Bob Knepper

Today’s passage reads, “They came to Capernaum. When He was in the house, He asked them ‘What were you arguing about on the road?’ But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest. Sitting down, Jesus called the twelve and said, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all’.” (vs. 33-35)

In this Scripture it seems the disciples were proud and self-seeking and maybe even embarrassed because they were discussing who was the greatest among them. It may be that it’s human nature to desire to be better than others. If so, it is our fallen nature. Pride is sin! The sin of some believers is going beyond pleasing the Lord – rather, it is being in competition with other Christians. Jesus gave a very revealing statement. He told them the truth about ambition. He told them the true way to greatness. “It is not by seeking to be first,” He said, “It is by a willingness to be last. It is not by getting people to serve you, it is by becoming a servant of all.”

The disciples were probably a distance from Jesus and did not want Him to hear their argument. They were deceiving themselves just as we deceive ourselves thinking that God does not know what’s going on in our mind, but He Does!

The best answer to being able to deal with pride and arrogance in our life is to stay close to Jesus. When we stray from Him, our thoughts become self-centered. Our natural tendencies will get us deeper into trouble. We tend to think it’s essential to be recognized as number one, but that is not what the Lord desires.

We pray:

May we serve Jesus and serve His Kingdom on earth so that we may receive His heavenly reward. Amen