By Pastor Wayne Zschech
This is the question Jesus redefines in Mark’s gospel following his second Passion prediction. The disciples didn’t understand what Jesus was trying to teach them, that “The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again.” A crucified Messiah didn’t make sense. A crowned one does. So instead of asking Jesus what he was talking about they decided to argue about something they did understand…greatness by earthly standards.
How does the world define greatness? Is it based on wealth making billionaires great? Is it by one’s position in business, making CEOs of Fortune 500 companies great? Or is it based on one’s position of political power, from the local mayor or president of the PTA to members of Congress or POTUS that makes one great?
Jesus redefines greatness in God’s kingdom, or God’s way of living, like this; “Whoever wants to be first [great] must be least of all and servant of all.” (Mark 9:35) Jesus then places a child in the disciples’ midst, a human being with the least amount of value or status in Jesus’ day, and proclaims to his disciples, “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.” In other words, for Christian disciples, greatness has nothing to do with wealth, status, or political power. It has everything to do with loving our neighbors in humble service to those society deems “the least of all.” (Mark 9:37)
Christian greatness is about welcoming the stranger and resident immigrant, not building a wall to keep them out or spreading conspiracies that spark ethnic violence.
Christian greatness is about choosing to serve sacrificially in professions that are undervalued due to their stereotypical low pay such as nurses, teachers, social workers, and those serving in the military, law enforcement, or as fire fighters to name just a few, not labeling them as “chumps” because they could’ve gone into professions that paid better.
Christian greatness is about serving the needs of the poor and suffering rather than judging their status and blaming them for their situation.
Christian greatness is about advocating on behalf of “the least of all” for legislation that addresses systemic causes of poverty, hunger, and homelessness, not seeking political positions of power in order to legislate one’s moralistic and narrow interpretation of scripture upon all citizens.
Christian greatness isn’t about championing Christianity to be the privileged or dominant religion of the country that uses its status and power to dictate what is taught in schools, what healthcare is legal, or who is allowed to be married. That’s Christian nationalism, and that’s not the way Jesus calls his disciples to follow him.
So how do you define greatness? Is it by the qualities and characteristics of a world that is in bondage to sin and death or one that Jesus revealed of God’s world of grace and life? Is it one that favors the rich, famous, and powerful, or one that focuses on humble service to the least of all? The word “great” is a word we hear a lot these days in our country. As disciples who follow Jesus and walk wet from the font of new life I pray our definition of greatness is always grounded in our relationship with the who humbled himself even unto death out of love for us, all of us, even the least of us.
