Greatness

Pastor Chet Kwiat

There is a great deal of talk about who is the greatest, especially among sports enthusiasts. In every athletic endeavor there seems to always be the discussion about who was the greatest. Was Michael Jordan the greatest basketball player ever? Or Is LeBron James the greatest? Ty Cobb thought he was the greatest baseball player ever, or was it Babe Ruth or Mickey Mantle? When it comes to golf, was Jack Nicklaus the greatest to ever play or has Tiger Woods taken that mantle? Who could ever forget the famous words, “I am the greatest, the greatest of all time!” frequently spoken by Mohamed Ali, especially when being interviewed by Howard Cosell. It seems in every arena in life there is the discussion of who is or was the greatest. Who was the greatest president? Who was the greatest general, writer, or artist? We seem to be so enamored by trying to identify greatness.

The early followers of Jesus were not immune to such discussions. The Gospel writer Mark writes of how the disciples were arguing amongst themselves. When they arrived at their destination Jesus asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?” But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest. (Mark 9:33, 34) Jesus knew what the discussion was so he sat them all down and called the 12 to him and he said to them, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.” (Mark 9:35) Jesus later would model this by washing each of their feet at what we call the Last Supper. He took the very nature of a servant. He not only talked the talk, but he also walked the walk.

Join Pastor Chet Kwiat at the Christian Fellowship meeting on Saturdays at 4 p.m. in the Cheyenne /Laredo room.