Greatness

Mark 10:35-45

James and John think they have a lock on greatness. They think they have earned the right to ask a truly audacious thing—to sit on the right and left of their messiah as he reigns in power!

No one else seems to share their vision, though, as the other ten disciples begin muttering, grumbling, and making all sorts of side remarks about the arrogant brothers.

Presumption is a sure means to condemnation!

Jesus listens, waits, then responds. 

He begins to redefine what greatness truly is. He reminds the disciples of what he has already told them—his end is suffering; his greatness will be loss; and his power that of reclamation through both his loss and his suffering—if anyone wants to be at the right and left of him, then they need to know that’s their end, as well. 

However, as profound as this simple message is, we sometimes miss what Jesus is actually saying. 

Greatness is what is most remembered about us when we are gone. What will be recollected as the best about us? What will be noted as something worth preserving? 

For Jesus, he knows it will be his powerful compassion—his self-emptying self-sacrifice to redeem all others from what breaks them, holds them, and keeps them from knowing and being the children of God they are. That comes through a cross, though. Jesus will enter the darkest, bleakest human moment in order to redeem all moments. 

What he asks James and John he asks all of us—will we follow?

Oh, how I wish we could so readily, so easily, so breezily respond just like the brothers—of course, we can!

But Jesus knows a pie crust promise when he hears one—easily made, easily broken. 

So before immediately leaping up and crying out, Here I am, send me!—think about what you are saying.

What you are saying is that you will always be awake, aware, and armed with compassion, mercy, and hope to help any child, anywhere, anytime, no matter how old they actually are, be the child of God they were born to be.

That’s going to take a type of greatness far different from Cam Newton on the football field, Meryl Streep on the cinema screen, any politician in the halls of government, or the finest preacher in her pulpit. That’s going to take a greatness that will be hard work, exhausting of all we are, and continually focused on others. That’s going to take a greatness able to share with a complete generosity. That’s going to take a greatness that points directly at someone else as the most important person in the room. 

That is a greatness that comes through the presence of God and a reliance on that presence.

We need to remember that because our inclinations tend to be toward self. We tend to worry about what we have. We tend to worry over preserving our position. We tend to fret about what we might lose. God, though, allows us to overcome our inclinations. God leads us to see that emptying ourselves for others is actually a path to fullness. It is the ironic means to security, for we realize that all we have is meant to make all of us well and whole, not things to be hoarded. It awakens us to the presence of God within us. That presence is the source of strength, hope, direction, and intent for our lives.

So, the question before us is are we ready for greatness? Are we ready to transform the world through our presence within it as instruments of mercy? Are we ready to meet each and every person as the child of God they are? 

If so, they we will indeed be followers of Jesus.

And if that, then the world can become the kingdom where every child knows her worth, value, and power as a child of God.