Observation: During the last supper, Jesus has just made a shocking declaration ... someone there at this very table, sharing this meal, will betray him. The disciples then have two back-to-back conversations, and given the fact they are presented as such they seem related.
They begin by talking about the bombshell Jesus just dropped, wondering which of them would - or even could - do such a thing as betray Jesus. However, this seemingly pivots rapidly into an even more energetic debate about which of them is actually the greatest - likely most loyal and most faithful - disciple. Jesus' response to all of this (v25-32) actually addresses both topics in reverse order. He first teaches that true greatness is found in serving, and while they will all have positions of leadership, they must also serve others as he has served others. He then pivots to Peter, stating he has prayed for him, about how he will deny Jesus tonight (not betray, but certainly not remaining strong).
In effectively addressing both topics, Jesus shows that both were part of a single conversation. In other words, after Jesus makes a terrible declaration, the disciples quickly devolve in their thinking. Effectively, their conversation is 'Well I wouldn't betray Jesus because I have more faith than anyone!' They fly past the important part and turn it into a personal declaration of their own position in some kingdom hierarchy, and immediately that becomes a "dispute" between people who are supposed to love one another.
Application: This sums up church life in a nutshell, doesn't it. We have kingdom work to do. We receive instructions from God. We know that the world will fight and reject us and bring hardships upon us as both individuals and as a group. And we respond by ... humblebragging about our prayer and devotional life, telling each other of revelations our superior faith has discerned, and daring to instruct and correct others because we have spent time studying all kinds of Christian self-help books and videos.
In all of this, what we are really supposed to be doing is loving one another, serving each other when hard times come, and taking that heart of love and service into the world so others may learn the good news of Jesus.
If it sounds like I'm complaining about the Church and Christians ... well, I am a little, I guess. However, this is clearly a human condition, as even the disciples themselves fell into this during their most important time with Jesus. It is easy for us to fall into a trap of comparison as a form of justification. Even non-Christians do this in evaluating whether or not they are 'good', and people do this in almost every aspect of life far beyond topic pertain to faith and morals. Figuring out where we all stand on a continuum of bad-to-good, weak-to-strong, dumb-to-smart ... this is effectively how humans interact by default.
The lesson today is that, when I adopt this default mindset, I get distracted from the important topics and issues and work and mission. Comparison and judgment take my mind away from serving and loving. Pursuing superiority along the continuum hinders my ability to present the gospel. And given the fact that, like Peter, I'm really never all that great anyway, it would be better to just do the kingdom work without comparison.
Prayer: Lord, it is so easy to say things like, I know I'm not perfect, but I'm better than others. Thank you for today's lesson, that that mindset is beyond worthless. It is counterproductive in your kingdom. Today, please show me how I may serve others in your name. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment