Luke 22:24-30 A dispute also arose among them, as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest. 25 And he said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors. 26 But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. 27 For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves. 28 "You are those who have stayed with me in my trials, 29 and I assign to you, as my Father assigned to me, a kingdom, 30 that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
1 The dispute recorded by St. Luke in today’s Gospel lesson that has the disciples pitted against one another in competition for the title of “greatest” is not unique. Luke records another dispute among the disciples as to which of them was the greatest. St. Mark and St. Matthew both record such a conflict. The holy Apostles, among whom Bartholomew was one, those called particularly by the Lord Jesus to follow Him, those chosen particularly to be sent out with His message to preach, those in closest company to the Lord Himself, were knee-deep in a debate about which of them was the greatest.
2 Those who follow the Apostles, those sent by the ones sent by the Lord, pastors, are prone to the same conflicts. Vainly encouraged by innovative approaches to leadership, those called and ordained by the Lord dispute as to which of them is to be regarded as the greatest. Bigger congregations and fancier buildings are the points of contention, the bargaining chips to earn respect and honor. He is a great pastor who draws the most people in, whose church grows the fastest, even at the expense of fidelity to God’s holy Word and Sacraments. Those who wear the mantle of the prophets and apostles are heirs to their back-stabbing competitiveness, as well.
3 Do not fall into the trap of esteeming yourselves above the Apostles or their successors because you have no petty disagreements over who is greatest. You are not immune. You have not been called to the office of the ministry, but you have been called to an office. Whatever your office—be it parent, spouse, child, worker, teacher, neighbor, citizen—you are not faithful to your calling. Instead, you bicker over who is the greatest, wanting to use the ways of the world to measure greatness. You look at your own accomplishments and successes to determine your greatness. You look to your possessions or goods to esteem your value. You look at the positions of others, their seeming greatness, and you covet what they have, wanting to be as great, as loved, as honored, as revered, as they.
4 This is wickedness. Repent. Turn your eyes away from yourselves: there is no greatness to be seen there. Repent. Let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. Repent of despising the Apostles or their successors. Repent of despising your neighbors. Repent of despising those menial tasks of service the Lord has entrusted to you to do. Repent of seeking your own greatness.
5 The Lord Jesus was among His apostles as One who serves. Greatness is not measured according to the way of the world. In His greatness, in His divinity, the Lord was born to a lowly virgin into modest surroundings. He set aside His greatness, descended from His heavenly throne to dwell in the midst of His creation, joining himself to our humanity. This One through whom all things were created, whose word commands the angels, who exists without beginning or end, set aside the scepter of rule and took the towel and bowl of a foot-washing slave. He who commanded the wind and water, assumed the posture of a criminal, receiving blows, being spat upon. He whose power knows no bounds, was bound and nailed to the rough wood of the cross.
6 Only through the lens of the cross does everything else begin to make sense. The cross, whereupon their Lord was crucified for their sinfulness, put to rest petty, selfish squabbles over greatness. The cross, upon which their Lord won their salvation, became the message the Apostles were sent out to proclaim. The cross, through which the Lord had reconciled these twelve men—indeed, all of humanity—to Himself, put into perspective the trials they would face. Those men who in today’s Gospel lesson disputed over greatness, came to understand the greatness of the Gospel which they carried out to the world. The good news of a God who would reconcile sinners to Himself by giving His Son to die in the place of sinners: nothing is greater.
7 So nearly all of those men met death for the Gospel they proclaimed. Tradition holds that St. Bartholomew, having carried the Gospel to India, was skinned alive before being crucified upside down. In Michelangelo’s Last Judgment behind the altar in the Sistine chapel, St. Bartholomew holds in one hand the knife that had flayed him. In his other hand, he holds his skin. From disputes over greatness to steadfastness in the face of persecution, the cross of their Lord changed the Apostles’ perspectives.
8 The Lord sent the treasure of His Gospel into the world in these clay jars of men. They knew the depth of their sinfulness, but they knew of the Lord who took their sins upon Himself in His death. They knew the depth of forgiveness that could reconcile them—even them—to the holy Lord. By their deaths, they showed that the surpassing power belonged not to them, but to God. They were afflicted in every way, but not crushed. They were perplexed, but not driven to despair. They were persecuted, but never forsaken. They were struck down dead, but not destroyed. They carried in their bodies the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus might be manifest in their lives.
9 So for now, beloved, the cross is the way of things. It changes your perspective from one of seeking greatness to one of carrying the Gospel. Even in a clay jar like yourself, the Lord displays his greatness to those around you. As you forgive your unforgiveable neighbor, as you love your wife by setting your wants and desires aside for her good, as you submit to your husband as the church submits to Christ, as you obey and honor your parents, as you change diapers and wipe noses, as you work diligently even for an unfair boss, as you endure hardship and suffering for the sake of Him who endured the cross for you, you life shows the life of Jesus.
10 And He remains among you as the One who serves. He bids you come recline at His table, so that He might serve you with His very Body and Blood, the food that forgives your sin, that sets aside disputes over greatness, that sets you free to love your neighbor. He is among you as the One who serves you with the food of eternity. At His table, heaven and earth intersect; the temporal meets the eternal; humans encounter God; and sinners are set free to live as saints.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Soli Deo Gloria
Pastor Jeff Hemmer
Hope, Jerseyville