Whoever receives this little child in My name receives Me

Now it happened on the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, that a great multitude met Him. Suddenly a man from the multitude cried out, saying, "Teacher, I implore You, look on my son, for he is my only child. And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out; it convulses him so that he foams at the mouth; and it departs from him with great difficulty, bruising him. So I implored Your disciples to cast it out, but they could not." Then Jesus answered and said, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here." And as he was still coming, the demon threw him down and convulsed him. Then Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the child, and gave him back to his father.

And they were all amazed at the majesty of God. But while everyone marveled at all the things which Jesus did, He said, to His disciples, "Let these words sink down into your ears, for the Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men." But they did not understand this saying, and it was hidden from them so that they did not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask Him about this saying.

Then a dispute arose among them as to which of them would be greatest. And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a little child and set him by Him, and said to them, "Whoever receives this little child in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me. For he who is least among you all will be great."

Now John answered and said, "Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow with us." But Jesus said to him, "Do not forbid him, for he who is not against us is on our side."

- Luke 9:37-50

Yesterday's reading took us to the mountaintop -- the scene of Jesus' Transfiguration. Jesus went to the mountain to pray, and took with Him John, James and Peter. They saw Him transfigured in the brightest of light, with the figures of Moses and Elijah speaking with Him. They were speaking of Jesus' "exodus" from Jerusalem -- His coming Passion and death. And finally a revelation of the Trinity, a cloud overhead out of which the voice of the Father spoke. But they told no one when they came down from the mountain. See Transfiguration.

Now it happened on the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, that a great multitude met Him. Suddenly a man from the multitude cried out, saying, "Teacher, I implore You, look on my son, for he is my only child." Jesus returns from the mountaintop of transfiguration to His work of healing. There is a reflection of other healings here -- in that this is the man's only child. So often people come to Jesus because what is most precious to them in the world is threatened, what they love most may be lost and is in danger.

"And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out; it convulses him so that he foams at the mouth; and it departs from him with great difficulty, bruising him. So I implored Your disciples to cast it out, but they could not." Then Jesus answered and said, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here." And as he was still coming, the demon threw him down and convulsed him. Then Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the child, and gave him back to his father." And they were all amazed at the majesty of God. The "enemies" of humanity are those that harm and cause destruction to the innocent. But we learn here that even the disciples, though they have already returned from their first mission, are not fully powerful, not even fully faithful. For Ascension Day, we were given the reading of Jesus' departure, the final reading in Luke -- and even there, we learned that some doubted. The life of discipleship does not mean perfection, but we are always a work in progress.

And they were all amazed at the majesty of God. But while everyone marveled at all the things which Jesus did, He said, to His disciples, "Let these words sink down into your ears, for the Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men." But they did not understand this saying, and it was hidden from them so that they did not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask Him about this saying. Jesus' healing is always for the purpose of giving glory to God; each miracle is a sign of the majesty of God. But even so, even as the "majesty of God" is expressed and showing in their midst -- just as Jesus was transfigured in glory for Peter, James and John -- Jesus reminds them again of what is to come. But they cannot understand it. They are dazzled by the displays of power and majesty; the Passion is impossible for them to grasp. Jesus is trying to prepare them for this great stumbling block that will come, this scandal. How is it even possible? But this is the way of the cross, a seeming paradox, the way of our Christian lives. We accept our world as it is and find our way through it, His way.

Then a dispute arose among them as to which of them would be greatest. And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a little child and set him by Him, and said to them, "Whoever receives this little child in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me. For he who is least among you all will be great." Filled with the majesty and vision of power, all the disciples can focus on is who will be greatest in the kingdom. They cannot understand what is coming and have not grasped what Jesus is trying to tell them. This is a great teaching on humility - what is so necessary for discipleship and His Way. Even the least is connected to God the Father, to "Him who sent Me." This is a new and different way of relating, of understanding ourselves as disciples before God. We must find new ways to understand what it is to be great - not as the world understands this - and to bear the kingdom in this world. My study bible points out that a little child is "an icon of dependency" -- a simple illustration of greatness in humility and service. Ultimately it is a teaching about love, about all of our connectedness to Him, and even to God the Father.

Now John answered and said, "Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow with us." But Jesus said to him, "Do not forbid him, for he who is not against us is on our side." Let us remember that tolerance and love mean a breadth of vision! Not only is the little child great, but our care must extend to those who may practice differently than we do. How can we serve this notion of family within the Church? How many lessons do we still have to learn? Can love unite us? Can we really see who is "on our side?" It is another lesson for the disciples about humility, and what they are doing in the world, what their mission is all about.

So, in today's readings we get a heavy dose of learning about humility -- and how that must be a part of what it is to be great. Jesus' miracles are not about self-aggrandizement but the glory and "majesty" of God. How do we glorify God but by the practice of humility, as He teaches? And we also have to note that these teachings are linked to faith. Jesus points out that they cannot heal the boy because they lack faith -- and thereby that lack of the fullness of faith is also linked to their lack of understanding about His passion and death that is to come, their desire for a worldly kind of greatness, their concerns about others who are healing in His name. Let us remember the lessons learned here today -- faith teaches us humility and love, to see others the way we need to, and focus clearly on our own mission. So, as we did for Thursday's reading of the Great Commission for Ascension Day, let us focus again on mission. How are we to bear the kingdom in the world? How do we focus on what we need to do, and let go of the rest? How does humility get you to where you need to be, for the glory of God? Let us remember the Transfiguration and then the certainty of His death at the hands of men, and call to ourselves the humility He taught. How do you serve God today?