Who Is The Greatest?

Well, the issue that Jesus is dealing with in this passage has to do with the disciples' attitude of superiority.

An attitude of superiority.

As you follow through the gospel narratives, you find that the disciples were constantly arguing and disputing with one another about who would be the greatest in the kingdom of God.

They all wanted a place of honor.

Each one of them seemed to have thought that they were superior to the others.

And you can imagine how those conversations unfolded.

And what we see presented in the scripture is that these weren't casual conversations.

These often developed into full-out arguments, hateful disagreements among these men who had been called together to serve Christ, not themselves.

James Edwards, I think, interestingly puts this, describes it when he says that the disciples have imbibed the wine of rank, placement, and self-importance.

And they imported into their fellowship with Jesus.

The same desire for rank and importance and superiority that is indicative of the culture around us, these men had now brought into their fellowship and discipleship of Jesus.

And it's exactly the same thing that we do.

It's exactly the same.

As we'll see in verses 38 to 41.

I really wanted to get there today and we just can't.

We're going to have to wait until next week.

But this sinful attitude caused them even to look down on others who weren't a part of their special group.

They didn't judge others by whether or not they were really following Christ.

They judged others on the basis of whether or not they were a part of their group, whether they identified with them.

They were more concerned if these other people were with them than they were concerned if those other people were actually truly with Christ.

And they began to draw their lines of disagreement.

They began to assign enemies and allies in all the wrong places.

There's a real sense in which these men thought of themselves as elite.

And their time with Jesus should have produced a spirit of humility.

But they were instead full of prideful arrogance.

Sinclair Ferguson writing on this passage said,

If we did not know our own hearts, we would find it difficult to believe that this really happened.

But any disciple who knows himself hears the echoes in his own life of such unfaithfulness.

It's easy to come to these narratives about the disciples and think,

man, these guys were really messed up.

But any disciple who really knows himself, says Sinclair,

hears the echo of his own voice in this.

We're no different than these men.

Because pride is a destructive sin that pervades the heart of every person.

We all desire a place of prominence and honor above everyone else.

We all want to be recognized as more significant than others.

We all desire to be served more than we look to actually serve others.

And like the 12, our pride often leads to schisms.

Schisms within the fellowship of believers.

Schisms within the various relationships of our lives.

And it leads us to draw lines of division on the basis of things other than the gospel.

It's destructive.

It's destructive.

It's destructive.

It's blinding.

Because so few of us actually see the reality of it in our own lives.

But it's tearing us apart.

It's tearing churches apart.

It's tearing families apart.

Says MacArthur,

The danger revealed here is that pride ruins unity by destroying relationships.

Relationships are based on loving sacrifice and service.

On selfless deferring to and giving to others.

But pride being self-focused is indifferent to others.

And beyond that, it is ultimately judgmental and critical.

And therefore, it is divisive.

Because of that, pride is the most common destroyer, both of relationships and churches.

And so Jesus dealt with this time and time and time again with these disciples.

And they never seemed to learn the lesson.

And maybe we'll learn it today.

Two things I want to point out to you.

There's really four parts to this section.

It goes all the way to verse 50.

And we just, you know, won't have time to go that far.

And so we're really going to deal with the first two sections today.

Lord willing, we'll deal with the last two sections next week.

The first thing we see here in verses 31 to 32 is Jesus reaffirming his purpose.

Jesus reaffirming his purpose.

Look with me at verse 31.

For he was teaching his disciples, saying to them,

The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men,

and they will kill him.

And when he is killed, after three days, he will rise.

So though Jesus was teaching the disciples many things,

the primary topic was his messianic purpose.

Now that they had trusted in who he was as the Messiah,

it was necessary that he teach them what the Messiah was actually intended to do,

what his purpose was.

We cannot understand our discipleship apart from understanding Jesus's Messiahship.

These messianic misunderstandings were rampant among the Jews.

The disciples were no exclusion to that.

In fact, they floundered so much during this time of training,

precisely because they didn't grasp the significance of Jesus's coming.

They believed in who he was, but they were confused about what he actually came to do.

And the result of this misunderstanding is that they continued to fail

in imitating Jesus as faithful disciples.

So now we get to this verse, and it's now the second time

that Mark records Jesus teaching about his coming death and resurrection.

And just as in chapter 8 and verse 31,

the Lord used this messianic title, Son of Man, Son of Man.

It's from Daniel 7.

All of the Jews would have recognized this title as significant to the messianic kingdom.

And what they anticipated based on Daniel's prophecy in chapter 7

is that when the Son of Man came,

that would be the moment that the Father would then give over the eternal kingdom to him,

that he would establish the kingdom in perfection in that moment.

But what Jesus was doing in emphasizing his title as the Son of Man

was linking the Daniel 7 Son of Man to the Isaiah 53 suffering servant.

Jesus was teaching them in this process that no,

the Son of Man must first suffer.

And it is only after he suffers that he will then rule.

And Jesus explicitly described the nature of this execution.

He promised resurrection after three days.

All the things Jesus told them plainly.

And this is now the second time that Mark has actually recorded him doing so.

And there's so much we could say about this,

but I want to draw your attention here before we move on to the word delivered.

Notice with me again in verse 31.

For he was teaching his disciples, saying to them,

the Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men.

Now, who is it exactly that Jesus means will deliver him into the hands of men?

We could point to a number of people involved with Jesus' crucifixion.

Perhaps we could say Judas.

Well, Judas is the one that actually betrays the Lord.

He maybe is the one that's responsible for handing Jesus over,

is what this means.

Handing Jesus over to evil men that would then proceed to execute.

We could say it's Pilate.

Pilate's the one that passed the final judgment,

that gave the thumbs up for the execution to continue.

He's the one that handed him over to the Roman soldiers for the scourging,

and then beyond that to the actual crucifixion itself.

We could say maybe it's Pilate.

We could say maybe it's the Sanhedrin.

It's the court of Jews that had that kangaroo court in the middle of the night,

that had unjustly accused Jesus, brought false witnesses against Jesus,

and then passed him on to Pilate from there.

We could point to any number of these people,

but I don't think that that's what Jesus actually had in mind here.

This phrase, smoothed out in English,

is presented as if it's in the future tense,

and it's done that way in order to match the phrases,

he will be killed, and after they kill him, he will rise.

Those are future tense verbs.

But what's written here actually as delivered is not a future tense verb.

It's a present tense verb.

We could literally read this.

The Son of Man is delivered into the hands of men,

and they will kill him, and he will rise.

But the delivering part is already done.

It's already done, present tense.

This type of phrase is referred to as a divine passive,

and what that means simply is that though the name of God is absent in the text,

the implication of the text is that God himself is the one performing the action.

Okay?

And so Jesus says the Son of Man is delivered.

That's passive.

Being delivered is what's happening to Jesus,

but who's the one actually doing it?

The implication on Jesus' part here is that it's God the Father who is doing this.

It's God the Father.

He's not being handed over into the hands of men by men.

He's being handed over into the hands of men by the Father.

In other words, the atonement of Jesus made on the cross for our sins

was the very plan of God for bringing salvation to man.

This was his plan established in eternity past.

This was spoken of by Jesus as a guarantee.

It's not possible that he will be delivered into the hands of men.

No, he has already been delivered.

God has delivered him into the hands of men,

and this is what they will do to him.

This is not the action of a man alone.

This is ultimately the result of God's plan of salvation.

And Peter didn't grasp this at the moment,

but he did eventually in Acts chapter 2 when he's preaching that great sermon

Acts 2 · chapter mention

after Jesus' ascension.

What is it that Peter says?

Acts chapter 2 verse 22.

Acts 2:22

Men of Israel, hear these words.

Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God

with mighty works and wonders and signs

that God did through him in your midst,

as you yourselves know.

Here's what he says.

This Jesus delivered up according to the definite plan

and foreknowledge of God.

You crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men,

and then God raised him up.

What did Peter come to realize after the resurrection?

Yeah, Judas was the one who betrayed him.

Yeah, Pilate was the one who gave the thumbs up on the crucifixion.

Yeah, it was the soldiers who actually carried it out.

Yeah, it was the Jewish Sanhedrin who were involved in their part of the process,

but this was all the plan of God.

It was God the Father who delivered Jesus into this.

This was his plan.

This was his plan.

And what was that plan meant to accomplish?

Your salvation.

Your salvation.

The forgiveness of your sins.

But it's not as if the Father did it to the Son unwillingly.

Listen to Jesus' words in John chapter 10.

John 10 · chapter mention

I lay down my life.

I lay down my life.

That I may take it up again.

No one takes it from me,

but I lay it down of my own accord.

I have authority to lay it down,

and I have authority to take it up again.

And this charge I have received from my Father.

What do we find there?

The Father didn't send the Son to earth to die for our sins,

kicking and screaming.

In perfect unity, the Trinity agreed.

This was the plan of salvation.

Jesus, willingly submitting himself to the Father,

comes to this earth,

humbles himself,

and lays his life down.

No one took it from him.

He laid it down.

Why?

So that you could be saved.

So that you could know God.

So that you could be in heaven,

reconciled to God in eternity.

He takes our wrath.

He takes our sin.

He takes our death.

In order that we might have his life,

and his righteousness,

and his eternal relationship with the Father.

And this doesn't absolve the responsibility of men

in the actual act of crucifying Jesus.

Jesus himself said,

the night of his arrest,

the Son of Man goes as it has been determined for him,

but woe to him,

woe to him who betrays him.

It may seem that Jesus' crucifixion

was due to the wickedness of men,

and it was.

It was always God's plan

to forgive our sins in this way.

It's the only way.

It's his way.

And the wonder of it all

is that Jesus then says to us,

come.

Come.

And anyone who comes to him, he says,

in faith and repentance,

I will not turn them away.

I will not turn them away.

Now, why did Mark put this here in chapter 9?

It's not just a transition in the narrative.

It's not just another place

because they were traveling

that Mark decided that he was going to put

this teaching here

and then kind of move on.

No.

I think that Mark intended for us to view this

in light of Jesus' teaching on humility.

Jesus,

seen in his willingness

to become a man

and suffer on our behalf,

is the premier example

of humility.

And it's because of the example

of our Lord

that we are to imitate this humility

as his disciples.

We quote Philippians 2 a lot.

Maybe you'd write it down

in the margins here

of your notes.

What is it that Paul said

of Jesus' incarnation?

He first says,

have this mind of humility in you.

Believer,

be humble in this way

as this humility

is seen in your Lord in Jesus.

Have this mind among you

which is yours in Christ Jesus

who,

though he was in the form of God,

did not count equality with God

a thing to be grasped,

but emptied himself

by taking on the form of a servant,

being born in the likeness of men

and being found in human form.

He humbled himself

by becoming obedient to death,

even death on a cross.

It's the ultimate description

of the humiliation of Jesus.

That Jesus in eternity past

is one with the Father.

And any change at all in him

would require condescension.

And yet he became a man

without actually setting aside his deity.

He maintained his essence as God.

That's who he is.

And that is unchanging about him.

But as God,

he sets aside the glory of his deity

in order to live as a poor man,

sometimes homeless man.

And he walked among men,

the betrayers,

he allowed to walk with him

for three years.

He suffered as we suffered.

He was tempted as we are tempted,

yet without sin.

And he went all the way to death,

but not just any death,

a criminal's death,

a death he did not deserve.

And what is that the example of?

If not humility.

Though he is the greatest of all,

he became the servant of all.

Why?

So that you could know him.

So that you could be forgiven.

Then we go back to Psalm 117.

Why do we gather today?

Why do we praise the Lord today?

Because great is his steadfast love to us.

Great is his redeeming love

that he left the portals of heaven

to suffer for our sake

and on our behalf.

There's a hymn.

I think I've quoted it to you before.

What wondrous love is this,

O my soul, O my soul.

What wondrous love is this, O my soul.

What wondrous love is this

that caused the Lord of bliss

to bear the dreadful curse

for my soul, for my soul.

To bear the dreadful curse for my soul.

He goes on to say,

As I was sinking down,

sinking down,

sinking down.

When I was sinking down,

sinking down.

When I was sinking down

beneath God's righteous frown,

Christ laid aside his crown

for my soul,

for my soul.

Christ laid aside his crown

for my soul.

Why did Mark put this here?

Because before Jesus ever taught

his disciples to be humble servants,

he himself proved to be

the humblest of servants.

Verse 32,

But they did not understand the saying

and were afraid to ask him.

Have you ever been that student in class?

The teacher has gone over

this particular issue

time and time and time again

and you still don't get it,

but you're really hoping

that somebody else

will be the one to raise their hand

and ask the question.

And nobody raises their hand

and asks the question

and so the question goes unanswered.

We find the disciples

in a similar predicament here,

don't we?

It wasn't that they couldn't

intellectually grasp

what Jesus was saying.

His teaching was plain.

It was straightforward.

It was supported by scripture.

That wasn't the problem.

It was logical.

The problem is that

they would not accept the teaching

as a spiritual reality.

And it's hard for us

to understand this, isn't it?

After all they've seen,

they have full faith

in who Jesus is.

They have no doubt in their mind

that he is the Messiah.

They are following him

as the Messiah.

But they find it so difficult

to really believe

what he's saying

he's supposed to do

as the Messiah.

And I don't know

that it's necessarily

a rebellion.

I don't think that

it's necessarily a denial

as much as it is

such difficulty

in grasping a concept

that was totally foreign

to their understanding

of messianic interpretation.

We see back in chapter 8

the healing of the blind man

as representative

of what these men

are going through.

Jesus touches him first

and he can see

but he can't see clearly.

Not until Jesus touches him again.

The disciples are in that frame

at this point.

Jesus has opened

their understanding.

They can see.

It's just not clear yet.

And it won't be

until after Jesus' resurrection.

That's when it will click

for them.

So right now

they still don't grasp it.

And then of course

it's interesting

that they're afraid to ask.

Surely Jesus was

the most approachable person

to ever live.

Why wouldn't they ask?

Well,

perhaps they were trying

to avoid a rebuke

that was similar

to what Peter experienced

in chapter 8

because it would have been

difficult for them

to bring up the question

without arguing with Jesus

about what he was teaching.

So they kept quiet

out of their fear

of what this suffering

would mean for them.

They did not ask any longer.

They didn't want to talk

about it anymore.

Sometimes it's easier

to continue in our ignorance

than it is to accept

a truth that we find

disagreeable

or alarming.

I think we can sympathize

with the disciples

in that.

The heart of the problem

is this.

Because they didn't get

Jesus' purpose

they didn't understand

discipleship.

if you don't get it

how could you be

a faithful disciple?

If you don't get

the humility of Christ

and even coming

to this earth

much less

the sacrifice

that he made

on your behalf

how could you ever

imitate that

in your relationship

to others?

That's where they're at

which is what leads us

to this second section.

We see Jesus

redefining greatness.

First,

he's reaffirming

his purpose.

Now we see

he is redefining

greatness.

Look at verse 33.

They came to Capernaum

and when he was

in the house

he asked them

what were you discussing

on the way?

But they kept silent

again

from the way

they had argued

with one another

about who was

the greatest.

So they make their way

back to Capernaum

incognito perhaps

Jesus

inquired

about their

conversation

on the road

there.

Mark presents

a separation

between Jesus

and these men

now doesn't he?

Who knows

what this would

have been like?

Clearly

Jesus was not

with them

as they traveled.

Perhaps

because of the

content of

Jesus' teaching

they found it

difficult to walk

alongside him

at this point.

Jesus gets

to Capernaum

they make their

way into the house

probably Peter's

house

house.

And Jesus

says so what

were you guys

talking about

back there?

Now it's not

that he didn't

know.

Of course he

knew.

He was no less

familiar with

their conversation

than he was

with the condition

of the demon

possessed boy

in the previous

story.

Of course he

knew.

Jesus asked

these questions

often to draw

something out

of the people

he was talking

to.

And in this

moment he's

drawing out

the pride

of the

disciples.

We see a

stark contrast

as being

presented between

the humility

of Jesus

and the

arrogance

of his

followers.

The Lord

had just

spoken about

his humiliation

but all they

could think

about was

their aspirations

for honor

and position

in the

kingdom.

Again says

James Edwards

in all three

passion predictions

Jesus speaks

of the

necessity

of his

rejection

suffering

and death

and following

all three

the disciples

voice their

ambitions

for status

and prestige.

Jesus speaks

of surrendering

his life

the disciples

speak of

fulfilling

theirs.

He counts

the cost

of discipleship

they count

its assets.

The disciples

have yet to

learn that

the rewards

of discipleship

come only

as a

consequence

of following

Christ

on the

costly

way

to

Jerusalem.

Verse 35

He sat

down

called the

twelve

and he

said to

them

if anyone

would be

first

he must

be last

of all

and servant

of all.

It's

interesting

what Jesus

does here

he takes

a seat

actually

and again

this is

not an

inconsequential

note in the

narrative

Jesus

is assuming

the customary

posture

of an

authoritative

teacher

this is not

a passing

conversation

along the

way

no

Jesus

wants

these

men

not

to

take

this

conversation

casually

he wants

them to

recognize

based on

how he

has positioned

himself

in the

house

he wants

them to

recognize

I am

speaking

to you

in a

serious

manner

I'm

speaking

to you

in an

authoritative

manner

gather

around

and listen

to what

I'm

about

to tell

you

and what

he taught

was a

radical

lesson

of

discipleship

once again

just like

us they

are

immersed

in this

moment

in a

culture

that believed

greatness

was the

result of

authority

and position

and power

and status

and money

and so on

this idea

and that

culture

even dominated

their dinners

together

they meticulously

seated people

based on

how honorable

they were

thought to

be

and it

was the

common

aspiration

of the

people

to be

in the

place

of honor

everyone

wanted

to be

recognized

we

understand

that

we all

want

that

our

flesh

craves

it

we all

want the

celebrity

status

even

those of

us who

are introverted

would never

want to be

put in

front of

people

still want

to be

regarded

as

everybody

else

as

greater

Jesus

confronted

this with

the

Pharisees

at one

point

in

Matthew

23

they do

all their

deeds

to be

seen

by

others

they

make

their

phylacteries

broad

and their

fringes

long

they love

the place

of honor

at feast

and the

best seats

in the

synagogues

and greetings

in the

marketplaces

and being

called

rabbi

by others

everybody

wants a

title

everybody

wants a

place

of honor

everybody

wants to

be regarded

as

the

greatest

and this

is what

the disciples

are arguing

over

which one

of us

is actually

the greatest

Jesus

takes this

concept of

greatness

and he

flips it

upside down

on them

in the

kingdom of

God

Jesus

says

greatness

is not a

matter of

position

and power

but of

humble

service

to others

what makes

you great

men

is not

what kind

of position

you have

because the

greatest

among you

is actually

the least

of all

and the

servant

of all

to be

great in

the kingdom

is to

imitate the

greatest one

of the

kingdom

who himself

said

the son of

man came

not to be

served

but to

serve

and to

give his

life a

ransom

for many

isn't that

what Jesus

did by

example

so he

calls his

disciples

to do

the same

thing

one of

the most

profound

examples

of this

is

when Jesus

washed the

feet of

the disciples

in fact

I want us

to look at

it before

we finish

today

okay

would you

turn with

me to

John

13

John

John 13 · chapter mention

chapter

13

should

just be

a few

pages

to the

right

of where

you

are

now

John

John 13 · chapter mention

chapter

13

with me

at

verse

3

Jesus

knowing

that the

father had

given all

things into

his hands

and that

he had

come from

God

and was

going back

to God

rose from

supper

that's an

important

verse

Jesus

wasn't

denying

the

reality

of

authority

and the

necessity

of

leadership

it's

not

what

he's

doing

because

even

before

he

does

this

for

his

disciples

he

does

so

knowing

that

all

things

are

given

into

his

hands

that

he

is

from

God

that

he

is

one

with

God

and

that

he's

about

to

be

exalted

back

to

the

right

hand

of

God

the

father

all

of

those

things

were

true

!

Do you

see the

significance

of this?

Perhaps

you've

heard of

what this

would have

meant

in that

cultural

day

most

places

if you

were to

have

guests

into

your

home

you

would

have

had

a

servant

or a

slave

or

someone

designated

to

wash

your

guest

feet

as

they

came

in

it

was

the

lowliest

of

task

for

the

lowliest

of

people

I

mean

there's

even

places

in

the

Talmud

where

Jews

weren't

even

to

require

other

Jews

to

do

this

this

was

how

lowly

of

a

task

this

was

considered

to

be

and

the

disciples

come

into

the

upper

room

just

before

Jesus

crucifixion

on

the

night

of

his

on

the

way

there

they're

fighting

about

who's

the

greatest

who's

going

to

sit

at

Jesus

right

hand

and

left

hand

in

the

kingdom

who's

going

to

have

more

power

who's

going

to

be

served

there

they're

carrying

the

same

argument

with

them

into

the

last

supper

and

as

they're

arguing

together

perhaps

unnoticed

Jesus

gets out

of his

place

where

he's

reclined

there

at the

table

and he

walks

over

and he

takes

his

coat

off

and he

takes

the

towel

that

belongs

to

the

slave

and he

wraps

the

slave

towel

around

his

waist

and he

puts

some

water

in

a

basin

and the

king

of

heaven

the

creator

of

these

sinful

men

gets

down

on

his

hands

and on

his

knees

and one

by

one

goes

disciple

by

disciple

and

washes

their

filthy

stinking

feet

in that

moment

this

was

the

utmost

of

humility

being

displayed

in one

task

and the

one

who

created

them

all

is

the

one

who

is

demonstrating

what

true

leadership

is

what

true

discipleship

is

what

true

humility

is

if

you

want

to

be

great

get

on

your

knees

and

wash

somebody's

feet

that's

what

Jesus

did

that's

what

he

did

doesn't

matter

if

you

have

a

title

doesn't

matter

what

level

position

you

have

nobody

cares

nobody

cares

about

your

ego

so

stop

trying

to

serve

your

own

ego

and

go

serve

somebody

else

that's

what

Jesus

did

his

whole

purpose

in

coming

was

to

do

that

and

on

the

night

of

his

own

arrest

he

silences

the room

not

by what

he

says

but

by

what

he

did

look

at

verse

12

when

he

had

washed

their

feet

and

put

on

his

outer

garments

and

resumed

his

place

he

said

to

them

do

you

understand

what

I

have

done

you

call

me

teacher

and

lord

and

you're

right

because

that's

who

I

am

if

I

then

your

lord

and

teacher

have

washed

your

feet

you

also

ought

to

wash

one

another's

feet

for

I

have

given

you

an

example

that

you

also

should

do

just

as

I

have

done

to

you

truly

truly

I

say

to

you

verse

16

a

servant

is

not

greater

than

his

master

nor

is

a

messenger

greater

than

the

one

who

see

him

I

want

you

to

think

about

the

gravity

of

that

statement

a

servant

is

not

greater

than

his

master

and

we

say

we

are

servants

of

the

Lord

Jesus

and

yet

the

way

we

live

our

lives

so

often

says

I

don't

deserve

to

have

to

do

what

Jesus

did

to

those

men

I'm

better

than

that

somebody

else

can

do

that

I'd

rather

be

in

the

seat

of

honor

I'd

rather

be

recognized

I'd

rather

be

served

we

call

ourselves

disciples

but how

many

of us

faithfully

imitate

the

Lord

by

humbly

serving

others

rather

than

ourselves

what

matters

says

Jesus

is not

your

position

he's

not

absolving

the

necessity

of

leadership

and

authority

or the

reality

of it

he's

emphasizing

a disposition

of the

heart

again

Jesus

is the

greatest

of all

and yet

he became

the servant

of all

and on

his own

words

he says

how much

more ought

you to

do the

same

thing

verse

36

back in

Mark

9

he took

a child

and put

him in

the midst

of them

and taking

him in

his arms

he said

to them

whoever

receives

one such

child

in my

name

receives

me

and whoever

receives

me

receives

not

me

but him

who sent

me

so Jesus

expounds

on the

teaching

by illustrating

it

and in

this case

he picks

up a

child

maybe

maybe one

of Peter's

if they're

in Peter's

house

perhaps

he puts

the child

on his

lap

and the

child

represents

here

an

individual

who

provides

no

personal

advantage

to us

that's

why

he's

doing

it

he

doesn't

say

the

greatest

of all

serves

he

says

the

greatest

of all

serves

all

sometimes

we're not

afraid to

serve

but we're

picky about

who we

serve

we'll

serve

the

ones

who

maybe

provide

some

type

of

benefit

for

us

in

return

you know

this guy

works for

the Panthers

I'm gonna

make sure

to go

cut his

grass

maybe he'll

throw some

tickets my

way

you know

what I

mean

we do

that

right

we're

selfish

like that

Jesus

says

no

what I

mean

is the

type

of

service

that

serves

the people

that offer

nothing

in return

the people

that are

helpless

the people

that maybe

at times

are

annoying

maybe

our enemy

we serve

them all

I want you

to think

of the

visual

impact

of this

illustration

Harper

you stand

up for a

second

just stand

up

notice

what Jesus

does

he gets

a seat

in the

middle of

the house

and he

grabs a

child

that's

probably

much

younger

than

Harper

but she's

the smallest

one

here

well

Winnie's

here

isn't

she

but I

won't

mess

with

Winnie

he says

he takes

the child

and he

embraces

the child

he says

this is

what it

means

embrace

one another

the way

that Jesus

has embraced

this child

serve

the one

another

the way

that Jesus

serves

this

child

be

affectionate

toward

one

another

the way

that Jesus

was affectionate

towards

this

child

she can

offer me

nothing

in return

no benefit

she actually

cost me

a lot

don't you

Jesus says

this child

cost me

everything

and yet

I love

this

child

I

serve

this

child

who

are we

to think

that we're

too good

to serve

others

every one

of us

are enemies

of God

every one

of us

yet because

of his

humble

servant

heartedness

we are

reconciled

to him

at peace

with him

who are we

to think

that we

can't serve

the ones

who we're

not at peace

with now

who have

hurt us

Jesus

says no

greatness

is to

serve

greatness

is to

love

and the

real punch

packed into

this

is when

he says