十字架的道路
马可福音九章30至41节
30他们离开那地方，经过加利利；耶稣不愿意人知道。
31于是教训门徒，说：人子将要被交在人手里，他们要杀害他；被杀以后，过三天他要复活。
32门徒却不明白这话，又不敢问他。
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甚么？
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：若有人愿意作首先的，他必作众人末后的，作众人的用人。
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。
38约翰对耶稣说：夫子，我们看见一个人奉你的名赶鬼，我们就禁止他，因为他不跟从我们。
39耶稣说：不要禁止他；因为没有人奉我名行异能，反倒轻易毁谤我。
40不敌挡我们的，就是帮助我们的。
41凡因你们是属基督，给你们一杯水喝的，我实在告诉你们，他不能不得赏赐。
信息分享
耶稣登山变像和治好一个被鬼附的孩子之后，祂便与门徒一起上路。路上发生了两件似乎是互相矛盾的事。首先，耶稣暗暗地告诉门徒，祂将要被人杀害，但到了第三天便要复活。另一件事，是门徒在路上一直争论他们中间谁为最大。
其实，这至少是基督第二或第三次告诉门徒，祂将要在耶路撒冷受害。他们怎么好像听而不闻、一点儿也不明白呢？其中一个原因，是因为他们不想去明白。他们心中所惦念的，就只有世上的国度；他们一心所盼望的，也只是在这国度中担任一官半职。
然而，神的道路却有别于人的道路。基督降世是为了受死，祂无论如何也不能逃避十字架的道路。可是，门徒却绝不希望他们的梦想落得如此下场，所以，他们刻意不去问个明白。他们一直要到后来，才明白神的整个计划和心意，并因而深深地感谢神。
神对我们一生中的计划，我们许多时候都并不明白。每当我们好像要走上一条属于自己的十字架道路，我们总是想刻意去回避。然而，那若是出于神的心意，神就有最好的安排；当我们走过之后，我们就会明白神的心意，并获得神为我们所预备的福。
最后我们要紧记的是，我们若希望自己能够被神使用，就必须去除骄傲，学习谦卑。秘诀是在于第35节：「若有人愿意作首先的，他必作众人的末后的，作众人的用人。」这不是一项容易学会的功课；可是，我们的主却亲自为我们立下了榜样，成为众人的仆人，我们这些跟从祂的门徒，又怎能不学效祂的榜样呢？
THE WAY OF THE CROSS
Mark 9:30-41
30 Then they departed from there and passed through Galilee, and He did not want anyone to know it.
31 For He taught His disciples and said to them, “The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him.And after He is killed, He will rise the third day.”
32 But they did not understand this saying, and were afraid to ask Him.
33 Then He came to Capernaum.And when He was in the house He asked them, “What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road? ”
34 But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest.
35 And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.”
36 Then He took a little child and set him in the midst of them.And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them,
37 “Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me.”
38 Now John answered Him, saying, “Teacher, we saw someone who does not follow us casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow us.”
39 But Jesus said, “Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me.
40 For he who is not against us is on our side.
41 For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.
Message
The Glory Mountain and the miracle of healing were followed by two very different stories. First Christ spoke about his death and resurrection and the disciples argued over who was going to be the greatest among them.
This was at least the second or third time that Christ had tried to tell the disciples that he was on his way to Jerusalem to die. Why didn't they believe him? Why didn't they understand? One reason is that they didn't want to. They could only think of an earthly kingdom and they wanted to be the leaders in it.
But our ways are not always God's ways. Christ had come into this world to die and there was no way the cross could be avoided. The disciples didn't want their dreams to end that way, but this was God's plan. Later they came to understand it and to thank God for it all.
We don't always understand God's plans for our lives. Sometimes when it seem as if we are facing our own personal cross, we feel that we don't want that road at all. Yet it may be God's way for us just then. Later we will see the reason for it and enter into the blessing he had planned for us.
Remember too that if we want to be used by God, we need to be humble rather than filled with pride. We need to learn the secret of verse 35 - 'if anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all, and, the servant of all'. That is not easy for any of us. But it is the way the Master went, should not the servant tread it still?