Servant of All

The Measure of Greatness

²⁴Also a dispute arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest. ²⁵Jesus said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. ²⁶But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. (Luke 22: 24-26)

²The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus. ³Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; ⁴so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. ⁵After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. (John 13: 2-5)

From an early age we discover how to distinguish between the popular and the unpopular, the normal and the different, the leaders and the followers. Just imagine the disciples as they are arguing about which of them was considered to be the greatest around the ‘Last Supper’ table. In the midst of the arguing like little middle school boys, Jesus – the Lord of all - gets up from the table and shows them what greatness truly is; Service. John shows us how he takes a towel and wraps it around his waist. Jesus pours water into a basin and washes the disciple’s feet. “The one who rules should be like the one who serves.” What are you doing with what influence you have in this world? Are you lording it over others or using it to serve others? Jesus gave us the example and said, ‘Now that you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.”