Well, as we come now to the time when we worship God through the study of His Word, let me invite you to take your Bibles and turn to Matthew 20. Matthew 20, the text for this morning is verses 17 to 34. And as we look at the text this morning, we will get a definition of greatness. In fact, I've entitled this morning's message, The Divine Definition of Greatness, because You'll see as we go through here, the lessons for us this morning are on the definition, not man's definition of greatness, but God's definition of greatness. I think we would all agree that the pursuit of happiness is a fundamental part of our human makeup. It's not just a right as an American to pursue happiness. It's a fundamental aspect of humanity. We all want to be happy. We all pursue happiness. We all want to be important. We all want to have our way. Would you agree with that? That by nature we seem to have a basic bent to... Even if we're not the one that's making the decision, we want at least a sense that those making the decision are considering us in the equation and considering our opinions and our desires. We have a desire to gain a sense of happiness, to gain a sense of satisfaction, to gain a sense of importance, at least to some level. Now, we may come to that place in life where we realize we're not going to be the most important person, we're not going to be the greatest of all time. I think that we would agree that we tend to admire and respect, at least at some level, those who gain a measure of greatness, at least as far as recognized by humanity, whether you're talking about great musicians, great composers, great athletes, great teams, great performers, great writers, great leaders, great statesmen, great generals, great pilots, et cetera, great cooks. And on it goes. Perhaps at some point you have purchased or received the greatest mother mug or the greatest father mug. There's a sense in which we are the greatest grandma or grandpa. Sorry, I didn't mean to leave some of you guys hanging. Some of you have a collection, right, of the greatest son, the greatest dad, the greatest grandpa, the greatest grandpa, whatever. There's a sense in which we all aspire to greatness, and we all want to be important, and we all want to gain a sense of accomplishment. And typically we evaluate greatness on the basis of comparison with others, whether it's greatness because I am above others in authority, or I am above others in ability, or I'm above others in in property or I am above others in superiority or importance, etc. These are all the ways that people define greatness, humanly speaking. It is by comparing or being compared to others and being elevated above them. Greatness, humanly speaking, is defined by incapacity being above someone else or perhaps everyone else. Biblically speaking, greatness does not work this way. Biblically speaking, there are two lessons I would like to teach you with regard to greatness that we see in the person of Jesus Christ right here in the text in front of us. I want you to see what Greatness is when we're talking about by God's definition and by Christ's example and exhortation. So that you can not only have a clear understanding of what greatness really is, but also so you can compare yourself to this standard and see whether or not, according to God's definition, you truly are great. And may I may I really open the door here to a wonderful opportunity to each and every one of us. You know, you don't really have to be more gifted than the rest of the people around you to be great according to this definition. You don't have to be more skilled. You don't have to be tall. You don't have to be short. You don't have to be young. You don't have to be old. You don't have to be athletic. You don't have to be intelligent. You don't have to be insightful or creative. All you have to be. Is like Christ to truly be great. And that's the really the point of this morning's message. And I want to show you this by teaching you two lessons on the definition of greatness from God's perspective, so that you can, number one, understand truly what greatness is, and number two, evaluate yourself to see whether or not that's you. And I suspect you'll find that, just as I have found over the last couple of weeks, it isn't fully you, and so you'll have something to shoot at. Now let's take a look at the first of these two lessons this morning in verses 17 to 28. And I want you to see first and foremost that on the basis of God's definition of greatness, greatness in the kingdom is tied to service, not sovereignty. Greatness in the kingdom is in service, not sovereignty, not superiority, not supremacy. It isn't about being more important than others. It's about serving others. Most people think of greatness in terms of being superior to others. Biblically, as you'll see here in Jesus' instruction, and then ultimately next in His example, greatness is not about superiority. Greatness is about service. Greatness is not about sovereignty. greatness is about service. If you take a look at verse 17, as we begin to look at our text this morning, Matthew tells us that as Jesus was about to go up to Jerusalem, He took the twelve disciples aside by themselves, and on the way He said to them, Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes. They will condemn Him to death and will hand Him over to the Gentiles to mock and scourge and crucify Him. and on the third day, He will be raised up. This is now the fourth time in Matthew's Gospel that we've been told that Jesus in advance told His disciples that when He gets to Jerusalem, He's in for crucifixion and resurrection. When He gets to Jerusalem, He will be rejected, and He will die, and He will rise again the third day. It's the fourth time Matthew tells us that Jesus did this before He got to Jerusalem. In fact, if you take your Bibles just for a moment and flip back to Matthew, chapter 12. In verse 40, the first time that Jesus made reference to this was in a public setting. Matthew 12, verse 38, some scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus, Teacher, we want to see a sign from you. But he answered and said to them, an evil and adulterous generation craves a sign, yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet. For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. Now, that is not a direct reference. But it is a prophetic declaration that he will die and he will be in the grave for three days before he rises again. And it'll be just like the pattern you see in Jonah. In Matthew chapter 16 and verse 21, you remember when Jesus is together with the apostles, he asks them, who do people say that I am and who do you say that I am? It's in that context that Peter says, you are the Christ, the son of the living God. And after that, Jesus, we're told, Matthew 16, 21. From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem, suffer many things from the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed and be raised up on the third day. From the time that they testified to their recognition of Jesus as Messiah, Jesus began to inform them when he got to Jerusalem, this is what's going to happen. This is the way it's going to play out. You'll also recall Peter received that information the first time very, very well. He said, God forbid it. It's never going to happen. And that's when Jesus says, get behind me, Satan. Then again, in Matthew chapter 17 and verse 22, we're told while they were gathering together in Galilee, Jesus said to his disciples, the son of man is going to be delivered into the hands of men and they will kill him and he will be raised again on the third day. And the disciples were deeply grieved. They're not arguing with him anymore because he rebuked them. But they're not happy about it, and they don't like hearing about it, and they don't want this to be what happens. Now we come to Matthew chapter 20. We are a little over a week at this point from the crucifixion itself. We are on the last leg of the journey to Jerusalem at the beginning of Passion Week, and it is at this point as Jesus was about to go up to Jerusalem, that he took the 12 aside by themselves. And that shows you that he is he has a throng that is going with him. There is a multitude that is traveling with him. Now, they're not just traveling with him necessarily because they're identifying themselves with him as followers. But this is the normal pathway that he went from Galilee came down south, crossed over the Jordan, went through Perea, crossed back over the Jordan, and now he's going to go down the Jericho Road on the way into Jerusalem. Jericho is about 15 miles from Jerusalem. So he's just before then. So he's a day or two out. And he's coming along with all the pilgrims on their way to the festival. And he pulls the 12 aside, and you can just imagine. All the anticipation, all the excitement, all the enthusiasm, not just for the twelve as they're heading into Jerusalem wondering, you know, this is the first time they've gone to the feast. They're expecting great things. The people are excited. They're expecting great things. Jesus pulls the twelve aside and says to them in no uncertain terms, listen, when we get there, this is what's going to happen. He says, behold, check this out. Pay attention to this because this is important. That's what that little word behold means. Pay attention. We're going up to Jerusalem. And by the way, up to Jerusalem, you say, well, they're going south, isn't that down? Everything is down from Jerusalem. No matter where you are in Israel, you go up to Jerusalem. Why? Because when you get there, the last thing you do is either go through the valley or crest the hill, and then you go down and up the Temple Mount. So Jerusalem is considered, from an ancient Jewish perspective, up from everywhere. So they were going up to Jerusalem. And he says, when we get there, the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes. That term delivered means handed over. It can even mean betrayed. Jesus certainly, according to John 6, knew he was going to be betrayed by one of his disciples. He even knew who it was. It's probably reading a little too much into it in this immediate context for the disciples to be thinking betrayal. Jesus just used the word for handed over. He will be handed over or delivered to the chief priests and the scribes, the religious leaders in Israel, ultimately the Sanhedrin. Yes, it will be the rulers of Israel, the religious leaders themselves, who will condemn him. He uses the title Son of Man, which is his number one most commonly used prophetic reference to himself. It identifies him with the Son of Man in the prophecy of Daniel, the one who ultimately will receive authority from the Ancient of Days. The Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death. Now, that's an interesting note there, because, you know, the religious leaders in Israel have no authority to condemn anyone to death. The only people who had the authority in the client kingdoms in the Roman Empire to condemn someone to death was the Roman authority. So for Jesus to call the shot that the chief priests and scribes will condemn him to death means they're going to find him guilty and worthy of death, even though they can't do anything about it. And he says, and they will hand him over to the Gentiles to mock and scourge and crucify. This is an amazing testimony, because typically you don't scourge and crucify unless you're the worst possible kind of a criminal. You either scourge someone, which is an extreme punishment, and then release them, or you crucify them. You don't typically go through both. And in fact, as you read through the account, Pilate had Jesus scourged. Why? Because he said this man, I find no fault in him. But the Jews were insistent that he execute him. So he says, well, I'll scourge him and release him because I find no fault in him. I'll just punish him as if he is among the worst of criminals. But I won't condemn him to death because he's innocent, which, by the way, is an amazing, amazing testimony to the state of judicial system in that day. He actually had a someone he considered innocent flogged. Jesus says, this is what's in store for me. The son of man will be mocked. He will be scourged and then he will be crucified, even explaining definitively the means of his death. And on the third day, he will be raised up. The future passive here demonstrates that he is absolutely convinced that the Father will raise him from the dead. Now, you can go back in the Old Testament, and I thought about making a whole message about this one little text because there's so much here. I mean, this is the foundation of the gospel. This perfectly aligns with Psalm 2. In fact, that's what the apostles point to after the resurrection and after the ascension of Jesus. Acts chapter 2, Peter bases his message on this. This was always the divine plan. Peter says, let me not misquote it, Peter says in Acts chapter 2, he says, Men of Israel, listen to these words. Jesus of the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through him in your midst, just as you yourself know. This man was delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God. You nailed him to the cross by the hands of godless men and put him to death. but it was but God raised him up again putting an end to the agony of death since it was impossible for him to be held in his power. And then he starts quoting scripture in order to prove it. This is what God had always said was going to happen. And when you when you read the Gospels you can see Jesus announced in advance when he got to Jerusalem this is the way he was going to be treated. This is the way he was going to be rejected. This is the way he was going to be executed. And on the third day he would rise again and that's exactly what happened. Acts chapter 4, when Peter and John are arrested and threatened, when they are released, they go to their companions, they report all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. And when they heard this, they lifted their voices to God with one accord and said, O Lord, it is you who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that's in them. It is you who, by the Holy Spirit, through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said, Why did the Gentiles rage and the peoples devise futile things? It was the kings of the earth who took their stand and the rulers that were gathered together against the Lord and against his Christ. Psalm 2. What happened in the crucifixion of Jesus and the rejection of the Messiah is exactly what God said in Psalm 2 was going to happen. It's exactly what God said in Isaiah 53 was going to happen. It's exactly what Jesus said multiple times before he got to Jerusalem that was going to happen to him. This is God's plan. This is what's required for us to be forgiven of our sins. You understand the magnitude of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for our sin. You do realize God had to die. And suffer the fullness of God's wrath in your place in order for you to be forgiven. That's how sinful your sin is. Every thought, every word, every deed, every sinful thought, every sinful word, every sinful deed. Christ died to pay for that. And that was God's plan from the beginning. That's the only way God can maintain both his justice, his righteousness, and at the same time demonstrate his love. There is no place. In all of redemptive history, where you get a fuller or more complete or vivid picture of all of the attributes of God than at the cross of Jesus Christ, you understand that? You appreciate that. You see that. As Jesus hung there on the cross, you see his love that Christ died for us. You see the father's love that he poured his wrath out on his son instead of on you. So that he could forgive you. God made him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf so that we could become the righteousness of God in him. The only way God maintains his justice The only way God can forgive me of my sins is if someone else that hasn't sinned and doesn't deserve God's wrath for themselves takes that penalty upon themselves. And the only one qualified to do that is God himself. That's why God became a man. That's the love of God. God demonstrates his love toward us and that while we were what yet sinners, Christ died for us. The love of God is clearly on display. and the cross of Jesus Christ. But it isn't just God's love that's on display there, folks. It's also his wrath and his justice and his fairness. He forgives me of my sins. You know, people look at God and say, well, that's not fair. If he chooses to save some, if he forgives some, that's not fair. Oh, it's absolutely fair. You want to know why? Because he doesn't forgive me of my sins and just forget about them. He forgives me only because Christ already paid that penalty. The equity of God, the justice of God, the righteousness of God is fully on display. And Christ offered salvation to everyone, did he not? Come unto me all you who are wearing heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. My burden is light. Right. He offers it to all. God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son that whoever believed in him should not perish but have everlasting life. Listen, if if you die without a reconciled relationship to God, it is not God's fault. It is yours. It is not Christ's fault. It is yours. The offer is good if you want it. God has demonstrated His justice. He poured the fullness of His wrath out on His Son. He demonstrated His grace. He demonstrated His love. And frankly, He demonstrated His wisdom, His power, His knowledge, and His sovereignty over even human affairs. Decreeing from the beginning how salvation would be accomplished. How the seed of the woman would crush the head of the serpent. how his own people would despise and forsake him and how the Gentiles themselves would rage against him and reject him and put him to death. And while everyone looked on and thought, yep, it's God who's turned his back on him because clearly he did something wrong all the while, it was him laying his life down and becoming a sacrifice for us. You know, God is in control of history. You see, all of the attributes of God on display at the cross, I think like nowhere else. Like nowhere else. His power, His wisdom, His might, His control of things. His love, His grace, His mercy, His justice, His wrath, His hatred of sin. All of that is true of God. Jesus knew full well exactly what was in store for Him when He got to Jerusalem, and that's why He tells His disciples yet again, and hear me, I don't think he keeps telling his disciples simply because he needs them to understand it before they get there so they know how to handle things when they happen. They don't do a very good job of handling things when it happens, do they? Why did he tell them repeatedly all the way leading up to the crucifixion? Why did he repeatedly tell them what was going to happen so that after the fact, not just so they would be prepared for it when they went through it, He told them so that after the fact, they would be able to look back and go, you know what? Jesus said this was going to happen. We should have believed it. Why didn't we believe it? He knew it all along. Now, we can go down all those roads if we wanted and talk about God's sovereignty and his control of circumstances and the details of the cross. But as we preach through Matthew's gospel, we're going to get to that. For the sake of this morning, what I'd like to focus on specifically now is Jesus himself and the way knowing fully what is in store for him on his way to Jerusalem. I would like you to think about not only what he teaches, but how he acts. OK, you think about if you ever had something that you dreaded doing. Ever had a meeting that you were called to and you shuffled your feet We walked slowly, looked for a way out of it, made an excuse and hid from it. Ever been there? Can you ever, ever had something that was just heavy on your heart and hanging over your head and you just, there's got to be some way out of this? Well, can you imagine if you knew full well for the whole of your, at least for the whole of your three year earthly ministry, That what was in store for you at the climax of it was to go into Jerusalem and be crucified? Tell me something. Something you're looking forward to? Or something you're dreading? Tell me, what kind of a... If I start to meddle a little bit here, if I start stepping on your toes, you'll have to forgive me, because I'm really preaching to myself. So if I step on your toes, that's just a bonus. But tell me something, when you're under pressure, Are you as nice and friendly and loving and gracious a person as you are in your best days? Are you? Can you be? I mean, I'm short all the time, but can you be a little short with people when things aren't exactly going your way or you got something really miserable you have to do or a conversation you have to have that you're dreading or something along those lines? Are you a little more tense and you find that you're a little more short tempered? Jesus knows that he's heading to the cross and he knows everything that's entailed in going to the cross. And folks, it isn't just physical death. It isn't just crucifixion. He knows he's going to bear in his body as he hangs on that on that tree. He's going to bear the fullness of God's wrath. He knows God is going to turn his back on him and make him who knew no sin to be sin for us. You want to know why Jesus weeps in the garden, why Jesus prays, if possible, let this cup pass from me, because he knows fully what's entailed in it. Now I want you to notice, he's just told the disciples yet again, this is what's in store for me when we get to Jerusalem. And yet he's still on his way. He's still heading straight there. He's still committed to fulfilling the Father's plan and laying his life down for us. Look at the next verse. Verse 20. Look at the behavior of the disciples. Jesus is telling them He's about to die. What are they worried about? Well, is there anything we can help you with, Jesus? Can we pray for you? Can we take any of the load of ministry off of you so that you can... I mean, that's got to be a major... Is that what they're doing? Take a look at verse 20. Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to Jesus with her sons, bowing down and making a request of him. The mother of the sons of Zebedee. You know the sons of Zebedee are the sons of thunder, right? James and John. So of the inner circle, Peter, James, and John, these are the two brothers James and John. Peter's brother, Andrew, is typically left out of the inner circle. He gets excluded. He's the little brother that kind of doesn't get picked for the teams. But James and John, okay, together with Peter, that's the inner circle. James and John bring their mom to Jesus to make a request. And what's really interesting, you may not know this, James and John, their mother's name is Salome, and she is almost certainly the sister of Mary. So that makes her what? Jesus' aunt. Now, isn't that interesting? So Aunt Salome comes with her two sons. And we're told that she bows down before Jesus, which is a way to acknowledge him, in essence, as in his sovereignty. Some people say, well, this is a show of great respect. Not when you follow through the rest of the context, this is trying to butter him up. She's treating him as king, even though he hasn't got to Jerusalem yet. She wants to treat him as king because it's part of the manipulation of getting him to. She's going to treat him with respect because what she's going to ask is for the two chief seats in the kingdom for her boys. So she comes. With James and John bows down and makes a request of Jesus, he says to her, well, what do you want? What do you wish? She says to him, command that in your kingdom These two sons of mine may sit one on your right hand and one on your left. What did she just ask for? James and John to get the two chief seats in the kingdom to be the two most important people. Now you say, well, at least she didn't ask for Jesus's seat, right? But she asked Jesus to give her boys the two best seats in the kingdom, the two highest positions of authority and prominence and superiority within the kingdom. You know, something that fits right with the way that we think, isn't it? That fits right with the way that that we identify greatness and and that I dare say even sometimes I suspect that we think about eternal reward, even Christians. We think about what we get as opposed to what other people get. She comes and says to Jesus commanded in your kingdom, these two sons of mine may sit one on your right hand and one on your left hand. given the two highest places of honor and authority and supremacy within your kingdom. But Jesus answered, you don't know what you're asking. There's a little ironic note here. I'll just share this with you. If you think about it, Jesus just said, when I get to Jerusalem, what's going to happen? I'm going to be rejected and crucified. Those two chief places with Jesus on the Mount of Calvary. There are two criminals that occupy the right hand and the left hand. I just find it ironic she's asking for the two chief places and in the immediate context those two places being identified with Jesus are going to be crucified along with him. In any case, he says you don't know what you're asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink? The idea of a cup in the Old Testament is typically used to symbolize either ownership, experience, provision, or reward, either positive or negative. Psalm 23, David said, My cup runs over, meaning I have an abundance of provision. Psalm 16 and verse 5, David says, The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and my cup, my reward, what I own, what I experience, what is my possession. Psalm 11 and verse 6 upon the wicked. God will rain snares, fire and brimstone and burning wind will be the portion of their cup. It'll be what they gain as a reward. In that case, a negative context. Isaiah 51 likewise speaks in a couple of places with regard to a cup of judgment. A cup of wrath and those kinds of things when so when Jesus talks about drink the cup that I am about to drink, he means He means to have a portion in what I'm about to experience. In his case, it has to do with suffering. Are you able to to take upon yourself the same experiences that I'm about to experience? Notice it says they said to him, we are able. This is what helps you to understand when you look at Matthew, Mark and Luke, you look at the compare the parallel texts, you'll see that that in the other passages they make it James and John that come and ask. Here Matthew says that it's mom that asks. Well, the three of them came together and the best way to understand it is they put their mom up to it. In any case, they say, we are able, which shows they clearly have no concept of what they're really talking about. What's more, it shows they paid no attention whatsoever to Jesus' own pronouncement of what would happen to Him when they got to Jerusalem. Nevertheless, in verse 23, He says to them, My cup you shall drink. You will suffer for My name's sake. And they do. Acts chapter 4, they suffered for the sake of the gospel. Acts chapter 12, James is the first of the apostles that is martyred. Revelation 1, John is in exile on the Isle of Patmos. in his 90s. Church tradition tells us that he died of old age in Ephesus, although there are a couple of accounts that suggest that he was either boiled in oil or something along those lines. But in any case, both certainly suffered for the sake of the gospel, just as Jesus said. My cup you will drink. You will suffer for the sake of the gospel. But to sit on my right And on my left, this is not mine to give. Rather, it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father. The Father's going to decide who's going to sit on my right and on my left. Now, it's interesting, Jesus doesn't say anything else about that, but that doesn't stop commentators from suggesting answers. Some names have been suggested in the commentaries like Abraham or Joseph, Moses and Elijah, Moses and David, I even read Moses and Paul. And frankly, if we're making suggestions here, why not Enoch and Daniel or anybody else for that matter? The fact is, the Bible simply doesn't tell us because it's inconsequential at this point. And it may well be that the people that will sit on his right and left haven't even been born yet. In any case, that's not important. What is important is their whole view of greatness is wrong. My cup, you will drink, you will suffer for my sake. But those positions you're asking for, it's the father who has prepared in advance who's going to be in those positions. You can't ask for them. You can't earn them. You can't achieve them. It's God himself who will elevate people into those positions. Again, tied to God's sovereignty. And hearing this, verse 24 says the 10 became indignant with the two brothers. I did a little study on this word indignant. You know what it means? Spitting mad. Means upset, really upset. Any ever seen your spouse like this? That's just not right. That's what we're talking about here. Ever seen your kids like this? When one gets away with something, it means you're angry because you've been because you're convinced you've been wrong or treated unfairly. It isn't just angry. It isn't just upset. It's upset because this is unjust. This is wrong. They're upset because from their perspective, James and John just tried to pull a fast one and get by getting their mom, Jesus's aunt, to ask for an elevated position over all of them. And the heart of that indignation is tied to the fact they wanted that position for themselves. So the reason they get mad. Jesus just said it's the father who's decided. So if they really weren't ambitious for that kind of an elevation for themselves, it wouldn't have bothered them that somebody else tried to get it right. The reason they're all upset is because that's what they're all after. And before you start looking down at the disciples, this is what we're after, too. We want our way. We want to be important. We want it to be all about us. I do, too. That's all I know. We like it when the world revolves around us, don't we? We like it when our team wins. We like it when the meals what we want. We like it when the time is the way we want it to be. We like it when the way we want it to go is the way it goes. We like it when our candidate wins. We like it when it's about us. Jesus, though, verse 25, calls them to Himself. He gets all 12 of them together now. And He says, You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. And again, this is not the first time Jesus is teaching this lesson to the disciples. And frankly, folks, this isn't the first time we've gone through a lesson like this. And it isn't the last time we need to take ourselves through a lesson like this, because this is the fund part of the fundamental problem of sinful humanity. We're all about us. When Paul says, consider one another is more important than yourself, he's he's preaching to us all because that's contrary to who we are and what we're like. in our homes, in our jobs, in our lives. Do you agree with that? Is it easy to consider everybody else is more important than yourself? Is it? Are you really, really good at it? Do you do it all the time? How about just yesterday? How about so far today? See, this is the heart of humanity that Jesus is confronting here. And for those that are being elevated to positions of authority in ministry, he's teaching this as a very clear lesson. Greatness, according to God's definition, is not tied to power, to position, to prominence, to prestige, to possessions or or to superiority over others. It is tied to one thing, service. You know, the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them. That is, those that are underneath them and that they're great men exercise authority over them. They call the shots. Everybody under them works for them, does their will. It is not this way among you. Whoever wishes to become great among you shall be what your servant. We get our word deacon from this word. It basically refers to anybody that does any kind of common service. It's a janitor word. It's a it's a it's a what do you what do you call waiters and waitresses now, since you can't use waiters and waitresses anymore? Server. OK, it's a it's a busboy or busgirl. It's it's it's it's just a server. It's just people that do services for others. That's the definition of greatness. Whoever wishes to become great among you will be your servant and whoever wishes to be first among you, you really want to be above everybody else, then then make yourself the bond servant of everybody else. Put yourself under everybody else's authority and become the servant of all of them. Well, that's just so backwards. That doesn't make sense at all. OK, well, let me give you a perfect illustration. Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life what? A ransom for many. You want the perfect illustration, the perfect example? It's Jesus. Where does Jesus belong? On his throne, in glory, constantly worshipped and served by all of his creatures. Where is Jesus right now in this text? He's on earth. days away from the cross where he will give up everything, having already for the last 30 plus years subjected himself to the limitations of humanity rather than the unrestricted exercise of his divine authority and power. And he is days away from being nailed to a cross so that we can be forgiven of our sin so that he can offer himself up as a ransom. The word ransom basically means a payment. It is the it is the price of redemption. And you wind up in debt and you are owned then by the person that you're indebted to. The redemption price, the ransom. I mean, we think of ransom as like kidnappers, right? I mean, anybody when you hear the English word ransom, do you immediately think of those police detective shows and whatnot? The ransom is the ransom demands of You know, I kidnapped one of Chuck's kids, and it's going to be $100,000 for you to get your kid back. And you say, well, bring him back after college. That way I don't have to pay, right? You know what I'm saying? OK, but that's not the idea of a ransom here. The ransom here is basically making good on the obligation. In order to get him out of bondage, out of slavery, you have to pay what is owed. The debt they accumulated gets paid. That's Jesus. The whole reason he came was to make himself the ransom price. And by the way, just as a footnote here, Jesus did not pay a ransom to Satan. Satan goes to the lake of fire together with his angels and together with all the ungodly. That price is paid to God. That price is the enduring of God's wrath due for our sins. That's the penalty we we owe. That's the price we owe. So when Jesus hung on the cross, he took upon himself the fullness of God's wrath. He paid the price so we don't have to. That's the picture of service he considered. I mean, that's Paul's point in Philippians, is it not? Consider one another as more important than yourself. And then there's the great Kenosis passage where Jesus did not consider equality with God something to be held on to, but he took upon himself the limitations of humanity and went all the way to the cross to pay for our sins. Jesus didn't do that because we were worth it. Jesus did that because we needed it. Jesus didn't do that because he needs you. Jesus did that because he loves you in spite of yourself and he died for you so that you could be reconciled to God. Because there's no way you could have taking care of that yourself. When Jesus is explaining to the disciples what true greatness is, he says, you guys have like this worldly idea that greatness in the kingdom is tied to being elevated to positions of authority and power and supremacy over everybody else. Guys, it doesn't work like that. It's the same as it is with me. You know, I've mentioned this before in the context of marriage. A lot of people have problems with the with the biblical definition of marriage, that there's a head and there's a helper, that somehow the helper is lesser than the head. They're both fellow bearers of God's image and there is a functional subordination within a marriage just as there is a functional subordination within the Godhead. There's no one in the Bible identified as a helper more than God. He is our ever-present help in time of trouble. You know, without God, ministering to us, serving us, helping us. We can't even breathe. We don't even exist. Serving others is not a sign of inferiority. Serving others is the very definition of greatness in God's kingdom. Whoever wishes to be first among you will be your slave, just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but rather to serve and to serve to such an extent as to give his life a ransom for many. You know, I'm preaching to myself here because it it really is easy to be a servant to those who simply ask for help and express appreciation for it. Right. It's kind of, you know, the people that you love, The the people that you get to come in and kind of you know, they recognize you as a rescuer It's kind of cool to help those people, right? Isn't it cool to serve people that appreciate your service? Some people serve just before the appreciation But it's easy to be a servant to people who don't treat you like a servant but instead treat you like a savior It's another thing Entirely to be a servant when you're treated like one That's what Jesus did. Jesus gave his life a ransom for many, even as he hung there and died for the people who rejected him. And many of them 40 days later. Realize what they've done and repent. He died for the very people who crucified him. See, that's that's the definition of true greatness. That's the example of greatness. I like the way one writer summarized it when he said this. The only wish for rank that would give authority in the kingdom would be a wish for a place of humble service. And the place of honor is not the reward or compensation for service. The service itself is the honor. Did you hear that? You really want to be great in the kingdom. Instead of looking for for a reward for yourself or some acknowledgement of greatness. Just recognize that the opportunity and the ability to serve is in and of itself the honor God has given to you. Greatness in the kingdom is not about superiority. It is not about sovereignty. It is not about supremacy. Greatness in the kingdom is about service. Likewise, second lesson now by way of not just instruction, but by way of example, greatness in the kingdom is not is about service, not sovereignty. And the greatest in the kingdom is the king. The greatest in the kingdom is the king. Why? Not only because he's the greatest in the kingdom, period. but also because he is the greatest servant of the kingdom as well. Take a look at verse 29. We pass on now that they are leaving Jericho. Jericho is about 15 miles outside of Jerusalem. We're to the last leg of the journey now. And if you compare Mark 10 and Luke 18 in the parallel passages, you'll see that Both Matthew and Mark say that he is leaving Jericho, and Luke says that he is entering Jericho. The reason for that distinction is because there is old Jericho, the remnants that were destroyed in Joshua's day, and then the new Jericho settlement just outside of it, which is where people were living and had established, and both of them were referred to as Jericho. Matthew and Mark are writing to predominantly Jewish audiences. Luke is to a Gentile audience. So Luke is referring to the actual existing settlement. Matthew and Mark are referring to the historical tradition. And so they're leaving Jericho and a large crowd is following him. And everybody's expecting great things. They're looking forward to miracles. They're looking forward to the festival. The disciples are expecting the kingdom to come. But remember, what is Jesus expecting? When he gets to Jerusalem, he is expecting the conflict that ultimately results in his rejection, his betrayal, his crucifixion and death. And at the climax, his resurrection. That's what's on Jesus's mind. Everybody else is thinking about themselves. Everybody else is excited. Everybody else is focused on. Even when they're looking at Jesus, they're looking to see what they're going to see for themselves or the disciples looking to the positions they're going to be elevated to in the authority they're going to exercise. Jesus is thinking about what he is going to do for us. And it's in this context that we walk into verse 30 and we see that there are two blind men sitting by the road, hearing that Jesus is passing by and they cried out, Lord, have mercy on a son of David. And the word cried out here is a very strong word. It means to to give out a loud, desperate, even panicked cry. It can even be translated in some context as shrieking. So it's a very passionate, loud, strong, desperate outcry. Lord, have mercy on us, son of David. And you can imagine why these guys are on the main thoroughfare. that everybody travels from Galilee all the way down to Jerusalem for the festival. So three times a year, these roads are highly traveled, both on the way in before the festival and on the way out after the festival. And these guys are blind. So what are they most likely doing? If they're sitting by the road, what are they most likely doing? They're begging. They can't see. There's nothing else they can do. And this is the perfect time to be out because there's so many people and they're on their way to worship. They're going to be more inclined to be giving, to be gracious. Well, they hear that Jesus is passing by. And so what do they do? They say, Lord, have mercy on us. Son of David. Son of David, by the way, Lord means master. Son of David is a messianic title, even though these guys are blind. You know what? They recognize Jesus for the Messiah, who he is. They can't see, but they can see. And the crowd sternly told them to be quiet. There's a big debate in the commentators here. The word for sternly tells them to be quiet literally means to rebuke them strongly. Some of the writers debate why did they rebuke them? Were they being a nuisance? Was it because they assumed Jesus had better things to do? Was it because they were just two blind beggars by the side of the road that everybody simply wanted to ignore because big things were happening? You know, we aren't told what the people's motivations are for trying to silence them. What we are told is that despite the crowd trying to silence them, they cry out all the more, Lord, son of David, have mercy on us. They can't see where Jesus is. People are standing in their way and telling him to be quiet and leave him alone, and they're still crying out, Lord, son of David, have mercy on us. We've already talked about this, but what is Jesus thinking about? What is Jesus from his own personal perspective, God on his heart, he knows he's on his way to Jerusalem to lay his life down for us. That's a pretty big burden, don't you think? And yet, despite all this, notice how he makes himself a servant of even the lowliest people that the multitudes don't even want to deal with. Jesus stops and he calls them and he says, what do you want me to do for you? How can I be of service? The Lord of glory, with more than enough on his own plate, is beckoned to by two blind beggars. And he stops and says, What can I do for you? And they said to him, Lord, we want our eyes to be opened. Notice verse 34, moved with what? Compassion. Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes and immediately they regained their sight and they followed him. You want to know what true greatness is? True greatness is following the example of Jesus Christ because he's the greatest in the kingdom. And he is not just the greatest in the kingdom because he's God, because he's sovereign, because he's superior. He's the greatest in the kingdom because he is servant like no one else is. If that's what true greatness is, what should we aspire to? When we aspire to greatness, what should we shoot for? To be servant to all as well. To find our sense of greatest meaning, purpose, value, happiness and satisfaction from being of service to others. Not getting them to serve us or do things our way. If I've gone a little bit from preaching to meddling here, you'll have to forgive me. But this is the this is the truth that's been ringing true in my heart for the last week. You really want to be great. You really want to be like Christ. Then be like Christ. Who considered everyone else as more important than himself. who demonstrated what real, real love looks like, and meeting the needs of those who could not meet the need, even when they combat, argued with him, contended with him, is the word I was looking for. You know the disciples? Do you know out of the 12, two of them are trying to get the chief seats? They put their mom up to it. The rest of them are mad about it. One of them is going to be the one that betrays him. The rest of them, he keeps teaching them and he keeps teaching them and they keep arguing with him. Oh, ye of what little faith. But you're going to see during Passion Week, you know what they're still going to be arguing amongst themselves about which one of them is going to be the greatest. These are the people that he served. Let me ask you a question, the members of your household really easy to serve. Are they really members of your family, extended family members at the workplace? Are they really easy people to be a servant to? Or when you if you humble yourself and become a servant to the people around you, are you going to get treated like a servant? And we don't like that. I can't I can't do that. They'll walk all over me. Ever had that attitude? What is the picture of true greatness in the kingdom? Greatness in the kingdom. is in service, not superiority. And the greatest in the kingdom is the king, not just because he is sovereign and superior to all, but because he is the chief servant. Father in heaven, thank you so very much for sending your son to die for us. Lord Jesus, thank you so very much for considering us as more important than yourself and dying in our place. I pray you will help us, number one, better than we have done in the past to see our selfishness and our pursuit of self, self-worth, self-satisfaction, self-fulfillment. I pray that we would see that as the selfishness that it is and that you would help us indeed to look for ways to humble ourselves and become truly the servants of others that you want us to be. Help us to be great, truly great from a biblical perspective instead of from a human one. You have made it possible for even the least among us to be very able and very capable of even the greatest acts of service. We don't need special giftedness. We don't need special authority. We don't need any special powers. All we need is a desire to truly be like you, Lord. So for each of us, that's what I pray. Help us, O God, to put on Christ and to be like him, so that we might truly be great in the way you evaluate and demonstrated greatness. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.