1/29/21 - Mark 9:35 [NIV]
1/29/21 - Mark 9:35 [NIV] Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.” - I know Jesus is absolutely serious here, but I can’t help imagining a Monty Python scenario: people desperate for power scrambling among themselves trying to put themselves last… Our self-loving natures simply cannot grasp what Jesus is really saying to his disciples. This is why even though we know and assent to this verse, we still try to ‘advance’ ourselves, sometimes by any means necessary. We certainly express our disapproval of politicians, co-workers, and others who are too obvious about their ambitions. Seeing the humor here might help us laugh at ourselves and be more forgiving of ourselves and others. - More seriously, we rob ourselves of joy when we fail to understand and be what Jesus is, and is trying to raise us to be. It is painful when we fail to advance, and a source of bitterness that defiles those aro...