“Sometimes, Silence is the Best Policy”

Scripture: Mark 9:33-37

I have always enjoyed reading passages that focused on the disciples. Not so much because of their holiness, but because of their humanness. Even as Jesus was calling each one individually to be His disciple, they needed a lot of time to move from their life in the world and into a life in Christ.

These were not holy men by any stretch of the imagination – they were very normal human beings who were very much like you and me.
They could be crude and worldly (not that you are, of course!).
They represented a very real cross section of society – they were fishermen, tax collectors, zealots (who, incidentally, had a tendency to live on the fringe of polite society), young and old, and even, God forbid, women!
But much of the time that they spent with Jesus seemed to be with one foot in their mouth! They argued, they doubted, they didn’t understand what Jesus was offering them, and on occasion, they made statements that revealed a very questionable faith.
How many times do we find Jesus saying to His closest friends “Oh you of little faith”?

Read Mark 9:33-34

Didn’t they know by now that Jesus knew everything, including their private thoughts and conversations? But in all fairness, this issue of “greatness” is one that Christians have struggled with throughout the centuries, and continue to struggle with today. Scripture, in both the Old and New Testaments, calls for humility and servanthood, but does that mean that personal success is a bad thing?
The disciples hadn’t quite learned this lesson yet. One day, they would become great, but not by position or resources, not by their own means. That was what Jesus was trying to teach them, and now it had become quite evident, not just to God, but to these men, that the answer was still eluding them.
Have you ever known someone who compensated for a lack of knowledge with an increased volume of their words? The more they talked, the more they irritated those around them. Have you heard the expression “They were wrong at the top of their lungs”? When it comes to God, we don’t have to prove our ignorance in a loud voice – we don’t even have to speak. God just knows. Sometimes silence, in voice and thought and heart, is the best voice.

So what does make us great?

Read Mark 9:35

It seems that the greatest in God’s eyes are the least and last of earth. So the question for today is this: Why?
What is there about being last that God sees as a superior attribute?
What is there about being a lowly servant that will make us great?
Matthew 23:11-12 tells us that “The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” The 12 men were confused. The “greatest” that they were most familiar with were the masters, the exalted. The Pharisees and Sadducees were great – just ask them! The Roman solders, not to mention their leaders, were great – just ask anyone!
It was power, knowledge, authority that made men great, not humility, not servanthood! Or at least that was what they had always thought!

Think about the leaders who you have known – governmental, organizational, business, even those in the church. How many were humble and servant hearted? If I might venture a guess, I would have to say “Not very many!” Oh, I know that there will be a few – hopefully in the church – but not many. “Great leaders” are supposed to be strong, wise, courageous, skilled, authoritative.
They aren’t supposed to be servants! They are supposed to be out in front, giving orders, making decisions, moving us forward. That’s greatness in the world’s sense, but not in the Lord’s. In God’s kingdom, it isn’t the one who has the greatest theological understanding; Matthew 18 tells us that it’s the one who has the faith of a child.

Read Mark 9:36-37

And in their servant’s heart, they must also welcome the least. By the world’s standard, we use the least and welcome those who can help us the most! Children, at least in the 1st century, had little value. They couldn’t do much work in the fields, they consumed more than they contributed, and their value was always in their future worth – girls in the dowry that they could command, and boys in their ability to work and produce more wealth for the father. And the children of today are also seen as 2nd class citizens. Should they be seen and not heard? Are they always getting in the way and under foot? Are they more trouble than they are worth? Do we measure their significance by how much it costs to raise them and educate them? Have you ever heard “The children are the future of the church”? The truth is that they are the church of today!

Welcome a child? Most wouldn’t even recognize a child, let alone welcome them! And yet, Jesus says that if we welcome a child, we welcome Him, and when we welcome Him, we welcome the Father.
Reach out to a child – that is what makes us great!
Reach out, not to those who can repay us, but to the homeless and destitute – that is what makes us great!
Give, not a token, but our best to those in need – that is what makes us great!
Show love, not to the lovely, but to the unlovable – that is what makes us great!
Rejoice with, not just our friends in our church, but with those who believe differently or don’t believe at all – that is how they will come to see Jesus, and that will make us both great!

If we are ready to speak a word that won’t help these, then our best choice is to remain silent. I remember my folks telling me “If you can’t say something nice about someone, don’t say anything at all!”
Perhaps the wisdom for the church today should be: “If you can’t say something nice, then do something nice. If you can’t do something nice, imagine something nice. And if you can’t even imagine something nice, then pray for your own spiritual healing.”

Be a servant to the least. Be gentle to the great. And above all, let your actions speak far louder than your words.