Luke 9:45-46 (ESV)
[45] But they did not understand
this saying, and it was concealed from them, so that they might not perceive
it. And they were afraid to ask him about this saying.
[46] An argument arose among them
as to which of them was the greatest.
The disciples had just been told
that Jesus was going to die. They didn’t understand what he was saying, so they
apparently moved the conversation to something they did understand. They began
to argue about which of them was greatest. On an earthly level, their argument
makes sense since they believed that Messiah was about to set up his kingdom on
earth. Who gets to be his top official was a valid concern. But that’s not how
things work in the Kingdom.
This argument would resurface in
chapter 22 again. They needed to learn what Jesus taught. Greatness comes by
serving, not by holding a position. I hear few arguments in church these days
about who is greatest, but I regularly watch conflicts in church about who is
in power. We would never say that we are greatest, but we insist on doing
things our way. It’s the same argument, just different words. Have we not yet
learned that greatness does not come by holding a position, a title, a degree,
or by “being right”. It comes by serving. May we yet learn that simple truth.
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