Spotlight Theology

It was the second time (the first can be seen in Mark 8:31ff) Jesus has broached the troubling reality of what will happen once He arrives in Jerusalem. Since the first time, Jesus has taken Peter, James, and John up on the Mount of Transfiguration as we know it and, once down from the mountain, expressed frustration at the failure of His disciples to cast out a demon.

All of that sets up the second troubling conversation, when Jesus says, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. . . .” (Mark 9:30-32) Mark notes that not only did the disciples – the twelve – not understand this, they were afraid to ask Him anything about it.

But they weren’t afraid to get into an argument among themselves about “who was the greatest.”  Jesus tends to associate greatness with service, but I’m pretty confident that wasn’t what was on their minds. It could be that this conversation is what prompted the requests of James and John (10:35ff) about getting reservations for the most important seats in the kingdom. 

When Jesus inquires about what appears to be a bit of a verbal sparing event, they keep silent. Why would they do that? Maybe they realize how odd it would be to tell the Son of Man who has, for the second time, just told you about what would happen in Jerusalem that your real interest was in making sure the kingdom of God’s spotlight was perfectly aligned to shine on you!

Ever ready to zero in on our nonsense with great dramatic effect, Jesus says something like “actually, to be first, you have to be willing to be last and to serve.” When’s the last time you saw a spotlight shining on “the last” or those who “serve?” I wish I had a video showing the facial responses on the faces of the twelve when Jesus took a little child into His lap and said, “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.” (9:27, ESV)

Most people reading this are probably like I am when it comes to children. I will stop what I’m doing just to interact with a little child. Some of my colleagues bring their children by my office sometimes – forget whatever I’m doing, they have my attention. I have lots of what I call “surrogate grand kids,” many of whom call me “Sam,” – the name I’ve decided my own grandchildren will call me one day. They are these innocent little angels in flesh and blood. I understand why Jesus would say this!

 But that’s our world, not their world. In their world, children had no social or legal status. In significant ways they were often viewed as burdens until they were old and strong enough to work. In some parts of the world of the first century, not so much the Jewish world, if a child was not perfect at birth, or perhaps a female when there were already girls in the family, they could be left out for exposure. 

It is in a world that sees children as “nowhere near the spotlight” Jesus says that receiving that little child, not having the power and status of “who is the greatest” is the way to receive him. And remember, it is in “receiving him,” that “we receive the one who sent him.”

One of the common qualities of much of the church and much of the state these days is that both pastors and politicians will do anything and everything to get the spotlight shining their way. That’s the surest path to power and status. You won’t need to do a whole lot of research to discover that for pastors and politicians alike, that can be a dangerous approach to life. 

Oddly, as the most powerful human to ever walk the planet, Jesus never seems interested in either power or the spotlight. In His post-resurrection days on earth, He declared “all power is given to me in heaven and on earth.” (Matthew 28:18ff)  

That has to mean our questions about the spotlight ought to be something like “If Jesus didn’t want the spotlight, should I?” and “If all power is His, how can I dream of amassing power over others?”

Spotlight theology is a pretty good cultural idea. But if the Jesus story is of interest and importance to you, it needs to be left behind!