Jesus wasn’t always talking to the disciples.

Sometimes when they were traveling, and living, and sitting, the disciples actually talked with each other. Among their topics was, “Who is the greatest among us?”

It’s a familiar topic. In families, in work teams, in friend groups. Some personalities are deeply, unapologetically, competitive. Others are deeply apologetically, competitive. Others are deeply, apologetically, insecure. Which is still a part of the “who is the best among us” conversation. Even saying, “But I’m not important” is, in some ways, still a plea to be loved and noticed and found important.

And though Jesus wasn’t involved in the conversation, he was aware of it. Both the oral part, and the part that happened only in their thoughts.

At the time of Luke’s version of this argument, Jesus and the disciples were in a multigenerational group.

Jesus walked over to where the kids were, took the hand of a little one, maybe like our grandson Ben, and walked to the group of disciples, where things may have been getting a little heated.

“If you welcome this child in my name, you welcome me. And if you welcome me, you welcome the one who sent me.”

If, claiming to be working in his name, we ignore the kids, deciding that they are not valuable enough, or that their concerns are not significant, are we even inviting God into the conversation? (Though God’s aware).

John shook hands with Peter, or whoever he was debating with. The lesson was learned. All the disciples were awesome.

But then John spoke. “But there are people doing stuff in your name that aren’t in our group. And they won’t stop when we tell them that we are the ones that get to do that, that we are the ones who really know you. They aren’t following us.”

Jesus answered, “Don’t stop them. Whoever is not against you is for you.”

It’s an interesting thought for the weekend. Maybe we shouldn’t be looking for the people who follow us, but for the people who follow Jesus.

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Read the story yourself. Luke 9:46-50