Rethinking Greatness

Now this morning we’re going to talk about an issue that everyone faces. No one here gets to claim they’re exempt from this topic. No one here can say, “Doesn’t apply to me.” In fact, the more you think this is for someone else, the more you need to listen up.

Because if I stand up here and read you what Jesus has said - that if you want to him him you need to deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Jesus, I know that as soon as you leave here, the movies you watch, the songs you listen to, sometimes the career you’re in - the culture we live in is telling you not to deny yourself, but to express yourself. Not to take up your cross, but to take up what you’re entitled to, and not to follow Jesus, but to follow your heart.

We live in a self-promoting, self-aggrandizing, self-expressing, self-centered culture. There was a whole generation raised in what has been called “the self-esteem” movement. The underlying idea behind the “self-esteem” movement is that the struggles we face in life are the result of having low self-esteem. Kids begin drug-addicts because they don’t like themselves enough. They turn rebellious because they don’t love themselves enough.

So the Bible says pride is the root of our problems, the world says lack of pride is the root of our problems. The Bible says we think too highly of ourselves; the world says we don’t think highly enough of ourselves. The world calls you to be great; Christ calls you to to be nothing.

So it’s no wonder that society is as chaotic as it is now. Even some secular psychologists are rethinking the whole “self-esteem” idea. “Roy Baumeister, a professor of social psychology at Florida State University, found that criminals and drug abusers actually have higher self-esteem than the general population. Other researchers have found that bullies think fairly highly of themselves and may even see themselves as superior to their classmates.”

So our society has been telling kids they’re awesome, they’re great, they just need to express their greatness, follow their hearts. We’re being fed this as well. And so we are perhaps the most narcissistic society to have ever lived. And we desperately need to be recalibrated. We need to rethink greatness.

Let me remind you of the context. Jesus has been teaching his disciples three main realities: 1) that he’s the Christ, 2) that he must suffer, but 3) that his suffering will not finally result in their defeat but their glory. The disciples are not getting it, and so Jesus begins some lessons on humility with his disciples. They need to be humbled, and need to be reminded of what humility is, and they need to be taught humility.

Read text. Four realities help us to rethink greatness: 1) Consider Christ’s suffering, 2) Beware of human pride, 3) Embrace the identity of a servant, and 4) Receive believers as Christ himself.

Rethink Greatness by Considering Christ’s Suffering. V. 30: “They went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he did not want anyone to know, for he was teaching his disciples.” So they’re done up north in Caesarea Philippi, they’re heading back down into Galilee, where they’re around more familiar places. Jesus had done a lot of ministry there, but remember at this point in his ministry he’s now focusing on the 12. He’s preparing them. The crowds have seen their miracles, the Scribes and Pharisees have rejected him, and now Jesus is spending special, uninterrupted teaching time with them. That’s why he did not want anyone to know. He was not there for the crowds anymore, he’s there with his disciples.

What was he teaching his disciples? Remember, he’s teaching them what they’ve had such a hard time putting together. He starts teaching about his death: “saying to them, ‘The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise.”

Now I’ve mentioned the fact that “Son of Man” was a title Jesus used to refer to himself. I’ve mentioned that it’s from the Old Testament book of Daniel. But we haven’t looked at it in depth, and I think now’s a good time for us.

That phrase: “Son of Man.” Do you think that refers to humanity or divinity? Let’s turn to Dan 7.

Daniel is having a vision - with beasts representing world-kingdoms whose dominion will stretch over the whole earth. Then, in verse 9: “As I looked, thrones were placed, and the Ancient of Days took his seat; [language indicates age, not because he’s old and feeble, but wise, sagely, inspiring veneration, and a sense of majesty] his clothing was white as snow, [symbolic of perfect purity] and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames; [fire also represents purity] its wheels were burning fire. A stream of fire issued and came out from before him; a thousand thousands served him, and then thousand times ten thousand stood before him; the court sat in judgment, and the books were opened.” Books opened represent judgment; the books represent the deeds of people, and now God is opening them to judge.

Vs. 13: “I saw in the night visions: ‘and behold with the clouds of heaven there came one like the son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.”

This one who is described as “son of man” is co-existent with the Ancient of Days, co-eternal - his kingdom never ends. He will be the one to judge all nations, to receive glory, to be the object of eternal praise of angels and men, to establish a kingdom that shall never be destroyed.

Now get that in your brain when you hear, “Son of Man.” And perhaps, you might understand a bit more why it was so objectionable for the disciples. “Jesus, I know the Son of Man, I’ve read Daniel. He’s the one who rules forever. The other kingdoms fail and fade, his lasts forever. How can you say you’re going to die?”

So Jesus has to keep teaching them. Verse 31: “he was teaching his disciples” - teaching is important. We need doctrine. We don’t just naturally pick this stuff up. Jesus taught them that he would be “delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise.” They didn’t understand it (vs 32), and they didn’t ask about it.

But this is the first key to humility, is to consider, to behold, to ponder the sufferings of the Son of Man. Here it is: The highest, most honorable, most worthy, most glorious Person becomes the lowest, most despised, most unappreciated person to experience the most horrendous, most painful, most terrifying death so that the worst, the most vile, most undeserving sinners can receive the highest, greatest, most joyous gifts imaginable.

Stare at that for a while! Feel small! Feel loved! Feel humbled! That’s greatness!

Rethink greatness. Greatness doesn’t avoid suffering, it embraces it for the eternal good of others. Greatness doesn’t avoid self-denial, it denies self so as to bless others. And the way you become like that is by beholding the sufferings of the Son of Man. Let that be the metric of greatness. Don’t measure greatness by how much a person prosper, but how much they sacrifice for the spiritual good of others.

Rethink everything in light of the gospel. Aspire to greatness, but aspire to greatness like Jesus. Aspire to be great in love, in sacrifice, in humility, in service, in generosity, in love.

True greatness sacrifices. It suffers. It uses its power and authority to bless.

Rethink Greatness by recognizing human pride. Vs. 33: “And they came to Capernaum.” This is back to where it all began in Mark 1. “And when he was in the house” this is probably Peter’s house “he asked them, ‘What were you discussing in the way?’” They may have thought they could hide their conversation, but Jesus knew. He always knows. And we’re reminded of the power of a good question. Want to get better at discipling others? Want to be a better counselor? Learn to ask good questions.

Verse 34: “But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest.” That word “argued” - dialegomai - actually doesn’t have negative connotations. It’s used of Paul’s reasoning with the Jews when he taught them the gospel in Acts 18:19. It’s the idea of trying to reason, trying to persuade. So it’s possible that the disciples aren’t throwing down in full-on argumentation, they’re more civil than that. They’re each presenting their case about who they think is the greatest.

I think there are two connected reasons why they began arguing this. For one, I think the fact that Jesus took just Peter, James, and John up the mountain may have caused them to think they’re greater than the others. And second, the fact that Jesus continues to speak about his death may have gotten them thinking about who’s supposed to lead after he’s gone.

Who’s the most influential, powerful among us? Who deserves the most recognition? Who is preeminent? Who’s the superior? Who deserves the highest rank?

They’ve fundamentally misunderstood greatness. They think greatness is about popularity and prominence. They think greatness is about power and prestige.

That’s the discussion they’re having, and if we’re honest, I think that’s a discussion that we’re frequently having at the roundtable of our minds. For some of us, there’s a constant inner dialogue about why we’re superior to everyone we meet. Even Christians think this way.

If we need to rethink greatness, we need to point the spotlight on the pride that lurks in our hearts. Here are signs we suffer from the same pride as the disciples:

Do you constantly compare ourselves with others?

Do you secretly despise the success of others?

Do you crave credit for every blessing we receive?

Do you make excuses for our shortcomings?

Do you have a hard time celebrating the success of others?

Do you crave recognition so badly we are frustrated at people who can’t see it?

The disciples were doing all of this. The argument began because they were comparing themselves, they were suspicious of the privilege of the others, they wanted to be recognized.

What happens when members of Christ’s church start striving with one another for greatness? Obviously, it destroys unity. A church can become a spiritual “king of the mountain” game where we win by throwing people off the top. And secondly, it distracts from the mission. How can you disciple when you’re vying for prominence? How can you serve when you expect to be served?

Verse 35: “And he sat down” Jesus takes the position of a teaching rabbi, “and called the twelve. And he said to them, ‘If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.”

# 3 Become a lowly servant. “If anyone would be first,” that is, if you want true glory, true greatness; greatness in God’s eyes, greatness by the measure of eternity. Not fleeting, temporary, cheap greatness before the fickle opinions of men, but lasting greatness before God - if you want that, “be last of all” - aim for last place, and “servant of all.”

“Be last of all” - that is, count yourself as the least significant person in the room. Imagine a banquet hall. You have a king and a queen, you have lords and ladies, dukes and duchesses, nobles, officials, and other important people. Then you have musicians and entertainers, you have poets and performers, you have chefs and ushers. You have waiters and waitresses, and going even lower, you have servants. You have the choice to be one of the people in the room. Who do you choose to be?

The king or queen? The entertainment? An important person? Jesus would say, “Be the servant. In fact, be the servant of the servants. Go low, no, lower, no, even lower! Be the lowest! Gather every person in all the world, and say to them, “Count me as your servant!”

The word here is “diakonos,” and it means one who takes the role to help, to assist, to minister.

Notice something here. He doesn’t say, “He must serve,” - that’s a task. He says, “He must be a servant of all” - that’s an identity. Jesus is teaching these men a new paradigm, a new approach to life and consists of a new self-identity. Consider yourself a servant.

I was reading recently about James B. Irwin, a Christian, and one of the few astronauts who has seen the earth from outer space. He saw it shrink as he departed, he even spoke of seeing the earth-rise. Very few men will ever experience that, and when he reflected on the privilege and opportunity he was blessed to experience, he realized he would probably be treated as some sort of celebrity when we returned home. Deeply humbled, he wrote: “As I was returning to earth, I realized that I was a servant - not a celebrity. So I am here as God’s servant on planet Earth to share what I have experienced that others might know the glory of God.”

Not all of us get the chance to go to outerspace. Not many of us will have the choice to become a celebrity. But if we can imagine making our way to planet earth, thinking about the bustling billions of human souls, trying to make their way through life, we should think to ourselves: “servant, not celebrity.” Put me last. Put everyone else before me. I am here for them.

Jesus made a very practical application of this in Luke 14:10 where he’s speaking about being invited to a feast. He says, “But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Try to honor yourself, and you’ll miss true honor. Try to make yourself great and you’ll miss true greatness. Be a servant.

I remember a day when I was in elementary school we had a kind of fair, and at one point we were told to all line up to hit the pinata. Now, we all know that if someone in front of you gets a good whack on the pinata, you may not even get a chance. So everyone - including yours truly - was grappling, pushing, pulling, maneuvering - all to get to the front of the line. And we lined up. I was near the front, but not quite as close as I wanted to be.

And then, to everyone’s surprise, our teacher announced: “Jesus said the first shall be last, so we are going to turn the line around, and the last shall be first.” All the heads spin to see who was last. It was Ben Miller, the smallest kid in the class, at the end.

I never forgot it. The lesson was emblazoned in my mind. Isn’t that like the kingdom of God? Those wrangling for first will be last; the weak, unpopular, humble, and lowly end up first. I bet we don’t even know the names of the greatest Christians of our generation.

We must all take on the identity of a servant. Early in John Macarthur’s ministry at Grace Community Church, the church was growing so fast and a reporter came to see what was going on, and he ended up writing an article titled: “The Church with Nine Hundred Ministers.” That’s a great example, that’s what the church ought to be.

True greatness is in serving. Are you serving? Who are you serving? Every person here has a hundred needs. Spiritual needs and physical needs. Are you getting to know those needs so you can help meet those needs?

If you’re calling yourself a Christian, but you’re not serving anyone, in what sense are you actually following Jesus?

Young men who desire to lead, serve. Ask how to serve. Seek to be a servant. If there’s a young man who loves doctrine, and desires to teach, but won’t bring a meal to a shut-in, or won’t offer a ride to an elderly saint who can no longer drive, I don’t know what you mean when you call yourself a Christian.

I’m so thankful for those of you who serve. Some of you are serving elderly parents. Some of you have served troubled youth in juvenile detention centers. Many of you have served families with newborns, or pregnant mothers, by throwing showers and giving gifts and bringing meals. Some of you are serving our youth - volunteering to show up and spend time with our young people to disciple them. So many moms are serving their children, so many dads are serving their wives. How many people get here early and help set up and tear down? How many people stay after for the purpose of knowing, loving, and caring for others? And I know how many of us appreciate being served up coffee and donuts!

We have building needs, financial needs, spiritual needs, physical needs. And so many of you are working, giving, praying, providing. And I want to encourage that! And I want to call those of you who have been sluggish in your service, or on the fringe - to dive all in!

Rethink greatness by loving God’s people. Verse 36: “And he took a child and put him in the midst of them and taking him in his arms, he said to them, ‘Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.’”

First, notice the tenderness of Jesus. Gently takes up a child. Not too high and lofty for that.

Second, Matthew, makes it more explicit that if we want to enter the kingdom, we must become like little children. That is to say, we must humble ourselves, we must stop acting important, we must trust our heavenly father. So the child analogy is about God’s spiritual children - Christians.

So we need to think of ourselves not as great and powerful people, but as simple, weak, dependent children. And we ought to think of other Christians that way. And we ought to receive them with tenderness and gentleness.

And then he’s speaking about receiving children is receiving Jesus. That word “receive” is sometimes translated welcome. Paul used it in Colossians when he encouraged the church to “welcome” traveling ministers. It’s used in Acts when the church received the brothers gladly.

The idea of receiving someone is to welcome them, to demonstrate hospitable care, to let them into the houes of your life, to meet their needs and make them feel refreshed.

Jesus is saying: care for other believers that way, and when you do, it’s as if you’re doing it to Jesus himself, and to God himself.

Jesus is saying this: how you treat other believers is how you treat Jesus himself. He’s saying, “Are you trying to put these others down so you can be exalted? Then that’s how you’re treating me. Are you ignoring the needs of other Christians? Then you’re ignoring me. Are you closed up, demonstrating no generosity, then that’s how you’re treating me.”

Imagine Jesus walks into the back of this tent. He’s ordinary looking. Nothing special that makes you want to pay attention to him. How do you treat that guy? Do we receive him?

In other words, Jesus reframes greatness by teaching us to think of each other one, like little spiritual children in need to help and care, and two, as if Jesus himself is present in the life of every Christian.

This is why, again this morning, I want to call our church again to radical love, generosity, sacrifice, care, hospitality, and service. I want us to actually believe what Jesus taught: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

Jesus does not tell us to avoid greatness. He simply helps us rethink true greatness. He reorients our desire for greatness. Be great in love and self-sacrifice. Be great in humility. Be the best, most lowly, last of all servant you can be. And then treat other Christians with such gentle tenderness, and care for them as you would care for Jesus himself.

How are you going to do that?