You Wanna Be Great?

Anyone who wants to become great among you must be your servant, and anyone who wants to be first among you must be slave to all. For the Son of Man himself did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

Mk.10:43-45

The other ten apostles are indignant with James and John attempting to gain high ranking from Jesus. Jesus sees they all want the same aggrandisement, so he defines what it takes to be great in God's Kingdom. Servanthood. 

I'm sure Jesus chose the twelve because of their brokenness. It makes them so relatable. I know if I was among the ten I would as loud as any of them in my protestations.  I want to be great and my measure of greatness is not very Christian. 

Our Christian faith is unique in its constant call to servanthood. We should be constantly fighting about who is going to be the servant. You know, standing at the door arguing about who is going through first... "After you. No, after you. No, I insist, after you. No, after you..."

Today I bend my measuring stick of greatness back to Jesus, which means back to the greatest servant of all, the Servant King.

Jesus, my spirit is willing but my flesh is so weak. It wants to be exalted. Help me take the greatest pleasure in exalting others today.
Saint Philip Neri, please pray for me.