TEXT: St. Mark 9:30-37, Pentecost XVIII 2006

THEME: Who is the Greatest?

 

In the Name of the Father and of the X Son and of the Holy Spirit.   Amen.

            “The Son of Man is to be handed over into the hands of men, and they will kill Him, and when He is killed after three days He will rise.”   Find comfort in this message, O Christian!   For in it, the Son of God Himself is speaking to you of His redeeming work on your behalf.   The Apostles should have certainly rejoiced in this message, for they knew Jesus better than any; they lived with Him, they traveled with Him, they saw Him work many miracles, and they heard Him preach the Kingdom of God.   How greatly, then, did they rejoice when their Lord and Master spoke this sweet word to them?   They did not rejoice at all; for they did not understand that which He spoke of nor did they care to ask He who is God in the flesh for clarification.   They were concerned more for glory and the things of this life and of this world; especially who among them was to be the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.   Sadly, you do not rejoice in this sweet word either.   Like the Apostles themselves before you, you are more concerned with the things of this world and who is the greatest among you.

            You are a sinful and corrupt people.   Sin blinds you to the truth and you are unable to understand true glory.   Jesus says that He will be betrayed, killed, and after three days, rise again.   But you do not understand, it makes no sense to you, nor do you even wish to understand.   Instead of the Cross, you want glory and satisfaction, and you want it right now.   You ignore Jesus’ teaching of the Cross and, instead, you give into your itching ears and delight in every plan born in the minds of men; you follow every plot and plan under the sun which you think will earn you stature in the Kingdom of Heaven.   You want a “Jesus” who will give you some purpose to follow; you want a “Jesus” who will help you keep your earthly promises; you want a “Jesus” who will give you every material thing your heart may desire if only you pray a certain way; you want a “Jesus” who is fun and entertaining.   You are a jealous and selfish creature, and you think that by following this so-called “Jesus,” invented in the minds of men, that you will earn stature and be the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.   But is this the Jesus who forgives sins?   Is this the Jesus who comes in the Name of the Father?   Is this the true Jesus?   Or is the true Jesus One who goes to the Cross, bloody, beaten, and weak, and bearing the sins of the whole world?  

            Repent.

            Jesus says that whoever desires to be first must be last of all and the servant of all.   It is Jesus who is the Last of all and who is the Servant of all.   Though you despise the message of the Cross of Jesus, He went to the Cross on your behalf to wage war with Satan.   Yes, Jesus was led like a lamb to the slaughter.   Yes, wicked men tried to cut Jesus off from the land of the living that His Name would be remembered no more.   Though the Cross is to the world and to the eyes of men an instrument of shame and degradation, Jesus endured it so that He may defeat the devil and all his works and ways for you.   By Jesus’ passion and death, the Cross is now for you a bright beacon, shining forth the message of Jesus crucified for you.   Just as the prophet Jeremiah said so long ago, Jesus is vindicated and His vengeance is upon His enemies; Jesus did not stay dead long.   After three days, as He Himself had said, He rose again, vindicated by His Father; declaring His ultimate and final victory in that glorious and stupendous battle.   Jesus was made Last of all and Servant of all upon the Cross.   Yet, Jesus is the Greatest and He suffered all these things for you and on your behalf.   For you and for your sake, He who is Last of all and Servant of all has become the victorious King.

            To illustrate His point, Jesus takes a young child into His arms and says, “Whoever receives a child such as this in My Name, receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me.”   Rejoice!   For Jesus has taken you too into His precious arms.   When you were washed in the font of Holy Baptism, Jesus took you into His arms and declared you His brother.   Since Jesus has taken you into His arms, the Holy Spirit grants to you the innocence of a child.   No longer are you sinful, corrupt, or prideful; but now, you believe simply and purely in Jesus and all of His promises to you.   Without God you fall, but in Baptism, Jesus has taken you into His precious arms and the Father no longer sees a fallen, corrupt, prideful being.   In Baptism, the Father only sees the righteousness of His Son, who overcame all on the Cross.   By the washing of Holy Baptism, you are made a child of God and Jesus is made your brother.  

            In the same way, Jesus takes you into His arms as He Himself feeds you with His holy Body and precious Blood.   In this holy Meal, He who is your Brother, He who is Last of all and Servant of all, He who is now the vindicated victorious King, He who is the Greatest feeds you with Himself.   As He holds you fast in His arms, Christ says to you, “Take, eat; this is My Body.   Take, drink; this is My Blood which is shed for you.”   With this wonderful, heavenly Feast, He who is the Greatest bestows upon you His gifts of eternal life, forgiveness of sins, and salvation.   In His arms, Jesus gives to you every good thing for your salvation and protects you from all harm.

            Rejoice, O Christian!   For He who was Last of all and Servant of all has become the Greatest!   Rejoice, for He who is the Greatest has come unto you bringing eternal life and salvation!   Now, He keeps you from all things hurtful as He holds you fast in His loving and precious arms; He took hold of you in His arms at your Baptism and He continues to hold you in His arms as He feeds you with Himself in the Holy Eucharist.   Rejoice!   For the day will come when you will open your eyes, and you will see Him who is the Greatest, Jesus Christ, the Son of God in the flesh, as He holds you in His mighty arms.   On that day, rejoice, for you will hear the voice of your God and Savior say to you, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”

In the Name of the Father and of the X Son and of the Holy Spirit.   Amen.