Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
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G.O.A.T. is a recent addition to our mainstream vernacular.
It was first introduce to us by Muhammad Ali but did not become mainstream until the early 2000.
According to Wikipedia it is a term used to describe the ultimate incarnation of anything, from and athlete to an automobile.
Many Christians might believe that the pursuit of greatest has no place in Christian culture and yet our text seems to teach something entirely different.
In our text Jesus does not repudiate greatness he redefines it.
Jesus does not come to squash our pursuit of greatness but to satisfy it with the greatness that comes from God.
Jesus does not rebuke their desire to be great he reorients it.
We are hardwired to be great but our system has a virus which causes us malfunction.
Remember discipleship is a reorienting of our mind.
Its a renewing of our worldview.
In Mark 8 Jesus ministry shifted from a crowd centered ministry to a core center ministry.
His finish line is in sight and yet there is much that remains unfinished with His disciples.
Jesus wants His disciples to be great and who better to learn from than the original and only true G.O.A.T.
GREATNESS IS NOT DEFINED BY YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENT BUT WHO YOU SERVE.
The phrases “passed through” and “he did not want anyone to know” reminds us that Jesus is focused primarily on His core and His crowd ministry is all but finished.
The heart of discipleship is found in the phrase “teaching his disciples”.
His heart is not seen in His passion but His perseverance.
Jesus is not teaching a new lesson He is repeating one which they have yet to understand.
Side bar: Notice Jesus choice of verbs in this passage.
The are sovereign verbs.
He is in total control.
God purposely killed His Son in order that He might not kill us.
Why are they still having trouble understanding Jesus teaching on His death and resurrection?
Was His teaching too hard to understand?
No it wasn’t too hard, they knew they should have understood and that is why the text says “they were afraid to ask him”.
Their struggle came from their inability to reconcile the conquering Messiah of Daniel 7 and suffering servant of Isaiah 53.
Jesus knows what they are discussing.
He knows the length and severity of their argument.
Notice Jesus is not put-out with their foolishness but perseveres with them in their foolishness.
He does not leave them alone but enters in.
Jesus is longsuffering with His disciple knowing that this moment will not reorient their thinking.
He knows this current conversation will continue until the Upper Room and will require another touch.
“They kept silent” because they knew their conversation was not worthy of a disciple.
The word argued indicates that it took place in a close face to face manner.
The Lord had just spoken of His impending humiliation but all they could talk about was their exaltation.
Jesus does not repudiate greatness He redefines it.
“he sat down” Jesus takes the posture of a teacher.
If you want to be great you must be last of all and servant of all.
“if you want” Jesus does not condemn ambition but defines it in terms of His Kingdom.
The word “last” means to be at the farthest boundary of an area.
Greatness in God’s kingdom is found at the far end of where your sinful mind believes it to be.
You can’t achieve such a posture on your own.
Self does not like to step down.
This posture is not natural but supernatural and can be accomplished no other way.
Not only do you have to be “last of all” but you must be “servant of all”.
A servant is someone who waits on tables and washes feet.
Jesus is teaching His disciples that
Pride seeks a position servanthood takes a posture.
True servanthood is not something we have to do but something we get to do and want to do.
“All” - we all believe in serving people just not all people.
However, we all have those people we are unwilling to serve.
Maybe its that person we view as irresponsible.
I’m not going to serve them because I don’t want to encourage their reckless behavior.
Others don’t want to serve the self-righteous and put-together.
I don’t want to serve them because I don’t want to encourage their haughtiness and arrogance.
You want to know how much of a servant you are until you are treated like one.
Children represented the absolute lowliest.
A child was the perfect example of the last.
Children represented those who exhaust us.
Those who can’t pay us back.
Those who can’t promote us.
If you want to be great you have to serve the people you want to serve the least.
Children are the perfect illustration because they take and never give.
This is expressed in a recent Tweet from “Honest Toddler”.
“Have you ever loved someone moe than you loved yourself?
Me neither.”
The motivation for becoming this type of servant is you get to know God.
Treat well those who have no standing in this world and you will receive an audience with God.
The only reason you would want to become this type of servant is God is your goal.
The life of a servant is the path to greatness in the Kingdom of God for it was the pathway that Jesus himself took.
Paul paints for us the portrait of humility and Peter presents to us the prize of humility.
The pursuit of Kingdom greatness is the pursuit of God.
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