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 desire to be 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

Yesterday, we read that when came to the disciples (having come from the mountain of the Transfiguration with James, John, and Peter), He saw a great multitude around them, and scribes disputing with them.  Immediately, when they saw Him, all the people were greatly amazed, and running to Him, greeted Him.  And He asked the scribes, "What are you discussing with them?"  Then one of the crowd answered and said, "Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit.  And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid.  So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not."  He answered him and said, "O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you?  How long shall I bear with you?  Bring him to Me."  Then they brought him to Him.  And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth.  So He asked his father, "How long has this been happening to him?"  And he said, "From childhood.  And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him.  But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us."  Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes."  Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!"  When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, "Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!"  Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him.  And he became as one dead, so that many said, "He is dead."  But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.  And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, "Why could we not cast it out?"  So He said to 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.   Once again a secret is revealed to the disciples, but in a hidden way (He did not anyone to know He was passing through Galilee).  Not only is He Messiah, but they must understand He will be betrayed, killed, and He will rise on the third day.  This is the second time He predicts His Passion and Resurrection for the disciples; they will understand He goes freely.

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.   The disciples seem to understand, given the confession and recognition that He is Messiah, that the message of the Kingdom is imminent.  They just don't seem to understand how that Kingdom will be manifest, and how they will play their roles in the Kingdom.  Who would be the greatest is a question of who the "great men" will be in a worldly kingdom, who will have prestige, authority, and power.  They kept silent when Jesus asked what they were disputing; clearly there is some embarrassment over having disputed this question.

And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, "If anyone desires to be 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."    Jesus teaches them about greatness in His kingdom.  They must first of all recognize their duties.  They must see even a little child they receive -- indicating all those who come in the faith of "childlike humility and simplicity" (in the words of my study bible), that is, all those who are poor in spirit -- as if they were receiving not only Christ Himself, but also even the Father.   This is the first lesson they must realize in their places as those who would be great in His kingdom.

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."  It's important to understand these statements in context.  Jesus has shown them a little child -- symbolizing all the "little ones" who will come to them in His name, and in order to teach how they must receive them.  Here John's remark about someone who does not follow them who was casting out demons in Christ's name is meant as a question:  Does His teaching include even those who are not a part of their group?  Theophylact has commented that John's remark is voiced as regret:  his conscience is pricked by what Christ has said about the "little ones."  On the other hand, my study bible notes St. Ambrose, who sees John as expecting full obedience.  But in both cases, Jesus' response expresses that those who act in good faith are not excluded, even if they aren't numbered among the disciples.  My study bible quotes Theopylact as saying, "See how divine grace is at work even in those who are not His disciples."

It is intriguing to consider Jesus' words in today's reading.  He tells His disciples, "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."  This is a statement about a communion between people, between all those who have faith in Him.  We see a kind of reciprocal action:  there are those who will give even a cup of water in the name of Christ.  Because they who receive belong to Christ -- the giver will by no means lose his reward.  There is reciprocal action here in the sense that each party plays a role in that communion, and thereby through each there is a blessing received.  Christ prompts us to charitable action; at the same time we see in the heart of any believer that we give a gift to Christ Himself.  (Please note that this recognition does not eliminate our understanding that we are also to love to our enemies and to pray for them.)  There are many in the world today who suffer for the love of Christ, even who are persecuted in His name.  We can look around the world at those who would target specifically those who are Christian, who profess faith in Christ.  What is our responsibility in recognizing the suffering of these people?  I think first of all we must see the mystical connection that Christ makes between those who have faith in Him.  This is not a complicated question.  It is a question of recognizing the love of Christ at work in each heart that embraces Him.  It is faith that makes the connection, faith that has to shape our identity as part of His Kingdom.  It is really a question of how we are to relate to one another in this Kingdom.  Who are the least of these?  Do we stand by and do nothing to help?  Are our concerns not also with His Kingdom wherever it may take root?  It is important that we recognize God's love in the love of Christ, important that we see it is in loving Christ that the Kingdom roots itself in the world.   This is where we meet, where blessings are given and received.  There is no question, in Christ's words, that a denial of such reception is also a denial not only of Himself, but of the Father.  This opens up a multitude of questions we can ask of ourselves.  How do we live our faith and understand that the "little ones" may be found anywhere in the world?  Can we recognize their need?  Can we recognize their suffering?  Do we lose them in the general need of the world, or is it a tragedy for those who seek to bear this Kingdom to be lost to the world?  Do we overlook them to be "fair"?  Does that not mean we overlook Him?  How do we receive them?