A few weeks ago I got to watch the last few minutes of The Apprentice, a reality show about people who want to work for Donald Trump. The show is American capitalism and greed at its best. For those of you who have not seen it, the objective, in the end, is to be the person selected to run one of Trump’s companies so you can imagine what happens as the contestants do whatever is necessary to get ahead. After all isn’t getting ahead what the American dream is all about? A few weeks ago some of the guys at work were giving me a hard time for wearing what they called one of my “80’s power ties”. Do you remember the power ties of the 80’s? It was a symbol of being a mover and a shaker. In the T.V. show Family Ties Michael J. Fox played a “power tie” guy. As a teen he wore suits and read the Wall Street Journal and it really epitomized what the 80’s was all about, climb the ladder of success, get to the top and do whatever you have to do to get there. Greed and corruption really motivated people to get what they wanted and it did not stop in the 80’s. The prosperity of the 90’s gave even more people the opportunity to get ahead, so much so that we ended up with the Enron, MCI, and Global Crossing scandals.

Our view of greatness is success, power, and privileged. Greatness is being first. Greatness is getting what you want when you want it. But Jesus contradicts human thought when He says if you really want to be first then you have to be last. If you want to be the greatest then have to be a servant to all.

In Matthew 20 Jesus is met with a question from the mother of James and John. She asks that her sons may sit on His right and left hand. For those of you who don’t know, those are position of prominence and power. Now, I sincerely believer that this mother’s question was prompted by her desire to see her sons actively involved in Jesus’ ministry but at the same time she also wanted her sons to have a “great” part in Jesus’ ministry. Who doesn’t want greatness right? My prayer is that I’m successful in my ministry. My prayer for you is that you will be successful in your ministry. And yes if you would ask me do I want a ministry that is called "great", my answer is yes. Who doesn’t want to be considered great or at least be a part of something great? I’ll bet their mother wanted for her sons the same great reputation Jesus had. However, like this mother we don’t always comprehend what having a great ministry really is. We think greatness involves honor, recognition and prestige but Jesus says plainly if you want to be the greatest you have to become the least and Jesus’ teaching contradicts everything we understand about greatness