8 “But do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers. 9 Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. 10 Do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ. 11 But the greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.”
Using the Pharisees as backdrop, Jesus warned the people of the pride of title and position. These things are not wrong in themselves, for Jesus accepted terms such as “Rabbi” (Mark 9:5, John 11:8). However, the Pharisees showed how easily they could become a means to self-exaltation.
The terms Jesus spoke of were the common epithets of the day for religious authorities. But this problem was not limited to the leaders of Jesus’ time. The apostle John encountered this desire for prominence at the end of the first century when he wrote of, “… Diotrephes, who loves to be first among them, does not accept what we say” (3 John 9). Certainly some do rise in prominence to become “first among equals” as some have termed it, leaders among leaders. However, lusting for that for the sake of personal prominence is the downfall.
Today, in some Christian communities the comparable titles would be “Father,” “Reverend,” “Pastor,” “Senior Pastor” to name a few. The passions of the world creep into the church not-so subtly, with people desiring positions to distinguish themselves! It is a heady thing to be in a position of authority or influence over people. All it takes is an attractive personality or a bible-college or seminary degree, and a person can begin to feel entitled to special privileges and deference from others.
Jesus simply said, essentially, to not seek greatness through titles or positions of prominence. He brought to bear on these two great truths. First, only God is truly the “Rabbi,” “Teacher,” “Father,” “Leader.” These terms may describe the ministry God calls a Christian to, but as titles describing the essence of a person, they apply only to God. We all fall short. For example, God calls some to “shepherd the church of God” (Acts 20:28), but only Christ is “the Chief Shepherd” (1 Peter 5:4).
The second truth, and more to the heart of the matter, is the real path to greatness. Why settle for superficial “greatness” which lasts only as long as the praise of men. Rather, true greatness comes through humbling oneself. The irony of this is that the greatness that results from humbling oneself cannot be embraced with pride. If it could, then it would not have come through humility!
Lord, I want to have the attitude that Jesus had when He took on the form of a bond-servant, living His life for the benefit of others.
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