Greatness
1) The Great who gave up greatness
The Son of Man came”
– Mark 10:45
James and John (two of Jesus’ disciples) didn’t just want to be great – they pursued it. And so they came to Jesus and asked Him whether He could make them great (Mark 10:35-37). They even wanted Him to promise to do what they asked!
At work, a lot of people want to be ‘the big shot’. When it comes to performance appraisals, we are always eager to compare scores.
This is what men are like.
But Jesus, the “Son of Man” – a title of great honour from the book of Daniel – was different. He is the greatest. Yet He did not crave, covet or cling to this. Instead He gave His greatness up. And as un-great, as lowly as one can be… as a little baby, He came. This is the great humility of Jesus.
2) The Lord who serves
The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve”
– Mark 10:45
We are all expected to serve others. As children, we are told to respect our parents. As students, we are obliged to listen to our teachers. As national servicemen, we are required to obey our superiors. At work, I am bound to heed my bosses’ instructions. And as Christians, we are also expected to be servants and slaves to everyone (Mark 10:43-44).
Jesus is the only One who is not required, expected or obliged to serve anyone. In fact all creation should serve, obey and worship Him!
Yet the Master came to serve. Bewilderingly, He came to serve people who should serve Him. This is the great servant-heartedness of Jesus.
3) The Purposeful Offering of Himself
The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many”
– Mark 10:45
It’s not easy to be someone’s servant. At work, I sometimes have to sacrifice control over my time and the way I do things – and these sacrifices can be painful.
Before James and John made their request to Jesus, they witnessed a young man who came to Jesus with big questions. Jesus advised the young man to give up his comfortable life and follow Jesus instead. And the young man just could not let go… the sacrifice was just too painful for him to make.
Yet Christ did not just serve… but also did so in the most painful way possible. He experienced betrayal, abandonment, condemnation, mockery, torture, and finally crucifixion – all of which was completely undeserved. This is the great sacrifice of Jesus.
4) The One who Leads us to Greatness
Jesus’ great humility, servant-heartedness, and sacrifice make my desire for greatness and my difficulty with being a servant look pathetic. For Jesus is humble in His greatness, and great in His humility.
And so He nobly gave up His life in heaven and strode courageously towards His death on earth. In His death He emptied Himself of His greatness, so that we might be rescued from our lousiness. And in His death He shows us the fullness of His greatness, so that we might follow Him – and His example of humble, sacrificial service – towards true greatness.