Bible Study – Servanthood
Share: Your highs (something that made you happy) and lows (something that made you sad) this week with others around you or write them down.
During the last weeks of Ordinary Time, the Gospel of Mark continues with the Kingdom of God is open for all people. We hear this message in the readings about the rich man, the disciples jockeying for position, the blind man, the saints, the poor widow, and even Pilate as he queries Jesus about being a king. We don't have to pass an entrance exam; we are already in the Kingdom. Through all the changes that occur in our lives, what will not change is God's love for each of us. The kingdom that Jesus is proclaiming is already here and yet is also still to come – the undercurrent of Advent, which is coming near.
How in the world will we find our place, our position, our status, if we are already "in"? What if there is no top spot – no seat of honor? What if we do not have to compete for a place at the table – the place is already set, the dinner served, the wine poured? The disciples have been scrambling for position. Jesus tells them that the sign of being "in" is not about being served but in looking for whom to serve.
Are you being invited to serve in your church (acolytes, choir, ushers, etc.) And if you are not currently invited, is it a possibility in your church? Where else do you "serve" – for example as Scouts or a similar organization? Does your community sponsor "walks" for charity that may have included children?
Opening Prayer: Thank you for the "great" people you place in our lives. Help us to learn from them and from one another. Amen.
Please open your Bibles to Mark 10:35-45 and read or read the scriptures below.
Mark 10:35-45
The Request of James and John
35 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.”
36 “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.
37 They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.”
38 “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said. “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?”
39 “We can,” they answered.
Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, 40 but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.”
41 When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. 42 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 43 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Reflection Questions: (See answers at the bottom of the pages)
- What do you think the disciples were arguing about?
- What does Jesus say that at first does not look like a real answer to their argument?
- In Jesus’ day, most people had "servants" in their houses who cooked their food and set the table. Do you have servants in your house?
- What do you think Jesus might be saying to us about being "servants?" Who do we help? How do we help?
Click here for the young learner’s lesson.
Videos (Click on url)
Mark 10:35-45: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvGacLLRMQ4 or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udxb8tfkT54
Gospel of Mark Summary: A complete Animated Overview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGHqu9-DtXk
Song: To Be Like Jesus – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzaSoPTUOJ4 or
I Have Decided to Follow Jesus - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjr9tVRnDaY or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_fZfiuONi0
Activities:
Serve: Think of additional ways you could "serve" in your church or in our community. Could you help spruce up the area around the church – picking up trash, raking leaves, etc.?
What other things could you offer to do? And, in addition to doing chores, what other ways can you "serve" our church or community? (Hospitality or nursing home visits) What are things you could do at home or school to serve others?
How I Serve: Draw, color, paint, or write about the ways in which you serve others.
Door Poster: Decorate a poster paper to hang on your door. You can color, draw picture of yourself, write your name in LARGE and colorful letters with the BIG words “WE ARE GOD’S SERVANTS and SERVANTS ARE THE GREATEST and MORE LIKE JESUS”. Hang the door SERVANT poster on your bedroom door with yarn or string.
To Be Like Jesus - Crossword: https://sermons4kids.com/activities/to-be-like-jesus-2
To Be Like Jesus - Word Search: https://sermons4kids.com/activities/to-be-like-jesus-1
To Be Like Jesus – Decoder: https://sermons4kids.com/activities/to-be-like-jesus-3
Winning The Prize – Fill in the Blank: https://sermons4kids.com/activities/winning-the-prize-2
Prayer: Thank you, God for showing us you need our help in doing the work that needs to be done. Be with us as we go into the world to serve and do work. Amen.
Answers to the Reflection Questions:
- What do you think the disciples were arguing about? ("Jesus needs me most because I," etc.)
- What does Jesus say that at first does not look like a real answer to their argument? (He talks about first being last, again and about serving.)
- In Jesus’ day, most people had "servants" in their houses who cooked their food and set the table. Do you have servants in your house? (Probably not.)
- What do you think Jesus might be saying to us about being "servants?" Who do we help? How do we help? (Yes, chores around our house, but what do we contribute to our church? Our community?)
