Corona Chronicles 2: (Ep.50) What Makes a Great Christian?
91 sermons
We're still in March chapter 9. We're gonna start reading at first 30, Well, I guess the question is, what is a great Christian? What is a great person? What is it? What is it?
To be great in this world? And that's what we're thinking about here. So starting at verse 30, they left the place and passed through Galile. Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, the son of man is going to be delivered into the hands of men.
They will kill him. And after 3 days, he will rise, but they did not understand what he meant. And were afraid to ask him about it. They came to Copenium. When he was in the house, He asked them, what were you arguing about on the road when they kept quiet?
Because on the way, they had argued about who was the greatest Sitting down, Jesus called the 12 and said, anyone who wants to be first must be the very last. And the servant of all. He took a little child whom he placed among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, Whoever welcomes 1 of these little children in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the 1 who sent me. Mhmm.
What's this all about then? Well, I mean, it's it's it's sort of shocking, isn't it? In some ways to think of the disciples arguing about their own greatness on the road. And there are 2 reasons I think why that is particularly shocking. Firstly, Last week, we were having to think about or in our previous sessions.
We were having to think about this demon possessed boy. And many people had had a crack at trying to exercise this demon, but they hadn't been depending upon Jesus. And unfortunately, the disciples were among that crowd. And right at the end, in verse 29, Jesus says to them this kind can only come out by prayer. In other words, you didn't pray you didn't pray.
You didn't ask God for help when it came to doing ministry. And yet, a short while after this, they're arguing about their own prestige and spiritual greatness, which is very odd. It's like it's like 2 2 people taking part in a race. Both of them coming last, and then arguing about who's the quickest. You know, it was like, Lads, you both you both just lost that race, you know.
And so they're arguing about their own greatness. When their own lack of greatness has just been revealed. Secondly, it's strange that they're arguing about this, because Jesus has just said that his greatness is gonna be seen in dying and suffering and serving. In fact, we'll come to this. In Mark chapter 10, Jesus says something similar to that, and then says, for the son of man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for man.
Yeah. And it only uses that term son of man. Yeah. Which we've seen before, which which is is sort of a ruler of the universe, isn't it? God's king, kingdom ruler.
Mhmm. And so, this kingdom ruler, is going to be delivered into the hands of men, is going to be killed because that is the way to serve in this world, and to save people from wickedness. Yeah. Yeah. And as you say, they just haven't got it, they're just arguing about it.
Which is what we're like. Which is what we're Yeah. We bring everything back to me. Yes. So it's not that man's prayer that we saw earlier on in chapter.
You know, I believe, lord help my unbelief. This is, I believe in myself, and I need to carry on believing in myself. Yes. And to become first is always He's the direct opposite application. Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So Jesus then is going to is going to show them, again, very patient, isn't he? And very kind with his disciples and with us.
And he's going to teach them what life in his kingdom is all about. And he's going to now define for them what greatness looks like. So they presumably are still thinking in terms of position and power and, you know, exercising sort of the lordship of the people, those in those categories, But Jesus says in verse 35 here, sitting down, you know, sits them all down, isn't it? Jesus called the 12 and said, anyone who wants to be first must be the very last. And the servant of all.
As I said, I mean, it's the servant of all. So again, it's if we're thinking of ministry down in the valley where it's full of evil and satan, then we have to be the servants. We have to be people that put our life on the line. And then, he's this is just wonderful Jesus, isn't it? Because he illustrates it so powerfully by taking a little child.
Now, we've got to remember, we live in different day, yes, children were considered as nothing and unimportant. It's different in our age today. They're like everything. But they're unimportant. And he takes this unimportant.
Child right in the middle, doesn't he? And says, anyone who welcomes an unimportant person like this. Not only welcomes me, but welcomes God the father. That's what he say. Isn't it?
It is. Yeah. And you know, it's a hard lesson both for them and for us because as we've seen in previous, you know, sessions. They were tempted by the the kind of the yeast of the pharisees, and and that's that way of doing religion. And the pharisees and the teachers of the law would have been very quick to dismiss women and children and those who weren't influential or reported in society.
But Jesus says, no, your service is to be to be such that you would even welcome, those who are outcast, those who are despised, those who are considered to be nothing. In in my name, in other words, because you belong me. So this is not just I want you to do nice stuff in the community. He's saying, I want I want me to make a difference to how you treat people. And so in in the way that you go about your life and in who you welcome, you you can't leave these despised ones out.
Because of me, I want you to go to them, serve them. Yeah. And he who would be first will be last, yeah. So this, again, this great son of man, figure is the 1 that's going to die for people like this -- Mhmm. -- which isn't what it's about.
Well, I think we'll leave you there.