Who Is The Greatest?

Job 1:6-22
LK 9:46-50

Do you want to be great in the eyes of the world or in the eyes of God?

In today’s gospel pericope , Christ tells His apostles how one can become great in the Kingdom of God. His clarity is unparallel! Firstly, He is not talking about the World but the Kingdom of God. As such, only Godly virtues are reckoned here and this would necessarily clash with the values of the world. Secondly, just as Christ though God, emptied Himself and became a servant for our sake (Philippians 2:7), so too the greatest in God’s Kingdom must empty himself and detach himself from all things and mentality to become childlike, embracing humility, simplicity, obedience, innocence and total dependence on God as a child depends entirely on its parents. Are these virtues found in you and are you living them up consistently?

Jesus realized the intention of their hearts and took a child and placed it by his side and said to them,’ Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. For the one who is least among all of you is the one who is the greatest.”Children at the time of Christ were among the most neglected and less cared for in society. They had no rights, positions, or privileges of their own as they were placed at the service and mercy of their parents much like domestic servants. To welcome a child in one’s midst as a guest was as such a hard thing to see. Christ’s gesture therefore is to teach us to identify with the downtrodden, the weak, vulnerable and most neglected of the society. Because the greatest in God’s kingdom is the least and most neglected in the eyes of the world. That is, the one who is humble and lowly of heart who willingly empties himself of pride and self-seeking glory, taking the position of a servant like a child. Christ remains our model as He came not to be served, but to serve (Matthew 20:28). He lowered Himself and took our lowly nature that He might raise us up and clothe us in His Divine nature. For us to follow in His footsteps then, we must ask ourselves what our rapport with those on the margins of the society is. Do we see in them the image of God worthy of love or do we see them as burdensome nonentities to be avoided? Can we welcome and serve them? When we are able to welcome such, then it is God we are welcoming and we become great in His Kingdom.

True greatness, therefore. lies in the quality of the sacrifices we make to bring about improvement in other people’s lives. If someone who is sad can smile because of you, or if you are the reason why someone has refused to give up on life, then you are truly great. The effect of greatness is the positive impact we can make in peoples’ lives which only comes from service following the example of Jesus Christ who is the greatest. For even though He was God, He came not to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many. That is why He has called us too to service, showing us that it is only through service that we can become great. Remember that despite the whispering and accusation of Satan or the doubting of your own heart, it does not change the fact we are God’s beloved.

Fr Joseph Osho