If I were in charge of the world....
Perhaps you have seen this piece written by a young boy as he imagines what it would be like if he were in charge of the world. He writes: "If I were in charge of the world, I would cancel oatmeal, Monday mornings, and allergy shots. If I were in charge of the world, there would be brighter night lights, healthier hamsters, and basketball baskets placed 48 inches lower. If I were in charge of the world, you wouldn't have lonely, you wouldn't have clean, you wouldn't have bedtimes or 'Don't punch your sister'. You wouldn't even have sisters. If I were in charge of the world, a chocolate sundae with whipped cream and nuts would be a vegetable. All 007 movies would be rated G. And a person who sometimes forgot to brush and sometimes forgot to flush would still be allowed to be in charge of the world."
Those musings reflect a common reality. That reality is that at some time or another in some way or another, we have all dreamed of what it would like to be in charge of the world. There is within our human nature a lust for power and control-- an urge to have things our way, to be first. It may be in nature, not just human nature. We have two schnauzers-- Max and Jazzy. In the morning they race to the back door to go outside, and Jazzy, the younger one, always edges Max out of the way to be first. But when they are ready to come in to eat, Max makes his way to the food bowl first-- every time. Theirs is a playful rivalry, not a real "survival of the fittest" of the species that is evident in our world.
It should come as no surprise that our culture worships at the shrine of worldly success and thrives on unhealthy competition. All you have to do is watch an out of control parent at a Little League baseball game or observe an overly demanding coach calling out little kids for the mistakes they make to realize that ours is an obsession with winning, with being the best at any and all costs. I did a Google search of greatest rivalries and found some interesting results. These were among them.
Greatest rivalries of our time.
For baseball fans in central Illinois it's Cards vs. Cubs.
If you lived out east or around World Series time, it would be Red Sox vs. Yankees.
If you lived in Chicago, it would Chicago Bears vs. Green Bay Packers.
For NBA fans, it's Celtics vs. Lakers.
For college basketball fans, it's North Carolina Tar Heels vs. Duke Blue Devils.
For television sitcom fans, it was Seinfeld vs. Newman.
For cartoon fans, it's Wile E. Coyote and the Roadrunner.
For computer geeks, it's the Mac vs. the PC.
Rivalries are not new to this generation or unique to us. Our scripture text today from the gospel of Mark records the account of the disciples becoming rivals (competitors) in the work of the gospel, instead of being servants of the gospel.
Jesus' disciples became rivals.
As Jesus and his disciples are on their way to Jerusalem, Mark says in Mark 9:30-31 (NIV), "They left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, because he was teaching his disciples." In the short time Jesus had left on earth, there were vital lessons to be learned, and the disciples would learn some of them the hard way.
Mark 9:33-41 (NIV) continues, "They came to Capernum. When he was in the house, he (Jesus) asked them, 'What were you arguing about on the road?' But they kept quet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest. Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, 'If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.' He took a little child and had him stand among them. Taking him in his arms, he said to them, '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.' 'Teacher,' said John, 'we saw a man driving out demons inyour name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.' 'Do not stop him,' Jesus said. 'No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us. I tell you the truth, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to Christ will certainly not lose his reward.' "
You can see the embarrassment on the faces of the disciples. Peter, James, and John had just come down from the mountain where Jesus was transfigured before their very eyes. Elijah and Moses miraculously appeared before them. Even though they didn't talk openly about the incident, it is no surprise that an argument would have ensued about who was the greatest among them. Their rivalry with each other was a self-serving, self-seeking quest for greatness, position, and power, so Jesus seized this teachable moment. He sat down, because that's what rabbis did when they were ready to teach, and the disciples were ready for the lesson. This was a lesson on leadership, but they were not ready for the lesson Jesus taught nor how he taught it. What strange words, "If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all." Those words were followed by an even stranger real life demonstration. He stood a little child among them and made the child the object lesson of greatness.
Jesus teaches the disciples about leadership.
In Jesus' day, little children were considered to be the least significant people in society, of even less value than slaves, because slaves served a useful purpose. Unwanted children were quite expendable in the first-century Roman culture. This is not all that different in our society, which has allowed over a million abortions each year, nearly 50 million since Roe vs. Wade legalized abortion in 1973.
In this incident, Jesus is not holding up the child as a model to be imitated. That's another lesson for another time. The point of comparison is the insignificance of the child and the disciples' definition of greatness. Children had no power, no status, and few rights. They were not considered full persons and were even regarded by some as property. They were dependent, vulnerable, and entirely subject to the will of the father. The rabbis of Jesus' day would have classified children with the deaf, the dumb, the weak-minded, and slaves.
Then comes Jesus, who chose a child to represent those who are needy and lowly. He is saying "If you want to be great, you should serve those who are regarded as insignificant." Jesus requires his "great" disciples to show humble service for the humble.
The greatest thing we can do is to serve those who are insignificant in the world.
If that was not enough, Jesus followed this with another lesson. He went on to teach that when his followers serve those without any status, they receive Jesus and the one who sent him. He wants us to understand that the greatest thing we can do is to serve those who are forgotten and regarded as insignificant-- those who have no influence, no titles, no priority, and no importance except to God.
The lesson Jesus taught his disciples and us is this: the way we welcome and receive, and the way we value and treat the little, the last, the least, and the lost, is the way we welcome and receive Christ, and value and treat Christ.
So when in our churches and groups we jockey for position and seek preferential treatment because of right or privilege, we need to take a turn serving in the nursery or volunteer to serve at the nursing home to remember this lesson. Greatness is not determined by one's status, but by one's service.
Kingdom disciples seek service over status.
I have been learning this lesson again in the past two and half years that my wife's mother has been in the nursing home. When I am in town, we worship there on Sunday. I often have the privilege of serving communion, and occasionally get to sing. Several months ago, as I served communion one Sunday to a dear saint named Janet Shultz, I was struck by the irony. A few years ago in my role as Vice President at Lincoln Christian University, I had given her our Restoration Award. This is the highest award we bestow for a lifetime of alumni service. That was an honor, but it was a greater honor to place the communion bread in the corner of her mouth, pat her face, and watch her smile. This was my last memory of her a few days before she died and graduated to glory. There are lessons about status and service that I am still learning.
But not only were the disciples competitive among themselves within their own tribe as described in Mark 9:33-37, but they were also competitive with an unnamed, unknown person of another tribe who was performing works in Christ's name. This competitive spirit may also have been prompted by an earlier embarrassing moment-- the occasion when the disciples were unable to cast an evil spirit out the boy that was brought to them. On this occasion the object lesson came first, but prompted another vital lesson from Jesus.
Jesus teaches the disciples another lesson.
Mark 9:38-41 (NIV) says, " 'Teacher,' said John, 'we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop because he was not one of us.' 'Do not stop him,' Jesus said. 'No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us. I tell you the truth, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to Christ will certainly not lose his reward.' "
This time it was John, not Peter, who announced to Jesus that they saw someone casting out demons in his name and they tried to stop him. Their reason for intervening was clear, "...because he was not one of us." These same disciples had earlier bungled an exorcism, but on this occasion they were quick to obstruct someone who was successful just because he was not a member of their team. Jesus' lesson catches them, and us, off guard when rather than commending them for their vigilance, he instead reproved them, "Do not stop him."
Before we glean the lesson from this text, let's be sure we understand what Jesus is not saying. He is not saying that doctrine doesn't matter, and that we should accept without questioning everything that anyone does. There is a difference between the message and the messenger or the messenger's methods of motive.
In fact, this passage reminds me of Philippians 1:15-18 (NIV) where the apostle Paul addressed a similar issue. "It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do so in love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice."
Like Jesus, Paul knew that we are locked in a life-and-death struggle against evil, and he was prepared to accept any ally willing to join the fight. Like Jesus, he conceded the possibility that good can come from circles outside of his own, and so should we. Far too often we act like the enemy is anyone who is not one of us, instead of Satan.
We are to put aside rivalries and rancor.
The Stone-Campbell Movement, or Restoration Movement, of which our church is a part of, sought to put aside such rivalries and rancor in its day. It was birthed in the late eighteenth century when contentious denominations were fighting with each other. In his declaration and address penned over 200 years ago, Thomas Campbell described the religious landscape of his day as, "sad divisions, awful and distressing effects, reproaches, backbiting, evil surmisings, and angry contentions." He also observed that the Church about which he read in the New Testament was not split up into denominations, and he saw no warrant for sectarian divisions. He felt himself to be a brother of all who sincerely believed in and worshipped the Lord Jesus Christ in all the churches, and he desired to have fellowship with them. Were he here today, he would call upon Christians in various churches to put aside our petty jockeying for position, our power plays that put others down, and instead of being rivals, become partners in the gospel. This call for unity was expressed in our slogan that is still valid today-- "In essentials (matters of faith), unity; in non-essentials (matters of opinion), liberty; and in all things love."
The lesson to be learned and applied is this: acceptance of others is not determined by whether or not someone is on our side but whether or not that person is on Christ's side.
Kingdom disciples choose collaboration with others over competition with rivals.
I am still learning this lesson. This summer I have been reading Doris Kearns Goodwin's work Team of Rivals; The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln. In an age of political game playing and power grabs, I am struck by these refreshing insights from our sixteenth President. "Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right." "I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to live by the light that I have. I must stand with anybody that stands right, and stand with him while he is right, and part with him when he goes wrong."
Carl Ketcherside was a non-instrumental church of Christ preacher and a southern gentleman. I remember years ago hearing him in a lecture at Lincoln Christian College in which he cautioned us about our role as Christians. His warning went something like this. "It is not our job to set up our inspection tables along the borders of the kingdom of heaven and ask everyone seeking entrance to unpack all their baggage so that we can place our stamp of approval upon them. Our task is to preach the gospel and to let God determine who gets in and who does not." That is another essential lesson that I am still learning.
The greatest rivalry is the rivalry within each of our lives.
There is one other rivalry in this text, and perhaps it is greatest rivalry. It is subtle and unspoken, but it lies beneath the surface woven like a thematic thread throughout Mark's gospel. It's not a rivalry within the group or with someone outside the group. It's the rivalry within each of our lives. The common denominator in these incidents is what is done "in Christ's name"-- welcoming a child in his name, doing miracles in his name, or giving a cup of cold water in his name. The phrase "his name" represents his authority. So the greatest battle, the greatest rivalry, takes place every day and in every decision inside my head and in my heart over who is in charge of my world. I know what a mess I can make of it when I try to be in charge. As a follower of Christ, I am trying every day to let Christ be my Lord, and to put him in the driver's seat, and to let him take control of my life.
Several years ago in a Christianity Today article entitled "Cosmic Combat," popular author Philip Yancey reflected on what it took for Jesus to endure what he did. He wrote: "It took courage for God to lay aside power and glory and to take his place among human beings. It took courage to endure the shame, and courage to even risk descent to a planet known for its clumsy violence, among a race known for rejecting its prophets. A God of all power deliberately put himself in such a state that Satan could tempt him, demons could taunt him, and lowly human beings could slap his face and nail him to a cross. What more foolhardy thing could God have done?"
The only thing more foolhardy would be to ask people like us to join him. Thank God that the first became the last, the greatest became the least, and he invites us to follow him. He is the only one who has earned the right to be in charge of the world.
Kingdom disciples invite Jesus to take charge of their world.
Will you begin the journey by letting him take charge of your life today, accepting him as your Lord and your Savior?