A great job
by Pastor Jim Strelan
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‘Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me’ (Mark 9:37).
Jesus has this habit of turning things upside down. We may have a particular mindset or a way of operating, and Jesus often challenges it. He wants to show us that God’s scheme of things is not always consistent with the way we think and operate.
So, in this Bible reading, Jesus challenges our concept of greatness. There are world leaders, for example, who like to tell us what a great job they’re doing. That’s understandable, in a way. You wouldn’t want a world leader telling everyone what a terrible job they’re doing! But what’s a ‘good job’ from God’s perspective? Where does greatness lie?
Jesus focuses on a child and says the way that you are towards this child reflects how you are towards him, and, by extension, how you are toward the Father. He could have used a different example: an abused woman, a victim of paedophilia, a homeless person, a refugee – anyone whom society might consider to be at the lower rung of the social ladder. A child! Shun this person, build walls to protect from this person, ignore their cries for fair treatment, widen the gap between the marginalised and the rest of society, and you are way off the mark in terms of greatness in God’s framework of reference.
Over and over again, Jesus shows us the heart of the Father. In his critics’ eyes, he focuses on the wrong kind of people. But the One who was there already at the creation of the world, and the One whom we now call Lord of Lords and King of Kings, he welcomes the little one, the insignificant one. Maybe even you! That’s how we can measure greatness. And he teaches this to his disciples and you and me.
Thank you, God, for being different from what we might expect and showing us another mindset. Give us eyes to see the ones you most want us to welcome, and in doing so, we welcome you. Amen.
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