It is not without good reason that many people say they never
argue about politics or religion. The ignorance and intolerance of
men in relation to these subjects is such that they almost always
lead to contention and anger rather than helpfulness and
understanding. The average person, who does not delight in
verbal wrangling, and who does not enjoy seeing what he feels to
be precious dragged through the mud of controversy, feels that the
best thing to do is just be quiet. The ignorance with which men
attack brothers in Christ is almost unbelievable, and if we did not
have examples of the same foolishness in the Bible we could easily
be led to doubt their salvation. Some have not only admitted their
ignorance, but have bragged about it. One such man said to John
Wesley, "I thank God for my ignorance." Wesley simply
responded that he certainly had much to be thankful for.
Contention has characterized Christianity from its
conception. This may sound like an awful thing to say about those
who claim to follow the Prince of Peace, but it needs to be said and
understood, for the Bible both portrays it and predicts it.
Practically every one of the Apostles, including Paul, is pictured as
being wrong in an argument at some point. The 3 best known are
specifically mentioned as being out of God's will in their attitudes
toward others. Peter, Paul and John were all wrong at some
point. Peter was wrong in his attitude toward Gentiles, and God
had to rebuke him and teach him that Gentiles were not unclean,
but equal with Jews in His plan of salvation. Paul had to rebuke
Peter for his narrowness.
Paul in turn was in a controversy with Barnabas over John
Mark, who was the author of the Gospel of Mark. Paul did not
think he was a fit person to travel with them on a missionary
journey, but Barnabas was willing to give him another chance
even though he failed on the first try. Paul did not agree and
would not give in, and so they split up and Barnabas took Mark
with him. Mark proved himself to be a loyal servant of Christ,
and later Paul received him as his fellow servant in the Lord. Paul
was wrong, and if he had gotten his way we may never have had
the Gospel of Mark. John was wrong on several occasions. He
was one of the quick tempered sons of thunder who was ready to
call down fire from heaven to destroy those who did not respond
as he thought they should. He is the one in our text who hindered
a man from doing good because he was not following with them.
The disciples had defects, and the Bible does not attempt to
hide them, but openly reveals them that we might recognize the
dangers of pride, ignorance and selfish ambition. They are real
for all of us, even as children and saints of God. Their defects are
recorded that we might learn how to more quickly arrive at the
goal of Christ-likeness by avoiding their mistakes. To learn the
hard way by going through the same experiences, causing the
same problems, and needing the same rebukes, rather than
heeding the Word of God is one of the Christians greatest sins.
We are going to examine the defects of the disciples, and not that
we might gloat at their weaknesses, but that we might avoid them
and be less defective in our discipleship. Our text indicates two
reasons why they were defective disciples.
I. DEFECTIVE BECAUSE OF IGNORANCE. v. 46
Here was a group of men who were going to be used of God to
change the course of history. Three of them had just seen the
deity of Christ displayed in his transfiguration, and yet they are
arguing like a group of immature boys over who has the strongest
father. They were debating as to who of them was going to be the
greatest. There was certainly no lack of pride among them, for
each apparently felt he had some good claim to be the greatest
among them. It is difficult for the Holy Spirit to led men to higher
ground when they are already convinced that they are the king of
the mountain. The whole thing could have been avoided if they
had not been so ignorant about what true greatness is in the sight
of God. Their ignorance on this, and on the plan of Christ led
them into this foolish dispute.
Jesus was heading for the cross, and here they are debating
about who will wear the crown. They expected Jesus to set up an
earthly kingdom and make them the rulers of the world. Not
everyone, of course, could be equal, and so there was a power
struggle among them as each tried to maneuver his way into the
seat of the highest office. On one occasion the mother of James
and John came to Jesus and requested that her two sons be seated
on His right and left hand. All of this business of gaining power
was based on a false concept of the kingdom of Christ. His
kingdom was not going to be of this world, and so all of their
arguing was vain from the start. They were debating over a
matter that was non-existent, and it had no part in the realm of
reality. It was all a matter of their imagination and
misunderstanding, and yet they spent their time debating it.
Christians often spend their time debating issues that have no
relevance to the kingdom of Christ.
Nothing strikes me as being more foolish than when believers
will waste their time and energy in controversy over matters of
which they have little to no knowledge. Often they have strong
convictions about things that are mere opinions and speculation.
One exhorter announced his outline to the congregation and said,
"My beloved hearers, I shall in the first place speak to you of
things you know; second of what I know and you do not know;
third, of things that neither of us know." He at least had a
balance, but there are some who specialize in that which no one
knows, and they pretend to fill us in where God has chosen to be
silent.
If the disciples had listened to Christ and weighed his words
carefully instead of blindly following their own preconceived
opinions about the kingdom, they never would have gotten into
such a foolish dispute. Likewise for us today, if we give heed to
Christ and not the speculations of men we will avoid foolish
controversy. There are too many things God has made crystal
clear for us to be wasting time in controversy over petty and
obscure issues. The best defense against all error and fruitless
speculation is to know the truth. Learn what is clearly taught and
let others who have time to waste fight about fantasies. John
Wesley urged this upon believers: "If you desire to be extensively
useful, do not spend your time and strength in contending for or
against such things, as are of a disputable nature, but in testifying
against open and notorious vice, and in prompting real spiritual
holiness. Let us keep to this, leaving a thousand disputable points
to those who have no better business than to too the ball of
controversy to and fro..."
Thousands of believers are split over issues dealing with the
return of Christ, even though they all believe in literal, visible and
bodily return. They do so because men of God, like the disciples,
strive for superiority. There are those who believe that holding
their particular system of teaching about the second coming
makes them superior to others who have not been so enlightened.
They even forbid other views to be discussed. They have already
reached the top and are on the highest ground, and so every one
else has to be beneath them.
To strive for superiority rather than for truth is to be guilty
of willful ignorance, and this is a serious defect in any believer.
Jesus was very kind in the way He handled His defective disciples,
and we must learn also that you do not help people overcome
defects by crushing them with condemning words, but by
enlightening them as to their error. Jesus rebukes them by
showing them a true concept of greatness. He does so by taking a
child and setting him by himself. Tradition says this child was the
son of Peter who grew up to become the famous Ignatius, Bishop
of Antioch.
Jesus makes this surprising statement in verse 48: "Whoever
shall receive this child in my name receives me." What does this
have to do the disciples dispute over who was the greatest? They
were thinking in terms of power, ability, skill, ambition and places
of authority for themselves, but Jesus directs their attention along
a totally different channel of thought. He is proclaiming to them
God's attitude about what is great, and it has very little similarity
to what they have been disputing about. They were not thinking
about service to others, but about being served by others. Here is
the difference between the secular and spiritual view of greatness.
Jesus came to minister and give His life a ransom for others, and
not to be ministered to. He came to give, serve, to accept and to
save. He became the servant of all, and in so humbling himself He
reached the top, for God exalted Him and gave Him a name above
every name.
The disciples were on the wrong track, and going the wrong
direction by hoping to be great in their concept of greatness. The
only way to true greatness is by way of humility and service. Just
the receiving of a child in Christ's name is an act that cannot be
surpassed in terms of doing what is truly great, for in so doing one
receives both Christ the Son and God the Father.
Jesus is showing them that they are following a line of thinking
that is contrary to His. The ambitious man of the world who seeks
to be great does not bother with the poor and the unknown lower
classes of society. He tries to associate only with the rich and
influential. He tries to build up his own image. The world's
concept of greatness leads to a division of men into those who
count and those who do not. By the use of a child Jesus makes it
clear that from God's view there is no such division. Even a child
who cannot add in any way to your prestige is of eternal value,
and is on a level of equality with any prominent personality.
Being great in the eyes of God is open to all men, and not just to
the few, for it consists in concern for and service to anyone and
everyone, and especially to the acceptance of children. Ministry
to children is a road to greatness that anyone can travel. We need
to avoid the ignorance of the disciples and not think and act on the
basis of the world's concept of greatness.
We ought to have the ambition to be great, and we need to
desire to be somebody important. Everybody has a hunger to be
recognized, and to feel wanted and significant. Every person
wants to be great in some way, and this is a good thing, but like all
desires it can be perverted and lead to much evil. In a biography
of Mussolini he is seen pacing in his palace bedroom saying, "I am
obsessed by one wild desire. It consumes my whole being. I want
to a mark on my era with my will. A mark like this...," and with
his fingernails he scratched the back of the chair, "like the claw of
a lion." He made his mark all right, and the whole world had to
bear the scar. This self-centered desire for greatness is just the
danger the disciples were falling into before Jesus made it clear
that greatness is not in rising above others, but in lifting others.
A child lifted by your love will make you greater than any
man who has had to step on others to rise to a place of power. It
will make you greater than an greatness attained by popularity,
position or possessions. A child is equal in importance before God
to any great theologian, scholar or preacher. Those who are wise
enough to see it gladly invests their lives in serving youth. Many,
however, never learned the lesson Jesus taught here, and they go
on in ignorance as to what true greatness really is. They continue
to strive and fight for places of prominence and superiority.
People cannot believe the paradox of Jesus that the way to
the top is down. The way to exaltation is humility, and the way to
greatness is to be the least, and to be, like Him, the servant of all.
The disciples were defective at this point because of ignorance,
and this is what led them to their foolish striving. It is possible
that many disciples of Christ are still defective because of their
ignorance about true greatness. That can never be our excuse, for
we have now heard the word of Christ on this matter. We can go
on trying to be great by the world's standard, which will lead to
futility, but it should be our prayer that we will follow Jesus in
finding our greatness in service and not be a defective disciple.
