Mark 9:30-37

30 They went on from there and passed through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know it; 31 for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, ‘The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again.’ 32 But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him.

33 Then they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, ‘What were you arguing about on the way?’ 34 But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. 35 He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, ‘Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.’ 36 Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, 37 ‘Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.’

Do not fear to ask Jesus

St. Mark tells us about Jesus' teaching, which has two aspects. One is teaching His disciples separately from the crowd. The second is to teach the crowd in the presence of His disciples as well.

In teaching the crowd, He wants to take them beyond the literal aspects of the Old Testament to the spiritual concepts. He does this using parables to help them listen, understand and apply it to their lives.

His focus in teaching His disciples is the fundamental aspects of His identity and mission. Here, He speaks to them about His Passion and Resurrection. They don't understand, though, and are afraid to ask Him about this. The Mystery of who Jesus is is not clear to them.

As they were arguing about who is the greatest, He feels the need to teach them about the political and social aspects of authority. He would like them to go beyond that and reach the spiritual core of authority, which is service with humility. He wants them to understand that godly authority is done with faithfulness, respect for others and achieves the goal.

How do we practice the authority that we hold in our lives? Are we imposing burdens upon others, or do we act with humility and understanding? Does it promote good things and produce good fruit?

Jesus refers to children and authority because children must rely upon and obey their parents. Hence, godly leaders in authority must, in the same way, rely upon and obey God.

We have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit that allows us to dare ask Jesus questions. Do we practice this gift when we don't understand Jesus' teaching? Ask Him to guide you into the best ways. May we trust Him and not fear to ask Jesus about our vocations and roles in life.