Interesting commentary.
40. Confronting the Disciples' Pride (Luke 9:46-56)
by Dr. Ralph F. Wilson
Gospel Parallels §§129, 130, 137
Audio (33:32)
Free E-mail Bible Study
King Solomon: Wisdom, Wealth, Weakness
James J. Tissot, detail of 'Jesus and the Little Child' (1886-94), gouache on gray wove paper, 5.7 x 9.3 in., Brooklyn Museum, New York. |
"46 An argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest. 47 Jesus, knowing their thoughts, took a little child and had him stand beside him. 48 Then he said to them, '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.'
49 '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.' 50 'Do not stop him,' Jesus said, 'for whoever is not against you is for you.'
51 As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. 52 And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; 53 but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. 54 When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, 'Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?' 55 But Jesus turned and rebuked them, 56 and they went to another village." (Luke 9:46-56, NIV)
So many leaders are followers of their egos and their need for affirmation from others. Jesus' disciples were no different than you or I in this regard.
If you were scouring the Twelve disciples for candidates for the biggest ego, whom would you nominate?
Peter comes to mind first. He is bold and brash, and sometimes resists what Jesus wanted to teach or do (see Matthew 16:22 and John 13:6-9). He boasts, for example, that though the other disciples may fall away, that he never will (Matthew 26:33).
But the brothers Jesus nicknamed "the sons of thunder" -- James and John, the sons of Zebedee -- come in a close second. Through their mother, they seek to be granted the right to sit at his right and left hand in the kingdom (Matthew 20:20-22; Mark 10:35-38). What chutzpah!
Why is it that the Three whom Jesus took aside -- Peter, James, and John -- had such a problem with pride? Did Jesus' special attention inflate their egos? Perhaps. But they were the natural leaders who needed special instruction. What makes a leader believe that others will follow or want to follow him or her? What makes a leader desire to lead, come out on top in a group of people, and naturally extend influence over the others? Leaders have their own set of strengths and weaknesses. Pride can be one of these. Only when self-centeredness and self-confidence are surrendered to Jesus, can leaders really be servants. And so Jesus works with his leader-disciples and the rest of them about their pride.
Who Is the Greatest? (Luke 9:46)
"An argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest." (Luke 9:46)
The disciples have been arguing. The Greek word is used here is
dialogismos, "doubt, dispute, argument."
348 Three times, and maybe more, the disciples argue about which of them would be the greatest -- here in 9:46-48, just before Jesus' final ministry in Jerusalem (Matthew 20:20-28), and, amazingly, at the Last Supper (Luke 22:24), which probably prompted Jesus to wash the disciples' feet and so teach them true humility (John 13:4-17). This was an ongoing problem, one that wasn't learned the first time Jesus taught his disciples.
The question the disciples are arguing about is not who
is the greatest, but who
will be the greatest.
349 The Greek word is
meizōn, the comparative form of
megas, "large, great."
350 They were seeking greatness of rank and dignity, of importance and status. This is not the pursuit of excellence as a disciple or as a minister of Christ -- a good thing. Some, at least, of what we see every four years in the Olympics is the pursuit of the goal of doing the best you can do. Unfortunately, some athletes, along with Jesus' disciples today, are caught up in the pursuit of status, the acclaim of others, always with the idea of comparison with others -- greater than, better than, more recognized than, better known than. Fortunately, I guess, this sort of pride isn't very subtle, and can be easily recognized -- especially by others.
When I was in college, one of my aspirations was to be a truly effective worship leader -- and I thought I was pretty good at it, too, and hoped that others were noticing. One Easter break, I attended a conference on an old camp meeting grounds outside of Waco, Texas. The worship leader at the conference was a missionary named Doyle Brymer. He had a gentle spirit and a great love for Jesus. As he led the songs during one evening service, I observed him carefully. He was an "okay" song leader, but not "excellent," I surmised. But I began to realize that he had no consciousness of who might be looking at him or might be thinking about him; he was lost in love with Jesus. Pride had no place in him. But it did have a considerable place in me who coveted his position. I remember coming forward at the conclusion of that service broken and weeping -- all I could see was Doyle Brymer's transparent love for Jesus contrasted with my ugly acclaim-seeking pride. This was by no means the only time God has dealt with me over my pride, but it was one of the early and clarifying experiences as he has been seeking to form me in Jesus' image.
A Little Child at Jesus' Side (Luke 9:47)
"Jesus, knowing their thoughts, took a little child and had him stand beside him." (Luke 9:47)
On this occasion, Jesus uses a child to make a point. Children in Jesus' day were regarded with little importance or esteem. Yes, their parents had sentimental thoughts about them, but they weren't looked on as innocent; rather filled with foolishness that the rod might drive away (Proverbs 22:15). Children were part of the covenant, but not considered responsible members of the community until the age of 12 or 13. Children had no status.
351
Jesus used children for examples a number of times, so it is important that we don't conflate in our minds these various incidents.
- Unless we humble ourselves and become like children, we won't enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 18:3-4)
- Don't prevent children from coming to Jesus, for "of such is the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 19:14)
- Unless we receive the kingdom of God like a child we shall not enter it. (Mark 10:15; Luke 18:17)
So detach your mind from those incidents and look closely at this one. Here, Jesus takes a little child and stands the child next to him -- Jesus, tall, on one side, the child, short in comparison, on the other. Jesus is now one of the most famous men in all Galilee, while the little child is an unknown outside his village, and in his village has no status whatsoever. Jesus is making a stark contrast. But first he must get the disciples' attention.
.