By Pastor Stephen Hess –
Most people in the world today define greatness by qualities such as power, position, and prominence. According to the world’s standards, “great” people are those who hold high positions of leadership, which enable them to have power over others. “Great” people are those with extensive education and wealth, which enable them to obtain a high rung on the social ladder. “Great” people are those who have fame and notoriety, which enable them to play a prominent role in shaping the culture.
Jesus had a completely different definition of greatness. On one occasion when he overheard his disciples arguing about who was the greatest, he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and a servant of all” (Mk. 9:35). In other words, the path to greatness is not found in seeking the front of the line but the back of the line. When two of his disciples—James and John—still didn’t understand the lesson, Jesus said to them, “Whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be a slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mk. 10:43-43).
According to Jesus, the path to greatness is not found by seeking to exalt ourselves but by seeking to humble ourselves. His life is the ultimate example: When the Son of God became flesh, he did not seek power over others but humbled himself to the point of death on a cross. This means that followers of Christ should be people who are following this same path of humility.
The apostle Paul’s life is a fascinating case study in humility. If you look carefully at the ministry of Paul you will notice that the older he grew physically, the more humble he became spiritually. This is evident in the way he described himself. In Philippians 3:5 when he describes his life before his conversion, he says that he was a “Hebrew of Hebrews.” In other words, prior to his conversion he viewed himself in the highest regard possible. After his conversion when Paul was writing to the Corinthians in about A.D. 55 he described himself as “the least of the apostles” (1 Cor. 15:9). In other words, among the apostles he considered himself the lowliest. About five years later when Paul wrote Ephesians, he shifted from calling himself “least of the apostles” to “least of all the saints” (Eph. 3:8). At this point he didn’t just consider himself to be the lowliest apostle but the lowliest Christian! And it didn’t stop there! Near the end of his life when he was writing 1 Timothy, Paul described himself as the “foremost of sinners” (1 Tim. 1:15). Apparently as he reached the end of his life, he had the humblest assessment of himself.
There is a clear progression here: The older Paul grew the humbler he became. As author Jerry Bridges writes, “What turned a once proud Pharisee into a humble apostle of Christ? It was Paul’s understanding of the grace of God. He understood God’s grace to be more than undeserved favor. He saw himself not just undeserving but ill deserving. He knew that in himself, apart from Christ, he fully deserved the wrath of God. Instead, he had been made a herald of the message he once tried to destroy.”
What we see in Paul’s life is simply a living reflection of the teaching of Jesus: The path of a disciple is the path of humility and not exaltation. In this way there is a sort of “backwards progression” to the Christian life. The more we grow in our relationship with Christ, the humbler we should become. You might say that the way up is the way down. Those who want to pursue greatness must seek to put themselves last and serve others. As Jesus said, “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted” (Matt. 23:12).