Greatness—look no further than how you see the children poised for possibilities

This week was not our finest moment when it comes to greatness because of how we treated the possibilities unrealized in our children. This week an officer of the law was exonerated for his response to alleged, stolen diapers, shooting into a fleeing car and fatally wounding a one-year-old child, killing him and the possibilities of his greatness that will never be manifested. The world could have used his greatness unseen. This week police escorted three-year-old Nevada off a Florida youth-soccer field for being too good. Someone—the league director—called authorities on his parents because other parents were complaining that he was not sharing the ball. Why should he? The three-year old in a 5-7 age soccer league outscored the competition, kicking and dribbling to the tune of 23 goals in two matches. What greatness… at three! That league will never see this kind of greatness on their field ever again. This child prodigy is now taking his skills to Spain to be developed in keeping with his world-stage potential. Our loss, the world’s gain.  Calling the police—for whatever reason—cannot be a proper response to promoting the possibilities of greatness. Then what is?

Far too much and much too often, we—from our children to our churches—we settle for mediocracy rather than possibility; that we fear greatness; the wrong greatness is celebrated and promoted. Too many of our teens choose bullying over building their peers up. Too many churches choose money over ministry; popularity over Holy Ghost power, and the comfort of a pew over the challenge of the great commission to “go ye therefore.” We have become children of lesser gods. But when we embrace the greatness of our God and our greatness as His children, we can choose possibility over disability. Church, in your present predicament (no pastor and empty pews), you stand today between possibility and pedestrian. What direction you land depends, in part, on how you view greatness.

In Mark 9:33-37, greatness is showcased; possibilities are on display. We see the questions that lie within the questions of greatness, namely: how do you define greatness; how do you re-think greatness and how do you apply greatness? Define, think, apply. Church, you don’t have to wait for the pitch kick to see who is the greatest. Christ wants to show you who is poised for its possibilities of greatness.

First, define greatness by greatness—Jesus. The problem was the disciples argued among themselves who is the greatest instead of asking Jesus about true greatness. Look at verses 33-34.

And they came to Capernaum; and when He was in the house, He began to question them, "What were you discussing on the way?"  ³⁴ But they kept silent, for on the way they had discussed with one another which of them was the greatest. Mark 9:33-34 

The disciples had witnessed greatness in Jesus early his ministry when He healed a leper, opened the ears of deaf man, fed thousands, even walked on water. They had direct access to greatness, yet, when they had a question about true greatness, they looked to themselves i.e.—the world for answers and came up with only arguments. 

The world defines greatness in terms of fame, fortune, and TikTok followings. The world’s definition would not have considered a widow with two cents, but Jesus did. He used her to define great giving. You know her story in Mark 12:41-44.

In His last teaching opportunity with his disciples, he took them to the synagogue for a “giving” show and tell. He pointed out the rich pharisees who poured their coins in the trumpet shaped receptacle. The sound the coins made amplified and echoed against the marble floors. The effect was that their giving drew attention to themselves. I can imagine the comments, “Oh did you hear that, how much they gave? Oh, how generous they are!”  Then Jesus pointed out a widow and the sound her two coins made. They barely made a tinkle. He said:

I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others.  ⁴⁴ They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything-- all she had to live on." Mark 12:43-44 

The anonymous woman is immortalized as the model of great giving—the willingness to give everything. If you want to define greatness—in any area—take it to Jesus and His Word. When you want to know…

…who a great pastor is, Jesus says: “The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” according to John 10:11.

…who a great neighbor is, Jesus says: “The one who shows mercy like the good Samaritan according to Luke 10:37.

…who a great disciple is, Jesus says: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” according to Luke 9:23

Church, define greatness, not by the world’s standards, but by the greatness of Jesus. When you do, you are poised for the possibilities that come with greatness.

Second, rethink greatness in line with the Great One—Jesus and see upside-down possibilities.  Jesus’ view of greatness was the view of an “upside down Kingdom” where: the first must be last and servant of all. Look at verse 35:

And sitting down, He called the twelve and said to them, "If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all, and servant of all."

The world’s view of greatness is a seating chart; Jesus’ a serving tray. The worldview is the “first”, the privileged, get the 50-yard line seats at the Super Bowl. But in Jesus’ “Upside Kingdom”, the servant—the last—gets greater front row seats when it counts in the end like Ebed-Melech. You know his story in Jeremiah 39.

His name literally means “slave of the king.” However, this Ethiopian eunuch was more than a servant of the king of Judah. He was a servant of the servant of the Lord—the Prophet Jeremiah. When Jeremiah was thrown into prison—a cistern full of mud—by his enemies who did not like his prophecy that Judah would be exiled to Babylon by God for their apostacy. Ebed-Melech responded when he heard the news Jeremiah was in mud. He went to the King and was put in charge of a thirty-man rescue team. But the resourceful servant didn’t need them. He took rags, fashioned a rope and pulled Jeremiah to safety.

His greatness as a servant was rewarded. When Judah was eventually invaded by Babylon, Ebed-Melech was rescued. He was spared exile. There was not a scratch on him. He became one of the remnants who stayed in Jerusalem to care for the city until Judah’s return. Ebed-Melech realized the possibilities of a promotion because he was “the last”—a great servant of God.

Church, rethink your idea about greatness. Look for the servant—the last—in your midst and what their possibilities bring to your muddy situation. 

Here’s what you can learn from the “last” like Ebed-Melech:

1.     The “Last—the servants of all” are sensible. They have a sensibility to what is the right thing to do to promote the Kingdom’s agenda.  If it doesn’t feel right, it ain’t right. They do something about it.

2.     The “Last—the servants of all” are available. They don’t have to be high ranking in society, just possess high-mindedness of purpose. Ebed-Melech was a man of color and a eunuch. He had a double whammy against him. But that didn’t matter when Jeremiah needed a hand up. Color never does.

3.     The “Last—the servants of all” aren’t afraid to be resourceful. They’ll take rags and make a rescue rope, and they’ll enlist their worldly connections to “get ‘er done.”

Church, imagine the possibilities of greatness and become like Ebed-Melech, “Lasts”—the servants who are sensible, available and resourceful.

Lastly, apply greatness: follow the great example—Jesus—and be a champion of the least. Jesus illustrated, through holding a child, that the way to greatness is to embrace the insignificant and be humble, totally dependent on God, not self.

."  ³⁶ And taking a child, He set him before them, and taking him in His arms, He said to them,  ³⁷ "Whoever receives one child like this in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me does not receive Me, but Him who sent Me."

Children were very insignificant in Jesus’ day, so this child would be the perfect object lesson to counter the disciples’ selfish ambitions seen in the beginning of the text when they argued over who would be greatest.

Humility, serving the insignificant, being dependent on God alone is the pathway to greatness.

It was for Harriet Tubman. You know her story. If you don’t, I recommend the docu-drama, “Harriet”. She was totally dependent on God and the intuitions He gave her. After escaping slavery via the underground railroad, she considered her freedom was insignificant as long as there were others still under a master’s whip. She made 13 trips back to the South to rescue 70 other slaves. To her, they were her significance. Her greatness was seizing the possibilities of a network of safe houses that led to Canada and freedom for slaves.

Church, if you want to be great and open yourself to all kinds of possibilities, then find the insignificant, and make them significant. Be someone’s champion like the Inanda orphanage children of Durban, South Africa. (see opening photo)

I met them on a mission trip. They live without the things we complain about. We complain about left overs. They cook outside on a box spring when they have something to cook.

We complain about our schools—masks, no mask; in person, zoom. Their classroom is a one room with no desks; only hard benches in a room with a few windows for ventilation; one light bulb.

Parents complain about teachers; teachers complain about parents. There are no parents where they are. They are all orphans. They are their own parents, raising each other up, the older ones rearing the younger ones. Their parents have been killed by AIDS.

They live behind fencing and, looking out, they hope that the next van that pulls up will bring champions to for their cause. On the day that I took that picture, they sang: Number One, Number One, Jesus is Number One. When the bell rang, they filed into their church/classroom. I was struck by the scene of a toddler who couldn’t of have been more than 4 years old, guiding a 3-year-old toddler by the hand to his seat—one welcoming the other.

You may not be their champion of Nevada. But you need to be some one’s.  When you take your eyes off your insignificance and turn your attention to others, you open yourself up to possibilities of real greatness and its rewards. Church, you don’t have to wait for the World Cup to see who is the greatest.  Look at this child, and others who you can help. Calling the police is not the “better-self” response. Looking inside is. The one poised for possibilities is self-evident.