Photograph by Susie Ho via Unsplash

Mark 9 draws together the middle section of the Markan gospel, demonstrating Jesus in his authority and power and the disciples learning of the gospel, yet not so secretively jockeying for authority and power. While out on the road (Mark 9:33-50), Jesus hears them bickering. It is like a parent who hears the kids arguing in the back of the van: when the parent asks what they are talking about, the kids suddenly grow quiet. Jesus chastens the disciples with a reminder of greatness in his sight, not theirs. He places a child in their midst and says, “This one is the greatest.” And the lesson is quite clear: disciples on power trips are not.

The “kids in the back of the van” analogy is handy to explain what happens next. When called out on unruly behavior, children often try to distract the parent with another matter. The disciple John speaks up and notes that a person unknown to him and the inner circle is exorcising demons in Jesus’ name. While the inner circle feels jealous toward one another, they attempt to circle the wagons and keep out others unknown to them.

Jesus replies, “Whoever is not against us is for us.”

As the story begins to shift into the third and decisive act, this scene of Jesus teaching his disciples about greatness is necessary. Mark 9 shows how “the kingdom of God” draws near to those who are otherwise marginalized and disregarded by society and the powerful.

We also learn that even among the insiders, it is not an easy word to follow. The disciples’ jealousy among themselves is disturbing, but understandable. Human nature predisposes us to such behavior. The sense of propriety among the disciples is quite familiar as well, deeming themselves judges of who is and is not a disciple of Jesus.

Stick around the church (upper and lowercase “c” church alike), and you will find the inner circle mentality still lives on. The contexts change, but the impulse to behave this way has remained within down through the millennia. Yet as one wise preacher observed, “The Church is bigger than you think.”

Meanwhile, Jesus offers another reversal of the disciples’ expectations. The disciples’ preconceived notions about power are unraveled by the child. Their hunger for control (or certainty) is shown for what it is: the circle is always bigger than we think it is. Jesus invites more than twelve to follow him, gathering a diverse group of people — not to be kings or high priests of heaven’s interests on earth. Instead, he teaches of a way of life reordered to a different scale and scope, opening the way of discipleship to all who believe and serve in his name.

Further, the kingdom of God is bigger than the disciples think it is.

Go back a bit in Mark 9, and you will note this whole scene with the disciples’ bickering, the greatness of the kingdom being found in the child, and the complaint about followers unknown to “us” (i.e., the inner circle disciples) comes on the heels of the twelve failing. In the earlier section of Mark 9, some of the disciples try unsuccessfully to perform an exorcism. John and the others are irritated, rather than chastened, to observe a stranger succeeding where they could not. Instead of marveling at the power of God being known in the world in unexpected ways, the inner circle falls prey to the temptation to restrict who speaks and ministers in Jesus’ name.

Ministry in the name of Jesus is not reserved for a select few. Over the centuries, individuals and groups have tried to say otherwise, seeking to construct structures of power and authority to keep control of the Church vested in the hands of a select few, keeping a tight rein on orthodoxy, and turning in some cases to outright persecution, claiming some as heretics and valorizing violence.

For example, my family name is synonymous with a persecuted religious movement, the Huguenots of French Protestantism. Our Baptist history is rife with accounts of Baptists over the past four hundred years and around the globe being mocked, jailed, and martyred for preaching and mission work.

I know these stories well, yet if I choose, I could become equally hindering to the ministry and witness of other Christians. Certainly, the Huguenot movement had its desire for power and a less tidy story awaiting those who learn more about them. And Baptists have our own moments of crisis where we blinked or times when we reacted more than modeled humility in challenging times. Historical narratives are complicated if we do not settle for lesser engagements of our past.

So, what does it take to be a follower of Jesus and welcoming partner of fellow disciples, near and far? Here are some thoughts:

1)      To speak of the gospel as “open” more than “closed”:  in other words, any person who believes in Christ as their Lord and Savior is able to contribute something to the furtherance of the kingdom of God.

2)      To live peaceably with Christians – as well as people of all faiths and none – who seem only to embody difference to us because of theological, cultural, political, or economic differences between “them” and “us.”

3)      To speak of the Church as bigger than the four walls around us, bigger than our own conviction, denomination, or tradition’s horizons.

4)      To live the gospel, knowing that Christ’s ways are delightfully contrary to the way the world works and even the way the Church in its “institutional” sense works. In the end, Christ shall welcome all who believe in him.

The cautionary tale of reading Mark 9 still holds up well: do not be threatened by the reality that the kingdom of God is bigger than you think. Rejoice in the many following Jesus and be at peace with one another, or be worth our salt in faithfulness and openness to the wider gathering of disciples.

The teaching of Jesus drawing upon salt as a teaching tool (Mark 9:49-50) might strike modern day readers as an obtuse choice, as we find salt plentiful and inexpensive. To the first century disciples, salt was a commodity not to be wasted and certainly worthless if leached out of its saltiness. What good is salt that is not salty? What good is a disciple of Jesus if they cannot imagine the kingdom of God being capable of more?

As we observe World Communion Sunday, Christians are reminded, whether we partake of wafers and drink wine from a chalice, or take individual pieces of bread and individual cups, that we partake in the same meal given to us by Christ. Our theologies differ, our rituals diverge, our ways vary, and yet we are likewise being obedient to the same Lord.

On days like this, indeed we remember with due humility, the circle is always open. The Church is bigger than we think.

The table of the Lord is open to all who call upon the name of Jesus and follow his gospel.

Take, eat, remember,

and then serve in Christ’s holy name.