Mark 9:33
And he came to Capernaum: and being in the house he asked them, What was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way? And he came to Capernaum: and being in the house he asked them, What was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way?
Jesus came to Capernaum with His disciples, and being alone with them in the house He asked what they had disputed among themselves by the way. He already knew their thoughts and ambitious desires, for on the way they had disputed which of them should be greatest in the kingdom, expecting Him soon to set up an earthly kingdom in which they would hold the highest offices. They fell silent with shame and self-condemnation when His question exposed their pride and contest for rank, which stood in painful contrast to His recent teaching that He would die for them and rise again. He used the moment to teach that whoever desires to be first must become last of all and servant of all, making humility and unselfish service the measure of true greatness. The verse therefore warns all His followers against pride, rivalry and seeking power at the expense of others, calling them instead to be converted and become as a teachable little child, free from selfishness and guile.
Setting and Dispute
He had come back to Capernaum with the disciples, and once they were inside the house he was alone with them in a quiet moment when he put the question to them about their arguing on the way. He asked what they had disputed among themselves by the way after they came into the house at Capernaum. He waited for that secluded time in the house to counsel them.
He put the question though he had already heard them on the road and knew their thoughts and hearts and ambitious desires. He understood their ambitious desires while they argued. The dispute on the way was which of them should be the greatest, the greatest in the kingdom, even described as the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. It was a contest for status and authority and for supremacy. They argued in this way because they expected the Messiah to establish an earthly kingdom, hoped that kingdom would soon be set up, and wanted for themselves the highest offices in it.
Their pressing for rank stood in painful contrast to his unselfish love and to his recent teaching that he would die for them and rise again. While he had been teaching them about his coming death and resurrection they were taken up with rank rather than with his teaching. They had not talked his prediction through together, though receiving it in conversation could have strengthened their faith and comforted them through coming bereavement and disappointment. They tried to hide the argument, hanging back as they entered the town, and then in the house they fell silent. His question exposed their contest for status and authority and brought their selfish ambition and pride into view, so that shame and self-condemnation and the knowledge that their ambition was wrong shut their mouths.
Humility and Application
He put the question to them in order to teach humility and service, that whoever desires to be first must become last and servant of all. His question exposed their contest for status and authority and their ambition for supremacy over who would be greatest. They fell silent because they knew that ambition was wrong, while they had been focused on rank rather than on His teaching about His coming death and resurrection. Humility is the central lesson of the verse, presented as good and worthy of praise to God; true greatness is joined to humility, while seeking superiority and rank for selfish reasons is contrary to Christ's way and to the spirit of service and unity.
That lesson is illustrated by welcoming a child in Jesus' name, and by putting away rivalry and dissension to become teachable and childlike before God and to welcome others in Christ's name, so that humility and willingness to learn allow the Spirit to unite His followers in Christ. It calls for conversion from natural selfish character to become as a little child free from guile, hypocrisy, selfishness and unkindness. Their dispute had a tendency to arouse selfish feelings and selfish expressions and to eclipse the love of Christ in the soul, in painful contrast to His unselfish love.
The incident shows that Jesus sees the motives of the heart as well as outward actions, and that in the judgment each person's desire to please self or to pursue righteousness and glorify God will be considered. It warns all His followers against pride, self-exaltation, rivalry, dissension, selfish ambition, and seeking power at others' expense, calling them to put rivalry away and reject it in favor of serving others. Humble growth in knowing oneself and God, with true life growing first downward in lowly, humble acquaintance with self and with God, would have kept them from such a dispute. Judas heard this call to lowliness but thought it uncalled for, and the same lesson belongs to all who believe on Christ today.