Mark 9:30-37
17th Sunday after Pentecost B
September 23, 2012
While today’s Gospel reading does not mention the word, the
word “baptism” seems to be written all over our Gospel portion for today. By
the word baptism, we mean that it is the foundation of our life together as the
church of Jesus Christ.
I. Baptism:
Foundation of Life Together
Today’s Gospel reading begins with Jesus’ second prediction
of his passion, death, and resurrection (v. 31). In a Gospel reading which we
will read a few Sundays from now, (October 21, 2012, the twenty-first Sunday
after Pentecost), Jesus talks about his suffering and crucifixion as the cup he
needs to drink and the baptism by which he will be baptized (Mark 10:38-40). The foundation of our life together as the
Church is the baptism of Jesus in his passion, death, and resurrection.
However, today’s Gospel reading says that while Jesus told
them these things clearly, the disciples “did not understand what he meant and
were afraid to ask him about it” (v. 32). Why were the disciples of Jesus
unable to understand something that is so clear?
II. Baptism:
Foundation for Serving One Another
Perhaps, they were too
busy of debating on who should be the greatest (v. 33-34)! This brings to mind
again the above-mentioned Gospel reading where James and John, the sons of
Zebedee (in Matthew 20:20-21, it is their mother, Salome, who makes this
request on their behalf) asks Jesus to be his right and left hand, his prime
ministers in the Kingdom of God. We can
be so preoccupied on arguing—or maneuvering—on who will be the “greatest” that
we lose Jesus’ example for us! So Jesus, in the privacy of a home, teaches
the disciples a lesson in humility:
“If anyone wants to be first must
be the last, and the servant of all.” (Mark 9:35)
In a similar manner, Jesus said to his disciples after the
matter of James and John:
“Whoever wants to be great among
you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be last. For even
the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and give his life as a
ransom for many.” (Mark 10:44)
As a baptized people,
following the example of Jesus in his baptism of suffering and death, we are
not to set ourselves above the others, but serve them!
III. Baptism: Foundation
of Being Gracious to One Another
Then, Jesus sets a little child in front of his disciples. This
reference here of a child being set up by as an example of the Kingdom of God (v.
36) brings to mind another passage which we will read next Sunday, (October 7,
2012, World Communion Sunday):
“Let the little children come to
me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom
of God belongs to such as
these.” (Mark 10:14)
--which is a classical text in support of infant baptism. In
The United Methodist Church, baptism is a sacrament;
and by sacrament we understand as,
Sacraments ordained of Christ are
not only badges or tokes of Christian men’s profession, but rather are certain
signs of grace, and God’s good will toward us, by which he doth work invisibly in
us, and doth not only quicken, but also strengthen and confirm our faith in him
(Articles of Religion, XVI).
And by “grace”, we understand as God’s unmerited favor
towards us:
By grace we mean the underserved,
unmerited, and loving action of God in human existence through the ever-present
Spirit (The Book of Discipline, 2008,
p. 45).
Hence, in The United Methodist Church, baptism is a “sign of
grace”, which is accessible to all, young or old. To say that baptism belongs
only believers (that is, only those who can confess their faith), removes the
sacramental nature of baptism. Instead of making baptism a sign of God’s grace,
it turns the sacrament into a “good work” or even a reward for good works.
Just as God has been
gracious to us, we are to be gracious with one other. Jesus gave us an
important lesson: To accept one—for example, a little child—is to accept
Christ!
As baptized people, we ought to accept on
another, for in being gracious with one another, we accept Christ!
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