Greatness

“And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to Him and said to Him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” And He said to them, “What do you want me to do for you?” And they said to Him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” And they said to Him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized, but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.” And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John. And Jesus called them to Him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” – Mark 10.35-45

In the beginning of this passage, it is clear that the disciples’ conception of greatness and how to attain it is still worldy. In this passage Jesus turns the disciples’ thinking upside down. He identifies that Gentiles treat status one way, but simply says “But it shall not be so among you.” And then Jesus defines what true greatness is for those who follow Him. “But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”

Humility. Servanthood. Selflessness. That is greatness. That is what will make us ‘first’. And even in the chance that we don’t understand what Jesus is saying, He provides His life as the tangible example. The Son of God, who deserves all glory and honor and praise, steps down from heaven to serve the enemies of His father, the sinners, the betrayers. Us. That is what Jesus spent His earthly life doing. Washing undeserving feet, feeding the hungry, praying for those who were nailing Him to a cross, and enduring death. He poured Himself out. He got down on the ground. He spent His life on us.

As people that are no longer our own, but purchased by the blood of Christ, we ought to examine our hearts and see what kind of greatness we are striving for. Theological prowess and elite scholarship, while hardly insignificant, are not the measure of greatness. Neither are the worldy lures of money, power, and fame. As the body of Christ, we should fight to be more than just teachers and friends to each other and the unbelieving world. We should fight, with every ounce of strength He provides us, to imitate Jesus and pour ourselves out and be humble servants to all. Think about what this means in your daily life. Are you being a servant to all, or just a few? What would it look like if you poured yourself completely out, and not just a little?

John the Baptist

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

~Matthew 3:7-12

This is simply amazing. John the Baptist, the messanger, a voice crying out in the wilderness, is telling the Pharisees about the coming of Jesus Christ. The thing that I want to write about today, that really stuck out to me, was the how John tells of Jesus with the winnowing fork. A winnowing fork is a type of pitchfork, which farmers use to throw wheat into the air. Now, the heavier wheat withstands the wind and falls to the ground, while the chaff gets blown aside. Think about that for a second. Jesus was there to seperate the the wheat from the chaff, to show the world the difference between His people and those that are of the world. His Words cut right to our hearts and show us whether we are the chaff or the wheat. Then, Jesus, image of the Father, full of both mercy and grace, and also righteousness and wrath, brings the wheat into his barn and burns the chaff. Those who are loyal, those who are born of God, come into the kingdom of God. God welcomes us into His barn because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Those who are not of God, are burned. See how beautiful Jesus is in this?