The Greatness of the Humble

What does it take to be truly great? We live in an era that is obsessed with greatness. Nothing new, Jesus' disciples were fixated on it. Matthew 18:1-6 records the diaicples coming to Jesus with a question. From parallel passages (Mark 9:33-37 and Luke 9:46-48) we know they were arguing about who among them was the greatest. They wanted prominence, preeminence. Jesus wanted them humble. Like a child. And how is a child humble? Not in the way you may think. It is common to say things that don't fit reality because of sentiment. I have heard, and been heard to say, that children are humble, but the reasons are not for inherent goodness, or innocence, or openess to being taught. We'd like to think so but our firsthand knowledge of ingrained human sinfulness tells us otherwise. Young children are by position (not by nature) humble - even in our advanced culture they are totally dependent on parents, relatively powerless, consistently immature, and almost completely without standing socially or economically. They are not unimportant, just not adults. And so Jesus uses them to teach some immature adults what it means to really be great.

Basically, you want to be great? Come clean with God. Agree with Him about yourself. Honestly admit to God that you are completely dependent on Him, without power to change yourself, unable to bring yourself to God, not sufficient in and of yourself, completely inadequate spiritually. You following Jesus is only because Jesus wanted it to be so and willed it to be. If you are saved it is only because of Jesus, nothing about you. It seems that every time we think we bring something to thetable we are reminded, humbled, to remember that everything we have is from Him. Jesus is telling them that without Him they can do nothing. John 15:5. How they, and we, are completely unable through human ingenuity or wisdom. It is only by the Spirit and power of God that we live, move, have our being, and are able to serve the Lord in any way. Praise God from Whom all blesings flow!