The Greatest Must Be Servant of All
In Mark Chapter 9, Part 4, we continue our verse-by-verse study beginning with Mark 9:28.
The disciples privately ask Jesus an important question:
“Why could we not cast it out?”
Jesus’ answer points them toward prayer and fasting.
From there, Jesus once again tells His disciples that He will be betrayed, killed, and rise again on the third day.
Yet the disciples do not understand.
Why?
Their expectations concerning the Messiah were different from what Jesus was telling them.
They were looking for a victorious King.
Jesus was teaching them that He must first suffer.
And while Jesus speaks about His coming death, the disciples begin arguing among themselves about something completely different:
Which one of them would be the greatest?
Jesus uses that moment to teach one of the most important principles of His Kingdom:
“If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.” — Mark 9:35
Why Couldn’t the Disciples Cast It Out?
Mark 9:28-29
After Jesus and His disciples enter the house, they privately ask Him:
“Why could we not cast it out?”
Jesus answers:
“This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.”
Jesus gives His disciples instruction rather than condemnation.
The answer directs their attention toward dependence upon God through prayer.
Jesus Predicts His Death and Resurrection
Mark 9:30-32
Jesus begins teaching His disciples:
“The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him. And after He is killed, He will rise the third day.”
But Mark tells us:
“They did not understand this saying and were afraid to ask Him.”
Why didn’t they understand?
One reason may have been their expectations concerning the Messiah.
They expected the Messiah to rule.
They expected deliverance.
They expected the restoration of the Kingdom.
But Jesus was telling them something they did not expect:
The Messiah would suffer and die.
Freedom From Sin
In John 8, Jesus told those who believed Him:
“You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
They responded that they were Abraham’s descendants and had never been in bondage.
Jesus explained the deeper bondage:
“Whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.”
Their greatest problem was not political bondage.
Their greatest need was not simply deliverance from Rome.
Humanity needed deliverance from sin.
Jesus came to accomplish a freedom far greater than political liberation:
“Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” — John 8:36
The Messiah as King
The Old Testament contains powerful passages presenting Messiah as King.
Psalm 2
God declares concerning His Son:
“I will give You the nations for Your inheritance.”
The Messiah will rule the nations.
Isaiah 9
Isaiah prophesied:
“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder.”
He is:
Wonderful.
Counselor.
Mighty God.
Everlasting Father.
Prince of Peace.
And:
“Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end.”
Zechariah 9
Zechariah declares:
“Behold, your King is coming to you.”
Jeremiah 23
God promises to raise up a righteous Branch from David:
“A King shall reign and prosper, and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.”
The Scriptures clearly reveal a reigning King.
But they also reveal something else.
The Suffering Servant
Isaiah 53 presents a dramatically different picture.
The Messiah is:
Despised.
Rejected.
A Man of sorrows.
Acquainted with grief.
Isaiah declares:
“He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities.”
And:
“The LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”
He is compared to:
“A lamb to the slaughter.”
His suffering is not for His own sin.
He suffers for ours.
By His Stripes We Are Healed
Isaiah declares:
“The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.”
The Suffering Servant bears our griefs, carries our sorrows, and is wounded for our transgressions.
The Messiah would not merely come to reign.
He would first come to redeem.
Before the crown came the cross.
Before the Kingdom came the sacrifice.
Before His exaltation came His humiliation.
Psalm 22 and the Suffering Messiah
Psalm 22 provides another extraordinary picture of suffering.
It begins:
“My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
The Psalm describes ridicule and mockery.
It speaks of pierced hands and feet.
It describes garments being divided and lots being cast for clothing.
Yet Psalm 22 does not end in defeat.
It ends with hope, worship, and the LORD ruling over the nations.
The Suffering One is ultimately vindicated.
Why Were the Disciples Afraid to Ask?
This was not the first time Jesus told His disciples He would suffer.
In Mark 8, Jesus explained that He must suffer, be rejected, be killed, and rise again.
Peter responded by rebuking Jesus.
Jesus answered:
“Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”
Perhaps the disciples remembered that exchange.
This time, instead of challenging Jesus, they remained silent.
Who Will Be the Greatest?
What happens next reveals how differently the disciples were thinking from Jesus.
Jesus had just told them:
I will be betrayed.
I will be killed.
I will rise again.
Meanwhile, the disciples were arguing about:
Which one of us is the greatest?
When they arrive in Capernaum, Jesus asks:
“What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road?”
They remain silent.
They knew.
“Servant of All”
Mark 9:35
Jesus sits down, calls the twelve, and tells them:
“If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.”
This is completely contrary to the world’s understanding of greatness.
The world often measures greatness through:
Position.
Power.
Recognition.
Authority.
Influence.
Status.
Jesus measures greatness differently:
Service.
Jesus and the Little Child
Jesus then takes a little child and places the child among the disciples.
He takes the child into His arms and says:
“Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me.”
Jesus is teaching His disciples to value those who could offer them nothing in return.
Kingdom service is not about positioning ourselves around important people.
It is about serving people in the name of Christ.
Whoever Desires to Be Great
Jesus expands this teaching in Matthew 20:
“Whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant.”
And:
“Whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave.”
Then Jesus points to Himself:
“Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
Jesus does not merely teach servant leadership.
Jesus demonstrates it.
Whoever Exalts Himself Will Be Humbled
Jesus warns in Matthew 23:
“He who is greatest among you shall be your servant.”
And:
“Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
This same truth appears in Jesus’ parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector.
The Pharisee emphasizes his own righteousness.
The tax collector simply cries:
“God, be merciful to me a sinner!”
Jesus says the humble man went home justified.
Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet
Perhaps one of the greatest pictures of servant leadership occurs shortly before the crucifixion.
Jesus knew who He was.
He knew He had come from God.
He knew He was returning to God.
And He knew that the Father had given all things into His hands.
What does the Lord do with that authority?
He picks up a towel.
Jesus kneels down and washes His disciples’ feet.
Then He tells them:
“I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you.”
The King becomes the servant.
The Lord washes feet.
The Mind of Christ
Philippians 2 tells us:
“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.”
Jesus made Himself of no reputation.
He took the form of a bondservant.
He humbled Himself.
He became obedient even to:
“The death of the cross.”
Then God highly exalted Him.
One day:
Every knee will bow.
And:
Every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
What Does True Greatness Look Like?
The disciples wanted to know:
Who is greatest?
Jesus’ answer was demonstrated through His entire life.
The greatest serves.
The greatest does not need recognition.
The greatest does not demand honor.
The greatest does not use authority to place himself above others.
The greatest follows Jesus.
And Jesus:
Served.
Loved.
Humbled Himself.
Washed feet.
Gave His life.
Key Takeaways From Mark Chapter 9 Part 4
- Prayer reminds us of our dependence upon God.
- Jesus repeatedly told His disciples about His coming death and resurrection.
- The disciples struggled to understand a suffering Messiah.
- Scripture reveals Jesus as both the promised King and the Suffering Servant.
- Jesus was wounded for our transgressions and bore our iniquities.
- Jesus came not only to reign but first to redeem.
- Human pride seeks recognition, authority, and status.
- Jesus defines greatness through humble service.
- The person who wants to be first must become servant of all.
- Jesus did not merely teach servanthood—He demonstrated it.
- Jesus washed His disciples’ feet.
- Jesus gave His life as a ransom for many.
- Christians are called to have the same humble mind that was in Christ.
The King Who Became a Servant
Jesus Christ is the promised King.
He is the Son of David.
He is the Lion of the tribe of Judah.
But He is also the Suffering Servant.
He came not to be served:
But to serve.
He humbled Himself.
He washed feet.
He became obedient to death.
Even the death of the cross.
If our King became a servant, what should characterize His followers?
Not pride.
Not position.
Not recognition.
Not the desire to be greater than others.
Service.
Jesus said:
“If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.”
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