Being Important Mark 9:30 - 37

Have you ever noticed that people can be kind of weird?

Some people are just happy all the time. They feel good about themselves and they’re happy to share and they are nice to everyone.

Some people can get grumpy really easily. They may not feel good about themselves, so they might try to make other people feel bad or they might try to make themselves feel more important than anyone else.

It’s all a little confusing to understand why people are the way they are. But Jesus understood people pretty well. And one day, when his disciples were arguing about who was most important, Jesus said, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.”

Can you guess what that means? Here’s a hint. After he said that, he picked up a little child, hugged it close, and said, “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me, welcomes not me but the one who sent me.”

That might seem a little confusing, but what Jesus was really saying was this: If you welcome a little child, it’s just like welcoming Jesus. And if you welcome Jesus, it’s like welcoming God, too!

Now, we might think it’s only normal to be nice and welcoming to children. But, back then, people didn’t think children were too terribly important. So, if Jesus wanted them to be loving and welcoming to CHILDREN, do you suppose he wanted them to be loving and welcoming to EVERYONE?

But, what about that first and last thing Jesus told the disciples about?

Jesus wanted the disciples, and all of us, to remember that we must love, welcome, and serve one another. But we should also remember that God made and loves each of us and that makes all of us pretty spectacular!

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