Status vs. Humility
Matthew 20:20-28, 1 Peter 5:5, Luke 14:11
Were you ever the student in high school who really cared about where they sat in class? If not, you know the students I'm talking about. They looked to sit near the teacher with their friends and build the classroom to meet their plan. Maybe they wanted the attention of the teacher, maybe they and their friends wanted to feel cool sitting together. Whatever it was, there was an effort put into position, into a place of status within the classroom. Our hearts lead us to this all of the time. In school, extracurriculars, jobs, careers, church leadership, etc, we jockey for positions of status. In this passage Jesus highlights the fault in this.
We have it upside down. You see, our sinful hearts lead us to jockey for status while Jesus says the one who serves others is the greatest. In this story alone, we see James and John, their mother, and the other 10 disciples all worried about their positioning in Jesus Kingdom. Jesus' life and response are staggering in comparison to the heart posture of the disciples.
They didn't even know what they were asking for. They wanted status in God's Kingdom. They were mistaken to ask for it in this manner. The story continues on to make it clear that the lowest, the one who looks to serve all others is the one who will be high in the Kingdom of God.
Desire for status can turn people against each other. These 12 had been following Jesus for some time and as soon as a pecking order was mentioned, the other 10 got annoyed, frustrated, angry with James and John. They were afraid that James and John were given higher status. The bond of being discipled by Christ and living life closely together goes out the window when status is brought up. Jesus does not let this last for long, and he calls them altogether.
Jesus calls his disciples to be different than the gentiles around them. He notes that the gentiles look to hold authority over each other. Not so with his disciples, he tells them that the least will be the greatest, the one who serves will be lifted high.
Jesus doesn’t just call all us to humility, he sets the example. His whole life is an example, but specifically in this passage we see Jesus not look to be equal with God but to come to earth as a humble man and defer to his Heavenly Father. When asked about who will sit at his right and left he defers the decision to his Father.
We all struggle with this in different ways but Church I pray that pride and pursuing status will not be so with us. I pray that we see Jesus' example and his call and follow it. I pray we look to serve those around us in the Church but especially those in the world. The least will be the greatest, let us enter each to serve and not to be served.
