Redefining Greatness

Let me ask you a question: Do you want to change the world? That may seem a little pretentious.  Let me rephrase it. Do you want to do something significant that will result in many – maybe even hundreds or thousands of people coming to know Jesus as their Savior and living their lives as true disciples of Christ? Still too much…  How about…  would you like to be above average?  I have to confess I definitely want to be above average.  In fact I would like to do something significant that impacts hundreds or thousands of lives. Well, let’s be honest – I really would like to change the world.  I’m what you call an ambitious idealist – some might even say an above average ambitious idealist. 

            

In fact, I can relate to the question the disciples asked in Matthew 18:1, “who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?” Now we like to give the disciples a hard time because this seemed to be a reoccurring issue for them. In fact, they had down and out fights over this very question. But let’s give them a break.  I mean they were hanging around with Jesus – not only watching him raise the dead, heal the sick and cast out demons – but they had been sent out to do some of the very same stuff.  It was obvious to all of them that this was the day they had heard about from childhood.  The day when the Messiah would kick out the Romans, make Israel great again and rule the earth from Jerusalem. Can you imagine what it felt like to be on the ground floor of that? It would be like being on the board of directors for Mac or a part of the president’s cabinet x1000. In the next chapter (Matthew 19) Jesus even tells his disciples that they will sit on twelve thrones judging the tribes of Israel.  So maybe they had a reason to think they would be great.

            

It makes me wonder if I realize what I am a part of in the Kingdom of God and if God can trust me with amazing opportunities without me getting prideful.  However, there is another underlying question here that we may not notice at first but that is more important and maybe less idealistic and more realistic...  It is, how will I respond when I’m not “the” greatest – when I watch an amazing opportunity get handed to someone else – someone younger, not as experienced, not as wise...  

What about you? What about when you find out that the one thing you’re really good at (playing an instrument, fixing computers, preaching a sermon)– that little Jimmy can run circles around you? When a coworker gets put in charge of your team because they’re charming but you know you would make the better leader? When the newbie at church gets ask to share on Sunday morning instead of you?

            

You see what was also becoming clear to the disciples by chapter 18 was that some of them were starting to pull ahead of the pack. It had been revealed to Peter that Jesus was indeed the Messiah, the Son of the living God and Peter had even walked on water even if only for a moment.  In fact, in the previous chapter, Matthew 17, we see Jesus choosing Peter, James and John to witness him in his glory, his face shining like the sun and his clothes becoming white and then Moses and Elijah even show up.

So when the disciples asked Jesus who would be the greatest in his kingdom at least 9 and maybe 11 of them were asking – why not me? Have you ever asked that question? “Why little Jimmy and not me? “ “Why hard-headed, big mouth Peter and not me?”

This is what Jesus tells them (Read Passage: Matthew 18:1-6)

Wow.  Jesus is a genius.  He doesn’t just say… “you idiots, how many times do I have to tell you…  First of all isn’t it obvious that I’m the greatest… I’m the Messiah here people…"   No – he doesn’t rebuke them instead he redirects them with illustrations so that they can not only understand true greatness but understand how priceless true greatness is. In this passage Jesus is acting out a parable. This passage is not about children but about those who are great in the Kingdom who he calls his little ones.  He has a child come and stand there because even though children are deeply loved by their parents – and in the Biblical culture children were even considered a blessing from God – yet they had no social status, no position, no power or authority. They were just kids – dependent, hopefully obedient, children…  The child was a metaphor for those who are a part of God’s Kingdom.

You see, the Kingdom of heaven isn’t about who is the top dog, the superman, the megastar, the miracle worker… It’s not about title or position or accomplishment… Those who are great are humble like children.  In fact, the top dogs may not even get in…  only the humble top dogs.  Jesus was trying to show his disciples that greatness is not about what you “do” but about who you are.  

Getting the promotion is not what makes you great - treating the one who was promoted instead of you with graciousness and authentically congratulating them is makes you great.  Maybe even willingly giving up an opportunity so that another can have it…  looking for ways to encourage and make room for others… that is what makes you great.

There isn’t a pyramid of greatness in the Kingdom – the higher you are the greater you are, and the fewer there are to compete with you.  In the Kingdom anyone who humbles themselves is great; anyone who serves and loves others is great. The lower you are the greater you are. This should have been good news for the disciples because it meant that each one of them were significant. They were never in competition with each other – they never had to out-great the other disciples.  And if they weren’t in competition maybe they could actually help each other, encourage each other towards greatness,  receive and make room for each other. Jesus even goes so far as to say that receiving ‘one such child’ is the same as receiving him – that means welcoming him and making room for him to participate.

In fact, that is the way it is suppose to be because greatness is not individualistic – we will be held accountable for how we love and serve one another, or if we cause another to sin. God’s little ones are so precious to him that Jesus said it would be better to have a mill stone tied around your neck and drowned then to cause one of his little ones to stumble. A millstone was used for grinding wheat and the large millstone referred to in this passage would weigh around 130 pounds.  This was an actual form of execution in ancient times so today we might say it would better to be sentenced to the electric chair then cause one of Jesus’ little ones to sin.

            

Jesus is really serious… We are in this together… Your welfare should matter to me.  Our culture tells us to look out for yourself cause no one else will – to take every opportunity you can even if it means stepping over someone else… even if it creates an environment of competition and dog eat dog… But what kind of person does that?  Selfish? Arrogant?

            

Kingdom culture is the exact opposite – in the kingdom culture every person is an important part of the body and has something significant to contribute. In the Kingdom culture we are to prefer one another above ourselves and serve, even submit to one another.  What kind of person does that? The meek, the humble, the selfless, the poor in spirit.

            

This is why who you are becoming is more important than what you are doing. Or maybe I should say who we are becoming together.  We want our culture to look like the culture of heaven… just as Jesus taught us to pray “Father… your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”  It’s a community of love that best represents Christ and his Kingdom to the world.  John 13:35 – “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

 My pastor has a saying that when the waters rise, all the boats are raised.  This means that instead of seeing myself as being passed over when someone gets the opportunity I wanted, I should see myself as a part of a bigger picture where we all get to be great.