TruegreatnessMARK 9:33–37

prepare

Session 12

Spring 2020

Multiage

PRAYER

God of the fi rst and the last, guide my thoughts and help me to understand greatness the way you do. Amen.

PURPOSE STATEMENT

To learn how Jesus defi ned greatness

STORY SUMMARY

As they were traveling, Jesus’ disciples argued with one another about who was the great-est. When Jesus asked what they were discussing, the disciples became quiet. Jesus told them that it is not the one who is fi rst who is the greatest, but the one who is last and serves others. He sat a child down among them, blessed the child, and reminded the dis-ciples that whoever welcomes a child welcomes Jesus and welcomes God.

teaching tips for multiageAcceptance and belonging are important to children. They want to be chosen and to be “the best” at something. Like the disciples in the story, they may argue with others about who is the best, or they may have thoughts about wanting to be the most important. Instead of arguing about who is the best, this session helps children learn that God made them just how God wants them to be.

In today’s story, children will learn that Jesus always chooses and welcomes them. Though this may look different than being fi rst, children will learn that God loves them and thinks they are great just the way they are. Through the actions of Jesus, we see that children have a place and are important in the kingdom of God, not because of their power and infl uence, but because they belong to God. We are also made aware that “the least” should be important to all of us. In Jesus’ time, children really were among “the least of these.” Although children are often not “the least of these” today, children can be encouraged to consider those who are being pushed to the margins in their own friendship circles and communities.

Decide which Explore options to offer. Create will require the use of a fl ashlight to make silhou-ette art of the children. If you have a larger group, you may want several fl ashlights, so children can work in pairs. Check Supplies and To do throughout this session to see what needs to be prepared.

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dig deeper by Michael McKeever

Th e seemingly diverse sayings in this passage are held together by several catchphrases, and given that they fall immediately aft er Jesus’ second pas-sion prediction, a fair amount of irony. In the fi rst episode the disciples wrangle over who is the greatest. In the Gospel of Mark, warnings against ambition oft en come with Jesus’ predictions about his death.1 Here the disciples have just had an astounding experience on the Mount of Transfi guration (9:2–8) and are reminded of Jesus’ impending passion and death in Jerusalem. But they still can’t exor-cise a demon as they have done earlier (9:14–29). Apparently they have not yet discerned Jesus’ true nature or the charac-ter of the kingdom he is establishing.

Who is the greatest?

To be fair, the disciples’ argument over who is the greatest refl ects dominant cultural values. Th ey lived in an honor/shame society, so determining one’s proper standing or rank in regard to one’s peers was important. Although striving for greatness is a common desire in our culture too, in that peasant society there were few, if any, avenues for social advancement. Greatness was something one might only hope to attain in the age to come as God’s reward for faithfulness.

To capture the disciples’ misguided focus, Jesus uses the fi tting counterexample of a child. Unlike our own society, children in Jesus’ day were not symbols of innocence, but rather of low status, powerlessness, and vulnerability. Th ey had essentially no rank or standing in society.

Hospitality

To welcome people means to extend hospitality to them. Jesus teaches that greatness comes through serving those who have no value in society and cannot pay back hospitality. Jesus says that by welcoming people of lower status, one welcomes God.

Th e disciples’ concern for rank also spills over into their treatment of an outsider. It is ironic that the dis-ciples criticize an exorcist for doing precisely what they

couldn’t do in the previous episode. Th ey act as though they have an exclusive claim to exercising divine power.

Jesus’ response, “Whoever is not against us is for us” (verse 40), was prob-ably a well-known proverb of the day. His illustration about a cup of water ties in to his previous idea of hospitality. People who could extend only a cup of water as an act of hospitality would be extremely poor. Yet Jesus says that even the least in society will be rewarded for their humble acts of hospitality. As in all the Gospels, how one treats a stranger stands for how one perceives and embodies the kingdom of God.

The vivid metaphors that follow

Mark 9:42–48, the verses immediately aft er today’s text, are closely related and diffi cult to understand. Th e term little ones in Mark 9:42 is a catchphrase to connect with the children Jesus mentions before. Here it refers to fel-low believers. Th e idea of stumbling can refer to sinful behavior or apostasy (departing from the faith). Vying for positions of power or turning away a fellow believer may scandalize some and cause them to fall away.

To underscore the seriousness of this off ense, Jesus uses a series of vivid metaphors drawn from capital and corporal punishment. Grotesque forms of punishment would not have been uncommon among Israel’s gentile neighbors. Mentioning the gruesome death of drowning with a massive millstone tied around one’s neck would certainly have captured his audience’s attention. To die at sea and not receive a proper burial would be a par-ticularly dishonorable death. Jesus even states that self-mutilation is better than losing the opportunity to gain eternal life. Th e point of Jesus’ hyperbole is not, however, to disclose the nature of the aft erlife, but to call for an earnest and forthright response in the present.

1. See Mark 8:31–33; 9:30–37; 10:35–45.

GENESIS 37MARK 9:33–37

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BUILD COMMUNITY

Begin your session with a circle. Refresh everyone’s memory by reviewing the process on the Circles poster and invite children to respond to the following question:

Where is somewhere that you feel loved, just for being you?

WORSHIP TOGETHER

Help the children transition into worship by lighting a candle, ringing a chime, or saying a short prayer. Ask a volunteer to look up Psalm 100 and read it aloud. Sing together “We Are So Grateful” (track 12, page 18). You may want to use musical instruments, such as egg shakers, to accompany your singing.

Stand and pray popcorn prayers of gratitude. Toss an egg shaker from person to person and have each child shake the egg shaker as they name something that they are thankful for. When items of gratitude have been exhausted, close with “amen.”

SPIRITUAL PRACTICE

Invite the children to write or draw prayers to God. Older children can write on a piece of paper, and younger children can use page 2 of the Primary leafl et. Th ey can get ideas by drawing circles around the pictures of things they are thankful for at the top of the page and then write or draw their own prayers at the bottom of the page. Play “We Give Th anks” (track 9, page 13) during this time.

gather

media connections• In God’s Hands by

Lawrence Kushner• “Mark 9:30-37 - I’m

Awesome! . . . Right?” (YouTube)

• Internet image search for “Jesus welcomes children”

• “Will You Let Me Be Your Servant (The Servant Song)” by Richard Gillard (YouTube)

Bible memoryLike they did in session 11, have children correctly assemble the Bible memory strips found on page 94 of this guide. Challenge the children by covering or removing the Bible memory poster.

teaching tipMedia connections, whether they are books, videos, songs, or pieces of art, can help children to make connections between the biblical story and their lives today. They can be included at various points in the session or placed in a media station for children to visit during the session.

to do • If you haven’t led your

group in a circle, you may want to check out the Circle instruc-tions on page 86 of this guide.

resource pack • Circles poster• Bible memory poster

(Matthew 25)

supplies• Bible(s)• Primary leafl ets• Circle instructions

and questions (from Additional resources)

• Bible memory strips (from Additional resources)

• Shine Songbook and CD (or digital versions)

• Annual Shine Songbooks

• CD or MP3 player• Talking piece (rock,

stick, cross)• Egg shakers or similar• Candle and matches

(or battery-operated candle), or chime (optional)

• Paper• Pencils, crayons

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SHARE THE STORY

Have the children sit in a row, one behind the other. Once all are settled, ask the children if they have ever tried to be the best at something. What does it feel like to be the best? What does it feel like when you are not the best? What about being at the back of the line? Do you like to be at the front or the back?

Oft en when we play together with siblings or friends we argue. Sometimes we even argue about who is the best or who gets to be fi rst. Invite the children to listen to one story told in two ways; a story about wanting to be the best.

Share the story from page 221 of Shine On. Th en have the child at the back of the row come to sit at the front as you share the modern retelling from page 92 of this guide.

WONDER AND REFLECT

Move into a circle or semicircle and ask the children the following wondering questions, giving them time to refl ect quietly before off er- ing responses.• I wonder what the disciples said to each other

when they were arguing about who was the most important.

• I wonder why Jesus says we should be last instead of fi rst.

• I wonder how welcoming a child is like wel-coming Jesus.

• I wonder whom we can welcome today.

PEACE NOTES

Read the section on “Children” on “Th e least in the Bible” poster. When Jesus asked the disciples to welcome a child, he was asking them to welcome someone without power, someone who was not important. Th e disciples would not become powerful or popular by welcoming children, but that is what Jesus asked them to do.

Create a circle of welcome. Give each child a strip of paper and have him or her write down the name of someone they know who is left out, pushed aside, or treated badly. Link the strips together to form a chain. Th en make the chain into a circle. Pray, asking God to help you to welcome those who are left out, just as Jesus welcomed the child.

experience

True greatness

Mark 9:33–37Shine On, p. 220

teaching tipHelp children to see the difference between being forced to be a servant or a slave and choosing to serve or help others. Serving others is not about allowing them to cause us pain or disrespect. Jesus asks us to serve others in a way that respects both individuals as children of God.

supplies• Bible(s)• Shine On: A Story Bible• True greatness: A

modern retelling (from Additional resources)

• Strips of colored construction paper

• Pencils

resource pack• “The least in the Bible”

poster

to do• Become familiar with

the Bible story in Shine On and with the mod-ern retelling on page 92 of this guide.

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exploreCREATE

Tape a blank piece of paper to the wall and use a fl ashlight to make a shadow of each child’s head. Trace the shadow on the paper. Repeat for all children, or have children work in pairs to create their silhouette art. Ask children to choose one color of marker to write 3–4 things on their silhouettes that make them special. Th en have them choose a second color to write “loved by Jesus” in all the space remaining. Encourage the children to fi ll up the space completely, even if it means writing “loved by Jesus” in tiny letters.

supplies• Large sheets of paper• Tape• Flashlight(s)• Pencils• Markers

MOVE

Jesus defi nes greatness in an unex-pected way. Do some “backward” activities. Have the children line up on one side of the room. Have the children move across the room in diff erent ways, such as hopping back-ward, crawling backward, or walk-ing backward. When they reach the other side of the room, the children can spell their name backward, count from ten to one, or say the months of the year in reverse order. Th en move in a “backward” way to the other side and do another activity.

RETELL

Retell the story using the readers the-ater found on page 38 of Glow or by referencing Shine On. Th is is a short story, so if your group doesn’t use the readers theater, encourage children to use their imagination to add more detail to the story. Imagine what the scenery would be like as the disciples walked. What did the disciples say to each other? Children will have fun having permission to argue!

supplies• Shine On: A Story Bible• Glow magazines• Costumes (belts and large shirts or

fabric to drape over shoulders)• Doll

LEAFLET AND GLOW

On page 3 of the Primary leafl et, invite the children to unscramble the words Jesus said. On page 4 of the Primary leafl et are two diff er-ent park scenes. Have the children work in pairs or small groups to circle the diff erences in the bottom picture. Have them discuss in their groups how children are serving or helping others.

Older children can explore where they feel welcome in their communi-ties by reading page 39 in Glow.

supplies• Primary leafl ets• Glow magazines• Pencils

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other ideas• Consider ways the children can serve others

at church this morning. Some ideas might include handing out bulletins, greeting people, or helping to clean up the building. Serve together as a group.

• Use page 40 in Glow to discover stories where Jesus interacted with children and complete Jesus’ online posts.

blessPRAY

Gather the children together and sing “Every Time’s Just Right” (track 3, page 5). Pray:

God of love, thank you for welcoming us, your children. Help us to serve you and others to make the world a better place. Amen.

SEND

Send children out with individual blessings.

__________ (name), you are a child of God. You are loved by Jesus and are important to him.

Make sure to send leafl ets home with the younger children.

supplies• Primary leafl ets• Shine Songbook and CD (or digital

versions)• Annual Shine Songbooks• CD or MP3 player

looking aheadInvite another group to join your group to share a snack together during Peace notes. As you plan for session 13, determine what snack your group could prepare as they learn how to practice hospitality.

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leader’s closing prayer“Whoever welcomes a child welcomes me. And whoever welcomes me welcomes God, who sent me.” Know that you are welcoming Christ when you welcome the little children and call them by name. Know that you are wel-coming God when you show love to the children. Know that you are loved and welcomed by Jesus too.Remind me of the value of what I do when I teach. I am welcoming children you made. May I never forget to share the love of Christ with the ones I teach. Amen.

Greet each child by name. Our name is our identity; it shows who we are. Children often hear their name in the context of orders, so I encourage you to make it a point to greet each child by name and really make them feel welcome. Let the children know they are special just because they are there. Say their names with love.— Diane Dykgraaf

Grand Rapids, Michigan