For the Sake of the Children

You might notice some similarities between last week’s sermon passage and this week’s. Both include Jesus’ prediction of his betrayal, murder, and resurrection. Both include the disciples’ incomprehension of his teaching. Both conclude with Jesus’ correction with a turn toward a surprising definition of discipleship. Mark intentionally uses this pattern to show that discipleship is hard. We see this in the ways in which Jesus’ disciples, which, in Greek literally means “learners,” continually misunderstand what it means to be Jesus followers. Previously we have seen how the disciples did not understand what Jesus was saying. Their silence is a marker of their fear that their ignorance would be exposed yet again. Yet, upon closer inspection we see that this passage has important implications for our Christian witness and underscores that God came for the sake of the children.

Let’s first look at the prophetic statement at the beginning of our passage. While this prophecy is simpler than the one we encountered last week, you may have noticed the repetition of the word man also regarded as human being in some translations. The writer of Mark repeats the Greek word Anthropos twice. “The Son of Humanity will be turned over to the human beings.” This repetition enshrines a terrible inversion. It would be natural to expect that the Son of Humanity, the inclusive representative of humankind, would be received by his fellow human beings with joy and adoration. Instead, he is taken into their hands and victim to their most violent impulses. The double use of human here dramatically cues us to the cruelty of humankind who has as vs. 9:13 says, “They have done to him whatever they wanted.” We see that the son of humanity, anthrōpos anthropous (human of humanity) became the enemies of his own kind.[1]

This leads us to the silence of the disciples. Whereas Peter misunderstood the necessity of Jesus’ arrest and faced the rebuke of Jesus, the disciples this week have decided to avoid conflict by keeping their mouths shut. The theme of apostolic incomprehension, so prominent in this section of the Gospel continues. In last week’s passage, Peter misunderstood the necessity of Jesus’ arrest, suffering, and resurrection (8:31-33), and here the disciples mistake the way in which power is to be attained and exercised in the dominion of God. Wise and understanding teacher that he is, Jesus does not let these learners’ silent inhibition and confusion destroy the lesson.  What follows, as we mentioned above, is the moment where Jesus contextualizes his previous question and teaches the “learners” something about discipleship. rather, by his own inquiry he reframes the subject in an existential manner. The next passage will progress logically, then, from the death and resurrection of Jesus to the way in which his stumbling followers may, despite their missteps, share in his exaltation by participating in his humiliation.

Let me be clear, Jesus does not condemn the disciples’ desire to be great, but the way in which they hoped to achieve said greatness. The issue is not so much whether one should want to be great, for holiness is a noble task and undertaking, as the manner in which true greatness is to be achieved. True greatness does not reside with those who have attained the most power or the most prestige, but with the one who has remembered the least of these. The one who has ensured that the vulnerable were looked after and taken care of is the one that shall be called great in the Kingdom of God. Jesus implores us to remember that greatness in the Kingdom is different than our own definitions of greatness- it requires us to seek alternative lifestyles that protect the vulnerable and look after the sick. Jesus reminds us that the Kingdom of God operates with an upside-down logic. The person who wants to become first must make themselves last of all and servant of all. The direction of the argument shifts at verse 37 from being lowly like a child to receiving a child in the name of Jesus. “Receive” sometimes translated welcome and “child” also translated as little one, and “in my name” all function as catchwords by means of which the following series of sayings are attached to our second passion prediction. Taken literally, this linking saying pronounces a blessing which will be understood by all who work with and care for children. Symbolically, however, “child” here applies to anyone who has need of help and more specifically to new disciples, as the following verses will make clear.[2] We are going to extend this interpretation both symbolically and literally. I have in mind not just our children our the more general “children,” but the generations of children who are to come.

While typically this passage serves as an exhortation to care for children and to welcome them to our Sunday School classes, I want to view this passage in light of the current climate crisis. Just this week, there were articles detailing the Federal Government’s willingness to sell flood-prone homes to unsuspecting buyers and another article providing an update on the flooding in Texas and Louisiana after Hurricane Ida and Tropical Storm Nichols. There was an article linking the forest fires in Greek to climate change and to increasing evictions and joblessness. Perhaps most upsetting, there was an article that cited this past year as the deadliest year ever for land and environmental activists. Whether we like it or not, climate change is a major challenge that befalls us. We bring it up in our worship so that we too can seek greatness through alternative lifestyles that resist climate exploitation. During our Midweek Worship we described how it is an imperative in creation to see ourselves among creatures in God’s creation. It is vital for us to see that we are not alone in the world. Yet, this passage in Mark shows us that we must not only see this reality, but that we cannot afford to be silent even as the disciples were.

If we are to see children in this passage as anyone that may need help, then we must seriously consider the futures we are creating for our children and our children’s children. We must consider the futures of the earth and the environment. While we love dystopian novels, we might find this our reality sooner rather than later. Caring for the children requires us not only to welcome children into our church so they can experience the love of Jesus but requires us to prepare the world for them. It requires us to protect and conserve the environment so that they can enjoy the views of the Bitterroot Mountains without a summer filled with smoke. It requires us to protect and conserve the environment so that heat waves don’t make summers unbearable for humans and endanger the habitats of animals like the Pika who need to live within a slim temperature range.

The earth is the theater of God’s glory where humans, creatures, and the Divine all interact in a divine dance of praise maintained by God’s grace. We cannot overlook the consequences of our current trajectory. Humanity is doing its best to burn down the theater of creation. We are making the temperatures in it unbearable, we are clouding the skies which shine light on God’s activity in creation, we are permanently removing some of the creatures in this dynamic dance. We have a responsibility not only to invite children to see this dance with God, but to ensure that the theater where this is displayed can thrive like it once did. Humanity is doing its best to crowd out this theater with our consumption and time is running out. We cannot afford to be silence. We must act. This week Emma and I went on a walk with Ginny Wigan down Rose Ln. It was a beautiful smokeless morning. As we were walking Ginny noticed a plastic bag along the side of the road and picked it up to take home and dispose of properly. This seemingly small act is the kind of holy answer I am talking about. Removing just that one article of waste from the roadside could have saved any sort of animal from choking on the bag or prevented it from entering our rivers or irrigation ditches. These type of acts are holy acts which protect the world and its creation for the generations of children to come.

The disciples desired greatness. This desire to be holy is a good desire, but we must ensure that the holiness we seek is of God’s Kingdom. Holiness is human wholeness. It is the ability to give and receive love. Its dimensions reach all levels of our human experience and relationality. When we are seeking holiness, when we are seeking to grow in our relationship with God, and when we are seeking to grow in love, we must consider our own actions in climate change. When we seek to conserve, to reduce, to recycle, and to support policies that protect the environment this is a holy answer. When we take the extra minute to recycle our cans or cardboard, we are welcoming the children. When we decide to reduce water use, when we seek to reduce our electrical use, and when we make the courageous decision to lower our carbon footprint, we make ourselves the servant of all. When we support renewable energy, when we invest in green businesses, and when we make the little decision to use renewable bags at the grocery, we do our part in leaving a better world for our children and their children. Greatness and holiness must include our participation in a world that is crying out for help. It requires the courage of us as individuals and as a church community to witness to our imperative in Genesis to be stewards and caretakers of the earth. Whoever cares for the environment does so in Jesus’ name for the sake of the children. Whoever does their best to protect the earth for their children welcomes them by the power of the Holy Spirit. If our greatness is measured by our servanthood, we must make the brave step not only to serve our neighbors but the earth and all who shall dwell here for years to come.

[1] Joel Marcus, Mark 8–16: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary, vol. 27A, Anchor Yale Bible (New Haven; London: Yale University Press, 2009), 669.

[2] C. Clifton Black, “Commentary on Mark 9:30-37,” Working Preacher from Luther Seminary, accessed September 17, 2021, https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/ordinary-25-2/commentary-on-mark-930-37-7.