Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me

Then they departed from there and passed through Galilee, and He did not want anyone to know it. For He taught His disciples and said to them, “The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him. And after He is killed, He will rise the third day.” But they did not understand this saying, and were afraid to ask Him.

Then He came to Capernaum. And when He was in the house He asked them, “What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road?” But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest. And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “If anyone desires to be the first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.”

Then He took a little child and set him in the midst of them. And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them, “Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me."

Now, John answered Him, saying, “Teacher, we saw someone who does not follow us casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow us.” But Jesus said, “Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me. For he who is not against us is on our side. For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.”

- Mark 9:30-41

On Saturday, we read that when Jesus came to His disciples, He saw many people around them, and the disciples were disputing with some scribes. All the people were amazed to see Him and ran to Him. He asked the scribes, “What are you discussing with them?” One of the crowd told Him that he brought His mute son to be healed, but the disciples could not cast out the unclean spirit. Jesus said, “O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you?” and told the man to bring his son. The spirit convulsed the son in Jesus’ presence, and He asked, “How long has this been happening to him?” “From childhood,” answered the father – and the boy was often thrown into the fire and water in order to destroy him. “But,” said the father, “if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” Jesus told him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” The father replied, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” Jesus rebuked the spirit and cast it out. Later the disciples asked in private why they could not do so. Jesus told them, “this kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.”

Then they departed from there and passed through Galilee, and He did not want anyone to know it. For He taught His disciples and said to them, “The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him. And after He is killed, He will rise the third day.” But they did not understand this saying, and were afraid to ask Him. Again, we are back in Galilean territory. And also, once again, Jesus is endeavoring to keep His presence a secret. In private, He teaches what is unthinkable, yet again. The son of Man will be betrayed, killed, and will rise again on the third day. They still don’t understand what He can mean – and they are afraid to ask Him about it. My study bible says that perhaps by this time they are aware of their own dullness and are sensitive to His rebukes; or perhaps they simply don’t want to face the fact of His coming death.

Then He came to Capernaum. And when He was in the house He asked them, “What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road?” But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest. Clearly, He’s aware of what they were arguing about, but once again we encounter their “shyness” to talk to Christ Himself; perhaps with good reason! In a few short verses, we are shown the very human side of the disciples! That teaches us something about ourselves as disciples; God takes us where we are. We must be prepared to learn and grow into discipleship.

And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “If anyone desires to be the first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.” Then He took a little child and set him in the midst of them. And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them, “Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me.” In this private moment with only the twelve, Jesus teaches the degree of tolerance and forbearance that must be theirs. Not only is He teaching them, twice now, about His own suffering and death to come, but He is also introducing what kind of discipleship and leadership He will expect when He is gone. This is the way they are to become great in His Church, His kingdom on earth. They must view the littlest among the flock as if they behold not only Christ, but even the face of His Father! So far they have done great things, having had Jesus’ power shared with them, but now is the time for the understanding of the humility necessary to truly serve. Especially because of their dispute, it’s time to introduce this subject. “So serious is this issue,” says my study bible, “that the remainder of this chapter is cast against its backdrop.” It adds, “The passion for position must be displaced by a decision to be last, to serve all people. Beyond even humility, service is active care and love for others.”

Now, John answered Him, saying, “Teacher, we saw someone who does not follow us casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow us.” But Jesus said, “Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me. For he who is not against us is on our side. For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.” My study bible has such a beautiful note on this section that I will start with that quote: “This discussion is the aftermath of the argument as to who would be greatest. Sectarianism and triumphalism (the attitude that one creed is superior to all others) are forbidden, for God’s working transcends our limited perceptions. One is either for or against Christ, but it is not always ours to know who is on which side.” Let us consider also the words of St. Paul: “Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?” 1 Corinthians 1:12-13. But there is more to this passage; it is framed in a poignant statement about relatedness, care of neighbor, the relationship of one part of the Body to another. Each of us as sheep becomes a carrier of a blessing, in some sense. Just as the young child should be seen even with the face of God the Father by those in the Church, so each Christ-bearing sheep may also be received, by any one of us. To bring a cup of water to Christ is to reap blessings for having done so, in any way in which this occurs.

If you ask me, the two powerful teachings of Jesus in today’s reading are the most important things that we can remember in discipleship, as a part of the Church. And, of course, they are related to one another. They are both a part of the active practice of love, as my study bible points out. First, there is the way in which we welcome “the littlest.” For Jesus to express that in receiving a little child in the Church we must also see Him -- and even His Father -- is an expression of His deep love for all who will come to Him. As His disciples, what they do reflects on Him – and He is asking them to reflect His deep love, care and concern for each who will come to Him. This is another facet of the statement in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world . . ..” We can’t forget that the basis of this Church, His mission in the world, is love, first and foremost – and that love is reflected in the face of the child whom we must receive as if he or she were Christ Himself, or even the One who sent Him. Secondly, there is the danger of sectarianism. Each one of us may be in a place of faith where we are led on a road, ever more deeply, but division can’t help us. Particularly now at this point in time, I feel this message is as crucial as it ever was. St. Paul addresses this problem in the early Church, when people are disputing which teacher they favor most. But, in the end, we all have the same Teacher, and this is something to remember. I hope that what I write helps anyone in their faith, regardless of denomination. There is so much we need to learn, so far we have to go. Receiving the child, receiving one another, depends upon the love that we can call on to help us see the Way. Let us remember the words that I believe say it very well, “God’s working transcends our limited perceptions. One is either for or against Christ, but it is not always ours to know who is on which side.” To give one another help and aid is to receive all the blessings Christ can give. St. Paul makes reference to Abraham, when he said in Hebrews 13:2, “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.” So by serving one another (even with a cup of water) we may “entertain” Christ without knowing it. Let us remember this is also His gift of love to us! Jesus gives us relatedness from the little child even up through the Father, and from each one of us to the other -- the disciples to the littlest ones "in His name." It is a kind of relationship of the Cross: the greatest and the least, and each one of us to the other -- the vertical and the horizontal. Let us be complete in His love and remember the blessings He bestows through this understanding. Can we truly live up to His teaching and remember it for ourselves among one another?