3 What Does Greatness Look Like? Series

NEED: a stepladder, towel

We live in a world obsessed with greatness.

Everywhere we look, the message is the same:

Aim higher. Climb further. Achieve more. Be someone.

If you ask our culture what greatness looks like, the answers come quickly

— success, influence, recognition, achievement, promotion, visibility.

Greatness is

• climbing the ladder,

• being admired,

• having followers,

• being noticed.

And whether we like it or not, those messages seep into us.

Even as Christians, we can quietly begin to measure our lives the same way the world does.

Because deep down, most of us genuinely want to matter.

* We want to be significant.

* We want to make a difference with our lives.

And that desire itself isn’t wrong.

But in this passage in Mark 10, Jesus takes our understanding of greatness and turns it completely upside down.

1. The Disciples’ Request

James and John come to Jesus with what might be one of the boldest requests in the whole of Scripture:

“Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.”

[p] Just pause and think about that for a moment.

Jesus has been walking with them, teaching them, showing them the way of the kingdom.

Moments earlier, He has spoken again — clearly — about

suffering, about betrayal, about His coming death.

And yet here they are, thinking about status, about position, about glory.

They’re thinking about seating arrangements in the kingdom, while Jesus is talking about the path to the cross.

However, before we judge them too harshly, we should recognise what’s going on inside them

— because it also goes on inside us.

They believe Jesus is King.

They want to be close to Him.

They want to be part of His work.

That’s not wrong.

The issue isn’t their desire for greatness;

the issue is how they define greatness.

They are still thinking the way the world thinks:

“If you want to be great, climb the ladder.”

2. Ladder or Towel?

Imagine having a stepladder on one hand… and a towel in the other.

The ladder represents the world’s way of greatness:

• Climb higher.

• Get ahead.

• Protect your position.

• Make sure you’re seen.

• Make sure your achievements shine.

The towel, on the other hand, represents the way of Jesus:

• Kneel lower.

• Serve quietly.

• Lift others up.

• Give instead of grab.

James and John are reaching for the ladder.

But Jesus—Jesus is holding out the towel.

3. “Not So With You.”

Jesus gathers the disciples together and says words that must have stopped them in their tracks

— not just them, but followers across the centuries:

“You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them…

Not so with you.”

Those four words are revolutionary. “Not so with you.”

* My kingdom is different.

* My people will be different.

* My definition of greatness is different.

In Jesus’ kingdom, greatness isn’t about climbing; it’s about descending.

It isn’t about authority but service.

It isn’t about being first but being willing to be last.

And then Jesus adds this extraordinary sentence:

“Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant.”

Notice He doesn’t condemn the desire to be great.

Instead, He redirects it. “If you want to be great,” He says, “here’s how:- serve.”

The world says: Climb higher.

Jesus says: Kneel lower.

The world says: Assert your rights.

Jesus says: Lay them down.

The world says: Build your name.

Jesus says: Reflect Mine.

4. The Model: Verse 45

And then comes the heartbeat of the whole passage—one of the clearest statements of Jesus’ mission in the New Testament:

“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.”

This changes everything. [hold towel]

Jesus doesn’t simply redefine greatness

—He embodies it.

He is the Son of Man,

the rightful King,

the One who holds all authority in heaven and on earth.

And yet He comes not demanding service, but offering it.

Not grasping for position, but giving His life.

His path of service leads all the way to the cross.

And the cross is not weakness.

It is the greatest act of servant love the world has ever known.

He gives His life as a ransom

— to rescue, restore, and redeem.

That is greatness.

Not domination — it’s self giving love.

5. The Hidden Greatness of Service

So what does this mean for us today?

Most of us will never have large platforms or impressive titles.

Most of us won’t be known beyond our local community.

But every single one of us has daily opportunities to serve.

Greatness in God’s kingdom often looks like ordinary, unseen faithfulness: