Servitude and Humility: To Be Great: Lent Week 2

“whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant” ~Matthew 20:27

The Path of Servitude and Humility

We’re all good at something, whether it’s gardening, playing an instrument, a sport, being a caretaker, talking with others, writing, or teaching. But there’s a desire within all of us to be great at something, and we want others to notice our greatness. It’s natural for us to daydream of others patting us on the back, cheering us on, and being the hero. Parents especially desire this for their kids.

The mother of Jesus’s two apostles, James and John, asked Jesus for a wish. Her wish was for her two sons to sit one at Jesus’s right and the other at Jesus’s left in His kingdom. That’s not only a big ask; it’s also one of those embarrassing moments when your parent puts you on the spot to show off your singing voice for everyone at the family Christmas gathering! Jesus, not being a genie, cannot grant her wish. Why not? Surely, the Sons of Thunder would stand fast by their Master’s side in His kingdom!

Jesus can’t grant the wish because, in true Jesus fashion, He turns her notion of greatness upside down: “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and the great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you.” (25, 26a). If “the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many” (28) then we are to live likewise. Only by servitude and humility can we become great in the only kingdom that matters…God’s kingdom. The world will not see us as great because it cannot see our everlasting impact, only our temporal accomplishments, which, according to the world, are very minimal at most.

This Lent is the perfect time to let go of your desire to be great in the eyes of others. You will be humbled in your fasting. As Peter wrote, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, so that in due time He may exalt you” (1 Peter 5:6).

Always improve the present moment.