Put achievement in perspective at the cross.

A dispute also arose among them, as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest.

Luke 22:24

We see the disciples launch into selfish, childish arguments over their “greatness” and we shake our heads. How could they do this? This is the night of the last supper. Literally in a few hours Jesus would be hanging on a cross to die to prove them all wrong. Yet we can easily do the same things when we look at our own hearts and away from our Lord. As context for this argument, Jesus had just dropped a truth bomb on His disciples: one of them would betray Him to death. This led to them immediately going “shields up” and boasting of their greatness to one another, proving that each of them did not get what Jesus was really saying. He was focused on His coming sacrifice. They were focused on their own reputations and achievements.

Christianity is organized around following a Savior Who humbled Himself in obedience to the Father. He came to serve. Jesus rebukes His disciples with this reminder: “I am among you as the one who serves” (Luke 22:27). Arguments of greatness do not honor our Servant Savior...

...Neither do achievement based corporate structures that honor and applaud human effort. Jesus did not hand out “Disciple of the Month” awards. I cringe because at one point in ministry I actually did that very thing! No, Jesus kept serving and carefully calling His boastful pride-driven disciples to do the same thing He did... serve. Pride in ourselves is divisive. Humbly submitting to our Great Servant Savior together is what unifies. He is among us as the One Who serves. And we should be one in Him by doing the same thing.