21st Sunday after Pentecost: Mark 10:35-45
The disciples are once again discussing who gets to be the greatest. Not long before this, Mark 9 describes a conversation where Jesus is telling the disciples about the persecution he will face and at that time the disciples were arguing about who would be the greatest. Right before this interaction, Jesus tells them he will be handed over to be killed. This request is their response.
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17th Sunday after Pentecost: Mark 9:30-37
While Jesus is teaching his disciples that his path involves a spiral of rejection and persecution, they miss that part of the lesson entirely. Instead they immediately discuss amongst themselves which of them is the greatest. Continue reading
When work and worth are confused, as they are in an achievement-oriented society, achievement becomes addictive because it is trying to solve a problem it was not originally designed to solve.