True Greatness

As the assault on Ukraine continues, it’s hard to not feel that evil is winning. When President Putin can use propaganda to justify a deadly invasion and targeting of civilians, going against all normal rules of just wars, it can be hard to keep positive about humanity and where we are going.

Putin, I’m sure, thinks that he is pretty great and deserving of increased power in the world. He has manipulated his people, using violence and coercion to secure their loyalty, if not in their hearts. And yet this is not true greatness. True greatness does not come through force.

This weekend for worship I’m looking at the next section of Mark 10. If you’ve been following along, this comes after Jesus has said that we must become like children to enter the kingdom, and just after a rich man goes away unhappy because he is unwilling to sell all he has and give it to the poor and follow Jesus, It starts at verse 32 with Jesus saying for the third time that this journey to Jerusalem will result in His torture and death but ultimately His resurrection. He knew what was coming.

Then, James and John, completely tone deaf, ask Jesus to give them whatever they want. It turns out that what they want are the prime seats of greatness in heaven, one on the left of His throne and one on the right. They are convinced that somehow they are deserving of these top spots. Jesus rightly points out that they don’t know what they’re asking and questions if they can take on all that this would entail.

So many people are looking for greatness, for their “big break” and a platform to gain followers and fans. I’ve lost count of the number of reality talent shows on tv, whether they’re about dancing or singing (the latest being masked - how is that for irony in these times - or as an avatar) or whatever other skills people have. Each performer thinks that they are terrific but one by one are voted off the show. How many of the winners actually make it big? Some have, but I’m sure that what they had to go through to get there was not what they expected.

Jesus tells James and John that they will taste suffering in their quest for importance and that true greatness comes from service, of lowering yourself to fill the needs of others. Being truly first means being a slave to all. It’s another paradox, similar to His words that the last shall be first and the first shall be last. That’s the kingdom way and we’ve seen many examples of true greatness in the selflessness of people helping refugees from Ukraine, of those willing to put their own lives in danger for the sake of others.

Putin, in carrying out this evil attack, is nowhere near the battle but safely in his palace using his own people as pawns. He is clearly not doing this for the good of his nation or anyone else but because of his own need for more power and a legacy of domination. There is nothing great or glorious about this sad time in history, except for those responding in love and compassion at great personal risk.

While we may not be dictators of large countries, we too can be like James and John, coming to God with demands, wanting to be recognized and seen as great for what we have done. We too need to remember the truth that our greatness comes from our willingness to engage in the often messy work of serving others, and treating them as more important than ourselves.

Lent invites us to humble ourselves, to consider that Jesus “came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many”. May we consider ways that we can serve and make ourselves truly great.