Whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all (Mark 10:43–44).
Deep down inside, don’t you want to be great? What does it mean to be great? Probably the most common way that the world defines greatness is accomplishment, achieving great things. You might look back and think about Alexander the Great; he conquered the known world by the time he was thirty-three years old and then wept that there were no more worlds to conquer. Or you may think about Thomas Edison, with more than a thousand patents to his name. Or consider Einstein and his amazing discoveries in quantum physics.
Others would say real greatness is all about power. In Jesus’ time, Caesar Augustus would be considered truly great because of all the power he held. In the modern world, look at U.S. presidents—that is the big enchilada because there is no position more powerful.
Actually, anyone can become great, and Jesus tells us how in our Bible passage for today: “Whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all.” Jesus, the greatest man to ever live, said He didn’t come to be served; He came to serve, even to the point of giving His life for our salvation. The greatest man was also the greatest servant. And that is what He calls us to be. He calls us to serve God and those around us. It’s the only lasting road to greatness.
