Book of Mark page NOT on original site
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same idea found in Mark 10: 43
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Mark 9: 35 ( King James Version )
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| 9: 33 And he came to Capernaum: and being in the house he asked them, What was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way? |
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| 9: 34 > But they held their peace: for by the way they had disputed among themselves, who [should be] the greatest. |
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| 9: 35 > And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, [the same] shall be last of all, and servant of all. |
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| 9:36 And he took a child, and set him in the midst of them: and when he had taken him in his arms, he said unto them, |
| 9:37 Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me. |
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Mark 9: 33 - 37 ( New International Version )
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| v. 33 > They came to Capernaum. When he was in the hours, he asked them "What were your arguing about on the road?" |
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v. 34 > But they kept silent because on the way they argued about who was the greatest.
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v. 35 > Sitting down Jesus called the Twelve and said, "If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all."
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v. 36 > He took a little child and had him stand among them. Taking him in his arms, he said to them,
v. 37 > "Whoever welcome one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me."
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Text Quoted in Spirit of Prophecy
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| The Saviour gathered His disciples about Him, and said to them, "If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all." [ Mark 9:35 ] There was in these words a solemnity and impressiveness which the disciples were far from comprehending. That which Christ discerned they could not see. They did not understand the nature of Christ's kingdom, and this ignorance was the apparent cause of their contention. But the real cause lay deeper. By explaining the nature of the kingdom, Christ might for the time have quelled their strife; but this would not have touched the underlying cause. Even after they had received the fullest knowledge, any question of precedence might have renewed the trouble. Thus disaster would have been brought to the church after Christ's departure. The strife for the highest place was the outworking of that same spirit which was the beginning of the great controversy in the worlds above, and which had brought Christ from heaven to die. There rose up before Him a vision of Lucifer, the "son of the morning," in glory surpassing all the angels that surround the throne, and united in closest ties to the Son of God. Lucifer had said, "I will be like the Most High" (Isaiah 14:12, 14); and the desire for self-exaltation had brought strife into the heavenly courts, and had banished a multitude of the hosts of God. Had Lucifer really desired to be like the Most High, he would never have deserted his appointed place in heaven; for the spirit of the Most High is manifested in unselfish ministry. Lucifer desired God's power, but not His character. He sought for himself the highest place, and every being who is actuated by his spirit will do the same. Thus alienation, discord, and strife will be inevitable. Dominion becomes the prize of the strongest. The kingdom of Satan is a kingdom of force; every individual regards every other as an obstacle in the way of his own advancement, or a steppingstone on which he himself may climb to a higher place. {DA 435.2} Read entire Chapter 48
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| At one time John engaged in a dispute with several of his brethren as to which of their number should be accounted greatest. They did not intend their words to reach the ear of the Master; but Jesus read their hearts, and embraced the opportunity to give His disciples a lesson of humility. It was not only for the little group who listened to His words, but was to be recorded for the benefit of all His followers to the close of time. “And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all” ( Mark 9:35). { SL 55.2}
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| Those who profess our exalted faith, who are keeping God’s commandments and expecting the soon coming of our Lord, should be distinct and separate from the world around them, a peculiar people, zealous of good works. Among the peculiarities which should distinguish God’s people from the world in these last days, is their humility and meekness. “Learn of Me,” says Christ, “for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” Here is the repose which so many crave and in vain spend time and money to obtain. Instead of being ambitious to be equal to another in honor and position, or perhaps even higher, we should seek to be the humble, faithful servants of Christ. This spirit of self-aggrandizement made contention among the apostles even while Christ was with them. They disputed who should be greatest among them. Jesus sat down and, calling the twelve, said unto them: If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.” { 4T 225.5}
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| At one time, with several of his brethren, John engaged in a dispute as to which of their number should be accounted greatest. They did not intend their words to reach the ear of the Master; but Jesus read their hearts, and embraced the opportunity to give his disciples a lesson of humility. It was not only for the little group who listened to his words, but was to be recorded for the benefit of all his followers, to the close of time. “And he sat down, and called the twelve, and said unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.” { RH February 15, 1881, par. 8 }
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| The Saviour said to them, “If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.” They did not understand the nature of Christ’s kingdom, and this was the apparent cause of their contention. But the real cause lay deeper. Even after they had received the fullest knowledge, any question of precedence might have renewed the trouble. Thus disaster would have been brought to the church after Christ’s departure. The strife for the highest place was the outworking of that same spirit which was the beginning of the great controversy in the worlds above and which had brought Christ from heaven to die. There rose up before Him a vision of Lucifer, who had said, “I will be like the Most High.” Isaiah 14:14. The desire for self-exaltation had brought strife into the heavenly courts. Lucifer desired God’s power, but not His character. He sought the highest place, and every being actuated by his spirit will do the same. The kingdom of Satan is a kingdom of force; every individual regards every other as an obstacle in the way of his own advancement, or a steppingstone on which to climb to a higher place. { HLv 294.1 } |
Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me. Mark 9:37 { ML 202.1 }
Our homes should be a place of refuge for the tempted youth. Many there are who stand at the parting of the ways. Every influence, every impression, is determining the choice that shapes their destiny both here and hereafter. { ML 202.2 }
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| Instead of being ambitious to be equal with or higher than another in honor and position, we should seek to be the humble, faithful servants of Christ. This spirit of self-aggrandizement made contention among the apostles even while Christ was with them. They disputed who should be greatest among them. Jesus sat down and called the twelve, and said unto them, “If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.” { RH January 18, 1887, par. 12 }
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| There was a radical defect in the characters of the chosen twelve, which must be pointed out and remedied. And Jesus “sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all. And he took a child, and set him in the midst of them; and when he had taken him in his arms, he said unto them, Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me; and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me.” Those who possess the spirit of Christ will have no desire to occupy a position above their brethren; and those who are small in their own eyes are the ones who will be accounted great in the sight of God. { ST January 15, 1885, par. 4 }
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| The Savior said to them, “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.” [Mark 9: 35] They did not understand the nature of Christ’s kingdom, and this was the apparent cause of their conflict. But the real cause lay deeper. Even after they had received the fullest knowledge, any question of rank or position might have started the trouble again. This would bring disaster to the church after Christ’s departure. The battle for the highest place was the outworking of that same spirit that had started the great controversy in the worlds above and had brought Christ from heaven to die. There rose up before Him a vision of Lucifer, who had said, “I will be like the Most High.” Isaiah 14:14. This desire to exalt himself had brought strife into the heavenly courts. Lucifer wanted God’s power but not His character. He sought the highest place, and every being moved by his spirit will do the same. The kingdom of Satan is a kingdom of force. Every individual regards every other as an obstacle in the way of his own advancement or a stepping-stone on which to climb to a higher place. { HH 202.4 }
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Whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister: and whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all. Mark 10:43, 44. { HP 229.1}
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