"But you are not
to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one
who rules like the one who serves."
It is the Last Supper. Jesus has offered the New Covenant, which will
be carried out by his sacrifice of himself for their, and our, sins. The disciples, rather
than understanding this supreme sacrifice, become embroiled in an argument as to which of
them is the greatest. Confronted by followers who cannot pull themselves away from an
inward focus, even when he is in the process of giving himself to die in order to save
others, Jesus tells them "The Kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who
exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. But you are not to be like that.
Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like
the one who serves."
Jesus’ actions are the embodiment of the Servant-King. He shows us
in both words and actions that we are to better ourselves and to lead by serving others.
This message also instructs us as to how we should manage our talents and gifts. It
follows from this instruction that if we are blessed with wealth, we should use it to
enrich and help others, not merely to advance ourselves at the expense of others and to
demonstrate an alleged superiority. Similarly, if we have knowledge, we should share it
and help others to acquire similar knowledge. It’s all too tempting for us to use it
as a means of putting others down. All blessings and talents can be used to help others,
or instead can be used as weapons to harm and/or belittle others.
The root of Jesus’ simple instruction in the passage derives from
his earlier command that we are to "Love your neighbor as yourself." If we look
to see how our actions can help others, rather than analyzing if they can be used to our
advantage at the expense of others, we will be heeding his command.
