Sermon Synopsis
This sermon explores Jesus’ teaching on greatness in Mark 9:30–41. Human pride distorts our desire for greatness by driving us to compare ourselves with others and seek their approval. Jesus redefines greatness through divine humility—serving others selflessly and finding satisfaction in God rather than recognition from people. True greatness in God’s kingdom is expressed through humble, often unseen acts of service, following the example of Christ, the Servant King.
Please note: This transcript is provided as close to verbatim record of the sermon.
Divine Humility and True Greatness
Mark 9:30–41
Introduction
Good morning. If you have your Bibles, please turn with me to the Gospel of Mark, chapter 9. As mentioned earlier, we will be considering the passage from verses 30 to 41.
While you are turning there, I want to share two reasons why I chose this passage.
The first reason is that I myself have been struck this year by my need for humility.
If any of you heard the wedding message Linus delivered at Roy and Whim’s wedding three weeks ago, you may recall that he mentioned a friend who cringed while watching his wedding video from ten years ago because he saw how immature and selfish he had been.
Well, there are no prizes for guessing who that friend is.
Yes, I cringed at myself, because I was made aware of how much I needed God back then—and how much I still need Him now. In His grace and mercy, God showed me that I still have a long way to go in humility.
My self-righteousness led to a major argument with my wife just before our tenth wedding anniversary in May.
Now you know why.
In my self-righteousness, I thought I was such a great and fantastic husband—unlike other husbands—because I informed my wife of everything and kept no secrets from her. But actually, I was just like a Pharisee, parading my outward show of righteousness and thinking more highly of myself instead of crying out to God in my need for Him.
I failed to consider my wife’s feelings and how my actions might affect my testimony. I thought I was great, but God showed me otherwise.
By God’s grace, reconciliation came. That culminated in a marriage retreat we attended that weekend. There, God gave us protected time to humble ourselves, to confess our sins to each other, and to recommit ourselves to love God and each other.
In that moment of weakness—recognizing that we needed Christ more than ever after ten years of marriage—I actually felt great. This was what marriage was meant to be in God’s kingdom.
By extension, as a church family, we may sometimes forget what real humility is and instead exchange it for a false humility that deceives us into thinking we are great in God’s kingdom.
So I hope God will use this passage to strike all of us with the need for a divine humility according to His standard.
The second reason follows naturally.
If we want to be humble, is it wrong to want to be great?
Let me ask you: Do you want to be great?
I’m not talking about being great at doing this or that. I’m talking about greatness in life.
Somehow we find it difficult to say yes in public, especially in church. We may feel it is prideful or self-centered to say we want to be great. But saying no also doesn’t seem like a good answer.
Don’t we want to be a great friend? Or do we want to be mediocre friends?
Is it wrong to want to be a great father or mother? Or do we just want to be an average parent?
Is that prideful?
I want to contend with you that God made us for greatness. The Bible shows that God wants us to be great, and He wants us at the end of our lives to feel that we have spent them in great ways.
But the problem is that sin has corrupted our view of greatness and our desire for greatness—from self-exaltation to self-degradation.
From today’s passage, I hope we will see both our need for divine humility and how Jesus calls us to a different kind of greatness and empowers us to pursue it in His kingdom.
Scripture Reading: Mark 9:30–41
(Scripture text omitted here for brevity but assumed read in service.)
Let us pray.
Heavenly Father, thank You for sending our Lord Jesus to this earth to preach about Your kingdom and its culture. Thank You that He died for us to give us entry into that kingdom. We pray that we will have ready hearts to hear Your word. Let it fall on good soil so that we may show that we belong to Your kingdom. In Christ’s name we pray, Amen.
Context of Mark’s Gospel
The Gospel of Mark is often known as the Gospel that portrays Jesus as the Servant.
Mark’s message shows that Jesus came proclaiming that the kingdom of God is at hand and that all should repent and believe the gospel. He came not to be served but to serve, giving His life as a ransom for many.
We see Jesus meeting people’s physical needs by healing their infirmities, while at the same time showing through His miracles that He alone can meet their spiritual needs.
In the passages preceding our text, Jesus was transfigured before three disciples, giving them assurance of future glory. Soon after, He healed a boy with an unclean spirit, demonstrating the necessity of faith in Him.
All this sets the stage for the private teaching session Jesus planned for His disciples.
In verse 31, Jesus says:
“The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill Him. And when He is killed, after three days He will rise.”
This is the second time in Mark that Jesus predicts His death and resurrection.
Here we see the interaction between divine love and human sinfulness. The Son of Man, God’s representative to mankind, will be killed by the very people He came to love and save.
If you have not heard the gospel, this is the most humbling and joyful news you will ever hear:
Humanity sinned against God and deserves death as judgment. But God loves us so much that He came to humanity in Jesus Christ—to be killed by the very people He came to save.
Jesus lived a sinless life, bore the penalty we deserved on the cross, and rose from the dead. Through Him our sins can be forgiven, and we can have a restored relationship with God and eternal life.
This is the good news of the gospel.
The Disciples’ Misunderstanding
Yet Jesus’ prediction was lost on His disciples.
This wasn’t the first time He had said it. In Mark 8, Peter even rebuked Jesus for saying such things.
Why didn’t they understand?
Because it contradicted their idea of the Messiah.
The Jews expected a great revolutionary who would overthrow foreign oppression and usher in a golden age greater than Solomon’s reign. But Jesus shattered that vision by saying He would suffer and die.
The disciples knew He was the Messiah. They had seen the miracles. Peter confessed it. The transfiguration confirmed it.
But Jesus wasn’t going to be great in the way they expected.
So when verse 32 says they didn’t understand and were afraid to ask, it suggests denial. They were afraid to hear something that did not match their expectations.
Their pride prevented them from grasping the truth.
Jesus would redefine the Messiah.
He would not reign as a king then, but die as a criminal.
He would not deliver them from Roman oppression, but be delivered into human hands.
Jesus is countercultural, and so is the kingdom He brings.
Because pride blocked their understanding, Jesus addressed it directly.
Similarly, if we want to be great in God’s kingdom, we must first recognize two ways pride corrupts our quest for greatness.
The disciples weren’t arguing about being great—they were arguing about being the greatest.
Imagine their conversation.
Peter might say, “Obviously I’m the leader. I confessed that Jesus is the Christ.”
James and John might reply, “Yes, but you were called Satan shortly after that.”
They might continue, “We were chosen for the transfiguration.”
Others might respond, “But we are the ones doing the work and managing the money.”
“Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man.”
Pride thrives on comparison.
You may think you’re proud because you’re talented. But when someone more talented appears, the pride disappears. The pleasure came not from the talent itself but from being above others.
On the other hand, pride can also produce despair when we feel we fall short.
Social media magnifies this comparison culture. At our fingertips we constantly compare ourselves with others.
Just like the disciples, we know this attitude is wrong.
When Jesus asked what they were discussing, they remained silent. They were ashamed.
The Lord had just spoken about His humiliation, and all they could think about was their exaltation.
Humility is foreign to the fallen human heart.
Pride also makes us crave recognition.
The disciples didn’t merely think they were great—they argued about it. They wanted others to acknowledge their greatness.
Pride is not private. It begins in the heart but eventually appears outwardly.
Verse 34 tells us they argued along the road from Caesarea Philippi to Capernaum—about 44 kilometers. Imagine two days of walking and arguing about who was the greatest.
Jesus repeatedly warns against doing righteous acts for public approval—giving, praying, and fasting.
Worldly greatness can be summarized like this:
Superiority over others + approval from others = worldly greatness.
This pattern appears everywhere: sports, business, even church.
Let me illustrate with my children.
When we introduce sweets, they all rush to be first in line. So we told them, based on verse 35, that the first shall be last and the last shall be first.
Then something funny happened.
They began arguing about who should be last.
The one who chose to be last insisted he must be the very last to get the sweets.
Why?
Because even humility can become a performance if we seek recognition for it.
This is why we must carefully examine our motivations.
In verse 35 Jesus says:
“If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.”
Notice what Jesus does not do.
He does not rebuke the desire for greatness. Instead, He redefines it.
Greatness in God’s kingdom is serving others.
To illustrate this, Jesus takes a child and places the child among them.
In that culture, children had no status, no power, no achievements, and no rights. They were weak, dependent, and socially insignificant.
Jesus shows that greatness means serving even those who cannot repay you.
We are naturally eager to serve important people—famous individuals, bosses, respected leaders.
But are we equally willing to serve those who seem insignificant?
Divine humility treats others as more important than ourselves.
Jesus continues:
“Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me.”
Service is not done for our sake or even primarily for their sake—but for Christ’s sake.
When we serve in His name, we receive Him—and ultimately the Father who sent Him.
This is radically different from worldly greatness.
Worldly greatness seeks recognition.
Divine humility serves unseen, satisfied in knowing and enjoying God.
Jesus says in Matthew 6 that when we give, pray, and fast in secret, the Father who sees in secret will reward us.
True greatness can be summarized this way:
Lowly service on earth + glory to God in heaven.
III. Practical Applications
In verses 38–41, John complains about someone casting out demons in Jesus’ name because he was not part of their group.
Pride had made the disciples exclusive.
But Jesus says:
“Whoever is not against us is for us.”
The kingdom of God includes diversity. Not every believer will serve in exactly the same way.
There are no competitors among true believers.
If Christ is being preached, we should rejoice.
Jesus says even giving someone a cup of water will not lose its reward.
This reminds us that greatness does not require dramatic acts. Faithful service often happens in small, ordinary acts of kindness.
Like the unnamed man casting out demons, we can find joy in serving without recognition.
One very practical example is children’s ministry.
Those serving in Children’s Corner, Sunday School, and youth ministries often serve quietly for many years. They prepare lessons, crafts, songs, and activities for children who may not even appreciate it yet.
In terms of physical demands, children’s ministry is one of the most demanding.
These brothers and sisters have been serving our church faithfully, often anonymously. Perhaps God may call more of us to join them.
Conclusion
Today we have seen how sin corrupts our desire for greatness through:
Then we saw how Jesus redefines greatness as:
We also saw practical ways to live this out: avoiding exclusivity, serving in small ways, and embracing anonymous service.
Let us end by remembering Jesus’ own words in Mark 10:45:
“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”
Jesus Himself is the ultimate example of divine humility.