BEING FIRST
GOSPEL READING : Mark 9. 30-37

I imagine how many teens and even adults have started dreaming to become famous like BOLT the Jamaican sprinter since they saw him winning medals upon medals at the London 2012 Olympics. But that would not be so easier than becoming a Bill Gates the first richest man in the world. Becoming first does always require wisdom and efforts, time and sacrifices, but also testing through many unexpected situations. Being first in this world has never been an easy obtained gift but a tough struggle. Glory! Glory! is the very dream and concern of man.

Jesus had just healed a young boy with an evil spirit and while walking down to Capernaum with his Disciples, He told them that He was going to be betrayed into the hands of men, and be killed, but would rise after three days. “But they did not understand what He meant and were afraid to ask him about it.”(Mark 9:32, NIV).

That’s how men usually react in many situations. They never take time to understand neither God’s Truths nor His plans nor His appeals to a particular problem to be solved. Instead of going to God for needed explanation, men start discussing and arguing about their own concern for glory! What Peter and the other Disciples were arguing about had no relation at all with the healing of the boy neither with an evil spirit nor with Jesus being betrayed and killed and rise. Incomprehensible! Unbelievable!

“Oh! You want to be first, asks Jesus? Here’s my free eternal project for all those who want to be and remain eternally FIRST: “If anyone wants to be FIRST, he must be THE VERY LAST, and THE SERVANT of all.” Strange! Would say any modern scholar! How can FIRST be equal to VERY LAST? For men, first is first and last is last, while for God, FIRST is LAST and VERY LAST is FIRST. The Apostle Paul understood earlier this Truth that “the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength” (I Corinthians 1:25, NIV). Yes, because the VERY LAST is the rear seat where the very humble sit waiting for God’s plan to come upon them. That’s where the invalid of Bethesda had been lying for thirty-eight years, having no favor to get someone to help him plunge into the pool when the water was stirred by an angel. The VERY LAST is the seat for SERVANTS OF OTHERS, SERVANTS OF ALL! Servants of All are rare to find in this over proud world.

But the most touching teaching Jesus gave his Disciples on that day was the one about welcoming a little child in his Name: “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my Name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the One who sent me”(Mark 9:37, NIV).

Bishop, Dr Justin Baransananikiye
President,
CHRISTIANS STRENGTHENING CHRISTIANS
http://iprayforyou.worthyofpraise.org
http://christiansstrengtheningchristian.doodlekit.com/blog