Mark 9:35-37 - The servant of all

9:35

Jesus now gives them teaching that goes to the root of the problem with the disciples arguing about “who was the greatest”. They had a worldly mindset. In the world who is number one is very important, and being first is what matters and what one should strive for. In the kingdom of God things work differently. The route to “greatest” in the kingdom is to be “the servant of all”. We do not seek the best for ourselves, but the best for others. We are not to be self-centred.

9:36,37

Jesus then gives a practical illustration. He takes a child in His arms and says we must welcome this child, otherwise we are not welcoming Him. The child is not being presented as a paragon of innocence, or lack of self-centeredness. Indeed, children can be very self-centred. The point is that children were considered to be of little value. If one wanted to “get on”, one would not go about welcoming children. We are to value all people, including those who are considered to be of little value in society.