From the moment we’re born we’re taught to work hard and to go for it in life because we can do anything. And while we’re at it, we’re told that we can be the best - yep, the best. We can be the greatest.
When you think about the thing you are most passionate about, everybody has it in them to be the best, to be better and better all the time. It could be your work, or your family, being a father or a mother. It could be being a disciple. The question is, “How does one become the greatest?” The answer is captured in a little story:
There was a guy in this large organization who was sweeping one night, and all of a sudden, he finds a lamp and a genie. I know, it’s crazy, and here is this genie who says, “You’ve got three wishes.” So the guy stops and thinks about it, says, “You know what? I want to be somebody important in this organization, somebody that people will recognize.” Poof! All of a sudden, he’s in this office, middle management. He’s like, “Oh, now this is good.” So, he’s says, “Okay, genie, I know my second wish. I want to be more important than this. I want to make some major decisions in this organization.” Poof! He’s got the sweet suit on. He’s got these sweet digs in his office, and he’s like, “Man, this is it.” Already knowing what his third wish is, he looks and the Genie says, “Okay.” So this janitor, turned middle management says, “My third wish, I want to be the most important person in this organization. I want to be the greatest.” Poof! He finds himself with a broom in hand, sweeping the halls. Here’s how Jesus said it in Matthew 23:
The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. (Matthew 23:11-12, NIV)
We’ve heard that hundreds of times, right? But look at it once again. See these 2 words?
The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. (Matthew 23:11-12, NIV)
We don’t typically put those two words together because that particular combination flies in the face of everything we know in our culture. Think about the language that we use to be the greatest in our culture, right? I mean, you’ve to climb the corporate ladder. You’ve got to reach the top. In our culture, if you want to be great, you rise to greatness, but in the culture of the kingdom, Jesus flips it around and says this:
“A disciple doesn’t rise to greatness, a disciple descends to greatness.” ~Jesus
Jesus’ disciples were just like you and me......they had aspirations to greatness. In fact, they argued about it more than once! They were arguing about it the night that Jesus arrested. So here’s Jesus....He knows what’s about to happen. Within the next 48 hours He would be tortured and crucified. Jesus knew that Judas Iscariot was going to betray Him. And here are His disciples, arguing about who’s the greatest. So what does Jesus do? Jesus did exactly what He came to do. Jesus served. Jesus takes off His outer garment, He grabs a towel, and He puts it around His waist as a slave would do, and He begins to wash the disciples’ feet.
Keep in mind that in First Century Palestine, all the roads leading into Jerusalem were just dirt roads. Often times the dirt was several inches deep if it had been dry. If it’s wet at all, it is just a cake-like mud. Shoe apparel, obviously, was nothing more than a small piece of material on the bottom of the foot, wrapped on your foot with some leather straps. That’s it. Animals also traveled on the roads leading into the city, and they obviously didn’t stop off the side of the road to take care of business. So in First Century Palestine, you are going to have these roads with all kinds of stuff and dirt and mud on them. So whatever the disciples walked through that day was on their feet, and chances are, it was pretty disgusting.
And here’s Jesus, taking off His outer clothing, grabbing a towel, pouring water into a basin and kneeling down at the disciples’ feet. This was a task that would have never crossed the minds of any of the disciples.........yet, here’s Jesus, washing their feet. Here’s Jesus, serving.
Now, take that principle and plug it into the context of your life. How is God asking you to serve others? Not what other people think you should do, but what is God asking you to do? How is God asking you to serve?
Listen to what Jesus said about Himself in Mark 10:
For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. (Mark 10:45, NIV)
Here is a huge mistake Christians make. So often we focus on, “What do you want God to do in your life?” Or, “What do you need God to do for you?” And the truth is, God is deeply interested in our lives and He wants to provide for all of our needs. But too often, our own needs become our only focus. Let me suggest a different approach. Let me suggest that we change the question from, “What can God do for me?” to, “What does God want me to do with the life He has given me?” Jesus gave us the answer:
The greatest among you will be your servant. (Matthew 23:11, NIV)
