Download the UBF brochure here
Weekly Message | February 21st, 2010
Passage: Luke 9:46-62
Key Verse(s): 48
Good morning. The title of today’s message is: “The Least Among You Is The Greatest.” The key verse is verse 48. Let’s read this together. This was Jesus’ teaching to his disciples who were arguing among themselves who was the greatest. These words are both challenging and encouraging at the same time. Challenging, because it challenges our pride and worldly concept of greatness–the “least…is the greatest,” how can that be? But encouraging; because we don’t have to become better, smarter, richer, or stronger to become great to God. We simply must become least by welcoming Jesus with childlike faith, and following him.
Today’s passage covers several events, but throughout there is an ongoing contrast between sinful men’s concept of greatness and Jesus’ concept of greatness. As we think about this passage we may be humble enough to accept Jesus’ rebuke of our misguided pride, and also be encouraged by Jesus who invites us to be truly great in the kingdom of heaven by following him, and serving others in his name.
First, Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me (46-50)
Look at verse 46: “An argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest.” It is not surprising that an argument erupted among them at this time. In the previous passage Jesus had begun to speak about his suffering, death, and resurrection and now Jesus was heading toward Jerusalem where the religious leaders plotted to kill him. They sensed something was about to change the status quo and so the issue of who would be in charge was hotly debated.
We can imagine Peter saying, “Certainly I am the greatest, because Jesus said about me, ‘On this rock I will build my Church…’” (Mt 16:18) Then James and John were like, “Yeah, and don’t forget he also said to you, ‘Get behind me, Satan…you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.’” (Mt16:23) “Your big mouth is always getting you into trouble.” Even Nathaniel got in on the act, “Let’s not forget what Jesus said the moment he first saw me, ‘Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false.’” (Jn1:47)
Suddenly, tempers began to flare and an argument broke out. We can relate to the disciples, because we have all tried to be better then someone else. Maybe, we tried to write a better testimony than anyone else. Or, say that we taught more Bible students, or even take pride in our children’s accomplishments, thinking our children are better than theirs. With prideful motives, what at first may seem to be zeal for serving God or healthy competition can turn into resentment, bitterness, or even make us hard-hearted people.
Look at verse 47: “Jesus, knowing their thoughts, took a little child and had him stand beside him.” Jesus knew his disciples very well. But Jesus was not disgusted with them. Nor did Jesus rebuke them harshly. Instead, Jesus challenged their immature thinking and used it to teach the meaning of true greatness.
These days, we are inspired as we watch the Olympic athletes compete for gold in the Winter games. Their dedication, determination, and hard work remind us of man’s drive to pursue greatness. The Bible teaches that God created man in his own image. (Ge 1:26-27) Man’s potential for greatness was limitless. But when man became proud and disobeyed God, he became cursed. Sin and death slowly began to eat away at the image of greatness like a cancer of the soul. Despite man’s sin, God did not give up on man. God made a way for man to be restored to greatness, through faith in Christ.
When God called Abraham, he said, "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing." (Gen 12:2) At the time, Abraham was far from great. He was a 75 year old man with no children, and little hope to be great. But over the course of 25+ years, God patiently helped Abraham to become great, not by helping him to climb the corporate ladder, but by helping Abraham trust God and put his faith in Christ who was to come. God's standard of greatness is different from that of the world. God’s measure of greatness has nothing to do with who is better, smarter, richer, stronger, or by any other worldly standard. Then what is God’s measure of greatness?
Look at verse 48: “Then he said to them, ‘Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For he who is least among you all—he is the greatest.’” Jesus turned the disciple’s concept of greatness upside down, challenging them to welcome a little child in his name. Here a child represents those in need. They need love, they need discipline, they need to be fed, they need to be trained in basic humanity; and so on. Their needs cannot be put on hold until it is convenient to care for them. They need immediate care. One who welcomes a little child accepts a great responsibility, which requires great sacrifice. What is more, investing in little children does not yield immediate results. It takes years for a child to become productive. There is no human glory in caring for little children. It looks like a very mundane job and a one-sided investment. Those driven by selfish ambition cannot do it. They usually try to avoid little children. To welcome a little child, the disciples needed to lose their selfish ambitions. This would not be accomplished through mere education; it required a spiritual change from within.
Here the words, "in my name" are significant. To do something in Jesus’ name, means to do so as Jesus would do. As a representative of Jesus, we welcome others as Jesus would welcome them. Not to glorify our own name, but to bring glory to God the Father.
Look again at verse 48a: “Then he said to them, ‘Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me…’” Amazingly, when we welcome little ones in Jesus, we welcome Jesus himself into the relationship. Jesus takes care of his little ones as their good shepherd. Jesus fills their hearts with love, listens to their prayers, provides for their needs, and gives them divine wisdom to live by. So those who welcome little ones in Jesus' name are greatly blessed. They learn Jesus' mind and heart deeply and grow to maturity. Those who mature in Christ are not necessarily the ones who fill their heads with Bible knowledge. Rather, they are those who care for Jesus' little ones from their hearts. To grow in Christ we must begin by welcoming one person with the word of God and prayer.
But this is just the beginning, Jesus continued, “…and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me...” In caring for one person in Jesus' name, Jesus is honored. Where Jesus is honored, the Father God himself comes to dwell. When God comes to dwell with a person, that person becomes truly great. God dwelling with Abraham changed him from a fatalistic and fruitless old man to a source of blessing for the world. God dwelling with the people of Israel changed them from a nation of slaves into a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. Though the disciples were weak and immature at this time, God was with them through Jesus. God made them great, great enough to preach the gospel to all nations. So the secret to true greatness is to have God with us. To have God with us, one thing is essential. It is to be humble. The Bible says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." (1Pe 5:5) When Jesus said, "the least among you all–he is the greatest," he meant the most humble person is the greatest.
If we look at this same event recorded in Mathew’s gospel, we will find that Jesus emphasized humility even more by also saying, “Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” (Mt 18:4) Childlike humility is an essential character of greatness. While a child may have many needy characteristics, they also have many beautiful ones. Generally, children are innocent; they are trusting, and have a learning mind. They do not hold long grudges against others. One minute they are mad at their friend who borrowed their toy without asking, and a few minutes later are happily playing with the same friend. To become least, is not to try and be less than we are. To be least, is to become childlike before God. Humble people recognize their need for forgiveness before a great and holy God. Like Job or the Psalmist who said, “What is man that you are mindful of him?” (Job 7:17, 15:14; Ps 8:4) They recognized their sinful state before God and their need for the grace of God upon their lives.
How can we sinful human beings─who become proud so easily─ever be humble enough for God to be with us? It is possible when we accept Jesus as our Savior and learn of him. The Apostle Paul is a good example of one who became least among them. At first, Paul was driven by selfish ambition to make himself great. He rose to the highest ranks among the religious leaders of his day. But his pride and ambition made him an enemy of God and a destroyer of the early Christians. Only by the grace of Jesus, who met him on the road to Damascus, did he come to know what a wretched sinner he was. From then on, he never put himself above others, but always strived to serve others in Jesus’ name. It was an awesome struggle. He confessed, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” (Gal. 2:20a) He said in 1Co 15:10: "But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me."
A truly humble person must work harder than anyone. It is because humbleness does not come naturally. But working hard to serve others in Jesus’ name, makes us truly great in the eyes of God. We experience Christ’s divine love and provision. We bear the mark of Jesus’ greatness and bear fruit that pleases God. The rewards far outweigh an Olympic gold medal. Learning Jesus' humbleness made Paul truly great in the sight of God. He was changed from a legalistic Pharisee to a gentle shepherd; from a prejudiced Jew to a man of God's love for all people. Now Paul is known as one of the greatest men of all times; not because he tried to be great, but because he became least before God, seeking only to know Christ more.
At the beginning of my shepherd life, I was much worse than the disciples seeking only to make my name great, as the next Einstein. I was of no value to God, but one man of God graciously welcomed me as a child in need. With eyes of faith he saw me, not for what I was, but my potential to be great in God. He loved me and served me as a precious child of God until I could repent of my pride and one day accept John 12:24 as my life key verse: “I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.”
For me, true humility is to consider my life as a single seed in Christ. The seed’s life is not important, but if the seed gives up its life, dying to its own ideas and ambitions to be great, then God miraculously gives it new life bearing much fruit. Slowly, God is changing my inner man, from one of arrogant pride to one of a humble shepherd. Still, I have far to go in learning the humbleness of Jesus. Please pray for me and I will pray for you, too. Learning Jesus' humility is the way to true greatness. We can be humble when we welcome Jesus. Lord Jesus, come into our hearts and make us humble like you!
To conclude, this section Luke records the disciple John’s response to a man using Jesus’ name. Look at verses 49 and 50: “’Master,’ said John, ‘we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we tried to stop him, because he is not one of us.’ ‘Do not stop him,’ Jesus said, ‘for whoever is not against you is for you.’” Was John not paying attention? He only seemed to catch the part about “in my name…” He thought that only the apostles had the right to work in Jesus' name; those who had not been called and trained like them, and who did not follow Jesus in their group, had no right to work in Jesus' name. But Jesus said, “Do not stop him, for whoever is not against you is for you.” (50) Jesus taught them to accept and recognize those who worked in his name. It required an attitude of welcoming and humility. It was not easy for John to co-work with those who he didn’t know or who were different from him. But the truly great person accepts coworkers for their unique contribution in advancing the kingdom of God. This is great in Jesus’ sight.
Second, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem (51-56)
Look at verses 51-53: “As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem.” The word "resolutely" tells us that Jesus was firmly decided and had made an absolute commitment to enter Jerusalem where he would suffer, die, and rise again to fulfill God's will. Usually, when people face hardships, they postpone dealing with them. But Jesus settled the matter in advance, through a clear and firm decision.
As Jesus set out for Jerusalem, he took the most direct way, which was through Samaria. However, people in the village did not welcome Jesus. Luke says, “Because he was heading for Jerusalem.” To the Samaritans, Jerusalem was like the enemy city. The Samaritans were prejudiced toward the Jews and vice-versa. So they missed the chance to welcome the Messiah. However, Jesus was humble enough to bear their rejection and kept moving toward Jerusalem. One of the most common human emotions is anger toward those who despise and reject us. But a mark of greatness is to focus on God’s mission to preach the gospel to all nations, not dwelling on others’ rejections and becoming sidetracked.
In contrast to Jesus’ humility, the fiery Zebedee brothers, were determined to punish the Samaritans for their arrogance, insults, and rudeness. James and John were known for their temper. When Jesus first appointed them as apostles, he gave them a nickname “Boanerges,” which in Aramaic means Sons of Rage. (Mark 3:14-17) True to their name, the hotheaded brothers asked Jesus for permission to call fire down from heaven to destroy the stubborn Samaritans. But to their surprise, the rebuke did not fall on the Samaritans, but on them. Jesus turned and rebuked them, then moved on. But the story of the Samaritans did not end there. Later in the book of Acts, before Jesus ascended into heaven, he commissioned the disciples to be his “witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) He reminded them not to neglect, despise, or resent Samaria, but to welcome and serve them with the gospel of Christ. Through the gospel of Jesus’ death and resurrection, peoples of every tribe and language and nation can know the love of Christ without regard to human conditions.
Third, Follow me (57-62)
In verses 57-62, Luke puts together three responses to Jesus' call to follow him. Jesus call to follow him is Jesus’ invitation to be truly great in the kingdom of God. Such an invitation should not be taken lightly. We must understand its value and the cost involved before making such a decision.
In the first event, a man volunteered to follow Jesus wherever he went. Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” In order to fulfill his mission, Jesus had to preach the gospel from town to town. It was not a very convenient lifestyle. Following Jesus would mean being like a homeless person from time to time. Despite, such inconvenience, this man needed to know the value of following Jesus and where it would lead. Jesus' eternal destination was the kingdom of God. Those who follow Jesus are going to the kingdom of God, to be clothed in eternal glory in our everlasting home. In the hope of this kingdom, those who follow Jesus must endure inconveniences and hardships with joy, looking ahead to their reward in heaven.
In the second event, Jesus called a man to follow him. But the man replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." This man put family responsibility before following Jesus. Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead...” It meant that spiritually dead people could bury physically dead people. Therefore, it was a mistaken priority. Jesus then said, “...but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Those who are alive in Christ must proclaim the kingdom of God as of first importance. This alone gives life to a dying world.
In the third event, a man volunteered to follow Jesus after saying "Goodbye" to his family. Jesus replied, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” Serving the kingdom of God is the greatest privilege that God can give a person. This privilege should be received with a deep sense of gratitude and a clear decision of commitment. Once this decision is made, there should be no turning back; no longing for the former things, or regrets about leaving one's past life. Sometimes temptations can come, even to those who have served God for a long time. We can think: “What if I had focused on my career instead of devoting so much time to God's ministry?” or “What if I had lived a family-centered life instead of a mission-oriented life?” This kind of speculation makes us weak and useless. We must believe Jesus' final victory and put our hand to the plow and keep on going. Those who persevere to the end, overcoming temptations, are truly great in the sight of God.
In conclusion, each of these three men expressed a desire to be great, and like the disciples, Jesus did not discourage them from being great. He only challenged their motives and taught them the way to be truly great in the kingdom of God. From a human point, their responses seemed reasonable, but the only way to truly follow Christ is to follow him─his way. We do not find time to serve Christ only when it is convenient for us. We do not come to Jesus with pre-conditions in order to follow him. Rather, we come to Jesus with childlike faith, knowing our need for forgiveness and our resolve to follow him all the way to the cross and ultimately to the kingdom of God. True greatness is rooted in the humility of Christ. It is expressed in welcoming others and sharing the kingdom of God with them as of first importance. Who is the greatest? Jesus is the greatest. We can share his greatness when he rules our hearts.
February 21, 2010; Russell Kille; Toledo UBF
Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.
