On this Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost, the Gospel is from Mark 9:30-37. Jesus speaks to His followers about His upcoming suffering and death. He reminds them that His ministry is not obviously great in worldly terms. Rather, Jesus is humble and His goals are spiritual. He is like a lamb led to the slaughter (Jeremiah 11:19), and He will soon give Himself to redeem His people. He will die and rise again to offer salvation. His self-sacrifice is the core of His ministry and mission, but the disciples are slow to understand it or accept it.
The disciples need to accept the truth of Christ's cross and learn to follow Him. Unfortunately, they are concerned about their own greatness, but Jesus keeps trying to point them toward humility, faith, and service. To illustrate this point, He uses the example of a child who follows Him. Childlike humble faith and service are more important in the kingdom of God than superficial worldly accomplishments and honors.
As Christians, we are reminded repeatedly to hear this central message of the Gospel. Our Lord wants to save us from our own sins, weaknesses, and misunderstandings. He calls us to see that worldly honors are empty. True greatness is being a child of the divine kingdom. Our continual calling is to follow Jesus Christ in humble faith and service, and He provides the grace we need to persevere in this calling.
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