Mark 10: What is True Greatness?

So this morning I want to talk about obviously this passage.

This passage is talking about greatness, and that's what I want to talk about.

I want to talk about greatness.

I want to talk about true greatness.

And the key word in that is true.

So if you think about it this way, do you remember when you were at Old Navy and you were wandering on the back sales rack and you see a leather jacket for$15, you couldn't believe it.

A real leather jacket at Old Navy, and that's a miracle.

And it was$15, right?

So you had to buy this jacket right away.

You couldn't believe it.

And so you get home, you're so excited about this leather jacket for$15, and you're in front of your mirror and you're looking at it, and it looks so great, and it fits just right.

And you change it into your pajamas, you put the leather jacket back on, and you're wearing it with your pajamas, watching TV because you love this jacket so much.

And then Friday night comes and you're wearing it with your friends, and you're out at Chili's, and you spill a little Coke on the table, and the elbows hit the Coke, and you don't think much about it, but then a week later that same elbow starts to crack and it starts to peel.

Like your real true leather jacket is just peeling, right?

And you knew, kind of knew to start, that it did feel a little plasticky.

And it turns out it was just all plastic, is what it was, right?

Like it wasn't the true thing.

We know the difference between something that's like fake or pseudo or something that's true.

And what this passage is trying to get us to understand is there's a difference between these two things.

There's a difference between something like a fake greatness or a pseudo-greatness and true greatness.

And the thing we're gonna ask this morning is like, what where is true greatness found?

And reading this morning's text, at least for me, it helped me realize how much, at least for me, I don't know about you, but for me, how much I do just want to be great, like in some way.

Like walking around, just like like, does it do you see me?

Do you see me?

Do you know me?

Do you approve of me?

Do you will you pat me on the back?

Like Christie can clean the kitchen three times a day and say nothing.

I clean it once, and I'm trying to get four pats on the back from every person in the house, right?

Like, it's just sort of constant for me.

I want this sermon to be great.

I went for a walk this morning, trying to connect with the sermon, get emotionally connected.

So it's a great sermon, and yet this passage is saying, like, oh, but the sermon's only great if it's in service to you.

It's the only way it's great.

Right?

Because to be great by what we merit or project, it's never enough.

And most of us realize that we're not gonna be great political leaders like Winston Churchill, we're not gonna write songs like the Avett Brothers, we're not gonna start companies like Jeff Bezos.

We're just not, right?

Like we're I'm sorry to break the news, right?

Most of us have realized that most of us are not gonna be great like that.

But I think we want to be like a great friend.

Or like a great brother or neighbor or sister or mom or great dad.

I think that's inside of us.

Maybe to be even great with some gifting or calling, I think so.

And the good news is like that kind of greatness is available to everyone, but it just isn't in the way that we think it would come.

It isn't, isn't the way that the flesh or the ego would drive us?

And that's where this text picks up, this Mark 10 text.

James and John, these two, they're known as the sons of thunder.

They're so bold and they're brass, so the scripture calls them sons of thunder.

And you can see it here in this text, right?

I mean, they come up to Jesus and say, Teacher, what we want you to do for us whatever we ask.

Pretty bold ask.

And Jesus very graciously responds, you know, what is it you want for me to do?

Grant for one of us to sit at your right hand, you know, the other to sit at your left hand and your glory, right?

Like, like give us the best position.

We want to be seen.

We want glory.

And so Jesus begins teaching to them, hey, you don't even know, you don't even know what you're asking for.

Like you're asking for glory, you don't even really know what you're asking for.

And then he goes into this whole little, like, uh, you know, to be baptized like I'm baptized and take the cup like I'm the take.

And what's interesting about that is these two actually did this.

Because James was executed by the sword by King Herod.

John goes on as an old man, is exiled to the island of Patmos.

So both of them, in a way, became great, but it was never by a theology of glory, it was by a theology of the cross.

So the other disciples they pick up on this conversation, they hear it.

How dare these two try to outmaneuver us to get into a better position with our leader?

And so in they come also, right?

Because they're not going to be outmaneuvered for this.

They want in on this.

If there's positions to be held, these other guys want in as well.

And so then that's when Jesus drops this bombshell about true greatness in Mark 10, 43 for 45.

I'll read it again.

But it shall not be among you, this idea of greatness by position and authority, but it shall not be so among you.

But whoever would be great among you must be your servant.

And whoever would be first among you must be slave of all.

For even the Son of Man, that's him, Jesus came not to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.

So how do we shift?

How do we shift from selfish ambition unto greatness to service to other people?

And this is where Jesus is always trying to get them and get us to see that it's out of what we've already been deemed that we go and live and serve.

Right?

It's very clear in John 13 when he says, A new commandment I give to you.

Jesus speaking, a new commandment I give to you, that you love one another.

That sounds pretty similar to be a servant to people, that you love one another, and then he says, just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.

So just as you understand you are loved by Jesus, you go in love.

So point number one is this greatness is only found when you die to the selfish desire to be great and live in the belovedness you already have.

Greatness is only found when you die to the selfish desire to be great and live in the belovedness you already have.

It's quite paradoxical, isn't it?

That's the difference between the theology of glory and the theology of the cross.

Do you remember the Greek mythological character, narcissist?

Right?

So this character is famous for his good looks and he treated other people horribly.

He became infatuated with his own reflection.

In fact, the story goes that he became so infatuated with himself, didn't care about anybody else, that he sat in front of a pool of water and just admired himself forever and eventually he died there.

Right?

And the lesson is that narcissism leads to death.

Right?

To be self-absorbed, self-centered, self-bent, where everything in your family, your relationships, your world, your career, your life revolves around you, and you are the center, your God.

It's death.

You're creating death.

The Mayo Clinic gives these symptoms as narcissistic personality disorder.

You can just apply it to yourself as I read.

It's believing that you're better than others, exaggerating your achievements or talents, expecting constant praise and admiration, failing to recognize other people's emotions and feelings, taking advantage of others, expressing disdain for those you feel are inferior, being jealous of others and believing that others are jealous of you, trouble keeping healthy relationships, setting unrealistic goals, and appearing as tough-minded or unemotional.

So, welcome to the disorder.

Of course, most of us aren't in this disorder, but all of us go, okay, yeah, that one.

Like, I know that one.

Or maybe you're going, like, hey, I know that one for that person, but it's better if you just apply it to yourself.

It works better.

And listen, you don't really want to be perfectly beautiful, and you don't really want to be like perfectly great.

Underneath that, you're just wondering if you're loved.

That's really what you're wondering.

You're just using these other things for it.

Right?

That's the lie, is these other things.

And it's easy.

It will be easy to spend your whole life using stuff like beauty and greatness, achievement, these things as it then there'll be, then I'll be enough.

If I can deem greatness in this way.

And the lie is, of course, that if you think I'm great, then I'll feel great.

And it's a lie.

That in some way, finally, we could redeem ourselves from that mistake or that shame or that sin.

We could absolve ourselves or we could feel accepted, finally, in some way.

And I wonder what you would have to accomplish to feel clean from that thing you did?

From that shameful part of your story?

How great would you need to be in this world to be accepted, finally be accepted enough to be at peace?

And you can see how that is enslavement of sin.

That self-bentness of that is an enslavement of sin, looking in upon yourself, a refusal to look out upon God's grace to you.

And I wonder a different line of questions.

How might I know, how might you know more about how much you are already loved and accepted by my creator?

What if that was like a starting point question?

What ways do I need to grow quiet as to hear the accepting voice of God in my life?

What does it mean for me to deny myself as to know my true self, which is God's forever beloved?

Point number two is this belovedness creates humility, which empowers service.

So because you're already loved, that is creates humility because the love is given to you, you didn't earn it, which automatically puts you in a position of humility, which then empowers service to other people.

Because you're in connection with God's forever, affirming of you in Jesus, you're already great.

It's off the table.

You already have it.

What a freedom that is, that you are relieved of that.

That creates humility, empowers love, empowers service.

Now that is a greatness that can't be taken away.

And that is in such contrast to the problem of pseudo-greatness, which is so fleeting.

I read an article this week about Michael Jackson, his 1982 thriller album.

Is he anybody have it?

You're playing it?

I have it.

I'll be on Python.

Yes.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Yes.

It's still the best-selling album in the world.

Now, if you're a music nut, you say, no, no, no, the Eagles album.

No, no, the Eagles is best selling in the US, but worldwide, Thriller, 47 million copies of this album.

Still the best-selling album ever.

And then the next year, 1983, he films this 13-minute video of Thriller.

I mean, do you remember it?

It was bizarre.

I mean, creativity, I mean, it is unbelievable creativity.

It is still the most renowned music video of all time.

It was clearly the apex of Michael's career of writing, creativity, singing, dancing.

Like this was greatness for that.

Like thriller was greatness in terms of writing, singing, dancing, creativity.

It doesn't get any better.

And in a strange way, in reaction to it, he manically tries to dance like that again.

And create like that again and sing like that again.

Or, as we saw throughout the years, numb himself to the reality that he won't be that again.

Now, isn't that interesting?

That you could clearly be the greatest singer and dancer and creator of music in the world, and it's still not enough.

It's still fleeting.

And what would it mean for you if greatness was a grace that he put upon you and not merit?

See, you are free in Christ's work and love for you to be great by grace.

And to serve through that grace.

That's greatness.

Point number three.

It's sort of a rephrasing of point number two, I'll admit it.

Beloved creates humility, which empowers service.

That was point number two.

Beloved creates humility, which empowers service, which is greatness.

So I read this definition of biblical love this week.

Love is a self-sacrificing, caring commitment, which in obedience to Jesus shows itself in seeking the highest good of the one loved.

The costliness of love means that we have to sacrifice our selfishness for the other.

And what that means is it means you don't have to Instagram it later.

Right?

When you love the person or serve the person, you have to mention it later.

You don't have to slide it in.

You don't have to control it, you don't have to muscle it.

It means you can just sacrifice for someone.

You're already loved.

You're already great.

You know, people don't even have to know about this.

Tim Keller, in his book on Mark, it's called King's Cross, he says this.

If at the very heart of your worldview is a man dying for his enemies, then the way you're going to win influence in society is through service rather than power and control.

You see, most of the time we have it backwards.

We think, uh, I'll become great.

Okay?

I'll um I'll write a song.

I'll be uh employee of the month, I'll start a business, I'll be the best mom, and everybody in the neighborhood will know it.

I'll become great.

And then I'll then finally I'll be loved.

And then once I hit that position, now I can serve.

Rather than you're already loved, it's given to you.

Not by merit, but by grace.

So you can serve.

And that is great.

And that's the truth of this great passage.

And then verse 45 completely saves us.

Because at this point we go, okay, I get the truth, but uh I'm not great at that.

I'm really, I really am selfish.

And Jesus bails us out with himself in verse 45, for even the Son of Man came not to be served.

So even your service is not a service to him as to earn something, because he came to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.

Point number four, last point is this because we can't be the perfect servant, Jesus was.

And it wasn't just to model it for us, it was to rescue us from the fact that we can't be and we're not the perfect servant.

And this is really, really good news because what it means is Jesus loves selfish people.

Jesus loves selfish, non-religious people, and Jesus loves selfish religious people.

He loves his disciples, these selfish guys all asking to be the left and the right, and the others are upset because, oh no, I'm not even gonna get in on that.

All these selfish people, and he loves you.

He loves you as you're selfish, he loves me as I'm selfish.

He becomes the servant, he becomes the servant.

God humbles himself unto the cross, taking our sin upon himself, our selfishness, giving to us his righteousness.

So as God sees us, God sees us as a perfect servant because we're covered with Jesus' righteousness.

So, my brothers and sisters, you are already forgiven, you're already accepted, you're already great in the eyes of God because of Jesus' work and love for you.

Let's pray together.

God, thank you for your good word to us this morning that greatness is by servanthood, and thank you that even while we know it, we fall short.

Even while we want to do that, we fall short.

We fall short of servanthood when it comes to how we love our family, how we love our children, how we love our friends, co-workers.

How we approach glory.

God is so backward.

Help us to trust more in your full sufficiency for us that we are great by your grace to us, and we are free to live in service to other people.

In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.