Who's the greatest?

Luke 9:46-56

There are two vital things everyone must understand about Jesus if they're to truly know him; and the first is in many ways the easiest – it was for the disciples:

Jesus is the Christ – God's anointed, appointed ruler of the whole world. Jesus the Christ is therefore unsurpassed in his greatness, power & authority.

Peter was the first to recognise this: 9:20...

And he was absolutely right. For about 2½ years, Peter has spent every available moment with Jesus. He's seen what he's done. He's heard him teach and pray. And his conclusion is: this man Jesus is God's anointed ruler – the Christ.

The second, and harder, thing we have to understand about Jesus is that while he is the majestic Christ, he came to be rejected, to suffer & die and to rise again. But the disciples just cannot get their heads round this. Time and again, Jesus tells them, but time and again they don't understand:

In 9:22 Jesus says it as bluntly as possible...

Then in 9:30f at the extraordinary transfiguration, when Moses & Elijah appear to Peter, James & John, what is it they talk about? Jesus' departure in Jerusalem – his death & resurrection.

Finally, in 9:44f Jesus again emphasises his destiny...

So it's clear that this second aspect of Jesus' ministry was and is much harder to grasp. It's easier to believe in Jesus as a great man – a great healer, teacher & miracle worker – than it is to believe in him as a crucified and resurrected saviour. But until the disciples grasp this, they cannot be disciples:

A 'disciple' is, by definition, a pupil - a follower of his master. Disciples follow their master's example – they imitate him as an apprentice imitates his tutor. And Jesus has told them that this is what he expects: 9:23f

But what happens next shows that they haven't even come close to understanding Jesus.

These men aren't really disciples at all because they have no idea what it means to follow and imitate Jesus.

In v46, An argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest.

Jesus has told them time and time again that he's come to suffer and die. To be rejected and humiliated. To serve, not to be served. But as they look ahead to a life of following Jesus, they argue about which of them will be the greatest disciple.

Jesus will be rejected. He will suffer. He will die. And all they can do is argue about who will be the greatest.

And Jesus knows what they're arguing about. And as he stands before them, he scoops up a toddler as he runs by and stands the little child next to him. And he says to the so-called disciples, 'Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For he who is least among you all – he is the greatest.'

In that culture, great people did not welcome little children. Little children were to be seen and not heard. To be looked after by mothers & nannies; great men did not stoop down to welcome children. But, says Jesus, whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes God – the one who sent me.

And the main point here is clear – humility is to be the hallmark of each and every Christian. That main point is clear – the least is the greatest. But the detail is harder to understand, and so what Jesus says has often been misunderstood.

It's often been said that when we welcome a little child – or any of society's 'little people' – we welcome the Jesus in them. But Jesus does not say that by welcoming a child we welcome the Jesus in the child.

What he does says is, 'Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me.' It's not just the welcoming of the child that's important, it's welcoming him in Jesus' name. And to welcome someone in Jesus' name is to welcome them on his behalf - as an ambassador or envoy. 

Jesus has been welcoming all kinds of people – the greedy, swindling tax collectors; the immoral woman; the outcast Samaritan; the hated Roman soldier; the oppressed, the sick and the handicapped; the little child who's ignored by everyone else. And, of course, the disciples themselves.

Now the disciples, if they're to be disciples – if they're to be great - must realise that their mission will not be to the nice Those who know they deserve nothing. Those who hate themselves for what they've done.people – who are in fact self-righteous & self-reliant – but for those at the bottom of the heap. Those who have been abused and oppressed by the nice people.

These are the people Jesus has come to meet, to welcome and to transform. And the disciples must understand this.

But the child and Jesus' teaching make no impression on these men: 'Master', said John, 'we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we tried to stop him, because he is not one of us.'

The disciples have seen a man 'casting out demons in Jesus' name' And just as they're not keen to welcome the outcast in Jesus name, so they don't like is when some unknown man does what they think is their right, their privilege. Jesus gave authority & power to them to cast out demons, how dare this man encroach on their territory. And they call on Jesus to endorse their feelings of superiority and self-importance.

But he won't have anything to do with it. 'Don't stop him, for whoever is not against you is for you.'

In other words, 'Just because he's not 'one of you' doesn't mean he's not 'one of us'. If he's acting in my name, and not opposing you, then he must be one of us. Let him be.'

Are the disciples now beginning to understand?

Well, no, not judging from the very next incident in vv51-56.

There was mutual hatred between the Samaritans and the Jews. The Jews hated the Samaritans because they had broken away from Judah married non-Jews and worshipped on a different mountain. The Samaritans hated the Jews because they were despised and rejected. And when the Samaritans see that Jesus is headed to the Jewish capital city, Jerusalem, they want nothing to do with him. But this in turn provokes the disciples: perhaps this would be a good opportunity to show their new-found power & authority – 'Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to destroy them...?' But Jesus rebuked them, and they moved on.

Now it would be easy to criticise the disciples for their attitudes. But as we look at them, if we have any self-awareness, surely we see a mirror of our own attitudes. We don't like spending time with the outcasts of society, we'd rather spend time with people like us than with people who are different. We naturally stay within our groups – it's easier that way. In fact there are times when we don't even like to be seen to be with certain people. We're proud – we think we're better than them.

But here Jesus is beginning to build a new society – the kingdom of God, the church – in which barriers are broken down. A place where the poor, the outcast, the young, the weak the... different, are not only welcomed but treated as equals.

In the book of Revelation 2, John – one of these once proud disciples – is given a vision of a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!

One day, God will unite his people and we begin to get a real sense of that in the church today. But notice where they gather – it's around Jesus – who is on his throne and who is the lamb who was slain. When people understand that Jesus is both their majestic king and their saviour, then they gather in unity.

When you understand that this mighty, glorious king who has all power & authority is the same person who went willingly to have a crown of thorns pressed on his head, to be spat on, to be taunted, beaten, whipped, nailed to a cross because you are a sinful rebellious spiteful creature - when you understand that, then you begin to welcome people who are, in fact, no different from you. You welcome people in Jesus' name because you know that you're no better than them. You welcome them because you know that you deserve no more – and probably less – than them.

Eventually the disciples cotton on to this – as they realised that Jesus' true glory was not in his spectacular & miraculous displays of power, but in his crucifixion – then they understood what Jesus meant when he said, 'Whoever is least among you all – he is the greatest.'