True Greatness

Background to passage: The diatribe of Jesus again the behavior and heart of the religious elite. Today we will look at the last few verses of his opening warning to his disciples and the crowds after having defeated their questions and accusations in chapters 21-22.

Matthew 23:1–12 ESV

1 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, 2 “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, 3 so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice. 4 They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. 5 They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, 6 and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues 7 and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others. 8 But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. 9 And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. 10 Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. 11 The greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

Opening illustration: A Husband’s Guide to Supporting an Aging Wife

Gentlemen, let’s face it—aging brings changes for all of us. For women, one of those changes seems to be a sudden inability to keep up with housekeeping.

Now, before you panic, let me reassure you: with a little patience and understanding, you too can help your wife adjust to her golden years.

I’m Rob, and I’d like to share how I’ve navigated this challenging chapter with my lovely wife, Carol.

When I retired a few years ago, Carol graciously stepped up and took on a full-time job—in addition to her part-time gig. She said we needed the extra income and benefits. Who was I to argue? I supported her every step of the way, from the comfort of my recliner.

But not long after she started, I began noticing... signs. She seemed tired in the evenings. When I’d return from a grueling day of golf, she'd come home looking a little worn out. Sometimes she even wanted to rest before making dinner. Can you imagine?

But I didn’t get upset. I told her, “Take your time, sweetheart—just make sure you wake me up when the food’s ready.”

Now, I eat lunch at the club, so dinner at home is a must. And sure, back in the day she’d clean up right after we ate, but lately, those dishes just sit there. So I help—by gently reminding her that dishes don't wash themselves. It’s all about encouragement, guys.

She's also started complaining more. Like how it’s “hard” to pay the bills during her lunch break. I suggested spacing it out—maybe do half the bills one day, half the next. And hey, skipping lunch here and there wouldn’t hurt the ol’ waistline, right? It’s all about offering helpful tips, delivered with my signature charm.

Lately, she needs breaks while doing chores. Just the other day, she had to rest halfway through mowing the lawn! I didn’t scold her. I said, “Treat yourself to a tall glass of orange juice, and while you’re up, make one for me too.”

I know—I sound like a saint. It’s not easy being this patient and supportive, but I believe we’re put on this Earth to lift each other up. And if just one man out there learns from my example, I’ve done my part.

Postscript: Rob tragically passed away shortly after publishing this article. The coroner ruled the cause of death as internal trauma from an unfortunate incident.

Carol was arrested but quickly acquitted. The all-woman jury returned a Not Guilty verdict after only nine minutes.

Main thought: Our hearts want exaltation, but God wants humble service

1) True Greatness is Service (v. 11)

Matthew 23:11 ESV

11 The greatest among you shall be your servant.

1) True Greatness is Service (v. 11)

Explanation: The context here is the scribes and Pharisees and their lifestyle that is about others serving and honoring them. So, Jesus is describing a way of life that will characterize his followers. He has taught about this before in light of his disciples arguing about who would be the greatest, who would be the most powerful, who would have the most authority, who would sit at the right hand.

“The ideal servant lived to care for, protect, and make better the lives of those over him or her...They must arrange their lives with the ambition to give themselves for the benefit of others...This type of leadership means empowering others to do God’s will.”

Matthew 20:26–27 ESV

26 It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever would be first among you must be your slave,

Luke 18:14 ESV

14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Illustration: Dr. Rob Peters Rob has lived in Virginia, Tennessee, Texas, South Florida, North Carolina, and Georgia, and he is a graduate of Tennessee Tech, Southwestern Seminary, and Southeastern Seminary.  Rob worked at Deloitte and at Ernst & Young in the accounting and consulting practices prior to entering the ministry where he has served as the senior pastor at three churches of varying sizes for the past 27 years.  

Today Rob is the founder and president of Corpus, Inc, a global church revitalization ministry operating on 5 continents, in 7 languages, and with 17 different denominations using the resources.  Corpus helps church leaders revitalize their church, and Rob has a written a book, The Overseer: The Missing Jewel in the Crown of Glory. Rob serves as a Transitional and Revitalization Pastor in various churches in the metro Atlanta area.

He was asking how he could serve, and promising to pray through the thoughts in his heart about what to share with us.

Application: We talk about our jobs and usually desire to be the boss, not to serve more, but to command more authority. We speak about who “wears the pants in the family” with the connotation of who tells everyone what to do (and they do it). We even clarify who “runs” a church. But we’re not supposed to think like that.

I hadn’t been a Christian too long, and Promise Keepers came to Knoxville. It was held in Neyland Stadium, and I got to go. There was a pastor there named Larry Jackson that challenged us. He spoke about his marriage and the “competition” between him and his wife to see who could serve one another the most. Have no idea what else he said, but that stuck in my mind.

So, husbands and wives, do you actively, intentionally, increasingly serve one another? In the church we may ask, not do you serve in the children’s ministry, but are serving others to advance in their walk with Christ by serving anywhere. Or do you serve individuals as they need help. Again, with teach related to religious people (scribes, teachers of the law, Pharisees, and Sadducees), it’s usually not about doing religious things, they did that. They were religious to a fault, literally finding fault in everyone and everything. It’s usually about the heart, the motivation, why you do things, how you see others, treat them, desire aid them, regardless of their station in life.

Parents, served your children lately? Served your neighbors lately. How do you think of yourself? A servant working for the good of others? Out-serving each other?

2) True Greatness is Humility (v. 12)

Matthew 23:12 ESV

12 Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

2) True Greatness is Humility (v. 12)

Explanation: True biblical humility is to think lowly of oneself, not in a self-deprecating way, but in a way manifested in lifting others up, regardless of the people. One writer defined humility like this: honestly assessing ourselves in light of God’s holiness and our sinfulness. I would only add that this honest assessment, if it’s true, produces genuine acts of Christlike behavior and love.

Philippians 2:3–4 ESV

3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

“He set the example himself, for in his whole life he forsook the corridors of power and was content to be a lowly teacher, mostly in the remote rural areas of the province in which he lived. He has earlier taught plainly that his followers must tread the lowly path”

John 13:4–5 ESV

4 rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. 5 Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

Matthew 18:4 ESV

4 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 21:43 ESV

43 Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits.

James 4:6 ESV

6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

1 Peter 5:5–6 ESV

5 Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,

Illustration: Thomas Shepard was the pastor of the First Church in Newtowne (later Cambridge), Mass in the 1630’s. He had a close personal relationship with Harvard College’s first president, Henry Dunster, and thus had a massive influence on the location, foundation, oversight, emphasis and goals of the College.

He was considered one of the greatest puritan pastors and emphasized learning, literacy, and rigorous theological training. His sermons were the standard of the students of the college. His emphasis on conversion, personal piety, and covenant theology was echoed in Harvard's early emphasis on spiritual formation alongside academics. It was his commitment to personal piety that caused him to write this journal entry on November 10, 1642:

“Today I kept a private fast to see the full glory of the gospel and to seek the conquest of the remaining pride in my heart.”

At the 25th anniversary of Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg, MD, there was a conversation between the church leadership and a man named Gary, who before coming to the church had been a part of a congregation that endured a painful split. He thought as the leaders spoke of the things that have been consistent over 25 years that they felt had led to the beauty of the church, and he evaluated. 1) love for God’s word, 2) felt a gratitude for the substitutionary atonement, 3) loved grace and worship, 4) importance of relationships, 5) a strong emphasis on humility, esp in the leadership...stopped right there.

Application: “Jesus is looking for genuine lowliness, the attitude of the person who is not seeking personal gain of any sort, but simply the opportunity of doing service.” This is why we can rejoice in persecution, when our enemies cause us great suffering; why we can sing and witness while imprisoned wrongfully. This is why the greatest Christian leaders stoop the lowest and serve the least of these. This is why the air of arrogance is crushed and the poor, the needy, the weak, the abused, the trafficked, the criminal, the addicted, the oppressed can be ministered to without a judgmentalism that characterizes the world and its rich and powerful.

There is no room for boasting in our salvation, in our gifts and abilities, in our personalities, in our wealth or lack thereof. Everything that we possess or enjoy has been given from above for use during a span of a vapor in this world. When we pass from this life, usually our regret is that we didn’t spend more time with people, that we weren’t kinder, more generous, more loving, but the question truly is: have we walked in the pathway of lowly servanthood that pleases our Lord Jesus Christ?

How do you evaluate yourself in light of God’s holiness, your sinfulness, and the way you view/treat others? What kinds of motivations drive your view of the lowly or the exalted? Do you desire the grace of God or to be resisted? We are told the way.

Closing illustration: Nineteenth century Scottish pastor Andrew Bonar he knew a Christian was growing when he talked more about Christ that about himself. The maturing Christian, Bonar said, sees himself growing smaller and smaller until like the morning star, he gives way to the rising sun. Our greatest example is in incarnation and crucifixion of Christ. The text that Selina read this morning captures the idea so perfectly - Phil 2:5-11

Philippians 2:5–11 ESV

5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

The Lord of Glory, the Alpha and Omega, the Bright and Morning Star, the One who was and is and is to come, the King of Glory took on flesh, emptied himself, came as a servant to died for the rebels and the unrighteous.

The bible says that he went willingly with his captors, he didn’t defend himself, he didn’t try to escape, he spoke gently to Pilate, he could have called 10,000 legions of angels but he didn’t, he willingly laid down his life to serve us. Like a lamb to the slaughter is opened not his mouth, bearing our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sin, stand before him righteous, and live forever with limitless and ever-increasing joy with him.