Who is the greatest
“At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
He called a little child and had him stand among them.
And he said: “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:1-4.
What makes a person great, education, being a great orator, Power, being a mighty hero, What?
Most people when asked to name a great leader they may mention the name of a politician, soldier, artist. And in human terms they may well be great. But in time their names fade from memory. I read an article that asked teenagers who Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt were. Few could answer. Fewer still in Canada could name the fathers of confederation. In the united states it was the same. Few could name those who signed the deceleration of independence.
One man’s name however is known around the earth. Jesus of Nazareth. Two point two billion people still follow him today.
Dr. James Allan Francis in 1926 wrote a poem called One Solitary Life, it reads,
He never wrote a book
He never held an office
He never went to college
He never visited a big city
He never travelled more than two hundred miles from the place where he was born
He did none of the things usually associated with greatness...
Nineteen centuries have come and gone
And today Jesus is the central figure of the human race
And the leader of mankind's progress
All the armies that have ever marched
All the navies that have ever sailed
All the parliaments that have ever sat
All the kings that ever reigned put together
Have not affected the life of mankind on earth
As powerfully as that one solitary life
Christ Jesus.
Jesus taught us what it was to be humble. He came to do the work of God. To do the will of his Heavenly Father. In doing so he showed us what it was to be humble.
Jesus humbled himself to the point of washing the feet of his disciples.
Humility is in short supply among most people today. How many politicians have fallen because they refused to humble themselves and admit what they were doing was wrong.
How many wars have started because the leaders of a country have refused to back down because it was a case of honour. And to back down would be a disgrace.
Jesus the Son of God who was there on the day of creation. The one who created the world. Humbled himself to become a man and to die for the sins of man. To die for sins he didn’t commit.
We as individuals need to look at the teachings of Christ. We need to look at his life, learn the lesson of humility he taught and put that lessons into action in our life.
In doing so I believe we will make the world a far better place.
Think About it.
