SCRIPTURE:
21 “But here at this table, sitting among us as a friend, is the man who will betray me. 22 For it has been determined that the Son of Man[c] must die. But what sorrow awaits the one who betrays him.” 23 The disciples began to ask each other which of them would ever do such a thing.
24 Then they began to argue among themselves about who would be the greatest among them. 25 Jesus told them, “In this world the kings and great men lord it over their people, yet they are called ‘friends of the people.’ 26 But among you it will be different. Those who are the greatest among you should take the lowest rank, and the leader should be like a servant. 27 Who is more important, the one who sits at the table or the one who serves? The one who sits at the table, of course. But not here! For I am among you as one who serves.
Luke 22:21-27
OBSERVATION:
The story goes that Muhammad Ali was on a plane flying to NY to LA to film a movie. Just before takeoff, the flight attendant reminded Ali to fasten his seat belt. "I am Muhammad Ali. I am the greatest. They call me Superman and don't need no seat belt," replied Ali. The flight attendant looks back at Ali saying, "Superman and don't need no seat belt, but Superman don't need no airplane either. Buckle up or get off.”
Isn’t that like us sometimes? That our pride causes us to think we’re greater than we actually are. Yes, God made you great. Yes, you are His masterpiece. But simmer down and humble yourself. As Jesus says in Luke 14:11 “those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” Within each of us is a desire to be great, and this desire can be good or bad. But we see the bad side of this trait at a surprising time: at the Last Supper.
On the night that Jesus was betrayed, He gathered with all 12 of His disciples for one final meal. He tells them that He is about to die and leads them through the sacrament of communion––the Lord’s Supper. He breaks the bread, telling them that His body would be broken for them. He pours the wine telling them that His blood would be poured out for them. And then He tells them that one of them would betray Him and be the one who would initiate all of these terrible things. And this is where chaos ensues––not about Jesus, but about who would be the greatest.
Hear the Word of the Lord as it is written in Luke 22:21-27:
21 “But here at this table, sitting among us as a friend, is the man who will betray me. 22 For it has been determined that the Son of Man must die. But what sorrow awaits the one who betrays him.” 23 The disciples began to ask each other which of them would ever do such a thing.
24 Then they began to argue among themselves about who would be the greatest among them. 25 Jesus told them, “In this world the kings and great men lord it over their people, yet they are called ‘friends of the people.’ 26 But among you it will be different. Those who are the greatest among you should take the lowest rank, and the leader should be like a servant. 27 Who is more important, the one who sits at the table or the one who serves? The one who sits at the table, of course. But not here! For I am among you as one who serves.
What do we learn from Jesus and His disciples? We learn that:
- Greatness is defined by service
Jesus makes it clear: greatness is defined by service. “Those who are the greatest among you should take the lowest rank, and the leader should be like a servant” (Luke 22:26). You know what else he makes clear? That this is not how the world works. The world says the one who sits at the table is greatest––but not in the Kingdom of God. Jesus shows us that greatness is defined differently in the world and in the kingdom, and that these definitions are at odds with one another. And we, as citizens of heavens and sojourners in the world, must make a choice. For with how each define greatness, it is logically impossible to be great in the world and in the Kingdom. It’s either or, and you must choose.
- Jesus models greatness in every moment
Jesus not only tells them what greatness is––He shows them. As they are fighting with each other, he could have easily cut this grossly inappropriate conversation by saying He was the greatest, but He doesn’t. He’s patient with them. He serves them with patience, humility, and grace. And not only that, but He also washes their feet. These people who had no regard for him and made this moment about them––He gets on His knees and washes their dirty feet. He serves them. And if that weren’t enough, you know what else He does? He serves Judas too. He eats with Judas too. Jesus is omnipotent––He’s all knowing. He knew not only that one of His disciples would betray Him––He knew it was Judas. And yet, even so, He invites Judas to the meal, He serves Judas the bread and the wine, and He dies for Judas even after being betrayed by Him. “This is my body, broken for you.” “You” includes Judas. Judas was in the room. Jesus serves the lowest of the low––this is why He is the greatest of the great.
- Their desire for greatness blinded them from seeing the Greatest in their midst.
Jesus––the actual GOAT, the “Greatest of All Time”––was in the room with them, spending personal time with them. In just a few hours, He’d be betrayed. The clock was ticking, and they knew it. And yet even so, they did not cherish their dwindling time with the Greatest because their desire to become the greatest blinded them. And the same is true for us. When we are driven by our desire to become the greatest, we blind ourselves from seeing the Greatest at work in our lives. We fail to see the provision of Jesus because we think we’re so great that we provided for ourselves. We fail to see the goodness of Jesus because we think we’re so good ourselves. We do not see the Greatest moving in our midst because we pridefully think we did it all, but we didn’t. We did nothing, for apart from Him, we can do nothing. Greatness is not power, position, or recognition––it’s service.
APPLICATION:
So how do you become great?
- Rearrange your thinking
Change your mind––change your life. Redefine the way you see greatness, for if you adopt definitions just because it’s what everyone else believes, you may spend your whole life in pursuit of something that isn’t actually great. Jesus makes it clear that the world and the Kingdom see differently, so choose which you are going to be a citizen of. Are you a citizen of the world or a citizen of heaven? Think about this: if a government official––president, governor, mayor––took a month off, no one would really miss it, let alone notice it; but if all the trash collectors took the month off, we would notice. Why? Because the people who are the greatest in our lives are the servants, and we often don’t realize this until it’s too late. Don’t wait for a catastrophe to open your mind. Jesus is trying to re-arrange our thinking and our priorities. Become great by believing that greatness is service.
- Be a servant
Don’t just think it; do it. Knowledge is only valuable when it is applied. Be a servant. As it says in Colossians 3:23-24, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” Be just as willing to serve as you are to lead. And when you lead, be a servant leader. Be willing to do whatever you ask of people. And most significantly, serve when no one is watching. Serve when no one will find out what you did. Why? Because when you do, you are truly serving the Lord alone. And you know, without a doubt, that your intention is pure. As Jesus says in Matthew 6:3-4, “3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” Serve when no one is watching, because the quickest entrance to God’s Throne Room is the servant’s entrance.
- Serve the Greatest
You are great, but remember that you are not the greatest––God is. The best way to become great, and the best way to live great, is to live as His servant. In His eyes, the lowest place is the great place. This is why “the last shall be first and the first shall be last” (Matthew 20:16). True greatness is not when service is gained, but when service is given, for it is when we serve that we engage in the very act of love Christ did for us. He is King of Kings, yet He humbled Himself to serve us. Serve the King of Kings by choosing to be the “servant of servants.” Live without concern for your own honor and credit.
Become great by becoming like the Greatest. Become like Jesus by rearranging your thinking, by living a life of service, and by serving Him. And when you do, surely, you will become great in the Kingdom of God.
PRAYER:
King Jesus,
You are the Greatest. We repent for letting our pride get in the way of worshipping You––the Greatest of All Time. We ask for Your forgiveness. Help us to serve well as we love You and love people. May our lives bring You glory through our service. We love You, Lord. Thank You for loving us.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
