Daily Bread

Jesus and his disciples passed through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know it; for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, ‘The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again.’ But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him.

Then they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, ‘What were you arguing about on the way?’ But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, ‘Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.’ Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, ‘Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.’

Had the disciples known what was going to happen to Jesus, I wonder whether they would have continued to follow him? It is interesting that their argument about who might be the greatest came just after Jesus had explained that he would be betrayed, be killed, and rise again. I expect they would not have been arguing if they had realised what true greatness looked like and the path it was to take Jesus!

Once at the town of Capernaum, and indoors, Jesus sat down to talk to them about what it might mean if you want to be first. Sitting down was what rabbis did when they were about to preach, and so what Jesus was about to say was to be taken seriously.

Jesus explained that the way of God — the way of love — was counter-intuitive to the way of the world. Greatness would come through loving servitude and a willingness to be last, and there could be no greater act of loving servitude than to willingly submit your own life to be handed over and executed for the sake of others.

The danger is that many of us humans like success and to be noticed! We like receiving praise, congratulation, and adulation from others, and it feels really good! For church leaders, the danger is real, especially for show-offs like me that enjoy being centre-stage! Preaching, for example, is an art form and there is definitely an element of performance to it. If church worship is becoming 'me-oriented 'then it is sure sign then it is time to step back and away from the limelight, for worship should never, ever be about me but all about Christ. My job is simply serve to the best of my ability in whatever context to which I am led.

The same is true in whatever role we have, whether at home, or at work, at school, or at play. It is not our job to climb the ladder of success for our own benefit, but only if it enables us to better love and serve God, others, and the world around us.

Some people can handle being in the limelight and handle praise with dignity and humility, and some of us are rubbish at being in the limelight and love the attention, however, the greatest work is the work done by those in the shadows — the work done quietly without shouts of praise, applause, and neon flashing lights. These, Jesus says, will be the greatest in God's kingdom.

Holy God
May I have humility as I serve you,
others, and the world around me.
Help me not to seek the approval of others,
but to rest in the approval
that you have already given to me
as your beloved child.
May I continue to serve you
with an attitude of gratitude,
and a heart full of joy.