An argument arose among them as to which of them was the greatest. But Jesus, knowing the reasoning of their hearts, took a child and put him by his side and said to them, “Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. For he who is least among you all is the one who is great.” (Luke 9:46-48)
Could you imagine arguing over who’s greatest while in the physical midst of God? From our hindsight, we can see 20/20, but in the moment, the disciples had their perception of the kingdom of God and where they desired their place to be in it. Yet, Jesus was so long-suffering and responded in a kind and gentle manner.
In taking a child, one whom would have been regarded as lesser than adults and who should be seen and not heard, Jesus gave a clear picture that being great in His kingdom wasn’t the typical worldly perception of greatness. It was quite the opposite; it would be the least among them who would be great.
I can’t help but think that it’s going to be the people who were “nobodies” while serving the Lord here on earth, that will shine the brightest in heaven.
Are We the Greatest?
This makes me evaluate my own pride. How often do we think too highly of ourselves? And not just too highly, but in doing so that we consider others lower than us? If we are thinking of ourselves as the greatest, then how will we ever share the gospel and disciple others when it would require us to “stoop low”?
THIS is why applying the gospel to our lives daily is so important. When we remember who we are in and of ourselves, and the only reason that we are anyone is because of God, we can keep our pride in check.
Think of this:
- You have life because God formed you in your mother’s womb. (Psalm 139:13-16)
- You loved because He first loved you. (1 John 4:19)
- The faith you placed in God was the measure of faith He gave you. (Romans 12:3)
- You would die in your sin if Jesus hadn’t died in your place. (John 3:18; 2 Corinthians 5:21)
- The gifts you have and the ministries you serve in are completely empowered by the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 4:4-11)
- The process of sanctification affects you but isn’t because of you, it’s a work of God in you. (1 Corinthians 6:9-11)
- When you die, you can’t raise yourself, but God will raise you just as He raised Jesus. (1 Corinthians 6:14)
In light of all this, how could we ever boast about being the greatest? By all accounts, apart from Jesus we can do nothing, so the boasting should only ever be in how great our God is.
A Soft Answer
Now in this situation with His disciples, Jesus could have rebuked them and put them in their place, and He would have been justified in doing so, but He took a different approach; one that wasn’t so direct, yet would directly speak to and correct the issue at hand.
Now when we think of Jesus’ response, it was a soft answer, especially compared with what could have been blatantly said. Proverbs tells us that a soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger (Proverbs 15:1). In this case, don’t you think that the disciples, who were actively arguing over who was the greatest, would have responded from their pride with anger over a harsh correction, regardless of how true the correction was? Yet Jesus’ soft answer, gave a direct response to the issue in a way that could be accepted and learned in the state they were in.
And yes, sometimes a direct rebuke or teaching is in order, but more times than not, a nudge in the right direction with a gentler approach is more than capable of having the lesson be successfully received, and in a way that doesn’t stir up anger and further the pride issue that’s underlaying it.
This also makes me evaluate my own responses to others. How often do we attempt to correct someone and come in like a wrecking ball to the situation? Are you guilty of this sometimes too? That’s backwards though because when we are corrected, we want the gentle answer, but when we go to correct we tend to bring the hammer down hard. I believe this stems from a godly desire for justice but because of sin, we end up failing to include mercy and compassion which leads to a harsh response.
So then, the things we must pray for are humility, patience, and compassion, all of which are attributes of our amazing Savior. When you’re tempted to think too highly of yourself, remember what Jesus said, For he who is least among you all is the one who is great. And when the temptation to jump to a harsh correction upon witnessing other’s pride, remember Jesus’ soft answer, which turned away wrath, as you follow the example given to you by the greatest servant of all.