God’s Word for You
Luke 22:24-27 The humble response of your faith
by Pastor Timothy Smith on Wednesday, March 27, 2019
Who Is Greater?
24 A dispute also arose among the disciples about which of them was considered to be greater. 25 But Jesus told them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who have authority over them are called benefactors. 26 Not so you! Instead, the greatest among you should become like the youngest, and the one who rules should become like the one who serves. 27 For who is greater, the one who reclines at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.
This dispute is an illustration of all our quarreling about everything all over the world. It seems to have arisen because of some event in the room at the Passover. I tend to agree with those who find a place for this before the meal, as a result of a discussion over who would wash the others’ feet. It’s easy to see then how this dispute erupted. No one wanted to behave like a servant. To teach them about service, Jesus took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, and himself stooped down to wash their feet (John 13:1-20).
Normally a slave would have done this, but Jesus shows us that we should be willing to behave like a slave when there is slave work to be done. We should be willing to behave like a hero when there is hero work to be done. We should be willing to behave like whatever God requires of us.
Unbelievers grab for power, soaking up prestige along with it. A man can so easily become drunk with power, thinking that everything he does is greater than anything anyone has ever done. He begins to ridicule and shame everyone around him, and he is nothing else but a fool. What should a Christian do? Christians serve one another. Sometimes a Christian will enter into a position of leadership and forget his place in the kingdom of God, but we pray that God would always use his law and gospel to remind us of our place and to lift us up when we fall down.
Perhaps you will undertake a little act of service today, some small thing that no one will ever know about or see. But God sees. God knows. The humble response of your faith to God’s grace has already been put to use in his kingdom, for the good of mankind.
In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith
Pastor Smith serves St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in New Ulm, Minnesota. To receive God’s Word for You via e-mail, please visit the St. Paul’s Lutheran Church website.