Eighteenth Sunday After Pentecost September 21-22, 2024
“Finding Self” Mark 9:30-37
Rev. John R. Larson Ascension Lutheran Church Littleton, Colorado
Have you ever heard a person describing what they are going through in life by saying, “I am trying to find myself”? Maybe you have said the same thing. Somewhere along the line we get lost, and we have to find ourselves once again.
Maybe life and all of its obligations and duties caused us to lose our identity. Maybe we got lost by what was required of us through our job. What we once were is no more. And now we want to find out who we really are.
Sometimes people who are seeking to find themselves begin looking in some pretty weird places. Someone who has a few years on them wants to find themselves being 30-or 40 years younger. I think we call that a mid-life crisis. Sometimes “finding self” means buying everything that they never needed before. They enter a second childhood. Sometimes “finding self” means a total change of character.
Finding self can mean a new stage of selfishness, but it can also mean a new and better self. It can mean God’s call to faith and humility. It can be a stronger self, built on God’s marvelous call in your life.
My message today asks the question about self looking at the life of the disciples, the life of Jesus, and in the face of a child.
The disciples of Jesus had an ongoing question. And it always began with the words, “I”, “Me” or “Mine”. In verses 33-34 of our reading we get a glimpse of how they related to one another. It reads, “They came to Capernaum. When Jesus was in the house, he asked them, ‘What were you talking about on the road?’ But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest.” They kept quiet because they were ashamed and embarrassed. “What were you talking about?” “Oh, it was nothing.” “I don’t want to talk about that.” “Next question, please.”
This competition between the Twelve was continuous. This was a hard lesson for them to learn. Just one chapter later in Mark’s gospel the whole subject came up again. “Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. ‘Teacher, we want to do for us whatever we ask.’ Jesus said, ‘What do want me to do for you?’ They replied, ‘Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.’” (Mark 10:35-37) Later we read, “When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. Jesus called them together and said, ‘You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be the slave of all.” (Mark 10:41-44)
Finding self calls for a new look, a new place, a new heart. Finding self, for anybody, is not done by looking inside but by looking outside. If you are going to start over you had better start over with God being the center of that new self. Just before the disciples got into the argument about who was the greatest among them Jesus told them what His position was. “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise again.” (Mark 9:31)
Jesus, constantly, speaks about what He would do for the salvation of mankind. The title, “Son of Man” comes from the Old Testament. It is a messianic term. It is a term that speaks about deity, glory and majesty. The most majestic and glorified action of Jesus was His gift of Himself for us. In the next chapter, following His words about His death and resurrection, about folks killing Him and then three days later rising from death, Jesus says, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45) Do you know I John 4:10? It goes like this, “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins.”
Mark gives the words of Jesus about the crucifixion that waited for Him on three different occasions (8:31, 9:31, 10:33-34). But death wasn’t His only word. Sacrifice for us wasn’t His only word. Resurrection was the final word. His resurrection. He defined Himself by speaking about His death which brings us forgiveness of all sin, and His resurrection which assures us that we too will live following our death. We too will experience a resurrection of our bodies. That will be a glorious day. As Paul says, “As in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.” (I Corinthians 15:22-23)
What a contrast we see in the few verses we have in our reading! We have the pompous ways of the disciples. Then we have the sacrificial, loving, giving and victorious ways of Christ. And to make sure He was understood Jesus gives a children’s message. If we want to truly find self then we find ourselves with faith in Jesus, grace from God and living with the neediness of a little child.
In this interaction with the disciples Jesus sits down and begins teaching the 12, again!, about being the person that God wants them to be. He said, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.” Then a little child wanders into the room and Jesus brings the child into His arms and says, “Whover welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but welcomes the one who sent me.” (See Mark 9:35-37)
The smallest child is completely dependent on another for their care, their food, their love and their safety. Finding self is not becoming autonomous but growing in a greater need for God’s hand and leading in our life. In Matthew 18 we read once again about the disciples and their question about greatness. Notice where Jesus goes with this, “At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, ‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said, ‘I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.’” (Verses 1-3) You’ve heard this one, “People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.’ And he took the children in in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.” (Mark 10:13-16)
Finding self can be the most wonderful journey we take in life. It is not just a middle-aged thing. Teenagers are trying to find themselves as they begin a life with great changes. Someone in their 20’s or 30’s finds themselves asking hard questions. Those who have become eligible for AARP, or even older than that, have some good questions about life.
Don’t you see? Christ in His great sacrifice, His deep and enduring love, and His final triumph allows us to rejoice in who we are. I John 3 begins, “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called the children of God! And that is what we are.” (Verse 1) And we, with great humility and full anticipation come to our Heavenly Father and ask for the best things of body, soul and mind to be given to us, His dear children.
Find yourself in God’s gracious embrace. Then you have truly found yourself. Amen!!
