Pursuing greatness in the kingdom of Christ
“Grant us that we may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left, in Your glory.” (Mark 10:37)
James and John requested to sit at the left and right hands of Jesus, places of honour in the glory of the kingdom of God. Their question reflects their failure at that point to understand one of the key points of Jesus teaching on discipleship — true disciples of Jesus do not look to advance their own interests or honour.
We should aspire to greatness. After all, Christ has done all things well, and He is the supreme model for Christians to imitate (Mark 7:37; 1 Cor 11:1). The pursuit of greatness is not inherently wrong; we sin by not understanding or pursuing what Jesus defines as true greatness.
The citizens of Christ’s kingdom do not seek greatness in order to achieve power over others—that is what citizens of worldly kingdoms do (Mark 10:42-43a). Instead, Christians pursue greatness in order to better serve others, to meet the needs of other believers. Greatness in the kingdom of God comes by submitting to one another, by looking for what we can give and not for what we can gain (v. 44b).
Of course, Christ Himself provides the supreme example of what it means to serve others (v.45). His willingness to pay the ransom to us from our sins is the greatest act of service in all of history. He had every right to refuse to come to our rescue. He could have used His power and glory to advance Himself at the expense of others. But He humbled Himself and paid the price of justice that God demanded for us to be freed from our sins (Rom 2:5-11). Though we cannot atone for sin, we can serve others according to our distinct callings. In so doing we will find greatness.
Coram Deo. Are we seeking self-promotion? Do we aspire to greatness and think that the way to get there is to step on people on our way up the ladder? If so, then we have not understood Jesus’ teaching on true greatness. Whatever authority we have, we must exercise it in order to meet the needs of others. We should be asking what we can do for others, not what we can do for ourselves.
– Adapted from Tabletalk, August 2016