“Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant.”
Matthew 20:26 (NIV)
Great Among You
In any list of the greatest Canadians, you will find the name Marshall McLuhan. Herbert Marshall McLuhan was a communication theorist, and is credited for coining the term, “The medium is the message.” McLuhan was born in Edmonton in 1911, grew up in Winnipeg and worked at the University of Toronto before he died in 1980. According to the Canadian Encyclopedia, he described the effects of the Internet and virtual reality in 1964, warning us that “the Global Village would not be a peaceful place.”
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The first disciples found Jesus confusing. He kept doing things that they didn’t expect. Just as they were figuring out, for example, that He was the divine Creator of the universe, and the Messiah, Jesus got down on His knees with a basin and a towel and washed their feet. We find this just as shocking. We live in a day when the rich and famous are emulated and honoured. Those who serve others are seldom recognized. That’s just how things are in the world in which we live. But things are very different in the upside-down Kingdom of God. Jesus says this in Matthew 20:26: “Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant.” In the Kingdom of God, servants are those we are to honour and celebrate. We are called to be like Jesus in our humility and in putting others before ourselves. It isn’t easy – we are constantly pressured to be awed by those the world tells us are important. Instead, take time today to consider who are the servants in your life, and determine to be like them. By so doing, you will be like Jesus.
These have been words from the heart.
Bob Beasley