In the last paragraph of Mark (Mark 9:33-41) we saw the disciples of Jesus arguing over who is the greatest in the kingdom. Jesus will have to teach the disciples many times that if you want to be first, you must be last of all and servant of all. Lower yourself and have no regard for status. Remember to illustrate this spiritual truth, Jesus has placed a child in their midst and called for them to receive even a little child. Though we had to stop the lesson for the sake of time at verse 41, the scene has not changed and Jesus continues teaching his disciples about counting the cost and what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. It is a passage that we want to skip over because it is so sobering and so graphic that we do not want to think about it. But Jesus is the master teacher and everything he teaches is for our spiritual good. So let us not soften what Jesus says but listen to the strong words of Jesus.
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