So You Want First Place?

Today, my message is about selfishness and selflessness – two contrasting concepts that describe different ways of thinking and behaving and are in juxtaposition to each other.

An important point is that neither selfishness nor selflessness is inherently good or bad. The context and intentions behind one’s actions play a crucial role in determining their value. Selfishness can sometimes be necessary, while selflessness can foster altruism, and that is what I want to focus on.

We can start in the book of Matthew 20:20-23 [NASB]. In this context, Salome, the wife of Zebedee and mother of James and John, is almost demanding of Jesus that in His coming kingdom, her two sons should sit in positions of prominence. The sons did not reject their mothers demand but claim that they could bear the same burden that Jesus Himself was destined to bear. I won’t go as far as to say that this was a lie, but clearly they did not really understand the extent of that burden.

Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to Jesus with her sons, bowing down and making a request of Him. And He said to her, “What do you desire?” She said to Him, “Say that in Your kingdom these two sons of mine shall sit, one at Your right, and one at Your left.” But Jesus replied, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?” They said to Him, “We are able.” He said to them, “My cup you shall drink; but to sit at My right and at My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by My Father.”

It’s not about “sitting” – it’s symbolically about power and authority – they want to be above others. Jesus confirms that they will suffer, “My cup you shall drink”, indicating that they too would suffer for their faith. He is also saying that following Jesus requires a willingness to endure hardship and persecution, but the rewards are only for the Father to give, and only to those who have been prepared to receive it.

How is one “prepared?” We are prepared in God’s sovereign plan and purpose. God has a specific plan in place for each one of us. God orchestrates circumstances, events, and even the hearts of people to align with His divine will. “But”, you say – “we have freewill”. Yes, you do – so your hearts and minds need to be open to receive the plan – to be involved in the plan God has for you.

Further, taking from the scriptural interpretation “The Message”, [Mark 9:33-37]

They came to Capernaum. When he was safe at home, he asked them, “What were you discussing on the road?” The silence was deafening—they had been arguing with one another over who among them was greatest. He sat down and summoned the Twelve. “So you want first place? Then take the last place. Be the servant of all.”

He put a child in the middle of the room. Then, cradling the little one in his arms, he said, “Whoever embraces one of these children as I do embraces me, and far more than me – God who sent me.”

“The silence was deafening”. All twelve, each arguing about being greater than the others – but also, by implication, all twelve being greater than everyone else in the whole world. I have to believe that this greatly disappointed Jesus, but his reaction was humble – ‘be the last, and you will be first.’

Then he sets a child in the middle of the room and embraces the child saying ‘if you can embrace the least of this world, you embrace God Himself.’ The commandment to love your neighbor as yourself – [Matthew 22:39 and Mark 12:31] is a call to love and care for others, regardless of background, ethnicity, or beliefs – the importance of treating others with kindness, compassion, and respect. Consider Matthew 25:40, where Jesus says, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

That is the child Jesus embraces, the least of the other children of God – selflessly.

Father God; Lord Jesus: Keep me in your plan as I keep you in my heart. Embrace me as you would a child and forgive me as you would a child, for I am a child of yours. Amen.