Slices
Prepare
Do you ever get days when everything you do seems to be wrong? Ask God to help you if today is one of those days.
Bible passage
Jesus heals a demon-possessed boy
37 The next day, when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met him. 38 A man in the crowd called out, ‘Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. 39 A spirit seizes him and he suddenly screams; it throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth. It scarcely ever leaves him and is destroying him. 40 I begged your disciples to drive it out, but they could not.’
41 ‘You unbelieving and perverse generation,’ Jesus replied, ‘how long shall I stay with you and put up with you? Bring your son here.’
42 Even while the boy was coming, the demon threw him to the ground in a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the impure spirit, healed the boy and gave him back to his father. 43 And they were all amazed at the greatness of God.
Jesus predicts his death a second time
While everyone was marvelling at all that Jesus did, he said to his disciples, 44 ‘Listen carefully to what I am about to tell you: the Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men.’ 45 But they did not understand what this meant. It was hidden from them, so that they did not grasp it, and they were afraid to ask him about it.
46 An argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest. 47 Jesus, knowing their thoughts, took a little child and made him stand beside him. 48 Then he said to them, ‘Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For it is the one who is least among you all who is the greatest.’
49 ‘Master,’ said John, ‘we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we tried to stop him, because he is not one of us.’
50 ‘Do not stop him,’ Jesus said, ‘for whoever is not against you is for you.’
Explore
After the mountain-top transfiguration, everything seems to come back down to earth with a bump. We read of a child released from a demon (v 42), a prediction of Jesus’ suffering (v 44), a child used as an object lesson (vs 46– 48), and a brief report from a disciple (v 49). But in each of these stories the disciples are not doing so well.
The man with a demon-possessed child complains because the disciples could not drive out the demon. Then Jesus predicted his suffering again, but the disciples did not understand what he meant, and were afraid to ask. Next, we see the disciples arguing about who would be the greatest. Jesus pointed to their arrogant attitudes with the example of a little child. Finally, John reported that they had tried to stop someone from doing ministry because he was not one of the Twelve. Jesus corrected him.
Jesus is God’s Messiah, but that does not mean his followers always get everything right. Because we are so slow to learn and live in such a broken world Jesus needed to come in the first place!
Respond
Thank Jesus for understanding when you fall short, just like his original disciples did. We may be slow to learn and experts in messing things up. But Jesus is God’s Messiah, and that makes all the difference!
Deeper Bible study
‘For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.’1
The disciples debate about who is the greatest among them (v 46).2 There is a narrative irony here, in that this episode is bracketed by a story in which Jesus is exasperated by their inability to drive a demon out of a boy (vs 40,41) and another prediction of Jesus’ suffering which the disciples misunderstand and ignore (vs 44,45), and a story in which they are jealous of others – ‘not one of us’ – who are successfully driving out demons in Jesus’ name (vs 49,50). Luke’s arrangement of stories highlights the disciples’ frivolous attempts at self-advancement. As Jesus makes clear, this behaviour is the exact opposite of true greatness.
Jesus highlights a child as an example of one who appears least but is actually greatest. In his culture, children were generally marginalised until reaching adulthood, so this claim would have caught his listeners’ attention. It highlights the upside-down nature of the kingdom – people become great in God’s sight as they sincerely look away from themselves to revere him and to serve others. This paradigm overturns the world’s value structure: a truly great life is characterised by humble and loving service.
The child represents anyone on the fringes of society, anyone overlooked and ignored. Our care for others, particularly the helpless, the needy and the poor, is a measure of our greatness. How much concern do you show for others? So many are only interested in worldly greatness – status, wealth, power, possessions, reputation. Jesus’ counter-intuitive path to greatness radically undermines this system by reminding us that the last will be first and the least will be greatest.
God, help us to see opportunities to pursue your kind of greatness. Show us how to prefer others above ourselves. Give us your heart for the disadvantaged and the marginalised.
1 Mark 10:45 2 See also Luke 22:24
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Proverbs 3,4; Psalm 89
Pray for Scripture Union
Pray for Trevor Ranger of Local Mission Partner Synergy Christian Trust as he leads two three-day Holiday Bible Clubs this month. The first, in the village of Edington (Somerset) begins today. Next week Trevor will be working with two churches in Marshfield (Gloucestershire).
