tell them that their faith was little. Other times, like our verse today, Jesus knew that the disciples were going down a path in their discussions that they shouldn’t have. So Jesus simply asks, “What were you discussing on the way?” He knew. He also knew what they were talking about wasn’t productive, healthy nor faith building. It seems that the disciples also knew that they should not have been discussing these things. When questioned by Jesus, they kept silent. They were probably astonished that He knew. He always knows.

The apostles were discussing which one of them was the greatest. I expect the bragging was pretty thick. Favorites. Who is Jesus’ favorite? Loud mouth Peter was most likely right in the thick of it. There was an inner circle of Peter, James and John. Those names would have been tossed in the hat as some of the greatest.

That competitive spirit within us leads us to these kind of discussions. These discussions do not end well. So, we imagine Peter strutting himself like a peacock and stating his case why he was the number one apostle. How would that make the others feel? There was no pecking order among the apostles. This discussion was vain, selfish and lacking the spirit of a servant which Jesus mirrored. If someone was #1, then eventually someone would be # 12. How would # 12 feel? Would he just quit? Would being # 1 get a person special privileges? Those who were viewed as # 2 or # 3 would do all that they could to get to the # 1 spot. What a mess. What egos. What a worthless discussion. Jesus had his hands full with these twelve.

But are we much different today? We talk about the best song leader in the congregation or the best preacher these days. Talk like that fuels egos and can be the source of strife and jealousy among us. We all have different talents and different backgrounds. Being accepted and being used by the Lord is the greatest honor.

We tend to have the American business concept that the largest and the biggest means the best. So this thinking means a big church is better than a small church. A well known preacher is better than a little known preacher. A church with a lot of money is better than a church that has little money. City churches are better than rural churches. A church with a new building is better than a church that meets in a hundred year old building. All of this trickles down to “I am better than you are.” So, what if you are? Does that change anything? Does that mean you’ll get to bypass the judgment and sit closer to Jesus in Heaven? No. Does that mean God favors you more than me? No. What it really means, if you are better than I am, then you best get busy and do more than I am doing. To whom much is given, much is required, is a Biblical principle about responsibility. Those gifted with a talent are expected to use that talent in the kingdom. It’s not about showing off. It’s not about who is the best. You have been blessed and in turn, God expects and even demands that you use that talent.

I’m better than you are is something that never leaves us. We’d think that it’s childish, but it’s more than that. This warped thinking drives people to buy things that they cannot afford to impress people that they do not even like. Showing off is what is behind this. An esteem issue is what is also behind this.

I wonder where the apostles discussion was heading? Did they think statues would be built in honor of the greatest apostle? Did they think Jesus was going to do something special for the number one guy? What they missed in all their discussion was that they were nothing like Jesus. The Lord was humble. He put others before Himself. Boasting wasn’t in His blood. Sometimes our discussions reveal our true character. Sometimes they reveal that we’ve forgotten Jesus. Folks discussing a Bible doctrine can get so upset and mean with one another, that they forgot Jesus. He wouldn’t be that way. Some wanting something done can get so threatening and ugly that they forget Jesus. He wouldn’t be that way.

You’ll notice, the apostles were not discussing how can we praise Jesus more? No. They were not thinking, how can we help the Lord out? No. They were not talking about how we can get more of the multitudes to come or to listen to Jesus? No. Their thoughts weren’t about Jesus. They were discussing which one of them was the greatest. Wrong discussion. Wrong avenue to be traveling down. They were walking with Jesus, but at that moment, they weren’t following Him.

I wonder if Jesus could say the same things about some of our conversations and even some of our Bible classes? What were you discussing? Was it helpful? Was it profitable? Was it beneficial to everyone? Was it about you? Some folks try to stand so tall that they fall over backwards. Some try to get the stamp of approval by everyone except God.

Who is the greatest among them? I wonder if anyone dared say, “Jesus.” He was the greatest among them. He was the greatest teacher, friend, Savior, hope and help among them. Without Jesus, they wouldn’t have been together at all. Without Jesus, most of them would have spent the day in the boat pulling up wet fishing nets. Without Jesus, they would have been forgotten in history. Without Jesus, they would have died in their sins. Yes, there was one who was the greatest among them. They failed to see who it was.

Our worship, our preaching and our attitudes can do the same thing. We can talk about everything but the Lord. We can forget who truly is the greatest among us. The shoes those apostles were wearing sure fit our feet. It is so easy to get into discussions about things that really do not matter.

Let’s do more than just walk with Jesus, let’s follow His way.

Roger