Jesus Teaches Who Is In

Text: Mark 9:30-41

Reflection and Question: Jesus’ disciples are often preoccupied with who is the greatest and Jesus’ answer is always the same. In this passage Jesus embraces a child, ranked with the women and the animals in those times, thus aligning Himself with the lowly. And when the disciples ask Him to stop a stranger from casting out demons in His name, Jesus declines with this open-ended comment: “Whoever is not against us is for us.” Jesus spreads His arms wide to include the many rather than the few as His friends. How quick are you to align yourself with the lowly and include the good stranger?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we are as quick as the disciples to judge who is in and who is out. Free us from this preoccupation. Find us as loving and free as the little child and as welcoming of strangers as You are. Amen.

This meditation is based on the Daily Lectionary Year 1 from the Book of Common Worship for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) (1993).