Matthew 18:1-4 NKJV

Who Is the Greatest?

¹ At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

² Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them,³ and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴ Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Mark 9:33-37 NKJV

Who Is the Greatest?

³³ Then He came to Capernaum. And when He was in the house He asked them, “What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road?” ³⁴ But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest. ³⁵ And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.” ³⁶ Then He took a little child and set him in the midst of them. And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them, ³⁷ “Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me.”

Luke 9:46-48 NKJV

Who Is the Greatest?

⁴⁶ Then a dispute arose among them as to which of them would be greatest. ⁴⁷ And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a little child and set him by Him, ⁴⁸ 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.”

In Rev. Brown's book, Cross-Cultural Ministry, pages 27 and 28, it states:

“Before we can minister to people, we must first recognize their true value. They are not different from us. Their experiences and culture may be. Everyone needs to know God. The essence of who God is, is only revealed in Christ.

The basis of cross-cultural ministry is not reaching different people. It is about serving people on behalf of God…It is a place where people of every nation, tribe and tongue can come together, thrive, support and serve one another.

Our ability and willingness to serve the body of Christ is the test of our identity. The biblical term use in the scripture is ‘love’. Love is not limited to a feeling or emotion, it is the result of a conscious decision to commit to a person or cause more important than our personal comfort or even life.

This is the nature and life of a servant and it is into this grace that we are called. We are called to be a servant one to another. Being a servant doesn’t seem like anything to aspire toward, yet to God it is the highest position of grace. Christ told his disciples that the one that would be the greatest must become the servant of all. The call to servanthood is the highest calling in the life of a Christian.”

Mark 10:37 NLT

³⁷ They replied, “When you sit on your glorious throne, we want to sit in places of honor next to you, one on your right and the other on your left.”

NOTE: James and John were nicknamed the Sons of Thunder. Their selfish ambition was to be recognized as “the greatest” of the disciples. They had not grasped the nature of Jesus Christ Kingdom.

Mark 10:45 NLT

^45 "For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Matthew 20:28 NLT

^28 "For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Mark 10:38-39 NLT

³⁸ But Jesus said to them, “You don’t know what you are asking! Are you able to drink from the bitter cup of suffering I am about to drink? Are you able to be baptized with the baptism of suffering I must be baptized with?”

³⁹ “Oh yes,” they replied, “we are able!”

NOTE:  Jesus cautions them to consider the cost. Yet they so foolishly answered Jesus out of ignorance and pride.

Then Jesus told them, “You will indeed drink from my bitter cup and be baptized with my baptism of suffering."

NOTE: Jesus prophesies to them that indeed they will drink the cup of suffering, even though at that time they did not understand what it meant.

John 15:20 NLT

²⁰ Do you remember what I told you? 'A slave is not greater than the master.’ Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had listened to me, they would listen to you.

NOTE: Jesus explained to James and John that prominence in the kingdom of God is not based on position, power or authority, but on being a servant based on Godly love.

Acts 12:2 NLT

² He had the apostle James (John’s brother) killed with a sword.

NOTE: Herod Agrippa had James beheaded, becoming the first martyr, and John experienced severe persecution being boiled in oil and exiled on Patmos Island.

Luke 22:27 NLT

^27 "Who is more important, the one who sits at the table or the one who serves? The one who sits at the table, of course. But not here! For I am among you as one who serves."

NOTE: This is the ultimate example of a servant and who Jesus says is great in the kingdom.

Philippians 2:6-8 NLT

⁶ Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.

⁷ Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being.

⁸When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

Matthew 8:2-3 NLT

² Suddenly, a man with leprosy approached him and knelt before him. “Lord,” the man said, “if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.”

³ Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” And instantly the leprosy disappeared.

NOTE: Jesus ministered to the sick, fed the hungry and ministered to the weakest most marginalized members of society.

Matthew 9:32-33 NLT

³² When they left, a demon-possessed man who couldn’t speak was brought to Jesus. ³³ So Jesus cast out the demon, and then the man began to speak. The crowds were amazed. “Nothing like this has ever happened in Israel!” they exclaimed.

Matthew 20:29-34 NLT

Jesus Heals Two Blind Men

²⁹ As Jesus and the disciples left the town of Jericho, a large crowd followed behind. ³⁰ Two blind men were sitting beside the road. When they heard that Jesus was coming that way, they began shouting, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”

³¹ “Be quiet!” the crowd yelled at them.

But they only shouted louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”

³² When Jesus heard them, he stopped and called, “What do you want me to do for you?”

³³ “Lord,” they said, “we want to see!” ³⁴ Jesus felt sorry for them and touched their eyes. Instantly they could see! Then they followed him.

NOTE: Because Jesus operated as a servant who operates with Godly love, Jesus heard their call, felt sorry for them and healed them.

Luke 6:17-19 NLT

Crowds Follow Jesus

¹⁷ When they came down from the mountain, the disciples stood with Jesus on a large, level area, surrounded by many of his followers and by the crowds. There were people from all over Judea and from Jerusalem and from as far north as the seacoasts of Tyre and Sidon. ¹⁸ They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those troubled by evil spirits were healed. ¹⁹ Everyone tried to touch him, because healing power went out from him, and he healed everyone.

John 6:1-14 NLT

Jesus Feeds Five Thousand

¹ After this, Jesus crossed over to the far side of the Sea of Galilee, also known as the Sea of Tiberias. ² A huge crowd kept following him wherever he went, because they saw his miraculous signs as he healed the sick. ³ Then Jesus climbed a hill and sat down with his disciples around him. ⁴ (It was nearly time for the Jewish Passover celebration.) ⁵ Jesus soon saw a huge crowd of people coming to look for him. Turning to Philip, he asked, “Where can we buy bread to feed all these people?” ⁶ He was testing Philip, for he already knew what he was going to do.

⁷ Philip replied, “Even if we worked for months, we wouldn’t have enough money to feed them!”

⁸ Then Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up. ⁹ “There’s a young boy here with five barley loaves and two fish. But what good is that with this huge crowd?”

¹⁰ “Tell everyone to sit down,” Jesus said. So they all sat down on the grassy slopes. (The men alone numbered about 5,000.) ¹¹ Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks to God, and distributed them to the people. Afterward he did the same with the fish. And they all ate as much as they wanted. ¹² After everyone was full, Jesus told his disciples, “Now gather the leftovers, so that nothing is wasted.” ¹³ So they picked up the pieces and filled twelve baskets with scraps left by the people who had eaten from the five barley loaves.

¹⁴ When the people saw him do this miraculous sign, they exclaimed, “Surely, he is the Prophet we have been expecting!”

NOTE: Jesus came to pour out His life in service to others. Shouldn’t we also pour out our lives into service to His kingdom and bride?

John 13:3-5 NLT

³ Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God. ⁴ So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, ⁵ and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him.

NOTE: The ever emotional Peter resisted Christ’s humble ministrations, but Jesus explained again what a servant is, which meant who was great in the kingdom.

John 13:14-17 NLT

¹⁴ And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. ¹⁵ I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. ¹⁶ I tell you the truth, slaves are not greater than their master. Nor is the messenger more important than the one who sends the message. ¹⁷ Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them.

Philippians 2:6-8 NLT

⁶ Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.

⁷ Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being.

⁸When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

NOTE: The Apostle Paul describes the steep drop that Jesus experienced when He lowered himself to earth to serve and die for us. No one has ever given up more to become a servant than Jesus..

Luke 22:42 NLT

⁴² “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

John 5:19 NLT

¹⁹ So Jesus explained, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does.

1 Corinthians 15:27-28 NLT

²⁷ For the Scriptures say, “God has put all things under his authority.” (Of course, when it says “all things are under his authority,” that does not include God himself, who gave Christ his authority.) ²⁸ Then, when all things are under his authority, the Son will put himself under God’s authority, so that God, who gave his Son authority over all things, will be utterly supreme over everything everywhere.

Hebrews 5:7-8 NLT

⁷ While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the one who could rescue him from death. And God heard his prayers because of his deep reverence for God. ⁸ Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered.

Hebrews 10:5-7 NLT

⁵ That is why, when Christ came into the world, he said to God, “You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings. But you have given me a body to offer.

⁶ You were not pleased with burnt offerings or other offerings for sin.

⁷ Then I said, ‘Look, I have come to do your will, O God—as is written about me in the Scriptures.’

NOTE: So we ought to give our lives for our brothers and sisters, friends, relatives and even our enemies!

John 10:11 NLT

¹¹ “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep."

John 3:16 NLT

¹⁶ For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

CONCLUSION:

The basis for greatness in God’s Kingdom does not rest on status, power, or authority but on humble Christlike character.

Warren Wiersbe states, “We get a throne by paying with our lives, not praying with our lips. We must identify with Jesus Christ in His service and suffering for even He could not reach the throne except by way of the cross.”

Jesus is our suffering King and we must strive to be like Him demonstrating the same kind of humble, sacrificial servanthood which is Godly love.

Dr. Jonathan Hansen