Jesus calls those who come to Him to die to self, to be reborn from above, to love Him more than their life, to love others more than themselves, to stand destitute before Him because of their sin, to live humble lives as servants, to cast aside their self-righteousness, and to be last. What natural, carnal man would ever agree to this, the answer is no one. But when a person comes to Christ in faith, drawn by the Holy Spirit, broken over their sin, in need of a Savior, the process of regeneration occurs and provides a person a new spiritual nature able to understand the deep spiritual things of God, thus making it possible for a person to call Jesus their Lord and be willing to be last. But what does that mean?
In Mark 9:33-37, Jesus and His disciples arrive in Capernaum a few days after telling them that He would be betrayed, suffer a violent death, and then be raised from the dead. While traveling to Capernaum the disciples had been disputing among themselves who would be the greatest once Jesus was gone. Unfortunately, the disciples were thinking in terms of a conquering king and a political savior, which was not what His atoning death was about. So when Jesus confronted them about their dispute, they remained silent and we see Jesus call them to Himself and teach them what it means to be great. Jesus states in verse 35 that "...If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all." Jesus doesn't rebuke them, he tells them that if they want to be first, they must be last. This is not the kind of speech you would hear from a military commander or a football coach prior to battle or a big game. Which should remind us just how different the lives of Christians should be. Worldly or human values are not necessarily kingdom values. How many executives have you heard say, I want to be last?
Jesus then took a child in His arms and said "Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me " (verse 37). Let's don't forget that the disciples had just been disputing among themselves which one was the greatest and now Jesus was holding a child and telling them that being great was like receiving a small child. What Jesus is saying is that if a person is humbled in their posture towards Him, they would never hesitate to serve anyone, to include a child. When Jesus says whoever "receives," what He means is to be concerned about and show kindness to. So when Christians accept the outcasts, the poor, the orphans, and the persecuted, they are accepting and receiving Christ and demonstrating godly humility.
Greatness and being last is not a position, it's ministry and concern for the least of these.
In Mark 9:33-37, Jesus and His disciples arrive in Capernaum a few days after telling them that He would be betrayed, suffer a violent death, and then be raised from the dead. While traveling to Capernaum the disciples had been disputing among themselves who would be the greatest once Jesus was gone. Unfortunately, the disciples were thinking in terms of a conquering king and a political savior, which was not what His atoning death was about. So when Jesus confronted them about their dispute, they remained silent and we see Jesus call them to Himself and teach them what it means to be great. Jesus states in verse 35 that "...If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all." Jesus doesn't rebuke them, he tells them that if they want to be first, they must be last. This is not the kind of speech you would hear from a military commander or a football coach prior to battle or a big game. Which should remind us just how different the lives of Christians should be. Worldly or human values are not necessarily kingdom values. How many executives have you heard say, I want to be last?
Jesus then took a child in His arms and said "Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me " (verse 37). Let's don't forget that the disciples had just been disputing among themselves which one was the greatest and now Jesus was holding a child and telling them that being great was like receiving a small child. What Jesus is saying is that if a person is humbled in their posture towards Him, they would never hesitate to serve anyone, to include a child. When Jesus says whoever "receives," what He means is to be concerned about and show kindness to. So when Christians accept the outcasts, the poor, the orphans, and the persecuted, they are accepting and receiving Christ and demonstrating godly humility.
Greatness and being last is not a position, it's ministry and concern for the least of these.
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