Mark 9:30-37  Jesus and His disciples head back home to Capernaum.  The trip was quieter than usual for Jesus wanted some time alone to teach His disciples about what was coming. "The Son of Man is to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill Him; and when He has been killed, He will rise three days later." 

It was a clear message. A wonderful message!   Yet "they did not understand.."  We look back and wonder how they could miss this... but, they did.  Instead, it appears they were absorbed in a completely different issue.. "which of them was the greatest.. "  They seemed embarrassed to tell Jesus about their discussion.. but Jesus knew anyway.  He asked the question so that He could teach them the truth about greatness.

"If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all, and servant of all." Jesus tells the 12.  

Mark paints us another picture.. "And taking a child, He set him before them, and taking him in His arms, He said to them, 'Whoever receives one child like this in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me does not receive Me, but Him who sent Me." 

I love the picture of Jesus with this little child.. arms wrapped around him.. love poured out on him.  This is greatness, Jesus shows them.. loving.. simply loving.. serving.. blessing.  It is not about what we receive... but about WHO we receive.  The greatest disciples of Jesus are the ones who don't think about their own worth.. but about the worth of the "least of these".  

Father, we always seem to get things backwards in our efforts to be "more".. more righteous.. more favored.. more spiritual.  Jesus teaches that it is not about our efforts or our value.. but that true faith, true service and worship is about loving and caring for those You bring into our lives. As James wrote "This is pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father, to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and keep oneself unstained by the world."  Help us to understand and to do Your will.. to love one another.. to care for those around us..to serve.  It is not a competition for greatness.. our desire is to be Your servant.. to genuinely love and receive others into our own hearts.. receiving You.. receiving Jesus Christ our Lord. Help us. Create in us the heart of Jesus.. a new heart.. pure and undefiled.  In the Name of our Savior we pray. Amen.