The Unconventional Kingdom

Introduction

Every parent has a way to get their child’s attention or at least let them know that what they are about to say is incredibly important.

Some parents say, “Look at me.”

Some parents say, “I need your eyes,” or “I need your ears.”

Some parents use their children’s middle name.

Sometimes, it’s a tone.

It is a way of showing their children that they mean business. And there are times when we use those techniques, that we know they aren’t listening or even intending to obey, but we say it anyway as a warning of what is going to happen if they don’t listen or obey.

I am not hating. My mom said I grew up with what was called, “selective hearing.” I heart what I wanted to hear, and I didn’t hear what I didn’t want to hear.

Jesus tells his disciples, “Let these words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men.”

I want you to know that my way to glory, thus, your way to glory, will be by my humbling and giving up of myself for the sake of others.

The funny thing is that we are in between the Transfiguration of Jesus and the Commissioning of the 72 disciples. Jesus is seen in his glorified form, and he heals a little boy that the disciples cannot heal. The disciples impending commissioning is coming.

You would think that these two moments would lead to great humility on behalf of the disciples, but it actually leads to three pretty bad interactions that the disciples have with themselves, Jesus, and others.

The passages today show us a lot about pride, how it effects us, and how it is detrimental to our ministries for the Lord Jesus.

Read Luke 9:46-56

Luke 9:46–56 ESV

An argument arose among them as to which of them was the greatest. But Jesus, knowing the reasoning of their hearts, took a child and put him by his side and said to them, “Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. For he who is least among you all is the one who is great.” John answered, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not follow with us.” But Jesus said to him, “Do not stop him, for the one who is not against you is for you.” When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. And he sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make preparations for him. But the people did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” But he turned and rebuked them. And they went on to another village.

Explanation

Luke 9:46–48. “Jesus, Who is the Greatest”

I am guessing that Peter, James, and John have a little hubris in the way they talked to the other disciples based on their time witnessing the Transfiguration. So, an argument breaks out about who is the greatest, and who has done the most, and who has sacrificed the most, and who is the smartest, etc.

Jesus knew their hearts.

So he grabbed a little boy, set him by his side, and said two things:

(1) “whoever receives this child in my name receives me.”

(2) “the least among you is the greatest.”

What does this mean?

While children were loved and cherished in Israelite society, they were the smallest and most powerless individuals. Jewish teaching regarded spending time with children as worthless and time wasted.

Jesus was not saying that disciples would find Him if they were nice to children. He was saying that how a disciple related to those who were considered lowly would show their faith in Him.

Western Society wants a leader who is larger than life, confident, and in charge. We gravitate towards people with big personalities, great giftedness, and plenty of bravado.

Jesus says that we aught not evaluate others based off how successful they are. We serve others, and we learn greatness by serving the least of these in the community.

Jesus obliterates the grandstanding and the jockeying for position. At the root of those actions is pride. How?

On the cross, Jesus gave himself for all of us. He outs all of us as sinners.

The distinction - the defining distinction - is this

Those in need of grace

Those covered by grace

Neither of those groups have reason to brag. It is all grace.

Can we just rest in that grace this morning? And celebrate the reality that you aren’t defined by your accomplishments or lack of accomplishments or successes or failures, but the deepest truth about you is that God has literally imprinted the fullness of Christ and his righteousness on you.

Pride says, “Get to the top and lord your authority over others.” Jesus says, “Go to the bottom. Serve the lowly. Find your greatness by serving in obscurity.”

Luke 9:49-50. “Lord, we told them to stop casting out demons in your name.”

John tells Jesus, “We saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we stopped them.”

Jesus replied, Do not stop him, for the one who is not against you is for you.”

Now, this does not mean that we do not have discernment.

2 Timothy 3:1–5 “But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self… …lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.”

This man was casting out demons “in Jesus name.” I take it that he was aligned with the work of Jesus.

However, for those who follow Jesus, what does it matter whether we do it or someone else does it?

I had a pastor/mentor/friend say something to me early in ministry, “I would rather raise up 3 or 4 Billy Graham’s than be one.

We are not in competition with one another. We are working towards the same thing.

Instead of celebrating the gifts and abilities that God grants others, we are often jealous. Jealous of their successes, families, assignments, etc.

Pride says, “You need to compete for God’s affection and the approval and applause of others.” Jesus says, “I am enough in common with each of you to get along.”

Luke 9:51-56. “Lord, do you want us to end them?”

The pride in the hearts of the disciples grown and grown and become rather ugly.

Jesus and his disciples enter a Samaritan village, but the Samaritans did not receive him. Now we don’t really know what this means. This might mean that they simply didn’t respond to his message or it could mean that they kicked him out of town. We don’t know.

What we do know, though, is that James and John reacted poorly. They turned to Jesus and asked Him if they could call down fire from heaven and consume them. I don’t think we can ignore how childish this request sounds.

Their pride was wounded, and they lashed out.

In the Lord’s church, there are three types of leaders. Good leaders, bad leaders, and mediocre leaders. But by far, the people who cause the most damage on the church (outside of a disqualifying moral failure) is an insecure leader.

Insecure leaders lash out at others.

The funny thing about insecurity is that we often confuse insecurity with humility. Insecurity is often born out of a circumstance that we have lost control over or a instance where we feel snubbed or less than.

It is as much your pride, your desire to be respected, heard, enjoyed, celebrated, etc. that the circumstance you find yourself in.

Jesus rebuked them. I think Jesus later messed with them about this, because he started calling them the Sons of Thunder.

Invitation

How do we rid ourselves of this pride that seeks to destroy our spiritual lives? Christ and Christ alone.

Christ would conquer the darkness of the world not by taking another’s life, but by giving his. At the beginning of this story he states, “Let these words sink into your ears. The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of man.”

Later, right before the story of the Sons of Thunder, the Scriptures tell is he “set his face towards Jerusalem.”

The aim of Jesus was always the cross.

Salvation did not come through a war.

Salvation did not come through politics or education or occupation or family or anything else.

It came from a cross. From someone giving of himself in the greatest act of self-denial that the world has ever seen.