Matthew 20:26-28 26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave-- 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Jesus’ Way to Achieve Greatness
Are you good at what you do? Just think of all the things you do every day – what is it you do for a living? Are good at it? Have you achieved greatness in your profession? Some of you are teachers. Some of you are involved in business. Some of you are involved in construction. Some of you are involved in government. Some of you are homemakers. Some of you are students. Are you great at what you do? Would someone say about you that you are a great teacher? A great employee? A great student? What about personal things? Some of you are husbands and wives, moms and dads, sons and daughters. Are you a great parent? A great spouse? A great son or daughter to your parents? Have you achieved greatness in your life?
I think we all would like to be good at what we do, maybe even great at what we do. But how do you get there? What really is greatness? In the area of business, is it climbing to the top - becoming the president of a large corporation or business? Whoever has the most money, the most power, the most comfortable life, the most friends – is that greatness?
This morning, Jesus speaks to us about the real definition of greatness. I think it will surprise you. You can be great in God’s eyes at everything you do, and today Jesus will teach you how.
Jesus talks about this shortly before Palm Sunday. The disciples could sense that something big was about to happen with Jesus. Two of Jesus’ disciples, James and John, were wondering if Jesus was about to overthrow the Roman government. Maybe Jesus would use his miraculous powers to defeat the Romans, and he would become the earthly king of Israel, and the twelve disciples would become his twelve powerful vice presidents.
James and John thought this might happen. Their mother got involved, and said to Jesus, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.” In other words, make my sons number one and number two.
Jesus said to her, “You don’t know what you are asking.” You don’t know what my kingdom is. It’s not an earthly kingdom. Greatness in God’s eyes is not having lots of power on earth. Greatness in God’s eyes is humility. It’s sacrifice for others. That’s why Jesus asked James and John, “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?” Can you experience the humility and sacrifice that I’m about to go through? James and John didn’t understand, and so they said, “Sure we can.”
When the other ten disciples heard that James and John were trying to get more power, they became upset. So Jesus called them together and explained to them what greatness really is. “The rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high authorities exercise authority over them. Not so with you.” The earthly definition of greatness is to have lots of power – to be able to boss other people around, to be at the top – me first - but not with you, Jesus said. “Instead, whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first, must be your slave.” A slave was someone who would wash other people’s feet, get them their food and drink, clean up after everyone’s done eating. That’s greatness, Jesus said.
And then Jesus describes himself as the slave of the world: “Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” What made Jesus great in his Father’s eyes was that he placed himself below everyone in the whole world – Jesus became the slave of the world – he gave his life as a payment for all sin. This is the message of Lent, and really, the message of Christianity – that God lowered himself and suffered for us as our Savior to take away our sins.
Jesus is telling us this morning that if we want to achieve greatness in God’s eyes, then follow in Jesus’ footsteps, be a servant, be a slave, to all the people in your life. At work, you put yourself below your fellow employees and customers, because you are there to serve them. That’s greatness. When you’re at home, and you want to be a great spouse, a great son or daughter, then be the number one slave in your house – serve your children, your spouse, your parents – put yourself below them. Rather than me-first, God wants us to have a me-last, and everyone else first attitude toward the people he has placed into our lives. Whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first, must be your slave.”
Another passage says, “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus, who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant.” (Philippians 2:5-7) Jesus made himself nothing for you and me. Your attitude should be the same, God says.
Why is this so hard to do? You hear that you’re supposed to be a slave to people and you think, “I don’t want to do that.” Isn’t it because we are all naturally proud and self-centered? Don’t we all have sinful natures that want to be served? I want the world to revolve around me – that’s the attitude inside of us when we first come into the world. During the first few years of our lives, we make our parents wait on us hand and foot, and we cry when we don’t get our way. Eventually we grow up and we gain our independence, but we still prefer to have the world revolve us, and we still cry when we don’t get our way. When I come home, and I want to lie down on the couch, and have my wife and children wait on me, hand and foot. That’s selfish. When I go to work, I want everyone to bow down to me and do what I say – isn’t that our sinful nature talking? I come to church to be served. My neighbors exist to serve me. Deep down, we all have a me-first attitude, we all want power, we all want to enjoy comfort and ease as everyone serves us - that might be greatness in the eyes of the world. We think it will make us happy if we approach life this way. But it doesn’t work, and people often feel unhappy as they place themselves first. Worse than that, God looks down from heaven, and sees our pride and selfishness, and it angers him. There is a passage in the Bible that says, “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled.” Have you ever exalted yourself? Do you deserve to be humbled, punished by God, for this attitude. (Mt. 23:11-12)
When God looks down from heaven, he does something that is truly amazing. He doesn’t punish us. Instead, he forgives us. And he forgives us in the most amazing way. He takes our sins away. And how? God becomes my slave. He puts himself below me, and becomes my servant. He doesn’t wash my feet with water. He washes my soul with his blood. God becomes the Son of Man, not to be served, but to serve you and me, and what does he give? His whole life as a ransom for many. This is what makes Jesus so great. It wasn’t his miracles. It wasn’t his awesome teachings. It was the fact that God became your slave, your servant. Jesus lowered himself for you and me. During this season of Lent, we focus on the most amazing aspect of God - his love – his mercy – that’s what Jesus told his disciples that he was going to do at the beginning of our text for today: “The Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and teachers of the law...” Look at how low Jesus was willing to go for you and me… “They will condemn him to death and will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified.”
Jesus came to serve – that was the purpose of his earthly life – to place himself below the whole world, to let the sins of the world be dumped on him, and then he gave himself, as a ransom for many. And after he did that, another promise in the Bible came true: “Whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” After Jesus humbled himself, God exalted him to the highest place, and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow. After Jesus humbled himself, God exalted him, by raising him from the dead on the third day.
Today, Jesus invites us to follow in his footsteps, and to pursue greatness God’s way. Have you ever heard of people giving up something for Lent? Some people give up eating meat, or some other favorite food. What God really wants us to give up during Lent, and beyond Lent, is our sin. Give up the me-first approach to life. Give up trying to have more power and popularity than everyone else. Give that up, and follow in the footsteps of Christ. Be a servant, be a slave, to all the people God has placed into your life, just like your Savior humbled himself for you. And then you will achieve greatness, not in the eyes of the world, but in the eyes of God.
What is greatness? It’s getting down on your hands and knees and tying child’s shoe. It’s cutting your neighbor’s grass or as he recovers from surgery. Greatness is helping your co-worker catch up at work because he’s been sick for a few days. Greatness is serving others.
Love one another, Jesus says, just as I have loved you. As we ponder God’s love for us during this season of Lent, may we be filled with a desire to show that same kind of humble, self-sacrificing love to others. Amen.
