Then a dispute arose among them as to which of them would be the greatest. And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a little child and set him by Him, and said to them, “Whoever receives this little child in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me. For he who is least among you all will be great.” Luke 9:48 NKJV
G.O.A.T. is an acronym we hear a lot of these days. It stands for the greatest of all time. I often hear it used to describe famous athletes and coaches.
In our Scripture passage, the disciples have begun to argue. In Luke chapter 9, Jesus predicts his death twice. Between these two predictions, he is transfigured on the mountain. In verse 22, Jesus told His disciples, “The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.”
In verse 23, Jesus told them that if anyone wanted to follow Him, they must daily take up their cross and follow Him. About eight days later, He took Peter, John, and James up the mountain with Him and was transfigured or appeared glowing white and glistening.
Then in verse 44, Jesus tells them, the Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men. He predicts his death again, but they don’t truly understand.
It is unclear if envy had set in at this point because Jesus had brought the three up on the mountain. Were they perhaps thinking that one of them would serve as a replacement? What is clear is that they don’t understand that in the kingdom of God, being last or serving God and serving others is what makes them great.
As we now know, Jesus was predicting his suffering and death on the cross. And when it came to being great, He was trying to explain to them that the way to attain greatness in God’s kingdom is through serving God and others.
Only when we make ourselves last can we be first or be great in God’s kingdom. This requires great sacrifice and self-denial. As with many things in God’s kingdom, it is the opposite of the way the world thinks and behaves.
For example, in the world, we are taught to achieve greatness. Greatness usually means fortune and fame. It means that we strive to become the best at whatever it is we are doing. Sadly, achieving greatness often brings about pride, which we know God detests, so there’s that.
Of course, Christians know that the greatest human of all time was Jesus Christ. He came to earth fully man and fully God. This is why we are told in Ephesians 5:1 that we should be imitators of Christ. He came to empty Himself to be a servant. He had no place to call home but went from town to town performing miracles and encouraging people to repent and be saved. He gave His life for you and me so that we may have eternity in heaven.
With us being mere mortals, it is impossible to live up to Jesus’ standards. However, this is the mark for which we should strive. When we surrender to Him, we want to be more like Him, and this helps us to do our best to follow His example. We can also rely on His strength to help us be more like Him.
If you want to achieve perfection and greatness, you must imitate the Greatest. He lived a life of example for us to follow. You must take up your cross daily and follow Him. He did not have an easy life and had an even harder death.
Trust in Him to lead and guide you. Turn to Him and surrender your life to Him. Study His word and see how Jesus lived and how He treated others, and do your best to imitate Him. And when the time comes, you will be called home to the greatest place ever, the place He has prepared for you.
Have a great day!