View Site Map

And Jesus called them to Him and said to them, You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many. Mark 10:41–45 ESV


While walking along the road to Jerusalem with Jesus, James and John came up and asked Him to make them his second and third in command in the coming kingdom, or vice versa. Two things were important to them: James and John, or John and James. Either choice would be fine. The other ten became angry, probably because they had not thought of it first.

Either way, no one was seeking to be the last. Jesus explained that to be truly great in the kingdom, you had to be the servant, and this position was currently vacant. Remember, Moses was not used by God until his selfish ambition was dead. (Exodus 4:13) Then he became the meekest (most humble) and the most powerful man on earth. Something in him had to die.

If you want to be great in the sight of God, serve others. This job is always available because everyone else is scrambling for the top. The servant position always has a vacancy. When you humble yourself, God will raise you up and no man can stop it.