the way to win

But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.”

Mark 9:34-35

Achievement in the eyes of Jesus is misunderstood and over emphasized by the world. Jesus saw a life of kind service to others, of selfless giving for the joy and betterment of God’s kingdom to be the way to “win” at life. To come in “first” one must serve everybody else and stay at the back of the line. It is only in putting selfish ambition to death, willing to be the last one through the line, that true impact can be found. It is caring so much that you don’t care who gets the credit! This is how Jesus lives. This is how He expects His followers to live. The finest achievement in life is to serve others. It is the way to be like Jesus.

Yet especially in the popular expression of American evangelical churches, where people are supposed to be assembled to commit to following Jesus, egocentric battles for “greatness” abound... sadly we are no different than Jesus’ first 12 disciples. When someone serves only for the recognition, they are consumed with their own greatness. When Christians celebratize leaders and preachers, and preachers obsess over “picture perfect” image and “perfect” sermons that become best-selling books generating programs that make them millionaires, we have totally lost sight of Jesus. He is back washing feet and touching lepers while we are busy brushing our teeth and making deals. The best worship services totally focus on Jesus, not on a singer, or a music band that sells millions of albums, or a speaker, or production values of any kind. And when the worship service centers on the gospel, people can be truly served.

But the real way to understand what Jesus is saying here is to move far beyond the Sunday gathering. When we leave church on a Sunday, are the hungry fed? Are the sick cared for? Are the homeless sheltered and clothed? Are those without justice pled for? Are orphans adopted? Are the hurting healed? Are the marginalized given a voice? All these things show that we take the gospel, and servanthood seriously. And in the end, that is when we will know if we are “first”... if Jesus and His Servant’s hands are first in all our actions.