Who Is The Greatest?

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Reading: Mark 9:30-37

Reflection: I can remember as a little boy being infatuated by watching, and listening, to Muhammad Ali claims to be the greatest. He would dance around the boxing ring screaming and singing, "I am the greatest!" And in some ways it seemed to me, as a little boy, that he was the greatest. He seemed to defeat every challenger that stepped into the ring. He seemed taller, faster, quicker, smarter and stronger than any other fighter. And yet, if you see him now, you realize that all his speed is gone, all his strength has faded, all his talk is silenced, and he is anything but the greatest. He is now simply a fragile old man who is but a shadow of what he once was. So reading today about the disciples arguing about who is the greatest seems a bit ridiculous. I mean, think about it. Which of the disciples has silenced demons, calmed storms or multiplied loaves. How many disciples have raised the dead, given sight to the blind and helped the crippled person to rise and walk. If these guys had a clue, they would know who is the greatest...and it's not any of them. The greatest man is the one who is making no claims to greatness...the one who is perfect in every way, powerful over all the cosmos, and wiser than the greatest scholar. His name is Jesus, and He is...hands down...the greatest of all.