Luke 22:24-27 24And it happened that an argument also arose among them, as to which of them was to be considered the greatest. 25And he said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those having authority over them are called benefactors. 26But not so with you, but let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as the one who serves. 27For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves.
The argument that arose among the disciples could not have occurred at a worse moment than when it did here during the Last Supper. This passage is connected to the previous one about one of the disciples betraying Jesus. The disciples must have looked back later and wondered what they were thinking. They got in a fight about who was the greatest. The time after the low point of Jesus predicting one of them would betray him is ironic. They went from the lowest point to thinking about greatness. Jesus had already taught them this lesson in 9:46-48, but apparently, they had a hard time processing and applying it.
Jesus’ reply echoes the thoughts about servanthood recorded in John 13. It may have been at this point that Jesus bent down and washed their feet, which would have been embarrassing or shaming because of the disciples’ attitude shown in these verses. The “Gentile” world of unbelievers is all about competition and who can get ahead. People jockey for position, power, and prestige, which allows them to have influence and control over other people. Verse 25 hints at the significant social force of patron/client. People seek to be patrons who can divvy out “goods” of some type which allows them to have control over clients.
Disciples are supposed to be different. Discipleship is all about servanthood and becoming the least. This thought is counter-intuitive to the human drive to be first and recognized by others. As social beings, we desire attention and to be noticed. Even if we are shy, we seek people’s approval. The values of God’s kingdom are different than what the world pushes for. The last in the world will be first in God’s kingdom (13:30).
Jesus illustrates the servant lifestyle with several examples. The first is with age. In that culture, the younger were to serve the older who were in positions of honor. The second is with position. Leaders were served by others who did their bidding. The third is with household servants who waited on tables, brining food and cleaning up. In God’s kingdom, these are all reversed. Jesus is the best example of servanthood. He was obviously greater than the disciples. They should have been serving him. Yet he took the position of a servant as an example to them (John 13:3–17).
It is too easy to let the world’s view of competition creep into our thinking and relationships. We are tempted to think of greatness as those out front who push their agendas. Being part of God’s kingdom should challenge us to step back and serve others in the example of Jesus’ love for us that he soon showed to his disciples by going to the cross (Philippians 2:6-11).
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