Who's the greatest?
Within minutes they were bickering over who of them would end up the greatest. But Jesus intervened: “Kings like to throw their weight around and people in authority like to give themselves fancy titles. It’s not going to be that way with you. Let the senior among you become like the junior; let the leader act the part of the servant. Who would you rather be: the one who eats the dinner or the one who serves the dinner? You’d rather eat and be served, right? But I’ve taken my place among you as the one who serves.” –Luke 22:24-27 (MSG)
It’s easy to judge the apostles as they sit around the table arguing about their relative value in the Kingdom. This was a discussion they’d had multiple times, notably when James and John, accompanied by their mother, requested chief positions in the King Jesus administration. But here? Now? It was literally the last time they would all be together in one place like this. Jesus had opened their time together by washing their feet, the master serving the servants.
These guys were chosen by Jesus. They would soon carry the gospel to the world. But you can almost imagine how the conversation got to this point on this night. As Jesus tells them one of them has set Him up, their minds begin to go down the list of their peers. Who is the traitor? Defensiveness creeps in and before you know it, they are one-upping each other to prove who is the most faithful follower. I wish I could say I’ve never been so tone deaf, but I know better….
There’s a part of me that enjoys being liked, respected, well thought of. Sometimes that part of me says “Yes” to requests that I have neither the time, the resources, or the desire to take on. But I do it anyway, so that the one making the request will be impressed and/or happy with me. Sometimes the time and effort required to fulfill those commitments leads to bitterness and resentment. And sometimes, I compare what I’m doing to what I perceive others are doing and I feel prideful.
Who is honored in that case? Who gets the glory? I’ve stolen something beautiful that belonged to Him and dashed it to pieces. I recently stepped out of a ministry role I had been in for a few years. As I did so, I had to resist the urge to explain what other ministry commitments I was also involved in, as if to justify why it was OK for me to leave this one. Why was that? Was it not sufficient to be thankful for the opportunity to serve, to celebrate the mutual blessing of having done so, and move on?
It’s good to remember some things as I check my motives around acts of service:
God doesn’t need my help; He will enable and accomplish whatever Kingdom work He wants done, regardless of whether I participate.
The body of Christ has many parts; the task in which I struggle to be “almost adequate” might be a huge blessing, both from and for the person whose talents are perfectly matched to it.
I need Him; whatever I do of any eternal value will only be accomplished by the power of Christ in me.
Joy results when I am serving at the intersection of my gifts, my passion, and my opportunities. Perhaps the litmus test is to ask myself, “What if no one ever found out about the good I had done – would I still do it?” When my only motivation is making my Father smile, I’ve rightly answered the apostles’ question of who is the greatest: "For YOURS is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen."
I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. I tell you the truth, slaves are not greater than their master. Nor is the messenger more important than the one who sends the message. Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them. –John 13:15-17 (NLT)