Who is the Greatest?
A little over a year ago, I published my first online post. Until very recently, I had not had any kind of social media (are we sure this guy is 17?), so until last year, I had never put anything of mine on the internet. Last June, though, I decided to make my first post. It was an article, like this one, and at the time I wrote it, I thought I was the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time – there’s the youth lingo). Since then, I have been taught that I was and am not. I already knew that, but events in my life in the past few months have reminded me that I am most certainly not the greatest.
Speaking of the greatest, how about “The Greatest Showman”? I like to consider myself a musical kid, and while it’s honestly not my all-time favorite movie, you can bet I got the soundtrack pretty quick. In that movie, there’s a scene in which Hugh Jackman’s character confronts his father-in-law, a rich man who has looked down on him for years. Both men obviously have an inflated ego, and eventually one of them storms out of the room, straining many relationships in the process. Why did that happen? Because they both thought they were the best man in the room.
I struggle with pride a lot. When I do something right, I often want to take credit for it; even if I don’t openly applaud myself, in my mind I’m enjoying the attention. When I do something wrong, I try to hide it, which often involves lying and/or excuses, separate and arguably more serious problems that I’m continually working on. A lot of times, I need a reminder that I am not and should not be the center of the universe. (If you don’t believe me, count the number of “I” statements in this paragraph.)
James and John needed that reminder, too. In Mark 10:35 and following, we read about them coming before Jesus and asking for a position of greatness when His kingdom would be fulfilled. They even elevate themselves to His level in a way, stating that they are willing to accept the same baptism and cup that He would take (vv. 38-39). Two of the closest men to Jesus during His earthly life were completely backwards in their understanding of greatness, as we often are. There is one person, however, who is promised a place near Christ in His kingdom, a person no one would have expected. In Luke 23:43, Jesus promises the believing criminal on the cross that he will join Him in paradise. Why? Because he recognized Who Jesus was in that moment and was able to see himself as unworthy. He knew that God was the One with the power, not him.
Despite the times when I feel really good about myself in my accomplishments, I realize that I am also unworthy of God’s promises. That is why I am thankful for the gospel, the good news about the God of love Who will accept me anyway. If I choose to focus on myself, I will only cause tension and, ultimately, failure in my walk with God and others in this life. At the end of the day, it’s not about who I am; it’s about Who He Is, and He makes all the difference.
“‘All these things My hand has made, and so all these things came to be,’ declares the Lord. ‘But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at My word.’” – Isaiah 66:2
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AUTHOR: Lucas Tatum
