According To Luke: Who Is The Greatest?

According To Luke: Who Is The Greatest?

Opening Illustration:

Sports fans will know that Muhammad Ali today is called the greatest. Ali himself used to tell everyone “I am the greatest,” but not everyone agreed, especially when he was younger.

He became the greatest in the eyes of the world over the last 40 years. Muhammad Ali used to “float like a butterfly” and “sting like a bee”. Ali would dodge a punch while he used a very unconventional style, with hands held low, as he bobbed and weaved.

In 1964, he was far from the Greatest. He was an underdog. Hardly anyone gave him any hope of winning the fight.

But he won and became the Heavy Weight Champion of the world.

Then he lost his title and had to win it back in the so-called “Rumble in the Jungle”, against then champion Gorge Foreman. Yes indeed. Young people might be surprised to know that Foreman was an athlete before earning his current fame as the salesman of George Forman grills.

Ali was the World’s Heavy weight champ once again.

Then he lost his title to Leon Spinks.

But he won it back from Spinks not long afterward.

Ali became the only person in history to win the Heavy Weight title three times, and even his critics agreed that he was the Greatest.

Ali would have the spotlight once more in 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. Ali, with hands trembling from the Parkinson’s Disease he now suffers from, lit the cauldron to signify the start of the Summer Olympic Games. Many people shed tears as they watched “The Greatest” light the torch.

Because of his accomplishments, the world calls Ali “The Greatest”. And while Ali’s story is inspiring and should stir the emotions of our heart, what the world calls great and what the Lord calls great are often two very different things.

While Ali became great by winning the Heavy Weight title three times, God isn’t impressed by such accomplishments.

We think of people who are rich as great.

We think of people who have great jobs, and are at the top of their career as great.

We think of people who win American Idol as great.

We think of celebrities as great.

While God desires good things in our life, he is more concerned with our character than with our trophies.

While he enables us to do great things, what God really wants of us is that we do His will. What He really wants us to accomplish is not that we gather trophies that will gather dust, but that we practice Faith, Hope and Love that will never become dusty, useless trophies.

Are You Desiring Greatness? Go The Jesus Way and Glorify God!

Background:

Luke 9 is one of the most action packed pieces of Scripture in the Gospel. At the start we see Jesus sending out His disciples to drive out demons and to teach the Good News that the Kingdom of God is at hand. Jesus performs a stunning miracle feeding a recorded 5,000 men. That number could skyrocket to close to 20,000 people if you were to include women and children. Peter makes a jaw dropping confession stating that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Jesus blesses His disciples with the knowledge that in order to follow Him, they would have to leave everything and take up their cross. We have the transfiguration including the characters of Elijah and Moses. Then we see Jesus rebuke a demon from a child. 

Honestly, this chapter alone should lay the foundation for Jesus being the Messiah, the Son of God. We are not even done yet. There is still more teaching to be delivered before we exit Luke 9 and head into Luke 10.

Recall last week when Jesus, Peter, James and John exited the mountain and encountered the other disciples. Remember the disciples were defeated and depleted. They were faking it tell Jesus made it. They were operating under their own power and their power was not enough to drive out a horrible demon. Jesus rebukes both the disciples and the demon. 

What is interesting is the conversation that breaks out afterward. Jesus predicts His death for a second time. The disciples still did not understand what was taking place. So, instead of trying to figure out what Jesus is saying, they begin to argue. Who among them will be the greatest? 

That’s where we pick up this morning. Let’s read the story about these arrogant disciples and learn some lessons from them this morning. 

Scripture:

Luke 9:46-48 ESV

46 An argument arose among them as to which of them was the greatest. 47 But Jesus, knowing the reasoning of their hearts, took a child and put him by his side 48 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.”

Jesus Reveals That Greatness Is Found In…

I. Serving Our Fellow Man vs. 46

Luke 9:46

46 An argument arose among them as to which of them was the greatest. 

Illustration:

One of my most favorite historical events to read about and to watch television programming on is The Titanic. I find the story of the Titanic very fascinating. On that one night, there were lived out stories of tremendous self sacrifice and stories of tremendous selfishness. One of my favorite stories about that night were about the men who served as the engineers of the mighty ship. After The Titanic struck the iceberg and began to sink, these men stayed at their posts and gave support to the ship. It was their work that keep electricity on the boat allowing for the Captain to radio for help. It is said that they knew that they were going to die. These men were underpaid, they lived below deck, they were never seen by the passengers, and for the most part, were completely forgotten about during the voyage. Yet, they were the silent heroes that saved countless lives. 

What an incredible act of service. They laid down their lives for people that they had never seen, children that they never met, and women who would never know their names. They put the needs of complete strangers ahead of their own. 

Point:

The Greek word being used here is μέγας and is pronounced me'-gäs. It is where we get our word mega. Literally the disciples were wanting to know who was going to be the biggest. An odd conversation to have considering that 9 of them were coming off of a pretty large failure and three of them were coming from a place where clearly none of them measured up to Jesus. They saw with their own eyes that Jesus was the greatest. 

Point:

If we want to have real greatness – not the kind the world gives, but the kind God recognizes -- we need to learn to serve.

Now that goes against the grain of what our society teaches. We always have the desire to be first. We want to have it our way, our will, our needs are most important!

Jesus said that he who seeks to be the greatest needs to become the last and must be the servant of all.

Most of us do not want to serve other people. We want to be served. We want someone to wait on us hand and foot.

We think very highly of ourselves.

Illustration:

The story is told about Mother Teresa. A visitor to her hospital in Calcutta saw her tending to the cuts and bruises of a frail and impoverished AIDS patient. The visitor admitted to her, "I’d never do that for a million dollars!"

Mother Teresa answered, "Neither would I. But I do it for Jesus for nothing."

Point:

Where are you serving? In staff meeting this week our staff gathered to pray together. I looked around the room and began to think of all the things that are going on here at the church and the many ways our people are serving Christ. These are people that are not just pew sitters, but Kingdom workers. I thought about the men and women who tireless worked to remodel our chapel this week. I thought about Bryant who gave help to a Vietnam Veteran last week. Bryant helped get this man off the street and helped him find a solid place to stay. I remembered how our student minster opened the gym kids all over the community so that he could share Christ with them. I thought of our children’s pastor and a host of Children’s Choir teachers who went on Children’s Choir Tour yesterday and ministered to people in the nursing homes and assisted living facilities. I thought of Beverly Fox and Kay Cassibry as they worked to give shelter to homeless women and their children here at our church starting tonight and going through Saturday. The list goes on and on and on. 

Point:

One thing I have noticed about people that serve, they don’t have time to complain. They don’t have time to argue. If we find ourselves arguing and complaining about this and that, then chances are we are not serving. We are not working for the Kingdom. So, where are you serving? What are you doing? Are you on the bench or in the game? 

Starting serving King Jesus today! 

Matthew 20:28 ESV

Even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

Jesus Reveals That Greatness Is Found In…

I. Serving Our Fellow Man vs. 46

II. Shifting Our Mindset vs. 47-48

Luke 9:47-48

47 But Jesus, knowing the reasoning of their hearts, took a child and put him by his side 48 and said to them, “Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. 

Point:

In our New Testament lesson, Jesus invited a noisy little kid over to where he sat with his disciples. He put his arms round the child and said something along the lines of, "You know something, If you can recognize the rights of a little child like this, if you can welcome and receive what he can teach you, then you’ll be doing the will of God, then you’ll be coming near to greatness, then you’ll be a hero. Whoever receives one child like this in My name receives me; and whoever receives Me does not just receive me, but Him who sent me".

It is difficult for us to understand what is happening here, because we have a completely different view of children in our culture.

In our society, children are loved and spoiled and fretted over. We give them tremendous protection under the law.

But at the time Jesus was speaking children had no rights, no privileges, no legal status, no voice whatsoever.

They were non people.

They didn’t matter.

They didn’t count.

When Jesus took that small child in His arms He is essentially telling us that we need to embrace those people whom we deem do not really count. He is taking the person of low esteem and telling us that we need to treat they as if they were Kings and Queens. Jesus blesses this child with His love, His lack of judgement, His touch and most importantly, His limited time. 

Point:

So who is that person specifically to us? For us, what does that child look like today?

It is that person who is held in low esteem.

It is that person who is out of place.

It is that person who does not possess a voice.

It is that person who is deemed worthless or irrelevant. 

The poor. 

The uneducated. 

It is the person who speaks a different language, the person of a different race or nationality. The person whose lifestyle doesn’t match your or the person whose religion may be different. 

It is the person who lives in the wrong neighborhood, and goes to the wrong high school. 

Example:

The other day i was at Chick Fil A. I love that company because they have taken service to an entire different level. It is their pleasure to serve. They actually say it. It is their pleasure to serve the child, the adult, the senior adult, anyone can come and be served. Would people say that about the church today. Are people finding better service, better assistance, more hospitality at Chick Fil A than they are a church? I certainly hope not. 

Remember, to find greatness, we must serve but we must also shift our mindset to that of a child. Innocently saying yes to Jesus and faithfully walking with Him. 

John 13:12-14 ESV

When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet.

Jesus Reveals That Greatness Is Found In…

I. Serving Our Fellow Man vs. 46

II. Shifting Our Mindset vs. 47-48

III. Simply Modeling Jesus vs. 48

Luke 9:48 ESV

For he who is least among you all is the one who is great.

Point:

Jesus tells His disciples that in order for them to become great, they must become nothing. They must take the form of a servant. They must do the dirty work, the thankless jobs, the menial tasks. They have to be willing to take their dreams and desires for their lives and place them as secondary to following God and knowing Him more. 

Whoever is least amount you is the one who will be really great. 

Can you imagine the reaction of the disciples? Say what Jesus? They had in their minds that greatness was attached to power, money, or authority. 

Why they felt this way is a mystery because it something that Jesus never modeled. Jesus never forced Himself on anyone. He never demanded anything. Jesus was low, simple, easy, and unobtrusive. 

Jesus expects His disciples to find greatness by modeling His example. Serve, be like a child, and be like me. Just walk, talk, treat others, and think like me. 

Easy. 

Closing Point:

Pastor Scott Sauls from Nashville spent five years working with Pastor Tim Keller at New York City's Redeemer Presbyterian Church. Sauls writes that there are many ways that he saw Keller model the gospel, but there is one thing that really stood out for him. Sauls writes:

Tim [Keller] is the best example I have ever seen of someone who consistently covers with the gospel.

Never once did I see Tim tearing another person down to their face, on the Internet, or through gossip. Instead, he seemed to assume the good in people. He talked about how being forgiven and affirmed by Jesus frees us for this—for "catching people doing good" instead of looking for things to criticize or be offended by. Even when someone had done wrong or been in error, Tim would respond with humble restraint and self-reflection instead of venting negativity and criticism. As the grace of God does, he covered people's flaws and sins. Sometimes he covered my flaws and sins. He did this because that's what grace does; it reminds us that in Jesus we are shielded and protected from the worst things about ourselves. Because Jesus shields us like this, we should of all people be zealous to restore reputations versus destroying reputations, to protect a good name versus calling someone a name, to shut down gossip versus feeding gossip, to restore broken relationships versus begrudging broken people.

Point:

Modeling Jesus can have a powerful impact on the lives around us and can sow the seeds of the Gospel in rich meaningful ways. 

How are you living out the Gospel? How are you modeling Jesus? Are you washing others feet? 

Mark 10:44-45 ESV

And whoever would be first among you must be 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.

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