It’s not unusual for young people to have dreams of being Home Coming Queen or scoring the winning touchdown in the big game. People of all ages want to be noticed and acknowledged as standing out from those around them. Some people think they are better than others and expect to be treated as special. People of all times have fallen into this trap. Even the disciples of Jesus looked for special honors. This Sunday we read about two disciples who ask Jesus for special places oh honor when they are with Jesus in His kingdom. Being in the heavenly kingdom isn’t enough, they want special attention. Humility is not a natural human aspiration.
Jesus answers this request by his disciples by telling them that in His kingdom the one who is recognized as “the greatest” is the one who has been of most service to others. Jesus reverses our concept of greatness by saying the greatest is not the one who is most served, but the one who has offered the most service to others. While this changes our usual thinking, it makes it possible for us to be great. Few of us will ever have servants, but we are all able to serve others. So many people in our world need help, and there are so many ways for us to help them. Today, do something great. Serve the needs of someone near you.
Thanks be to God.
Pastor Bill