A Constant Struggle

Scripture – Mark 9:30-37: ³⁰They left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, ³¹because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise.” ³²But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it. ³³They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?” ³⁴But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest. ³⁵Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.” ³⁶He took a little child and had him stand among them. Taking him in his arms, he said to them, ³⁷“Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”

Reflection: Again, there are a lot of things going on in this passage. Jesus has somehow found some private time with His disciples. He uses that time to teach them – to tell them again what’s going to happen to Him. And again, they do not understand what He means.

I wonder why they were afraid to ask. Was it related to the argument they were having? I mean, here’s their teacher, their Lord, telling them He will give up His life. At the same time, they’re arguing over which of them is the greatest. Who deserves more?

Christ calls me to follow Him. He promises to give me all I need along the way – including time for refreshment and re-creation. Part of me still wants more. I look around at what other people have and I want what they have. I still get tempted by stuff and the money to buy stuff. In the face of that, Christ gave His live for me.

Lord, lift me above the temptations of my human nature. Touch me with your forgiveness and peace. Thank you for all I have. Lift my vision to see and follow you today with love and joy. For when I keep my eyes on you, that’s what I have.

An Invitation: For anyone interested in sharing their personal reflections from this week’s readings, you are invited to come by the Tim Hortons donut shop at Dix-Toledo and Northline in Southgate this Sunday morning at 9:45am. We’ll have a cup of coffee and see what the Lord has been teaching us this week.