October 24, 2021 — Pentecost +22B

“They came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Jesus stood still and said, “Call him here.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart; get up, he is calling you.” So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. Then Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man said to him, “My teacher, let me see again.” Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith has made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.” Mark 10:46-52

How is it that we define greatness in our society today? Is it by the amount of wealth someone has acquired throughout their lifetime? Is it by the number of books they have written, or the movies they have starred in? Is it in the positions they have held, or the number of companies they own? Is it in the type of car they drive, or the size of the house they live in? Is greatness defined by the colleges they have graduated from? Is it whether they became president of the United States, president of their fraternity, or president of their high school class? Is it in the number of yards they have run for or thrown for in the NFL, or the number of goals they have scored in the NHL? Is it in the people we know, the places we have traveled, or the people we call our friends? Notice in most of these cases, greatness is not achieved through token contributions.

Greatness is arbitrary, isn’t it? It is decided by ever changing rules, ever changing qualifications. What made you great in the 60’s may not make you great in the 2000’s. A band that was great in the 50’s cannot compare to a band that is considered great today. And yet, people go to great lengths to be considered great. Some people have put the word “great” in their names – like Alexander the Great, or Wayne Gretsky, who is known as the “Great One”.

It was greatness that was on the minds of the disciples – it had been greatness that had been on their minds since the second time Jesus told they he was going to Jerusalem to be killed. In the 9th chapter of Mark, Jesus is telling them he must die, and they are arguing about who was greatest among the disciples. Jesus responds by telling them that whoever wanted to be first among them must be last and servant of all. But that apparently didn’t have much of an impact upon them – for here are James and John asking Jesus for positions of greatness, in the kingdom of G-d. It is so apparent that the disciples do not have a “great” grasp on the obvious. Earlier when they saw someone casting out demons in the name of Jesus, they asked Jesus if they should stop the person. But Jesus tells them that “Whoever is not against us is for us.” And when the disciples are stopping the children from coming into his midst, Jesus says “Let the children come. It is to such as these that the Kingdom of G-d belongs.”

And here, the disciples want to be great – or at least to receive some kind of payoff for being followers of Jesus – and Jesus will again try to teach them what it means to be a follower of Jesus. Will they get it this time?

Jesus says that greatness in the Christian community is not defined by society’s definition of greatness, have positions of greatness or honor. Greatness instead comes in the personal service to others – being a slave to all – in self-denying acts of Christian love and mercy that one does for another – done without expectation or recognition of praise. Christian greatness comes from those who are willing to pour themselves out and completely lay down their lives by heading into the teeth of the flames of sin, death and the devil and do self-denying acts to serve others with the intent that other lives depend on our acts.

Pastor Dave