Most of us know what it feels like to keep score.

We compare careers, houses, incomes, accomplishments, relationships, kids, influence, and opportunities. We notice who seems to be moving ahead and wonder where that leaves us. Even when we’re following Jesus, it’s remarkably easy to keep using the same scoreboard everyone else uses.

That’s exactly what Jesus’ disciples are doing in Mark 9.

Jesus tells them He’s going to suffer, die, and rise again. He’s describing a Kingdom built not by climbing over people, but by laying His life down for them. And almost immediately, the disciples start arguing about which of them is the greatest.

They’re following the right King while still trying to win the wrong game.

Jesus doesn’t tell them that wanting greatness is the problem. Instead, He completely redefines where greatness is found: “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.”

Then He picks up a child—someone with virtually no status or influence in their culture—and places that child among them. The disciples are looking up the ladder for greatness. Jesus tells them to look toward the people the world has stopped noticing.

That challenges more than our behavior. It challenges our definition of the good life.

We can spend years becoming very successful at something Jesus never asked us to pursue. We can build impressive careers while being consumed by comparison. We can grow our influence while becoming increasingly dependent on recognition. We can even do good things for God while quietly measuring ourselves against other people doing good things for God.

That’s why Jesus’ words later in the passage become so severe. If something continually causes you to stumble, cut it off. He isn’t calling us to physically harm ourselves. He’s showing us how seriously we should take anything that keeps forming us according to the wrong kingdom.

The question, then, isn’t only, “Is this thing wrong?”

A better question might be: “What kind of person is this forming me into?”

Our habits, ambitions, relationships, screens, desires, and definitions of success are always shaping us. They can train us to grasp for position, protect our image, and prove our worth—or they can help form us into people who increasingly look, live, and lead like Jesus.

So perhaps one of the most revealing questions we can ask at the end of a day is simply this:

What game was I trying to win?

Not whether we won or lost. Not whether the day felt successful. What scoreboard were we actually chasing?

Because following Jesus isn’t about getting better at the game everyone else is playing. It’s learning to aim our lives toward a different Kingdom altogether.

Reflection Questions

1. When you look at how you spend your time, energy, attention, and money, what “scoreboard” are you most tempted to use to determine whether your life is going well?
2. What is one thing in your life—even something that isn’t inherently wrong—that may be forming you toward comparison, competition, recognition, or control rather than toward the character of Jesus?
3. If Jesus says greatness is found in serving people the world tends to overlook, who might you need to notice, welcome, or serve differently this week?