The disciples were arguing about who’s the greatest. Jesus, on the other hand, is preparing to give his life. The disconnect is startling. They’re still playing games of power — measuring success by comparison, not by sacrifice. In one sense, it’s quite childish.
So what does Jesus do?
He takes an actual child and places the child in the center.
Not a metaphor. Not a sermon illustration. A real child. A person who, in the first-century world, had no status, no legal standing, and no power. Children were not coddled or idealized — they were ignored, vulnerable, dependent.
This isn’t Jesus saying, Take care of children.
Rather, he says: Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.
This is not a side teaching. It’s not a sweet moment for the kids’ wing mural.
It’s a seismic redefinition of greatness.
To welcome a child — someone who cannot repay you, boost your reputation, or help you climb — is to welcome Jesus himself. And not just Jesus, but “the One who sent me.”
In other words, the road to God runs through a particular lowliness.
The shape of the Kingdom is not upward mobility, but downward welcome.
This passage isn’t about learning to be nice. It’s about learning to kneel. To get low enough to welcome those the world overlooks. To stop striving for recognition and start making room for those who have none.
Mark 9:30-50
From there Jesus and his followers went through Galilee, but he didn’t want anyone to know it. This was because he was teaching his disciples, “The Human One will be delivered into human hands. They will kill him. Three days after he is killed he will rise up.” But they didn’t understand this kind of talk, and they were afraid to ask him.
They entered Capernaum. When they had come into a house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about during the journey?” They didn’t respond, since on the way they had been debating with each other about who was the greatest. He sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them, “Whoever wants to be first must be least of all and the servant of all.” Jesus reached for a little child, placed him among the Twelve, and embraced him. Then he said, “Whoever welcomes one of these children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me isn’t actually welcoming me but rather the one who sent me.”
John said to Jesus, “Teacher, we saw someone throwing demons out in your name, and we tried to stop him because he wasn’t following us.”
Jesus replied, “Don’t stop him. No one who does powerful acts in my name can quickly turn around and curse me. Whoever isn’t against us is for us. I assure you that whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will certainly be rewarded.
“As for whoever causes these little ones who believe in me to trip and fall into sin, it would be better for them to have a huge stone hung around their necks and to be thrown into the lake. If your hand causes you to fall into sin, chop it off. It’s better for you to enter into life crippled than to go away with two hands into the fire of hell, which can’t be put out. If your foot causes you to fall into sin, chop it off. It’s better for you to enter life lame than to be thrown into hell with two feet. If your eye causes you to fall into sin, tear it out. It’s better for you to enter God’s kingdom with one eye than to be thrown into hell with two. That’s a place where worms don’t die and the fire never goes out. Everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good; but if salt loses its saltiness, how will it become salty again? Maintain salt among yourselves and keep peace with each other.”
Psalm 19:12-14
But can anyone know what they’ve accidentally done wrong? Clear me of any unknown sin and save your servant from willful sins. Don’t let them rule me. Then I’ll be completely blameless; I’ll be innocent of great wrongdoing.
Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing to you, Lord, my rock and my redeemer.
Prayer
God,
Keep me from the wrong desires. Keep placing the little ones before me, reminding who you are and what your Kingdom is.
By your Spirit & in Christ,
Amen.