The disciples are arguing about what Jesus means and who the number one disciple is.
They struggle and are confused about Him dying and rising again, this is not normal.
Jesus responds with “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.”
Jesus uses the image of a child because children are innocent and believe what they are taught.

Maybe they struggle to understand that when Jesus dies his words will also die. They can’t understand that he will exist in their lives forever. The disciples stay silent probably because they are embarrassed about boasting that they are better than each other because God sees everyone as equal.

Arguing about who is the best or greatest. Who is the son of man.

The disciples struggle to understand Jesus’ teaching because they don’t know who the son of man is. Being human, they struggle to understand God’s mysterious ways.

Jesus maybe means that to get into the Kingdom of Heaven, you must first put yourself last, meaning that you must always help others, and be supportive and caring.

He is showing it is harder for a child to sin, because they don’t know what they’re doing yet.

The disciples were arguing about who was the greatest. The disciples were struggling to understand because they were afraid to ask him what he meant. This applies to us in class because sometimes we don’t ask questions because we can be afraid people will judge us or think we are silly.

jesus spoke in parables

It is important to show ‘understanding’ when working in our academic subjects but also to show ‘understanding’ of those around us.. Empathy and compassion to each individual are vital in make our community better.

What do the disciples argue about as they walk towards Capernaum? Why do you think they’re having this discussion?
– arguing who was the greatest
– people have different opinions; want to understand them

Why do you think the disciples struggle to understand Jesus’ teaching? What might be hindering their understanding?

– they weren’t willing to learn so they struggled to understand

How does Jesus respond to their argument? What does he mean when he says, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all”?

– By getting them to understand

Why does Jesus use the image of a child to illustrate his point? What qualities do children often possess that Jesus is highlighting?

– the have the ability to grow to become stronger
– they all have the ability to learn.

They argued about who is the greatest. It says that he will be killed and will then rise again. This can be a hard concept to understand. With great power comes great responsibility.

If a person is understanding they have these qualities: sympathy, respectful, kind, generous, a good listener, a good communicator,
Sometimes in a lesson when we get a warning and we don’t understand what it is for, we feel misunderstood.

‘Dear God, please help me understand others but also world leaders to help understand those who really suffer to help and save them. Amen’.

The disciples argued about who is the greatest, and who is going to die and resurrect.

The disciples struggled to understand Jesus’s teaching because the holy spirit wasn’t in their heart. When the holy spirit is with you, you can understand what Jesus teaches us. They struggle to understand because he is speaking in riddles.

He expected them to understand because they have been with him for a while.

-because humans are insecure and feel a need to be superior to others
– they are not fully secure in trusting God’s omniscience and omnibenevolence and thus are struggling to understand
-because they have lots of ego and arrogance
-they are scared of him
-not understanding each other
-being afraid

Our thoughts on the gospel. If you want God to accept you, you have to be humble. The disciples did not have full knowledge and understanding to appreciate the lesson.

People may have been confused by what he was saying and asking us to do. Some of Jesus’ teachings were unorthodox at the time. Also confused as to why he was telling them these things, some people may not have believed in him. A lot of metaphors may have been used which may have been difficult to understand. Some people may have thought he was just trying to predict the future.

Dear God,
Help us be sympathetic and compassionate to those in need. Give us the strength to be open minded. Help us to have patience with those in the time of need. Help us to communicate to people that are struggling. Show us how to listen to those that have a lot in their mind.Amen

They were arguing about who is the most powerful.

If you want to be first then you first have to be at the bottom. God teaches that we are all equal and they were saying they were not. They had too much pride.

It means you have to grow and develop until you can be at the top.

It is because the child is pure and we grow from a child to a wiser adult.
(Thank you Pamela!)

Who the the greatest. The greatest is the most popular, it is about helping and accepting others.
Uses a child to show that everyone is welcome.
Being misunderstood:
– Feel sad because people don’t always want to understand
– Makes us feel bad about ourselves
– Bit angry

How can we make people feel better:
– Ask them if they are ok, if they would like to join in
– Smile
– Compliment them, show kindness

Qualities that show understanding:
– Being a good listener
– Giving them feedback – advice
– empathy,
– patience,
-open-mindedness

Dear Lord,

Help us to have the patience to be understanding. Give us the ability to listen carefully. Help us have a positive attitude towards people’s feelings, opinions and views.

Listen to the person who guides you. Understand the thoughts and ideas of others even if you don’t agree.

Dear God,

Allow us to understand other people’s perspectives so that we can see how they view us, that way we can be guided on to the right path. If we understand others’ feelings, we can show sympathy, support and compassion to get them through a difficult time. We would also appreciate your support in understanding the word of God so we can be good disciples/stewards and succeed in our own personal missions.

Amen