9/22 Sermon - Last Place Is Good

Last place is good

Mark 9:30-37

What did you argue about when you were little?

I imagine you can remember plenty of silly, foolish, and selfish arguments with siblings.

My brothers and I played with rubber band guns or played war with tied up old socks as our ammo. I had no sisters.

If you got hit, you were out. But of course, we fought on whether or not someone got hit.  

What did you argue about as children? Toys? Dolls? Basketball? Ice cream? TV?

None of us wanted to be in “last place.”

Our reading has an argument at the center of it. Let’s look at how that argument begins.

Jesus says “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise.”

The disciples have NO CLUE what Jesus just said.

Jesus? The Messiah? The one who says he’s the Son of God? He’s going to die? What?

They didn’t understand.

And they were too afraid to ask. Not because they had respect for Jesus.

But because of pride. They didn’t want to admit they were wrong.

They had no clue why Jesus would humble himself to death.

Then the argument happens. One the road, each disciple claims, “I am the greatest.”

Perhaps the transfiguration caused it? Jesus kind of picked out Peter, James, and John. 

Can you imagine that? Jesus, the Son of God himself, the creator of the heavens and the earth, the redeemer of the world, the Word incarnate, walks right next to you. Yet you can claim, “I am the greatest.”

It’s a little comical.

Why were they arguing about who is the greatest?

 I think you know. It’s obvious. Pride.

They didn’t want to admit failure. They didn’t want Jesus to die. They wanted to be the greatest. It was about pride.

Many have said that pride is the root cause of all sin, and I kind of agree with that. Pride.

Our reading from Numbers 12 shows us a slice of pride.

Aaron and Miriam, Moses’ siblings, let pride grow in their heart.

They saw Moses leadership, his position, his status, and they were jealous.

They thought they were just as good as Moses, maybe even superior to Moses. 

“We should be the leaders, not Moses! What gives him the right to lord it over us?”

And their pride even led to something as superficial and harmful as racism, tearing down Moses’, dark Cushite wife. It was because of pride.

You and I also have a problem with pride, don’t we? I know we do! I say confidently that we all have a problem with pride because we all argue.

It’s easy to get along with someone far away, isn’t it? It’s easy to see someone suffering on the TV or one the news and say, “Sure, I love them,” because they’re far away. 

It’s harder to get along with people right next to us. With our spouses. Our family. Our co-workers. Our children.

Arguments usually happens with people closest to us.

And it’s really a “me” problem. It is. If we are arguing with someone, whether just once or a long, drawn-out affair, it’s not “their” problem. It’s a “me” problem.

I’m going to double down on that. If there is an argument in our life, usually, it’s a “me” problem.

We argue with our spouse because we need to be right, we argue with our co-workers because we need to be better, we argue with our neighbors because we’re more responsible.

If we’re fighting with someone, if we’re arguing with family, friends, neighbors, we need to repent. Arguing, as ugly as it is, is just the fruit of pride.

Pride grows in our heart, like a cancerous tumor, like a weed that you can never quite pull out.

Pride seeks to put myself first, tear others down, to always be right, never admits a mistake, never listens, never sees value in someone else. Pride is always offended and angry. Pride wants to make someone else pay.

That’s how James talks. Look at 3:14. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.

It’s so easy for us to have envy, ambition, selfishness in our hearts. Pride.

So many sins spring from that rotten source of pride that wants to be first.

Jesus shows us a better way. He shows us that last place is good.

Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise.”

Jesus, the Son of God and Man, the creator of the world, humbled himself. He let himself be delivered into weak, sinful human hands. He let himself be unjustly tried. He allowed them to pound nails into his hands and beat. Jesus let them kill him. Jesus willingly took the sins of the whole world, your sin, my sin, on his shoulders, died, and rose to life.

Jesus took last place. He suffered and died and went through something completely unimaginable, hell itself.

Why did Jesus do all of that? Because of you. Us.

His thoughts were entirely of focused on us. He placed others ahead of himself.

He did that to save us from sins. To give us forgiveness. Life, eternal life, in paradise.

He gave us everything.

He took last place so that we might come first.

Jesus gives us a pattern.

“Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.”

He tells us that in every relationship that we have, last place is good.

True greatness in the world’s view is glory, wealth, power, intelligence. First place. 

I love watching the Olympics, but this was obvious. First place is good for the world.

So many athletes pounded their chests, point to themselves when they won.

True greatness in God’s view is humility, service, kindness. Last place.

Again, I can remember a number of athletes who won win humility and respect.

Often, they were Christians. I know a number of athletes like that.

Greatness in God’s eyes come when we place others first.

The world understands this, kind of. People understand kindness and humility are good.

But that’s really just lip service. We all still love to put ourselves first.

There’s no way to stop that.

Only Jesus gives us not only the beautiful pattern, but the power to put others first.

Only in Jesus can we say, “Last place is good,” and actually live like that, by his power, because Jesus put himself last and us first.

Here’s my encouragement I walk to talk with you about for just a little bit.

Last place is good. This applies in every area of our lives.

Jesus gives us special demonstration with a small child.  Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”

A child can’t do anything for you. Nothing. But you can do a lot for a child, can’t you?

That’s our attitude towards everyone. True humility isn’t tearing ourselves down. It’s putting others first.

Last place is good.

How about with our family: children and spouses? How does that look? Spending time with spouse and children individually and together, listening to them, doing what they want instead of what I want, being happy when they smile. Last place is good.

How about with co-worker? Think of someone you don’t get along with. Okay, now try and be friends with them. Don’t talk back. Don’t take the bait. Ask them questions, bring them cookies, be interested in them. Make it your goal to be their friend. Last place is good.

How about a neighbor? Instead of always being angry and frustrated, do something nice for them. Try and just get to know them 1/week. Help them with a project. Make them happy that you’re their neighbor. Last place is good.

How about an enemy? Someone you’re fighting with: a legal battle, family, a friend? Someone you don’t get along with? What does this look like? Maybe it looks like letting them “win”, whatever that might be. Giving up, even if that means honor or honor. Then you will receive glory from God and give him glory.

Last place is good. How can we possibly do that? Look at Jesus, who gave himself for us.