What Does True Greatness Look Like?

Introduction

For those of you who were here last week, you may remember we saw in our text that Jesus came down from the mountain where he had been transfigured – where he had visibly revealed his glory to three of his disciples. And as Jesus came down from the mountain, he found his other disciples arguing with the Jewish scribes. And here’s what the issue was – Jesus’s disciples had just failed to cast a demon out of a boy. And so the argument between the disciples and the scribes seems to have been over the question of authority. Did these disciples of Jesus really have any greatness or authority to speak of, or not? The scribes said no. The disciples said yes. That seems to have been the issue they were disputing.

And in our text this morning, we find the disciples arguing over something similar. Apparently, they liked to have debates with people over who’s the greatest. Because they start to argue with each other. But what we find out from Mark, here, is that the disciples don’t even know what true greatness looks like. So Jesus takes up this topic, and he tells us about it. So if you haven’t done so already, please turn with me to Mark, Chapter 9. I’ll be reading Mark, Chapter 9, verses 30 through 37. But before I read our text, let’s pray for God to humble us and help us by His Spirit. Please pray with me:

[Pray and Read Text]

Wrong Identification

A couple weeks ago, we were sitting down for a meal – and there was a medium-sized, blackish-looking bird that we saw out the window. And someone asked, “What type of bird is that?” I wasn’t really sure, but I replied, “I think that bird might be a jackdaw. Well, one of my daughters – who’s rather into birds, she apparently thought that didn’t sound right. So she went off and found a bird identification book and brought it to me. And sure enough, I was wrong. It was actually a European Starling. I had misidentified it. In fact, come to find out – jackdaws aren’t even a North American bird! Here, I thought I knew what the bird was. But my perception of what a jackdaw looks like was skewed. It was wrong.

And in a similar way, Jesus’s disciples thought they knew about true greatness. They thought they could identify it when they saw it. In fact, they were just about convinced that if they wanted to see true greatness, all they had to do was look in the mirror! After all, Jesus had personally hand-selected all twelve of them to be in this inner group. Surely that must mean they’re better than everyone else, right? It wouldn’t surprising if the disciples thought that way. And yet these twelve men were so full of themselves, it wasn’t enough to just be better than the crowds. Each man also felt the need to argue that he was the greatest out of all the others.

But in our text this morning, Jesus exposes the fact that these disciples don’t know what true greatness looks like. And he defines and describes greatness in a way that’s not only important for the Twelve to hear. But here at our church in Mt Pleasant, we need to hear it, too. We need to understand what true greatness looks like, and how to rightly pursue it. And so in the course of our text, Jesus lays out three important principles about greatness. First, Jesus points out that a key element of his greatness is the cross. Second, Jesus reveals that a key obstacle to real greatness is pride. And then finally, Jesus explains that a key expression of true greatness is humble service. These will be our three points, as we work through our text.

A Key Element of Christ’s Greatness Is the Cross

So first, Jesus indicates that a key element of his greatness is the cross. The text tells us, after healing the demon-possessed boy that we read about last week, Jesus left from there with his disciples. And they went down through the region of Galilee, which is where Jesus has done most of his ministry at this point. But we’re specifically told that Jesus travels rather quietly. The end of verse 30 explains that, “he did not want anyone to know” that he was passing that way. And this is because Jesus had something important to talk about with his disciples.

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 after three days he will rise.” Jesus has already said something almost exactly like this before. In Mark 8:31, he referred to himself as the Son of Man. And he plainly announced that being handed over to men, being killed, and rising from the dead are all in his future.

And by repeating this teaching, we can tell that this is a part of Jesus’s message that he finds to be very important. All the other important teachings of Jesus that we’ve seen so far – they’ve been mentioned one time – just once. And yet this line of Jesus’s teaching – about suffering, being killed, and rising – Jesus emphasizes its certainty and its centrality by repeating it. And notice – he’s even careful to make sure that he’s saying these things in a context where his disciples aren’t distracted. This is time of focused attention with his inner circle of twelve men. He doubles down on this teaching, that the Son of Man has come to suffer, to die, and to be raised.

And I’m sure we could think of multiple of reasons why this line of teaching would be important. For one thing, Jesus’s ability to predict the future is confirmation that he’s a true spokesman for God. He clearly has supernatural insight. In addition to that, Jesus is revealing the care he has for his disciples. It’s likely that Jesus wants to prepare them for his crucifixion, to guard them from utter despair and disillusionment.

But based on the timing, this statement from Jesus probably carries another important purpose. Jesus is giving an example of true greatness, and what it looks like. Remember, Jesus’s greatness has just been confirmed on the mountain of transfiguration. He’s been shown to be greater than Moses and Elijah. They were just forerunners – he’s the finale. They were just servants for God. Jesus is the beloved Son. The greatness of Jesus literally radiates out of him, intensely, visibly. And even at the bottom of the mountain, Jesus’s greatness is displayed. He has power and authority greater than the Jewish scribes and rabbis, greater than a man’s power over his son, greater than all the abilities of his disciples put together. And yet, right after these events, Jesus re-announces the ominous and confusing news that he’s going to suffer and die and be raised after three days.

If Jesus had only mentioned his future resurrection from the dead, that might make more sense to us. Resurrection certainly sounds rather impressive to us. But Jesus also explicitly refers to his suffering – being delivered into the hands of men. And he speaks about his death – being killed. Jesus indicates that his greatness will be wielded and displayed in all three of these events.

Of course, from the perspective of the world, this might sound like nonsense. But for those of us who have heard the good news of Christianity explained – for those of us who understand what Jesus’s suffering and death accomplished, it makes perfect sense why Jesus would speak this way.

Because in the sufferings of Jesus, he not only remains sinless, but he also reveals how complete his goodness and obedience is, all the way to the cross. And in his death, Jesus offers himself as the perfect sacrifice that takes away our sin. Jesus, as our substitute, is struck down with the death penalty that otherwise would have fallen on sinners like you and I. And so because of Jesus’s suffering and death, whoever receives him and relies on his saving work is also raised with Jesus to receive the gift of eternal life with God.

And so even though Jesus is brought low in his suffering and dying, the cross is also the place where he most compellingly demonstrates his greatness – especially the greatness of his generous, saving kindness. Though most people use their status, abilities, and advantages to obtain good things for themselves, the greatness we see in Jesus is that he uses his status and abilities to obtain good things for others. So the cross is a key element of Jesus’s greatness. It’s where we see the true greatness of Jesus lived out in a compelling way. And Jesus ends up expanding on what true greatness in our character and conduct should look like later in our text.

A Key Obstacle to Real Greatness Is Pride

But the next thing we see in our passage, is that this real greatness, exemplified by Jesus – the disciples don’t recognize it. They don’t appreciate it. And this is because the disciples are living under the delusion that they already know what greatness is and that they already have it – which is to say, they’re prevented from learning true greatness because of their pride. And this is my second main point – that a key obstacle to real greatness is pride.

In our text, we actually see a number of ways that pride prevents Jesus’s disciples from recognizing the value of Jesus’s real greatness. For one thing, we see that pride prevents the disciples from understanding it. Notice what verse 32 says, after Jesus re-announces his death and resurrection: “But the disciples did not understand the saying.” They didn’t understand.

And this should be strange to us. Why didn’t they understand what Jesus was saying? Jesus wasn’t using complicated words. He wasn’t speaking in a really cryptic way. He said these things plainly. And this is the second time he’s said it. So why aren’t they able to understand?

Well, I realize the text doesn’t tell us explicitly. But in this specific case, their inability to understand was probably the result of their pride. They weren’t able to process what Jesus said about himself, because they were too preoccupied with their own ideas, about how things should be. And this is actually a normal effect that pride tends to have on us. It makes us stubborn and unwilling to change how we’re thinking about something. It makes us bad listeners.

Here’s an example of how this works. Imagine that you’ve just gotten dressed for a graduation open house, here in Mt Pleasant. You’ve picked out an outfit that you really like. The clothes are comfortable. You think they look good. But then a family member comes up and makes some objections. “The colors don’t quite match. The sleeves look awkwardly long. It’s a sunny day, and you’ll get too hot.” And they give you advice you don’t want to hear – that you should change your clothes. Well, chances are, if you have your heart set on wearing that particular outfit, it doesn’t matter what your family member says – even if their advice is good. You won’t want to change your clothes. Because in that moment, on account of your pride, you won’t be able to understand and internalize the wisdom of what they’re saying.

Something similar seems to be happening here with the disciples. By this time, they know that Jesus is the Christ, sent from God. They know that he’s the Chosen King. But in their pride, they have a specific idea of what the Christ is supposed to do – what his greatness is supposed to look like. And so when Jesus tells them the truth, they aren’t willing to take his words at face value. They assume that he must be speaking a riddle. And ultimately, they aren’t able to understand.

But unfortunately, instead of asking for Jesus to give them clarity, the disciples show their pride in another way. We see that pride prevents the disciples from asking for help. Even though they couldn’t understand what he meant by his words, the end of verse 32 tells us that, “they were afraid to ask him.”

They were afraid. But here’s the question – what were they afraid of? Were they afraid that Jesus would respond by biting off their arm? No, I don’t think so. Were they frightened by the sound of their own voice? Obviously not. So why were they afraid to ask? I think many of us know the answer, because we know this fear ourselves. The disciples were almost definitely afraid to ask, because they were afraid of revealing how clueless they were.

And this fear came from the disciples’ pride. They were desperate to look wise. They didn’t want to show any signs of weakness or ignorance. They couldn’t bear the thought that other people might see them as needy in some way. So they wouldn’t ask. And often, because of our pride, we don’t want to ask questions, either. We don’t want to admit that there are things we don’t know, or things we need help with. But notice, pride ultimately prevents the disciples from gaining insight into the true greatness of Jesus. And if you and I aren’t able to humble ourselves, pride will likewise be an obstacle for us, that prevents us from reflecting the greatness of Jesus in our character and conduct.

Let me just encourage you – it’s okay for you and I to admit it when we don’t know something. If people hear our questions and come to the conclusion that we must be rather simple-minded people – who cares? What does it matter if people think like that? If it comes out into the open, that you’re a very ordinary, unimpressive person, who’s just trying to learn the good things of Jesus – that’s not something to be ashamed of. In fact, having a humble, teachable attitude like that is what makes it possible to learn from the true greatness of Christ.

There’s a third way, though, that pride prevents us from being truly great. In our text, we see that pride prompts us to argue for our superiority. We can see this in the disciples.

In verse 33, we read that Jesus continues to travel with his disciples, and they come to Capernaum. But when they reach their place of lodging, Jesus asks the disciples, “What were you discussing on the way?” And what we find out in verse 34, is that for much of the journey, the disciples had been arguing with one another about who was the greatest.

And just in case you were wondering, I don’t think that Peter was trying to argue that James was the greatest, and (that) James was trying to argue that Thomas was the greatest. But each man was trying to argue for himself – I’m the greatest. I’m the smartest. I’m the strongest. I’m the one Jesus likes best. I’m the holiest. I’m the best public speaker. I’m the best businessman. However it was that they tried to make their case, the argument went on, because no man was willing to give up his claim, that he was the greatest.

They all knew that in Jesus’s preaching, he had been declaring that the kingdom of God was at hand. And the disciples figured – that if they could just out-compete these other eleven men, they’d have the best place in the kingdom right behind Jesus. If they could just convince everyone that they’re the greatest – then they’d be able to use their power to get whatever they wanted. They’d be able to boss people around. They’d have money, and servants, and an easy life. They’d be able to get the world to revolve around them. That’s what the disciples wanted. That’s why they were so fixated on proving that they were the greatest.

But all this arguing didn’t make the disciples great. No matter how much they bickered like kindergartners on a playground – no matter how much they said, “I’m right, you’re wrong. I’m great, you’re not” – it didn’t make them any greater. In fact, the arguing just revealed how far away they were from the true greatness of Jesus. Their pride isn’t an asset. It’s an obstacle.

And yet even when confronted about their arguing, the disciples still aren’t willing to let go of their pride. After Jesus asks “What were you discussing on the way?” – notice, the disciples are too embarrassed to respond. Verse 34 tells us, “they kept silent” – why? – for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest.” They kept silent because they knew that their topic of conversation was selfish and shameful and vain.

But the disciples shouldn’t have kept silent about it! Again, pride is at work. And it prevents the disciples from confessing their lack of greatness, and their sin. They should have admitted the wrongness of their arguing. They should have been willing to take off the mask. They would have been better off, if they had just acknowledged, Jesus, I’m not great. I need your mercy. And I want you to show me what greatness looks like. But that’s not what the disciples do. Instead, in their pride, they continue to pretend like they’re doing just fine the way they are. No help needed. Everything’s great.

A Key Expression of True Greatness Is Humble Service

But even though the disciples aren’t willing to humble themselves, and ask for it – Jesus shows a special kindness to them, by explaining what true greatness looks like. And this brings us to my third and final point. Jesus teaches that a key expression of true greatness is humble service.

In verse 35, we’re told that Jesus sat down and called the twelve. He called them for a teaching session. Even though in America today, teachers normally stand while the students sit, in those days the teachers would normally sit while the students were standing.

So as Jesus sits down to teach – he gives a vivid description of what a truly great person will look like. And it’s totally upside down from what most people would expect. Jesus says, “If anyone would be first” – [if anyone would be the greatest] – “he must be last of all and servant of all.”

Notice here, when Jesus talks about being great, he doesn’t tell us that desiring greatness is evil. In fact, he assumes that people like us will want to be great. He actually encourages that pursuit. But what Jesus wants us to see is that most people who think they’re on the road to greatness actually aren’t.

Think of it like this. Imagine that a person pulls out the Maps App on their phone, and they type in Carson City as their destination. They assume that they’re headed toward Carson City, MI. But come to find out, they’re actually being led 2000 miles in a different direction, to Carson City, Nevada. This is the issue that Jesus is speaking to. So many people think that they’re headed toward greatness. But Jesus wants to get our attention, and let us know – our GPS needs to be adjusted. Before we can rightly pursue greatness, we need to understand where to find it, and what greatness rightly is.

And so Jesus explains – the first-place, most excellent human being will be the person who puts the interests of everyone else ahead of his own – the person who lives to care for the needs of others. That’s what true greatness looks like. Jesus says the one who would wish to be first must be last of all, and servant of all.

And notice the word must. Because Jesus wants to make sure it’s clear – there is no true greatness without the posture of humility and service that he’s describing. Of course, it’s tempting for us to measure our greatness in different ways. I think we tend to assume that we must be decently great because of our net worth, or because of our career, or because of our health or our physical appearance. But when it comes to measuring a person’s greatness, none of those things matter. And you should be encouraged that none of those things matter. Because of they did, then you’d always feel like your greatness is being threatened by something. But Jesus insists, that true greatness isn’t marked by how many military parades and red carpets someone has. But the greatest person of all will be the person who makes himself last of all and servant of all.

And what’s really refreshing, here, is that Jesus means what he says. He practices what he preaches. He isn’t just talking about humility and service as a guide for other people. But he lives it himself. In fact, by the time we get to the end of Mark, it’s clear that Jesus is the perfect demonstration of this greatness he’s just described. Rather than looking to his own interests, his first consideration is the interests of others – the glory of His Father, and the salvation of sinners. He makes himself last. He makes himself a servant, and humbles himself to the point of death, even death on a cross. And Jesus wants us to know – this is what greatness looks like.

And I think it’s fascinating that Jesus says this. Because, remember, Jesus had just recently revealed his spectacular glory on the Mount of Transfiguration. He made it clear that he’s the shining Son of God. The glory of heaven is something he possesses. He can calm storms and cast out demons and perform miracles. And yet when Jesus defines for us what greatness looks like, he says nothing about those things – nothing about his popularity with the crowds, nothing about how shiny he is. But instead, Jesus carefully defines that the greatest thing that a human can be is a humble servant.

And I want to repeat this – because I’m not sure we really believe this. The greatest thing that a human can be is a humble servant. The greatest type of father is the father who uses his position in the home to put his own interests last, and to lay himself down in love for others. The greatest pastor is the one who willingly puts aside his ambitions, to advance the cause of Jesus. And the greatest political leader is the one who labors as a civil servant for the good of the nation.

This understanding of greatness is what we hear from Jesus’s mouth. This is what we see in Jesus’s example. And the true greatness of humble service is what we’re led into when we have a right view of God. Because when your vision is filled with the ultimacy and majesty of God, all the ideas you had about bragging about yourself will seem silly. The greatest accomplishments of your life will look like shriveled grass. Your brightness will be like the feeble glow of a firefly under the intense beams of a noonday sun. When God reveals his highness and holiness, it takes away our boasting. It takes away our self-obsession. And it instills in us a yearning to no longer live for ourselves, but to live for him who for our sake died, and was raised.

A right view of God puts us on the road to greatness. It removes our foolish boasting. It turns us from our rebellion against the Lord of heaven and earth. And it drops us to our knees, to live as humble servants.

Notice, in the last two verses of our text, though – Jesus further explains what the greatness of humble service looks like. Verse 36 tells us that “he [Jesus] took a child and put him in the midst of [his disciples].” And in the first half of verse 37, he says to them, “Whoever receives one such child in my name, receives me, and whoever receives me receives not me, but him who sent me.”

Based on the Greek word for child that’s used here, the child that Jesus puts in their midst is likely a toddler. And of course, as a toddler, this was a child who was still very dependent – a child who didn’t have any legal or social status – a child who was too small to contribute to the economics of a home.

But Jesus urges his disciples to receive such people – to care for people like this child, and to welcome them and love them even when they have no status, and even when they can’t pay us back for our help. And this can be hard for us sometimes. There can be a temptation for us – we just want to help people if it’s lucrative somehow, or if it’s socially advantageous. But Christ urges us – cheerfully care for those needy children. Help those people who have no way in this world to compensate you. Help the unlovely people who no one else wants to help.

“Because,” Jesus tells us, “when you help such people on my behalf, in my name – I’ll remember what you’ve done, as though it’s service that’s been rendered to me.” But then Jesus adds to that. And he reminds us that the service you and I render to him isn’t just to him – but our service is received as service given to God the Father himself. In other words, whenever a Christian expresses love for Jesus, by caring for weak and vulnerable people – God in heaven smiles on it and personally, directly receives that act of service from us. And offering service to God like this is the greatest thing we could possibly do.

The greatest thing we can possibly be is a humble servant. And the greatest thing we can possibly do is serve the God of our salvation. Because when we get out of the way, and we point people beyond us to the perfections of the Lord – we really are doing the greatest thing that we could possibly do. Because we’re pointing to the greatest being that there is.

So if you want to be truly great – great in faith, great in love, and great in the kingdom of heaven – then humble yourself. Humbly admit your weakness and wrongness. Humbly affirm that the God of power and mercy is the Great One – the one who brings salvation and new life. And humbly offer yourself to serve him joyfully, for the sake of Christ. Let’s pray: