I came to think of America as the World’s cheerleaders, they were constantly giving out awards and trophies. That is a quote from an essay I read from a visitor to the U.S. I can’t quite remember, but it was by someone who found how people treated them here had changed. It might have been a Persian writing after 911, but I can’t remember for sure.

When I tried to find the quote on Google, the first article that came up was about the problems or dangers of participation trophies. Children will become soft and think it is okay to lose. As if shaming a loser provides any real motivation. I bring it up to highlight how competition is systemized in American Culture.

Even a quick You Tube search on a subject brings up many Top Ten videos. I admit myself that I tend to constantly revise my top ten horror movie list should anyone ask – only one person ever has. Despite all this I’ve heard many people scoff at the disciples arguing over who is the greatest. It seems silly to do that in the presence of Jesus – but we’re always in the presence of Jesus, even when we give out participation trophies.

Everything in Mark is written in the present tense, so it can be easy to assume this dispute among the disciples followed Jesus’ prediction of his death. I like to think Jesus brought up His impending death because this conversation was going on, but that disciples didn’t make the connection. Your Rabbi, the Messiah, is going to die a messy death and you’re talking about greatness as if you know what greatness really is. So Jesus speaks to them plainly about it.

Jesus hugging a child in the presence of his disciples is reported in all three synoptic Gospels, which indicates to me it was something memorable and significant in the way remembering the woman who anointed Jesus was. Because of mortality rates, children under seven in the ancient world were not objects of affection.  In fact the earliest depictions of Mary and baby Jesus depicted Jesus looking like a tiny adult sitting on Mary’s lap and facing outward.  It was centuries before Jesus was painted as an infant with Mary being tender toward Him.

The Greek word for child in tonight’s Gospel is without doubt a word for children under seven (perhaps even under two as it’s the same word Herod uses when he orders the slaughter of the innocents. ) In researching this word, one definition I came across was child in training. We’re not even calling this a child yet. That definition, to my mind, makes Jesus’ point stronger.

My favorite definition of humility is to remain teachable. We’re not done yet, we’re still (and constantly) in training. And so Jesus, in addressing the disciples’ lack of humility, hugs a child and says here! Here is the greatest among you! The one who is still being taught. So rather than chiding them over not understanding the prediction of His death (A death whose significance theologians are still arguing about) He tells them to acknowledge how little they do know about it, and to remain open to the world changing event of His resurrection.

Yes, plenty of other times, Jesus gets cranky about what they haven’t learned yet, but perhaps that’s all the more reason for him being so dramatic at this time.

 As I pointed out a few weeks ago quoting John’s second letter, and as is evident in the letter of James today, the early Christians found it very difficult to let go of the desire to be, or the desire to show preference to, the wealthy, the powerful and those with status. These are the temptations of the perishing. Those of us called to lives of resurrection, called by the God who died, the messiah that did not wage war, the loser by the standards of the perishing, continue to learn through Wisdom from above.

Wisdom from above proclaims Jesus the winner. He didn’t win this victory for us because we deserved it. He did it out of love for us while we were still sinners. He did it for the soft and the strong, though he identified with the soft. All we did was say yes to His invitation to humility. The most any of us can claim for our salvation is a participation trophy.