Yet they were silent, for they argued with one another on the road as to who is greatest. And, being seated, He summons the twelve and is saying to them, "If anyone is wanting to be first, he will be last of all, and servant of all." And, taking a little child, He stands it in their midst, and, clasping it in His arms, said to them, "Whoever should be receiving one of such little children in My name, is receiving Me, and whosoever shall be receiving Me is not receiving Me, but Him Who commissions Me."
Marks Account 9: 34-37, Concordant New Testament Translation
The disciples of Jesus had a problem, and they argued over this while on the way to Capernaum. Jesus, knowing of their discussion, allowed them to proceed. The issue they were discussing? Who is the greatest in the kingdom of the Lord? See, the disciples were human after all, and they would often display these traits in the presence of Jesus. For His part, Jesus showed patience and grace as he guided them along. This situation wasn't any different. So, when they had finally reached their destination, Jesus spoke some truth for His followers to contemplate. Jesus did not rank His followers by ability or seniority, but by how they humbled themselves. That's right, whether they were called first or last did not matter, what mattered in the end was how they conducted themselves. "If anyone is wanting to be first, he will be last of all" {Marks Account 9:35}. I thought of these words of Jesus the other day as I was reading a short story about the man the church has been referring to as "Saint Peter." And I wondered, would Peter have allowed himself to be exalted in such a way? Remember, this is the very same man who denied Jesus before His crucifixion {Lukes Account 22:54-62}. Granted, it is not Peter who decided that he deserved such recognition, but the mainstream church which has promoted him to such status. I believe that were we to speak to Peter, that he would disavow these praises of men and humbled himself as Jesus had spoken him. But Peter is not alone in being uplifted by the church, not by a long shot. A number of the other disciples have also achieved saint status as well. And what of the so called leader of the Catholic church? How much reverence is displayed to him? Indeed, it seems that many within the church have forgotten the words spoken by Jesus, that the first shall be last and the last shall be first.
The story goes that during a University of Alabama football game, the Crimson Tide were playing Texas A &M and their star QB Johnny Manziel. The odds makers had favored the Aggies to defeat the Tide by a good margin. True to form, Manziel displayed his cockiness throughout the game. In the end, the Alabama squad shocked everyone by defeating the favored Texas team. As the two teams met at midfield, one of the Alabama players took Johnny Manziel aside and gave him some good advice, "Humble yourself." Now, I admit that I myself have needed this advice too many times in my own life. Just as that Crimson Tide player gave advice to the cocky young college player, so it is that Jesus spoke wisdom unto His own followers, humble yourselves. But, who wants to be told that we must be humble? More often than not, we choose to follow the fleshly path and serve ourselves instead of being a servant to others. Yes, I've been there as well. One of the biggest burdens to shed in our own realization of our life within the Fathers love is that it is no longer about a life we live, but of our life in Him. This is what Jesus was attempting to speak to His followers that day. Does God rank people according to who was saved first? Not a chance! As I said, it is the church that has introduced this ranking of those who believe in the Lord. We also see this in the internal politics practiced by those within the church. I have had the unique opportunity to have shared many conversations with a dear friend who once used to be among that crowd. Even while he was serving the congregation, something didn't sit right with him. I get it. For instead of humbleness he witnessed favoritism and politics. One might not expect to find such practices within the church, but they're indeed there. I dare to say that whenever people are involved, humbleness will go out the window. Again, I have been guilty of this myself. As I said, these bonds of the flesh are often difficult to break. However, it can be done. Since experiencing my new relationship with the Father after His revelation given to me, I have slowly come to realize that I don't live for myself, but for Him. We are not separate, but in union {Johns Account 14:20}. The apostle Paul speaks brilliantly to this in Galatians. Paul understood that his life was not within Christ {Paul to the Galatians 2:20}. Of course, those within the church will continue to speak to our life separated from God. I also believe that the words spoken by Jesus also speak clearly to them, humble yourselves.
Yet anyone who shall be exalting himself shall be humbled, and anyone who shall be humbling himself shall be exalted
Matthews Account 23: 12, Concordant New Testament translation
~Scott~
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