Jesus Teaches the Disciples

For Year B Proper 20.  Mark 9:30-37.  "Jesus speaks again about his death," "Who Is the Greatest?"  There are several pieces for this story: walking and sitting Jesus, walking and sitting disciples, three crosses, a risen cross, columns and a child.

I wonder if you have ever tried to teach something that was hard to understand

I wonder if you have ever tried to explain something to someone and they didn't understand what you were saying.

 

In today's story, Jesus tries to teach his disciples some things but his disciples don't get it.

 

Jesus [place the walking Jesus] and his disciples [place the walking disciples] were passing though Galilee.  Jesus didn't want anyone to know because he was teaching his disciples, saying, "I will be betrayed and handed over to the soldiers.  They will kill me, [place the three crosses and pause] and three days after I've been killed, I will rise again.  [remove the three crosses and place the risen cross, pause] But the disciples didn't understand what Jesus was saying and were afraid to ask him what he meant.

 

They came to Capernaum. [place the columns] When they were alone, Jesus asked the disciples, "What were you arguing about along the way?"  The disciples were silent because along the way, they had argued with one another about who was the greatest.

 

Jesus [remove the walking Jesus and place the sitting Jesus] sat down, called the disciples [remove the walking disciples and place the standing disciples] to him and said, "Whoever wants to be first, must be last of all and servant of all." 

 

Then he took a little child [place the child before the disciples, pause] and put it among them; and taking the child into his arms, [move the child to Jesus's lap] he said to them, "Whoever receives one such child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me, but God who sent me."

 

I wonder what the most important part of that story was.

I wonder what part you liked the most

I wonder what part could have been left out

I wonder which part of the story you are experiencing right now