Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Mark 9:35

"And he sat down, and called the twelve; and he saith unto them, If any man would be first, he shall be last of all, and servant of all." — Mark 9:35 (ASV)

Jesus assumed the posture of a Jewish rabbi by sitting down (Matthew 5:1; Matthew 13:1) and calling the Twelve to him. True greatness comes through service of others, as Jesus’ own example demonstrated. This is a complete reversal of worldly values. How important this principle is can be seen by its repetition in the Gospels (cf. 10:31, 43–44; Matthew 23:8–11). The kind of service Jesus was talking about here involved sacrifice.