Hello friends.
This is Mark Gladman,
Also known as Brother Frederick James,
Your friendly neighborhood monk in dogs.
Welcome to another installment in our special Lectio Divina series,
The Questions Jesus Asked.
During this time of Lectio Divina,
Which is a traditional way of praying with scripture,
You'll be invited to simply reflect on the text in some time of silence as we read the text multiple times.
Asking the Spirit to lead you to a word or phrase to sit with and contemplate as you consider how to carry that forward into your day and into your life.
If you're not versed with Lectio Divina,
There is an episode on my Insight Timer channel which will take you through the steps of Lectio and make you feel a little bit more comfortable with this practice if you're a little bit foreign to it.
But stick with us here and I'm sure you'll pick it up just fine.
Now,
Not all conversations are spoken aloud.
Some conversations take place deep within us in the thoughts we rehearse and the comparisons we make and the questions that we ask ourselves about our worth and our place in comparison to others usually.
And those inner conversations shape how we see ourselves.
They shape how we see others.
They shape how we move through the world.
Now,
In Mark chapter 9,
Jesus and his disciples arrive in a house after walking together along the road.
The journey itself has been filled with conversation and now,
Inside the stillness of the house,
Jesus asks a simple question in verse 33.
He says,
What were you discussing on the way?
Now,
It sounds like a pretty ordinary question at first,
But if you think about it,
It carries a little bit of gravitas there because along the road,
The disciples had been arguing.
And they hadn't been arguing about Jesus teaching about God and the kingdom.
And they hadn't been arguing about what it might be that Jesus was calling them to in terms of their mission.
They'd been arguing about who among them was the greatest,
Who mattered most,
Who held the highest place,
Who deserved recognition,
Who was Jesus' right-hand guy.
And when Jesus asks the question,
They fall silent.
And of course,
It's not because they've forgotten what they were talking about.
It's because they recognize what they've forgotten and the deeper truth that it revealed.
And in that moment,
They feel that little bit of discomfort at being seen.
And maybe this moment is more familiar than we give it credit because comparison is a deeply human thing,
Particularly in this age of social media.
We measure ourselves against others.
We notice who succeeds and who doesn't.
We notice who gets praised and who doesn't.
We notice who's recognized and who isn't.
And we wonder,
Well,
Where do I stand in this whole scheme of things?
Am I enough?
Am I valued?
Am I noticed?
And sometimes those questions remain hidden beneath the surface,
Shaping our thoughts in ways that we barely recognize.
So while we might not speak them out loud,
They're there within us,
Aren't they?
Jesus' question invites something rare.
Honesty.
Not in terms of some sort of public confession or an exposure that reveals everything to everyone,
But just a pause for some self-examination.
Asking ourselves what conversations are shaping our hearts?
What thoughts guide our actions?
What comparisons are gently influencing our sense of worth?
But it's after the silence that's interesting,
Because Jesus does something you really don't expect.
He doesn't get mad at them or humiliate them for what they said.
Rather,
He gathers them and he speaks of service.
He says,
Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.
Now,
He's not suggesting that if you're the greatest,
You're wrong.
But rather,
He's telling us what greatness looks like.
And that looks different from what we usually expect,
Because it's not measured by status or recognition.
Greatness is measured by love.
By humility.
By willingness to serve.
And so today,
Jesus' question rests before us.
What were you discussing on the way?
Not just the outside,
Outward conversations,
But the inside,
Inner conversations deep down.
What thoughts shape your sense of value?
What comparisons shape your choices?
What inner dialogue guides your actions?
Because awareness is the beginning of humility.
And humility?
Well,
I think that opens the door to deeper peace.
So as you listen today,
Imagine the moment of stillness inside the house.
Notice the silence that follows that question.
Listen for a word or phrase that draws your attention.
As we ask the Spirit to open our ears,
Our minds and our hearts to the seed of the word of Scripture that God has for us today.
Let's begin.
Then they came to Capernaum.
And when he was in the house,
Jesus asked them,
What were you discussing on the way?
But they were silent,
For on the way they had argued with one another,
Who is the greatest?
He sat down,
Called the twelve,
And said to them,
Whoever wants to be first must be last of all,
And servant of all.
Then he took a little child and put it among them,
And taking it in his arms,
He said to them,
Whoever welcomes one such child in my name,
Welcomes me.
And whoever welcomes me,
Welcomes not me,
But the one who sent me.
Then they came to Capernaum.
And when he was in the house,
Jesus asked them,
What were you discussing on the way?
But they were silent,
For on the way they had argued with one another,
Who is the greatest?
He sat down,
Called the twelve,
And said to them,
Whoever wants to be first must be last of all,
And servant of all.
Then he took a little child and put it among them,
And taking it in his arms,
He said to them,
Whoever welcomes one such child in my name,
Welcomes me.
And whoever welcomes me,
Welcomes not me,
But the one who sent me.
Then they came to Capernaum.
And when he was in the house,
Jesus asked them,
What were you discussing on the way?
But they were silent,
For on the way they had argued with one another,
Who is the greatest?
He sat down,
Called the twelve,
And said to them,
Whoever wants to be first must be last of all,
And servant of all.
Then he took a little child and put it among them,
And taking it in his arms,
He said to them,
Whoever welcomes one such child in my name,
Welcomes me.
And whoever welcomes me,
Welcomes not me,
But the one who sent me.
Let us pray.
Jesus,
You see the conversations that unfold within us.
You notice the comparisons we carry,
The silent arguments,
The hidden struggles for recognition.
Give us courage to face these inner movements honestly.
Where pride has taken root,
Bring humility.
Where comparison has shaped our thinking,
Bring us peace.
Where we seek to be first,
Teach us the beauty of service.
Help us to recognize that our worth isn't measured by status or recognition,
But by love.
And as your question lingers within us,
Guide us towards lives marked by gentleness,
Humility and compassion.
Amen.
And may grace,
Peace and love go with you and remain with you today and always.
Amen.
Until next time,
My friends,
Have a wonderful day.
God's peace be with you.
