Answer
As the disciples traveled with Jesus toward Jerusalem, they argued about who among them was the greatest. Jesus sat the twelve down and explained, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all” (Mark 9:35). To illustrate His point, Jesus held a small child in His arms and said, “Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes not only me but also my Father who sent me” (Mark 9:37, NLT).
The values of God’s kingdom are often at odds with human ideals. Young children were not regarded highly in Jesus’ day. Because they were powerless and needy, children occupied a low status in first-century Israel. But Jesus overturned this concept. He showed that the greatest in His kingdom must maintain the humble attitude of a lowly child (see also Mark 10:13–16), and those who want to be first must be willing to take the last place as servant of all.
The true measure of greatness in God’s eyes is not wealth, status, or achievement but service. Jesus Christ, God’s own Son, set the benchmark by coming “not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45, NLT). Jesus is the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 52:13—53:12, who sacrificed His life for the benefit of others.
If we desire spiritual greatness, we will seek opportunities to minister to others and choose the lowest and most humble places. The apostle Paul taught that being a servant to all requires having the same attitude as Jesus: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:3–8).
In John 13:1–17, Jesus washed the disciples’ feet to show what it means to be a servant of all. Even though He was their Lord and Master, Christ lowered Himself to perform one of the most menial tasks. Jesus took the humble position of a servant to demonstrate to His disciples the full extent of His love for them. When Peter’s turn to be washed arrived, he resisted until Jesus explained, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me” (verse 8). In his typical exuberance, Peter exclaimed, “Then wash my hands and head as well, Lord, not just my feet!” (verse 9, NLT).
Again, Christ turned the disciples’ thinking upside down. This act of foot-washing and the Lord’s teaching about being a servant of all were meant to prepare the disciples for Christ’s soon-to-come sacrificial death on the cross. By offering up His life for their sins, Jesus would serve them beyond the limits of human understanding to the full extent of divine love (see John 13:1). He would become servant to all by dying “once for all” (Romans 6:10; Hebrews 7:27; 9:28; 10:10). Christ Himself “is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world” (1 John 2:2, NLT).
Like the twelve disciples, all followers of Jesus desperately need to understand Christ’s teaching on humility and service to all: “Since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. I tell you the truth, slaves are not greater than their master. Nor is the messenger more important than the one who sends the message. Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them” (John 13:14–17, NLT).
Christ called us to lower ourselves, to minister to one another, to take the last place, and to sacrifice our selfish desires for the sake of others. If we do these things, we are practicing what it means to be a servant of all. The apostle John affirms: “We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters” (1 John 3:16, NLT).
