The Disciple's Proper Aim is to be Servant of All

A DISCIPLES’S PROPER AIM IS TO BE SERVANT OF ALL

An Exposition of Mark 9:30-37

By Pastor Brian Wilbur

Date: March 28, 2021

Series: Mark: Knowing and Following God’s Son

Note: Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard   Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

THE SCRIPTURAL TEXT

Good morning. I invite you to turn to Mark 9 – as we continue along here in the Gospel of Mark – and we will be looking at verses 30-37. This is not a “Palm Sunday” text, but this passage is a great text for Palm Sunday. Holy Scripture says:

³⁰ They went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he did not want anyone to know, ³¹ for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise.” ³² But they did not understand the saying, and were afraid to ask him.

³³ And they came to Capernaum. And when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?” ³⁴ But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. ³⁵ And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” ³⁶ And he took a child and put him in the midst of them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them, ³⁷ “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.” (Mark 9:30-37)

This is God’s Word and it is for our good. Let us pray:

Father, we pray that through your grace and your wisdom, your power would cascade over our hearts and minds today. Wash us with the Word. Renew us in the ways of the Lord. Strengthen us in the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. In his name we pray, amen.

A TIME OF FOCUSED INSTRUCTION (v. 30-32)

So, Jesus and the disciples are walking about, passing through Galilee (northern Israel) where Jesus has spent so much of his life and ministry. They'll be making their way to Capernaum, a very familiar town, where Jesus spent much time, which we saw in the earlier chapters of Mark. Yet Jesus knows that he has an appointment in Jerusalem. And what he wants here is focused time instructing his disciples. He doesn't want to be interrupted right now. He wants to focus his attention on the disciples, and he is teaching them. He is continuing to teach them and to remind them that he is going to suffer. He is going to be rejected. He is going to be handed over to cruel men. He is going to be killed. He is not going to look like a conqueror. He is going to look like someone who has been conquered. And yet it is through the defeat, it is through the suffering, it is through the death, it is through the shame, that ultimately the victory comes. After he dies, he will rise again.

But this is going over the disciples’ heads. They are not understanding it. They really don't even want to inquire any further about it with him. They are afraid to ask him about it.

DISCIPLESHIP IN LIGHT OF THE CROSS

Now I want to show you how these three very similar passages work, where first Jesus tells his disciples that he going to suffer, and then immediately after that he gives very practical instruction on discipleship, on what it means to follow him.

The first passage is Mark 8:31-38. Jesus taught them that he was going to suffer and be rejected and be killed. And then afterward there was that profound discipleship instruction in verses 34-38: “take up [your] cross and follow me” Mark 8:34.

You're going to see the same thing happen in the third passage, which is Mark 10:32-45. In verses 32-35, Jesus again says that the Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men and be put to death. Then right afterward, in verses 35-45, there is profound instruction on what it means to follow Jesus.

What is going on here?

Well, we see the same thing in the second passage right here in Mark 9:30-37. It's like a one-two punch. The first punch is this: the Messiah is going to suffer and die; and after he dies, he is going to rise. That's the first punch. The second punch is about what it means to follow a Messiah who suffers. What does it mean to follow a Messiah who is treated with contempt? What does it mean to follow a Messiah who lays down His life for others? That is what is going on here.

Now in today's passage, we learn that following a Messiah who was willing to lay down his life for others and be treated with contempt and be put to death – following such a Messiah has profound implications for our relationships. The contrast between what Jesus is thinking in Mark 9:31 (Jesus is thinking about his suffering) and what the disciples are thinking about in Mark 9:34 (their own greatness) – you are meant to see this side by side – this is a stark contrast. Jesus is thinking about “the things of God” (Mark 8:33) and his disciples continue to think about “the things of man” (Mark 8:33) – and it is an embarrassing and shameful contrast. The disciples were not yet able to understand the things of God. But they are very concerned about their own worldly prestige. Perhaps their preoccupation with worldly greatness is one of the reasons why they were unable to understand what Jesus is saying – because pride really is blinding.

WHO IS THE GREATEST? (v. 33-35)

Of course, they didn't want to admit to Jesus what they were talking about. Jesus asked them what they were discussing, thus giving them an opportunity to be transparent: “And when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?”” (v. 33) A fair question, but met with silence (v. 34). Beware of those conversations that seem fun and all when Jesus seems far away, but not so fun when brought into the Lord's presence. Isn't it true that we are to have all of our conversations, and all of our life lived out, in the presence of the Lord, from whom nothing is hidden?

But the disciples “kept silent” (v. 34) about their arrogance. They didn't want to acknowledge their self-absorption. Notice what Mark has done here: he is showing us the vanity and pride of our desire for self-promotion – he is showing us the vanity of it and the shamefulness of it – by putting it side-by-side with the cross. Get this picture in your mind. First, in terms of Mark 9:31, see Jesus the Messiah beaten and bloodied and being lifted up on the cross. And then, while keeping that part of the picture in view, notice that the camera angle changes and now gives you a shot of the disciples quarreling with each other about which one of them is the MVP (Most Valuable Player). The Lord of glory is laying down his life for them, and yet they're clamoring for accolades and positions of honor. Our self-promotion is seen at its shameful worst when it is seen in the light of the cross.

I don't know how various disciples made the case for their own greatness. Did Andrew say, ‘I was the first to believe that Jesus was the Messiah’? Did Peter respond, ‘Yeah, but clearly James, John, and I have been tapped for the top three posts. And I know that I'm the favorite’? Did James and John say, ‘Not so fast, Peter’? Did Matthew say, ‘I've got some real smarts. In fact, I have an inkling that I'm going to write all this down’? Did John say, ‘You might not be the only one to write it down, Matthew’? Did Judas say, ‘Come on guys, if you measure by savvy and class, I'm in a class by myself’?

Of course, we don't know what they said. But the point is that they actually did argue about who was the greatest. They were thinking about fleshly greatness, worldly greatness, and the vanity and pride that flows out of a sinful heart. And they needed to be corrected and redirected.

As we come to verse 35, we notice that Jesus “sat down” – that is the normal position of a teacher in the first century, the teach would sit down and teach. The entire verse says, “And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” (v. 35) And with that, Jesus totally redefines the nature of true greatness. If anyone would be first, if anyone would be the greatest, if anyone would be the valedictorian among the disciples, if anyone would be worthy of highest honor, then you must stop trying to be first and greatest in a worldly and self-absorbed way. You must stop trying to climb up the ladder and race to the top. You must die to selfish ambition. Merriam-Webster gives one definition of ambition as “an ardent desire for rank, fame, or power”.[1] You must die to any preoccupation with rank, fame, or power. You must die to a spirit of one-upmanship.

At the end of the day, the only kind of honor that matters is honor in God's sight. So, if anyone would be truly honorable in God's sight, if anyone would be great in a way that befits the kingdom of God – and we should all desire that, we should all want to be pleasing to the Lord – “if anyone would be first”, then this is what he must be: “he must be last of all and servant of all.”

A disciple’s proper aim is to be servant of all. It's not a race to the top to see how many people you can get to serve you. It's a race to the bottom to see how many people you can serve. It's not upward mobility until you get to the pinnacle where there's a lot of people looking up to you. It's downward mobility to the ground floor where you have the opportunity to look up at a lot of people. You're no longer thinking about first and greatest. Now you're thinking about last, lowest and least. But it's not just about thinking, it's about being: “be last of all and servant of all.” Don’t vainly imagine that you occupy a high rank in the pecking order and that others owe you. Instead, humbly assume the position of lowest rank and be about the business – the joyful business – of serving others.

Ultimately, Jesus is addressing the attitude of our hearts and the way that we relate to one another. Denying our self and taking up our cross and following Jesus (Mark 8:34) requires us to die to selfish ambition and vainglory, and to become humble servants of all.

Now we really need to internalize this instruction. Remember, this is discipleship instruction. We're learning about the way of discipleship. Last week, we learned that one part of faithful discipleship is prayerful dependence on God. And prayerful dependence on God is supposed to touch everything. Now, in this passage, we are learning that faithful discipleship also includes humble service – and this is also supposed to touch everything. In fact, it's supposed to touch everyone: “servant of all.” I really want to press this home to our hearts.

But first I want to make a few big picture comments that might help to clarify the significance and the meaning of this instruction.

BIG PICTURE COMMENTS TO CLARIFY THE MEANING OF HUMBLE SERVICE  

First, “servant of all” does not mean ‘submissive to all’. Sometimes, if we're operating on very imprecise definitions of words, we might confuse the concepts of service and submission, and we should not do that. Submission is a very narrow concept in the Bible. ‘Submission’ is used many times in the New Testament, and it means placing yourself under and yielding to a recognized authority: children submit to their parents, a wife submits to her husband, citizens submit to their rulers, Christians submit to their leaders, servants submit to their masters. Of course, those who are submitting should do so in an attitude of humble service. But that's just to combine the concepts, not to equate them. Those who are in authority do not submit to those who are under their authority. But here's the point: are those in authority supposed to serve those who are under their authority? Absolutely, yes! “[Last] of all and servant of all” applies to every relationship. And if you're going to be a humble servant, which is what you're called to be, it doesn't matter what your formal position is. You are called to come alongside people in order to bless and help and serve and nourish others. You're not placing yourself under their authority. But you recognize that God has placed you there by his authority to be his commissioned servant to love and serve others.

Second, keep in mind that serving others is necessarily limited by the principles and instructions of God's Word. The matter of first priority is to follow Jesus (Mark 8:34) – to lose our life for Jesus’ sake and the gospel’s sake (Mark 8:35). The first priority is to listen to Jesus, which is what the Father told us on the Mount of Transfiguration: “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.” (Mark 9:7) The matter of first priority is to love the Lord our God with our whole being, and so that must shape and inform the way that we serve others. We are the Lord's servant first, and the servant of others second. We will not serve bank robbers by agreeing to be the driver of the getaway vehicle, even if they think that's how we could best serve them. We are willing to serve the men who would be bank robbers by pleading with them to turn away from the path of destruction and to repent of their wicked schemes. We will serve the addict perhaps by staging an intervention. The bottom line: we will always remember that we are the Lord's servant, and the Lord sets the terms of our service, not them. Other people don't define the terms of our service, and we don't define the terms of our service. Jesus defines the terms of our service.

Third, take to heart that being “servant of all” is impossible for someone who is preoccupied with self-preservation. Jesus told us to abandon the chase for self-preservation in Mark 8. He said, “For whoever would save his life will lose it” (Mark 8:35). If you're preoccupied with preserving your life and your reputation and your resources in this present world, then guess what? The command to be a “servant of all” is going to be a huge threat, because serving some people might endanger you. Or if you're serving those of ill repute, then your association with them might knock your own reputation down a few not a few notches. Or if the person you're called to serve is really needy, it might stretch your limited resources. So, be willing to lose your life for Jesus’ sake and the gospel’s (Mark 8:35) by serving others – by serving the last, the least, and the lost.

Fourth, Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 24 highlights the reality that in times of danger, the willingness to serve others can plummet to sub-zero temperatures. I mention this because we live in tough times. And so, I want you to take this to heart. Jesus said, “And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.” (Matthew 24:12) When you are living in a situation where the moral order is crumbling, and moral courage is melting, and responsible behavior is waning, and lies are on the exponential increase, and unrighteousness is accepted as a matter of course, and professing Christians are abandoning the faith and turning on one another, and tribulations and persecutions are on the rise, then you might be sorely tempted to withdraw, self-protect and put up your own little bubble – you want everyone else to just leave you alone, and love dies. And I'm here to say: don't let that happen! The call to “servant of all” doesn't have a ‘world is imploding exception’ or a ‘persecution exception’. In fact, it is precisely in the context of difficult times where your willingness to humbly serve others will shine the brightest. And remember this: it is far better to suffer and die on the path of self-sacrificial service, than to survive in a bubble where love has died.

So that was a big picture perspective in order to bring some clarity to the meaning of “servant of all”. Now, let's zero in on the specific call: “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.”

LEARN TO BE “LAST OF ALL AND SERVANT OF ALL”  

Let this sink in: abandon all temptation to pursue promotion, high rank and privileged status in order to prop up your own ego. Clothe yourself with humility, and then go to the back of the line. Race to the bottom and, once you arrive, no one will be beneath you. No one will be beneath your dignity. There will be no one to look down on, because you're at the bottom, “last of all”. But there will be a lot of people to look up to. And in this instance, by ‘look up to’ I don't mean ‘look up to in the sense of admire’ – people may or may not be admirable, people may or may not be praiseworthy, but that isn't the point. The point is that, in humility, you will look up and see a lot of people who have value and significance and worth. You will appreciate their value, and you will consider it your God-appointed duty and privilege to serve them, to welcome them, to honor them, to have a large gracious heart toward them, to help them, to promote their well-being. No envy. No jealousy. No manipulation. No hidden agenda to serve your own selfish ambition in a roundabout way. No inferiority complex. But you are present – truly present – as a humble servant, placed there by almighty God, and ready to serve.

“[Last] of all” means that your pride and vanity is out of the equation. You are dying to the illusion of self-grandeur, and you're becoming humble and self-forgetful. “[Servant] of all” means you are ready and willing to serve, help, bless, nurture, and honor every person who comes along your path. As it says in Philippians 2, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (Philippians 2:3-4)

So, we're to be looking out for others. We want them to flourish. One of the insights I got from my Dad many years ago, as he was reflecting on Philippians 2:3-4, is that that our mindset should always be to make the other person successful.

Let “last of all and servant of all” Get Into Everything

Of course, this instruction (in Philippians 2:3-4 and Mark 9:35) has special relevance to our relationships within the body of Christ. This is very evident as we read the rest of Mark 9, where Jesus is especially thinking about our relationships with each other as fellow believers. Nevertheless, there is an expansiveness to “all” in Mark 9:35 that leaves no relationship unaffected. There is no person, no relationship, no conversation, no encounter or meeting where this instruction is irrelevant. Let “last of all and servant of all” get into everything. In other words, let the attitude of humility and the actions of loving service be the way that you relate to everyone.

If you're in a position of leadership, this passage is not instructing you to abandon your post. Don't make mistake of taking “servant of all” to undermine the mantle of leadership. Jesus is Lord, Messiah, and King, and he never abandoned his ultimate leadership post. And Jesus didn't call the apostles to abandon their post. In fact, Jesus is the One who established them in their apostolic leadership roles. However, this passage does teach us very clearly that leaders, if they would prove faithful to Jesus, must understand that the whole point of their leadership, their authority, and their ability to influence is to helpfully serve others.

And so, if it so happens that at 2:00am, when I'm sound asleep, there is all of a sudden a tap on my elbow, or a cry from down the hallway – this may or may not be theoretical! – what is the right response? Is it right to say, ‘Hey, I'm the Dad and you're the kid. I outrank thee, so go back to sleep and serve me’? That's not such a good response, is it? Of course, I am the Dad, and I do outrank them in authority. So what? This is what Scripture says of the One who outranks us all:

“Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet” (John 13:3-5).

So Dad (speaking to myself or to any other Dad), knowing that the father has put these little ones under your care, rise from your bed and serve your children in the middle of the night by helping them sleep, comforting them in their fears, and ministering to any needs they may have.

Likewise, if you are in a position of manager or team leader or ministry team leader or committee chair or meeting facilitator, you are not there to enhance your reputation or get your way or make sure that you get the credit for the successes and that others get the blame for the failures. Be the first to take responsibility for the shortcomings, and be the first to commend others for the successes. Be determined to help everyone on the team to be included, to be heard, and to succeed at their task.

Let “last of all and servant of all” get into the mundane. When an interruption comes, or when a phone call comes that I really don't want to take, or when an email or text message comes and I really don't want to take time to reply to it, there may be a strong temptation for me to just think about me, my interests, my schedule, my plans, my feelings – and the temptation is to just put it off, put it off a little bit longer, procrastinate a little bit longer until everybody forgets about it (including me!). But that course of action doesn't measure up to Mark 9:35, does it? Am I serving the person who is seeking me out by ignoring them and putting them off? Does putting others off measure up to Matthew 7:12? Jesus said, “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 7:12) The Law and the Prophets is genuine care for others that grows out of our devotion to the Lord.

Seek the Spiritual Good of Others

“[Last] of all and servant of all” touches everything. And it must be remembered that there is no greater service that we can render to others than to seek the well-being of their soul, to seek their spiritual good, to promote the spiritual health of other people, to evangelize the lost, and to edify the saints. The apostle Paul is a wonderful example for us. He said, “Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, for you stand firm in your faith.” (2 Corinthians 1:24) And then near the end of that same letter he said, “I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls” (2 Corinthians 12:15). And he commends his fellow servant Epaphras by saying, “Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stay mature and fully assured in all the will of God. For I bear him witness that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis.” (Colossians 4:12-13) And Paul also wrote these beautiful words in 1 Corinthians: “For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them.” (1 Corinthians 9:19) Doesn't that sound like Mark 9:35? “[Servant] of all” means that we aspire to comfort and encourage and fortify and reprove and instruct and strengthened and protect our fellow disciples, and to evangelize and make new disciples of those who are currently outside the faith.

Those who Teach the Gospel Must Be Transformed by the Gospel

Ultimately there must be a seamless attitude of humble service that runs throughout our lives. If I serve you by teaching the Bible from this pulpit, but otherwise live and pastor in a self-serving way, than I discredit the word that is coming forth from this pulpit. If I teach the gospel to my children with great zeal, but I'm always coming to the dinner table or to the family activities or to the household chores as a self-absorbed person who just wants to be served by them, then I am undermining the teaching of the gospel. How can we commend the great King who laid down his life for us, and then proceed to live as if it's all about us? If our lives are self-absorbed, then it would be far better to stop teaching the gospel until it is transforming you and me into humble servants. Then, as we are becoming humble servants, we can – with credibility – commend that gospel to others.

Spiritual, Practical, and Relational

In the last passage, in Mark 9:14-29, humbly serving the father of that demon-possessed boy would have looked like prayer – praying that boy into healing and deliverance. In Mark 9:41, humbly serving a fellow disciple looks like giving a cup of water. In Mark 9:37, humbly serving a child looks like welcoming the child. Do you see? Humble service involves spiritual ministry, such as prayer; practical ministry, such as giving a cup of cold water; and relational ministry, such as welcoming and receiving – all done for Jesus’ sake, all done for his glory.

This is God’s Will for Your Life

Perhaps some of you are asking the question, ‘What is God's will for my life?’ Don't overcomplicate the answer, my friend. God's will for your life is right here in Mark 9:35 – “be last of all and servant of all.” If you surround yourself with people, then you have a lot of work to do – a lot of people to serve! So start here, by having an eagerness every day to serve other people for Jesus’ sake.

AN OBJECT LESSON THAT RAISES THE STAKES (v. 36-37)

Now hang in there – we’re almost done. These last two verses (v. 36-37) are very helpful because they give an object lesson to drive home the teaching. And it doesn't just drive home the teaching, it actually raises the stakes. Let’s take a look at these verses.

“And he [Jesus] took a child and put him in the midst of them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.”” (Mark 9:36-37)

Now in order to grasp this object lesson, we need to understand that this child –  think of a five or six or seven-year-old – this little child represents someone who is insignificant in terms of social rank. In terms of status and clout in the first century, a little child would have been near the bottom of the social hierarchy. No one would have thought that a child held a position of prominence. And so the child represents someone who is the least. And in terms of verse 35, the child represents someone that you are called to serve. Because “servant of all” means servant of everyone. But where the willingness to be a servant of everyone often gets tested is in whether or not you are willing and ready to serve the least, the insignificant, the social nobodies – such as this child in verse 36. Are you going to serve this little child? Are you going to receive him or her? Are you going to honor this child? Are you going to treat this child as someone who is worthy of your attention, your time, your help, your love?

And again, the child here represents the one who is least. And given the identification between the child and Jesus – Jesus takes the child into his arms and then says that “[whoever] receives one such child in my name receives me” – the child in the fullest sense represents the least disciple, the disciple of least prominence. The disciple of least prominence might actually be a child, or might be someone who suffers financial hardship, or might be someone who faces severe persecution from the world, or might be someone whose personality and gifting renders them quiet and in the background and hidden. Why don't we serve those of low social standing? Specifically, why don't we serve and love and welcome fellow disciples of low social standing? Are you ready for the answer? Because we think way too highly of ourselves!

People who think highly of themselves might stoop low to serve someone of low social standing as a self-serving project or as a management project or as a publicity stunt. ‘Hey, we have a great photo opportunity here. This will look good. This will enhance my image.’ But that's not genuine love.

I want you to see the connection between verse 35 and verse 37. The reason the faithful disciple of verse 35 is able to receive the fellow disciple of least prominence in verse 37 is because – are you ready for this? – is because the faithful disciple of verse 35 already sees himself as “last of all”. He who sees himself as last of all is very much at home with those who are considered least of all. He who is humble is very much at home with those who are considered lowly. “Do not be haughty,” Paul wrote, “but associate with the lowly.” (Romans 12:16) It is haughtiness that will keep you from the lowly, the afflicted, the poor, the despised, the weak, the immature, the nobodies. Haughtiness will keep you from them. But humility will cause you to receive them for Jesus’ sake. And when you humbly receive them for Jesus’ sake, you will not think that you're doing anything spectacular. You're simply being a faithful disciple of Jesus.

But if you push the nobodies away, if you push the lowly away, if you push the little child or the poor disciple away, be forewarned – because you are pushing Jesus away. You are pushing the Father away. If you reject the path of humble service and prefer to chase after worldly greatness and worldly status, then you need to know that you will not have fellowship with Jesus.

Do you want to have fellowship with the humble King?

Do you want to have fellowship with Jesus? Do you want to have fellowship with the King who wept over Jerusalem and then rode into the holy city on a humble donkey? Do you want to have fellowship with the One who “came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45)? Do you want to have fellowship with the Lord of glory who became last of all and servant of all? If that's what you want, then take up your cross and follow Jesus to the bottom, and warmly receive and lovingly serve the little ones that he takes into his arms.

You have to get this picture. Jesus took the child into his arms (v. 36). Jesus takes the little ones, the forgotten ones, the troubled ones, the brokenhearted ones, the persecuted ones, the despised ones, the fragile ones – everyone who trusts him – he takes them into his arms, he serves them, he welcomes them. And then he says, “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.” (v. 37) And there in fellowship with the Father and the Son, the healthy disciple has ceased to have any concern about worldly greatness. The faithful disciple wants to be where Jesus is. And where is Jesus? Jesus is right in the middle of humble sacrificial service – and the cross is ground zero.

Those who would warmly receive Jesus and his Father must be eager and ready to warmly welcome the next little one that the Father brings across your path. And who knows? The Father might bring a little one across your path today.

Let's pray.

Father, we want to be where you are. We want to be in fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ. We want our sinfulness, our selfishness, our preoccupation with all the wrong things, we want those things to die. We want to live fully and freely and generously in your kingdom. Father, I pray that you would bring conviction, courage, strength, humility, and love to our hearts. I pray that there would be a spirit of self-giving love among our church family. I pray that this love would increase – we do love one another – but I pray that our love for one another would increase and spill over to affect our broken, hurting, lost world. I pray in Jesus’ name, amen. 

ENDNOTES

[1] See https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ambition.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

James R. Edwards, The Gospel according to Mark (The Pillar New Testament Commentary). Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002.

William L. Lane, The Gospel of Mark (The New International Commentary on the New Testament). Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1974.

Eckhard J. Schnabel, Mark (Tyndale New Testament Commentaries Vol. 2). Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2017.

James W. Voelz, Mark 1:1–8:26 (Concordia Commentary). St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2013.

Ben Witherington III, The Gospel of Mark: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001.