What Makes Us Great?

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on Sunday morning the 29th of March, 2020 at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  This was an abbreviated service, also streamed live, due to constraints put in place from the COVID-19 pandemic.  Look for the video of our services on our Vimeo channel:  http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

During our journey through this Lenten season, we have been walking alongside Jesus in what are His last days on this earth, His last days as a man among us.  The road ends at Calvary, and a cruel death upon the cross.

Of course, we know the story doesn’t end there, but those who followed Jesus during these times had quite a bit of trouble trying to come to terms with this, even though He told them what was going to happen.  For some, a level of understanding was starting to sink in, but the details were still quite fuzzy.

Our scripture reading comes shortly before the time of Jesus' arrest, as He and His disciples were walking along the road toward Jerusalem and His appointment with the cross.  Please listen and follow along to what the Apostle Matthew recorded for us in chapter 20 of his Gospel account, verses 20 through 28, reading from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible…

20 Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Him with her sons, kneeling down and asking something from Him.

21 And He said to her, “What do you wish?”

She said to Him, “Grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on the left, in Your kingdom.”

22 But Jesus answered and said, “You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?”

They said to Him, “We are able.”

23 So He said to them, “You will indeed drink My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared by My Father.”

24 And when the ten heard it, they were greatly displeased with the two brothers. 25 But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. 26 Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. 27 And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave — 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

--Matthew 20:20-28 (NKJV)

Let us pray…  Father God, too often we think ourselves so much better than others, more deserving of special treatment.  This was true for Your Son’s followers, too, even though He told them time after time that You look at us differently than does the world.  But we struggle to let go of the world, so we tend to think in the same terms as the world.  Thank You, Father, for saving Your word and the words spoken by Jesus for us to read, to study, and to live by.  Father, please help us understand what Jesus told us.  Help us be more concerned with serving than being served.  Help us see others as You see them, looking only into their hearts.

Speak to us now, Father, that we might hear Your voice through Your Spirit and thoroughly understand the message we so need in this age.  Speak to us of service so that we might serve.  Speak to us of love, so that we might love.  This we pray under the blood and in the name of Your Son, Christ Jesus our Lord.   Amen.


Bits & Pieces magazine shared the following incident in its May 1992 issue:

When Christian Herter was governor of Massachusetts, he was running hard for a second term in office. One day, after a busy morning chasing votes (and no lunch) he arrived at a church barbecue. It was late afternoon and Herter was famished. As Herter moved down the serving line, he held out his plate to the woman serving chicken. She put a piece on his plate and turned to the next person in line.
"Excuse me," Governor Herter said, "do you mind if I have another piece of chicken?"
"Sorry," the woman told him. "I'm supposed to give one piece of chicken to each person."
"But I'm starved," the governor said.
"Sorry," the woman said again. "Only one to a customer."
Governor Herter was a modest and unassuming man, but he decided that this time he would throw a little weight around.
"Do you know who I am?" he said. "I am the governor of this state."
"Do you know who I am?" the woman said. "I'm the lady in charge of the chicken.  Move along, mister."


Have you ever noticed that just when we start thinking too much about how big and important we are, someone or something will put us in our place?  And very often, that someone or something is one we would usually think of as being somewhat insignificant.  Little children can be pretty good at setting us adults straight.  Dogs can be, too, especially if we try to order someone else’s dog around.  Or maybe it’s the lady serving chicken in the meal line.

When we start getting too uppity, God has a way of humbling us.  And you know, that’s a good thing.


So the mother of James and John came to Jesus with a request.  She wanted her boys to be able to sit on His right and left sides when He entered His kingdom in heaven.  In other words, she want them to have exalted places in heaven.  Like a good mother, she wanted the very best for her children.

This is least shows that she believed that Jesus was indeed the Son of God and would sit on a throne in heaven.  But what she didn’t quite grasp is that God doesn’t grant extra privilege or recognize special service like the world does.  We are all equal in God’s eyes, and He alone will decide who gets what when it’s our time to go home.

This little scenario brings up the sharp contrast in what God sees as greatness versus the world’s view.  Jesus reminds us that if we want to be first in heaven, we must be last here on earth.  To be treated well there, we must be among the least here.  And He showed us how, by His own example.  He came to serve, not to be served.  The God of all creation, who could demand anything of us, came to serve us instead.  He came to serve up His own life, just for us.


Greatness…  Glory… 

Think about Mother Teresa, how she attained true glory by serving the poorest, going into areas and among the sick and dying, where so-called great people feared to go.  Compare that to today, with the coronavirus spread and how the so-called great people are reacting.

Our true colors show through in our actions in times of trouble, not in our words.  Many people seek greatness these days.  Some are trying their best to help people, to protect them from the disease.  Some are trying to profit off it.  Some are simply seeking recognition by their fellow man for their efforts.  Some are abusing their authority in an attempt to look greater and more important.  Too many want to be served rather than serve.


Yes, Jesus came to serve, and His role of servant was foretold long before His birth.  The great prophet Isaiah spoke of the Messiah as the Good Servant.  In fact, there are some passages where the pre-incarnate Jesus spoke through Isaiah.  Listen to what Jesus said as recorded by Isaiah in chapter 61 of his prophecy, verses 1 through 3…

1 “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me,
Because the Lord has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord,
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,
3 To console those who mourn in Zion,
To give them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning,
The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
That they may be called trees of righteousness,
The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”

--Isaiah 61:1-3 (NKJV)

In chapter 4 of his Gospel account, the Apostle Luke records an incident that happened early in Jesus’ ministry.  Jesus entered the synagogue in Nazareth and stood up to read.  He was handed the Book of Isaiah, and He turned to chapter 61 and read aloud the passage I just read.  Then He closed the book and calmly stated, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”  Everything Isaiah spoke about the Good Servant had come to pass, and stood right before the people.

And indeed Jesus did preach good news to the poor and the poor in spirit, the best news possible, of salvation through belief.  He came to heal and comfort, but also to warn us about what our fate will be if we refuse to listen.


Right now, many are poor in spirit.  Many are brokenhearted.  The spirits of many are weakening, even failing.  We are being held captive to a pandemic viral disease that oppresses us.  Many who have been blind to the truth might now be willing to hear it as they seek reassurance in these troubling times.

Jesus is now home in heaven with our Father God, but He left us here on earth to carry on His work.  It is now all up to us.  If we want to be great in God’s eyes, we need to preach good tidings and testify to the weak in spirit.  We need to help heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to those held captive to sin, to comfort and console those who mourn.  And we need to warn people of their need to believe in Jesus and obey His commands, lest they perish not only in this life but also in the next.


What makes us great where it really matters?  Doing the will of Jesus, serving as He served, loving as He loves.  Trust in the Lord with all your heart.  Blessed be Jesus the Christ, the one true Son of God!  In the glorious name of Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior.  Amen.


Let us pray…  Father God, You sent Jesus to earth to serve us.  You sent Him to heal the brokenness of our spirits, to free us from captivity to sin, to shine a light in the darkness of this world, to comfort us when we are heartbroken.  And He also served by warning us of what is in store for us if we refuse to accept Him and obey Your voice.  Thank You, Father, for loving us so much that You would send Your Son to us, knowing that He would be sacrificed, knowing that only His blood could wash us clean of our sin, knowing that only through can we be saved.  Father, please help us heed His warning and obey His commands.  Help us be more willing to serve and less demanding of service.

Please hear us now, Father, as we pause for just a moment to speak to You straight from our hearts, promising to repent of our sinful ways, seeking Your forgiveness and Your help to do so…

Lord Jesus, You showed us how to live a life that God would see as righteous by how You lived Your own life while walking this earth.  Even though You could have demanded anything, You can to serve, not to be served.  You came to serve us miserable sinners.  Thank You, Jesus, for bring light into this dark world.  Thank You for setting the example of how we should live.  Please help us to be better servants.  Help us to better understand what makes us great in the kingdom of God.  And help us live as You would have us live, as You Yourself lived.  This we pray in Your blessed name, Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior.  Amen.