For the most part, we live in a “first come, first serve” society. We aim to be the best and to be the first, and we honor those who are. We certainly wouldn’t expect to see the back of the line honored before early arrivals, and our constant competition pushes us to strive for supremacy. Jesus, however, looks at things differently, and turns expectations upside down. In this lesson, children will consider how Christ prioritizes things differently than we do, and how we ought to have humble attitudes. Instead of putting ourselves first, we should act to love and serve others, because that’s exactly how Jesus lived.
Viewing life through a lens that is always reward/punishment based leads us to think that gaining recognition or repayment is an ideal goal. When we think about the Law, we might be tempted to somehow earn our own way into a close relationship with God. This passage reminds children of the importance of serving, rather than surpassing others. The best example of humble service is Jesus Himself. This Gospel lesson also emphasizes our true dependence on God. Jesus commended little children and encouraged others to receive them well. We ought to be childlike in recognizing that we are helpless without the saving blood of Christ.
Sunday School Lesson on Mark 9:30-37 for Children: Humility and Service like Jesus
Target Audience: Kindergarten-6th grade (See notes for specific age modifications)
Materials Needed: Construction paper; cups; glue; markers or crayons; pipe cleaners; plastic spoons, pom-pom balls; tape; scissors; decorative supplies; small prizes; pictures; Bibles.
Lesson Opening: This passage involves humble service and the “last shall be first” concept. Use the element of reversed expectations and putting others first to kick off the lesson. Some possible opening activity ideas include:
- Reverse relay: line students up in two lines for a relay race. Explain that they will take turns racing to completion, and create variations for movement such as hopping or galloping. Just before starting the race, explain that the last person in each line will go first, and the “starter” will run last. Make sure teams keep track of their line up! For extra variation, have students run backwards across the play area.
- Invite students to line up to choose a prize or craft supplies. Once lined up, have the last in line select first.
- (Younger students) Read the story Rainbow Fish and discuss the importance of humility and not thinking too highly of ourselves.
- (Older students) Present several Bible books or characters, written backwards. Have students identify what the words are. For added challenge, give students names of two Bible books, and have them figure out which book came first and last (Genesis and Revelation would be an easy combination, for example; Titus and Jude would be a more advanced pair).
- Jesus turned normal expectations upside down. Celebrate that concept by doing an activity with an upside down twist, like drawing a picture while lying down, or assembling a toy while blindfolded. It’s a humbling experience!
- Who is the greatest? Brainstorm people or characters who might be considered the “greatest of all time” in various categories such as sports, politics, food, or (fictional) superpowers. Think about people who are normally thought of as “lesser” (janitors, mailmen, etc.), but remind students that the greatest among us are those who serve and take a “backseat” to attention.
Explain to students that today’s lesson involves some challenging things that Jesus told His disciples. He often changed the order of what people expected, and in this passage, He wanted to transform the way they thought about greatness and remind us to live in service to others.
Bible Lesson: Mark 9:30-37 Explained for Children – Jesus Crucifixion and His Resurrection
Although this passage involves dialogue between Christ and the disciples, it is not one that necessarily lends itself to being acted out in skit format. It might be best to read it with your students, or have older students take turns reading passages. Pause at intervals to discuss the action and conversation happening. Begin by setting the stage a little. When this passage occurs, Jesus has been doing some remarkable healings. However, in these verses we see Jesus trying to explain to His disciples that difficult times are ahead:
They went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he did not want anyone to know, 31 for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “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.” 32 But they did not understand the saying, and were afraid to ask him. -Mark 9:30-32
Before Jesus was crucified, He predicted His own death many times. Yet each time, the disciples had a hard time understanding or accepting what He said. It was tough to process such a difficult truth. Here, we see that they were afraid to ask what He meant.
Ask: Have you ever been afraid to ask God something? Are there things that confuse you? Do you think there is anything He doesn’t want to hear from His children?
And they came to Capernaum. And when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?” 34 But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. -Mark 9:33-34
Sometimes we argue with those around us, even our friends or family members. The disciples here argued (and not for the first time!) about who was the best. They hoped to be the greatest follower of Jesus. Each of them would have liked to be considered the “top of the class” among those who were in Christ’s special circle. When Jesus asked them about it, though, they realized what they had been discussing really wasn’t that important. They knew they should not have been arguing about who was the greatest, so they didn’t directly answer the question their master asked. They were embarrassed into silence when He confronted them. Jesus called the disciples together to teach a critical lesson…
And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” -Mark 9:35
Jesus sat down when He had something to teach, as was often the custom in those days. He wanted to make sure His disciples heard and grasped the importance of what He said. Jesus wanted to communicate that greatness does not lie in recognition, esteem, or political power. Greatness means becoming humble. He told the followers that being “first” or greatest necessitated being “last of all.” Jesus came to live a life of servant leadership. He gave Himself for us, dying in the greatest example of humble service we can possibly imagine. He wanted to tell the beloved disciples that they should spend their time serving and loving one another, rather than arguing. We might think being the greatest requires personal discipline or practice. Jesus described greatness as humble service and dependence on God. Of course, Jesus could have simply reminded the disciples that He was the greatest, but that would go directly against His point! He was a living example of humble service.
Ask: What does it mean to be a servant to someone else? How can we practice humility? (Discuss possible answers.)
And he took a child and put him in the midst of them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them, 37 “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.” -Matthew 9:36-37
Explain that in the days of Jesus, children didn’t have much status. People did not think that kids were too important, and usually didn’t pay much attention to them. Jesus, however, cared about kids, and emphasized how special they were! In this case, He uses a child to show the disciples how important it was to take care of all people. If they could welcome and devote themselves to lowly children, they could show that they would take on lowly tasks and care for others who were not as well thought of. Jesus even went so far as to say that caring for those with low status was the same as caring for Christ Himself. Going one step further, Jesus reminded the disciples that welcoming Him meant welcoming “the one who sent” Him…that would be God! We can’t turn Him down, after all. He is truly the greatest, and we rely on Him! Being humble and loving God means understanding that He, and not we, is responsible for every great thing that we do!
We are often competitive. Our society honors those who line up first, come in first, and seem to outdo everyone else. But Jesus calls us to a different sort of life and priority system. He modeled a life of humble service and sacrifice, and wants us to live putting the needs of others first. This might not always sound as glamorous or successful, but in God’s eyes, it makes us truly great.
Close with prayer, thanking God for being the greatest in our lives and for sending Jesus to serve and sacrifice Himself. Pray for humility and love, and thank God for always helping us and providing what we need.
Be the last of all and servant of all (Mark 9:30-37) Activities for Children