Jesus’s kingdom is upside-down.

在耶稣的国度中，末后的必为首，谦卑的必被升高。

Those who humble themselves will be exalted. Matthew 23:12

凡自己谦卑的，必被升高。-马太福音23章12节，新译本

Recently I was among the last in line to board a large passenger jet with unassigned seating. I located a middle seat beside the wing, but the only spot for my bag was the overhead compartment by the very last row. This meant I had to wait for everyone to leave before I could go back and retrieve it.

不久前，我搭乘了一趟没有事先划位的客机。因为我排在最后面，所以登机时只剩下靠近机翼的中间座位，但我的行李却只能放在最后一排的舱顶置物箱。这表示下机时，我必须等所有乘客都下飞机后，才能去后面拿我的行李。

I laughed as I settled into my seat and a thought occurred to me that seemed to be from the Lord: “It really won’t hurt you to wait. It will actually do you good.” So I resolved to enjoy the extra time, helping other passengers lower their luggage after we landed and assisting a flight attendant with cleaning. By the time I was able to retrieve my bag, I laughed again when someone thought I worked for the airline.

我坐了下来，觉得这似乎是主在提醒我：“等候并不会让你有损失，其实还对你有好处。”想到这里，我不禁莞尔。于是，我决定享受等待别人下飞机的这段时间，帮别的乘客把行李从舱顶置物箱拿下来，并协助空服员一同清理客舱。当我终于拿到行李时，还有人以为我是航空公司的工作人员，更是让我忍俊不禁。

That day’s experience made me ponder Jesus’s words to His disciples: “Anyone who wants to be first, must be the very last, and the servant of all” (Mark 9:35).

那天的经验让我想到耶稣对门徒所说的话：“若有人愿意做首先的，他必做众人末后的，作众人的用人。”（马可福音9章35节）

I waited because I had to, but in Jesus’s “upside down” kingdom, there’s a place of honor for those who voluntarily set themselves aside to attend to others’ needs.

我等候是因为我必须等，但是在耶稣“末后的必为首”的国度中，那些愿意谦卑自己关心别人需要的人，必得到尊荣。

Jesus came into our hurried, me-first world not “to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matt. 20:28). We serve Him best by serving others. The lower we bend, the closer we are to Him.

耶稣来到我们这个忙碌、以自我为优先的世界，“不是要受人的服事，乃是要服事人，并且要舍命，作多人的赎价”（马太福音20章28节）。我们服事祂最好的方式，就是服事他人。我们越谦卑，便与主越亲密。

Loving Lord, help me to follow You into the needs of others and serve You there.

慈爱的主，求祢帮助我，
让我能像祢一样服事人，以此服事祢。

Mark 9:33-37New International Version (NIV)

33 They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?” 34 But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest.

35 Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.”

36 He took a little child whom he placed among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, 37 “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”

马可福音 9:33-37Chinese Union Version Modern Punctuation (Simplified) (CUVMPS)

争论谁为大

33 他们来到迦百农，耶稣在屋里问门徒说：“你们在路上议论的是什么？” 34 门徒不作声，因为他们在路上彼此争论谁为大。 35 耶稣坐下，叫十二个门徒来，说：“若有人愿意做首先的，他必做众人末后的，做众人的用人。” 36 于是领过一个小孩子来，叫他站在门徒中间，又抱起他来，对他们说： 37 “凡为我名接待一个像这小孩子的，就是接待我；凡接待我的，不是接待我，乃是接待那差我来的。”

INSIGHT

Mark 9 is an action-packed chapter in our second gospel account. The chapter opens with the transfiguration of Jesus (vv. 1–13), where Peter, James, and John witness the glory of Christ and the voice of the Father while seeing Moses and Elijah join Jesus on the mountain to discuss His coming death and resurrection. Then, after descending the mountain and entering the valley below, the Lord of light is confronted by the power of darkness—from which He rescues a demon-possessed boy (vv. 14–29). After Jesus reminds the disciples of His coming death and resurrection (vv. 3–32), the disciples argue about which of them will have the highest place in the kingdom. This discussion of greatness initiates Jesus’s call to servanthood. After hearing how their Master would sacrifice Himself for them, they must be reminded that they too were called to lay themselves down for the benefit of others.

 Our natural inclination is to put self first. How might you intentionally look to serve someone today?

灵粮透视

马可福音9章记载了耶稣一连串的言行。这章经文以耶稣在山上变像开始（1-13节），在那里，彼得、雅各和约翰共同见证了基督的荣耀和天父的声音，同时也看到摩西和以利亚与耶稣一起在山上，谈论祂的受死和复活（参阅路加福音9章31节）。随后耶稣与门徒下山，进入山下的谷地。那时，光明之主遇到黑暗的势力，耶稣让一个被鬼附的孩子得着医治（14-29节）。在耶稣提醒门徒祂将要受死并要复活之后（30-32节），门徒就争论在祂的国中谁会居首位。这种谁要为大的争论，引发耶稣教导他们要甘心作众人的仆人。门徒听到他们的主说，祂要为他们牺牲自己，也因此得着提醒，知道他们蒙召也是要为别人的益处而舍己。

我们的本性会把自己放在第一位。今天你要如何主动去服事别人呢？

整理：于姊妹