AMBITION AND GREATNESS IN THE KINGDOM

Mark 10:32-45

The gospel is about the journey to Jerusalem and the Apostles understood that the inauguration of the kingdom was near. They wanted power in the kingdom James and John requested Jesus that one of them will sit at his right and the other at his left when, he will reign in his Kingdom. The others too had the same ambitions, they got angry because these two have got ahead of them to ask for positions. Jesus' disciples were not hearing what he was saying to them; it seems they only heard the part about glory but not the part about suffering and death. They did not understand that one enters into glory through suffering, service and humility.

At this opportunity Jesus calls them together, corrects their ignorance about the kingdom, and teaches them a lesson on ambition and greatness. To be great in the kingdom one must serve, as the Son of Man came to serve. Jesus’ measure of greatness is very simple: the service a disciple offers to others. He says: “Whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all. This means that the believer’s ambition is ultimately to do the will of God in a total and humble service to others.

               This is also true for us. This is a lesson that every Christian needs to remember. Ambition is not wrong, but it should be for the right object to do the will of God. The measure of our greatness should not based on the power or the position we have in the society, but it should be based on the service we render for the society. Maybe we should ask ourselves a question about the kind of service we give to other people. Are we actually engaged in giving service to others? Serving others is not just the path to greatness in the kingdom of God, it is also the path to happiness in life.

There is a good life formula: "ADD Jesus to your life; SUBTRACT all your fears; MULTIPLY your good deeds; DIVIDE your blessings with others; EQUALS a WONDERFUL LIFE."