Who is the Greatest?

“An argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest. Jesus, knowing their thoughts, took a little child and had him stand beside him. 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 it is the one who is least among you all who is the greatest.’” Luke 9:46-48 NIV

In 1964 before his heavy weight title fight against Sonny Liston, Muhammad Ali, then known as Cassius Clay, made his famous pronouncement, ‘I am the greatest.’ Backing up his claim he went on to defeat Liston by a TKO after six rounds. No one can deny Ali’s greatness in the ring throughout his career; retiring in 1981 with 56 wins, only 3 loses, and 3 world titles. Many consider him to be the G.O.A.T (greatest of all time) at least in the boxing realm and that may indeed be true. Desiring to be the best in your sport, even considered great by working hard at it is an admirable endeavor, but be careful not to let your pride get in the way.

Jesus’s disciples were eagerly waiting the Messianic kingdom He was about to bring into existence. They were also anxious about their role in the kingdom asking Jesus which of them would be the greatest. The disciples were concerned because some were selected over others for specific tasks. This caused contention among them. They were more concerned with having prominence in the kingdom than what Jesus had assigned for them. Each of the disciples wanted to insure a favorable position, one that would meet their expectations, but they had it all wrong.

This became a teachable moment for the disciples and for us today. Jesus had a little child stand beside Him and then He said to His disciples, ‘Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For it is the one who is least among you all who is the greatest.’ (Lk. 9:48 NIV) The kingdom is not about position or status. Jesus is saying humility is at forefront in the kingdom of God. And entrance into the kingdom of God is not of our own achievements, but by the lowly position of simple faith in Him and that constitutes the greatest in the kingdom.

Let us not be prideful of our accomplishments while here on earth whatever they may be but give the glory to God. And let us take the lowly position of childlike faith in accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and be the greatest in the kingdom by being the least.