B: 25th Sun of OrdTime (23 Sept 2018) - BEING CHILD-LIKE AS THE SOLUTION - Mk 9:30-37

In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus predicts of his impending violent death thrice (8:31; 9:30-31; 10:33-34). Last Sunday we heard of the first one to which Peter resisted (8:32). But Jesus took the opportunity to reprimand him (v. 33) and teach his disciples the true meaning of discipleship by taking up the cross and following him (vv. 34-35). Our gospel today presents the second prediction: “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise” (9:31). Similarly, as what happened in the first prediction, the disciples resisted as they did not understand (v. 32) but Jesus used the moment to teach them about discipleship: “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all” (v. 35) and “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me” (v. 37).

What we notice in the two predictions is the pattern: a) Jesus predicts his death, b) The disciples resist, and c) Jesus teaches on discipleship. This pattern even continues in the third prediction in 10:33-45, capped by Jesus’ teaching: “But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all” (vv. 43-44). If we take a look closely at all these predictions, Jesus teaches only one thing: HUMILITY. This virtue is illustrated in all of them differently, in the bearing of a cross (8:34), in the image of a child (9:37), and in the drinking of the cup (10:38). Hence, allowing ourselves to be Christ-like in embracing and living all of these imageries in our lives is the key to true discipleship.

Today, the image of the child is emphasized. However, this is not an ordinary youngster as the English connotation impresses on us. The Greek word used here is “paidion” which is a diminutive of “pais” (“child” in general). In the lexicon “paidion” refers not only to a child but to a very young child “normally below the age of puberty” or even of a newborn child or infant (cf. BDAG). It refers appropriately to someone who is helpless, fragile, and is in total dependence to its parents/guardians. Jesus asks us all to be like that, in humble submission to the will of the Father and in full openness to his instructions.

We then ask ourselves: Are we child-like in our relationship with God? Do we allow his prodding to guide our lives? Do we accept both the bitter and sweet realities of our daily living?

Sadly, we encounter in society today people who are consumed by their ambition to control, to rule, and to lord over others. They thirst for more power, fame and success to the point that they forget that they are mere children of God. Their main premise is that they want to be independent in deciding, designing and controlling their fate, even to the extent of forgetting matters of religion and faith. But the truth of the matter is that there are more things in the world that we cannot control: sickness, misfortunes, calamities, catastrophes, death, etc. The best we can do is to live our lives to the fullest and allow God to take care of the rest, as we best put it in Filipino, “Nasa Diyos ang awa, nasa tao ang gawa.” But let us not change the order of things… it is always God who should be first, man’s deeds just follow after, not the other way around.

- Rex Fortes, CM