Least

“Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven” ask the disciples in Matthew 18 (verses 1-4). At the last Supper, they actually argue over who is the greatest (Luke 22:24-27). They haven’t really got the point. That it is those who become humble, like little children, who are the greatest; that Jesus is amongst us as one who serves, while we are still striving to be treated as the one who is served. For it’s not just a problem that the disciples had, is it? This yearning to be great, to be treated as a cut above the rest, to be the one others look up to is not necessarily one that is shared by everyone, but many still feel it. Jesus teaches another way: we are not to seek to be great, but the least; we are not to lord it over other people, but to serve them.

Surely the point is that we already have one Lord? The greatest in the kingdom of heaven is our God, who is the centre of all and whose space heaven actually is. To focus on God as the greatest, we need to remember what type of ‘great’ God is: reading Philippians 2:5-11 will tell us this. How often do we try to grasp at a greatness that we feel we deserve or are owed or want? How often do we try to find some reflected greatness from the powerful people around us or glamour from celebrities? It is all useless. Whatever is going on here likely has far more to do with what is happening inside ourselves, our own feelings and insecurities. What are we trying to escape or hide from in that drive to become ‘great’?

If we are able to let go of that, and it may well take time, prayer and conversation to get there, we can start to truly see how great God is, and where we stand in relation to that. We can become part of the community of God, rather than seeing only a distorted version of it in our misapprehension as to what constitutes ‘greatness’. God’s true place is at the centre of our lives, our churches and our world, and when that is not so, it will go wrong. Now some of you may not have a problem with all this, or may already have reached this place – wonderful! Others may not: may not have realised how out of tune their vision of ‘greatness’ is, or may know that they are seeking status but cannot change that. Feeling guilty about this is unlikely to help; simply to recognise it is a start, and it is the underlying issues that need dealing with. Moreover it is probably true to say that very few of us have got this totally right. We are always learning and growing in our relationship with God, and allowing God to become our true centre is the work of a lifetime.

But, at least intellectually, can we acknowledge that God is the greatest in the Kingdom, and that we need not seek any reflected glory or greatness? Rather that we can seek, and be content with, being the littlest in the kingdom? That sinners and tax gatherers will enter the kingdom before us, to our joy and thanksgiving (see Matthew 21:31). For if Jesus is the centre, our centre, then we are looking towards him, we are placed around him, and take our own places in the kingdom. We will all be focused on the glory of God, not the glory of others, or our own glory, such as it may or may not be; we will all be reflecting the glory of God, which is what is important. Any temporary glory of our own will be irrelevant. It is God and the Kingdom that we serve, not ourselves, and it is God and the kingdom which is important. We each have our own valued place in that kingdom, but it is God to whom we give the glory, and God who is its’ centre. Can we somehow affirm that; root ourselves in the love of God, so that we do not need to seek after greatness; see the wonder of being one amongst many serving our God?

The problem with seeking to be great is not just that it twists our relationship with God but that it insists that other people are less great than we are. This is just as false a vision of the kingdom. In order for me to be the greatest, you have to be the lesser. Not only do I look down on you, but I encourage others to do the same, in order to enhance my own glory. I was walking through the city the other day when I heard someone snigger as I walked past. I have no idea who, or whether it was directed at me, but it led me to reflect on what a nasty sound it was. It was not laughter that draws other in, it was a snigger; it said, quite plainly, ‘you’re so stupid, and we’re much better than you’. But, actually, the people damaged the most were those who sniggered and those who joined in. The attitude that led to the snigger is so destructive, and people often do not realise that. To follow our Lord in being amongst people as one who serves may lead to others treading on us – indeed it led Jesus to the cross – but that is far better than to be the one treading. If we are with Jesus then all will be well, however difficult it may feel in the immediate circumstances. It is like a wheel: God is at the centre, and we are all around; in a true wheel, that will lead to a perfect circle, turning as one; an imperfect wheel, which is distorted, will bump and shudder. Let us pray that we may be drawn in to the circle of God; and let us pray for those who look down on others, that their hearts may change.