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“The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts
himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be
exalted.” Matthew 23:11–12
If you were to plan out the ideal future for yourself, what would
it look like? Imagine if you were not constrained by budget or
resources. Imagine if you could pick to do anything you wanted, to
go anywhere you wanted, and enjoy any activity that you wanted.
Imagine the greatest experience you could possibly have. What would
that be? Most people would immediately think about indulging in the
greatest pleasures imaginable. A life of the most luxurious
accommodations, the best food, the most beautiful scenery and the
most relaxing and enjoyable time possible. But would that truly be
the “ideal future for yourself?”
The Gospel passage above is very clear. Greatness is found in
servanthood. Exaltation is enjoyed only through humility. Is the
ideal lifestyle one that is filled with indulgence, entertainment,
luxury, and the like? Certainly not. The ideal life, the greatest
life, the most exalted life is the life of the most humble service
of others as possible. That’s essentially what Jesus tells us in
this passage. Do you believe that?
Note that Jesus uses the words “greatest” and “must” in the same
sentence. These two words are both quite definitive. There is no
one greater than the “greatest,” and the path to that greatness
requires, without exception, that the greatest be a servant of
everyone else. In many ways, this truth defies most human
conceptions of greatness. Most often, if someone is considered
“great,” then they are served and treated with an honor and respect
not given to most. For example, if you had someone of great
importance over to your home for dinner, you would most likely wait
on them. Of course, service in this context is much more than
waiting on tables or providing a meal. Though that is a blessed way
to serve others and to express love, Jesus’ concept of service goes
far beyond this. How do we serve as one who is truly great? We do
so especially by humbling ourselves. Humility is the greatest form
of service we can render another.
Jesus was, without question, the humblest person to ever live. Only
His mother shared perfectly in this holy virtue. Humility enables a
person to break out of every selfish tendency and turn their love
to the good of the other. Jesus did this first by becoming
Incarnate in the womb of His dear mother. The Eternal Son of God
did not become man because it somehow benefited Him in a
self-centered way. He did it because He loved us and His
Incarnation benefited us. The Son of God did not allow others to
mock Him, ridicule Him and ultimately murder Him because it somehow
benefitted Him. He did it so that He could enter death and destroy
it so that we could rise with Him. He did it for us. And we could
go through every passage of the Gospels and see that everything
Jesus did was done for others and never done out of a selfish
desire. This self-giving service our Lord offered every day was a
fruit of the incredible humility that He lived. Jesus did
everything He did out of His love for others and with humility so
as to bring salvation and transformation to their eternal
souls.
In our lives, we need to make a fundamental choice. Am I going to
live for myself? Or am I going to live for others? It seems as
though very few people live fully for others. It is difficult to
take our eyes off ourselves and turn them only to the good of
others. But if we realize that living for others is also the path
to our own greatness and ultimate exaltation, then it becomes much
easier. Serving others, especially in a spiritual way by which you
do all you can to help them grow closer to God, is what will make
you great. Nothing else can do so. Believe that and live it.
Reflect, today, upon a life of true greatness.
Reflect, especially, upon how you can live such a life. How can you
more completely serve others? How can you make their holiness your
primary goal? How can you help others grow in their love of God?
Humble yourself and turn your eyes from yourself to others. Doing
so will make an eternal difference for others and also for
yourself.
My exalted Lord, You are exalted far above all others. You are
Greatness Itself. The life You lived, dear Lord, was one of the
greatest humility. But it was in this humility that You
accomplished the salvation of the world. Help me to imitate Your
greatness by making the service of others my most central mission
in life. I love you, my Lord. May I love and serve others with You.
Jesus, I trust in You.
Image: Ford Madox Brown, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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