Who is the Greatest?

Preached at Hanover Street Presbyterian Church

On September 19, 2004

By the Rev. Thomas C. Davis, Ph.D.

Texts:

James 3: 13-18

Who is wise and understanding among you?  By his good life let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.  But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth.  This wisdom is not such as comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish.  For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.  But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, without uncertainty or insincerity.  And the harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

Philippians 2: 5-11

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.  And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross.  Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Mark 9: 33-37

And they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, "What were you discussing on the way?"  But they were silent; for on the way they had discussed with one another who was the greatest.  And he sat down and called the twelve; and he said to them, "If any one would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all."  And he took a child, and put him in the midst of them; and taking him in his arms, he said to them, "Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me."

Sermon Text

My brothers and sisters in Christ, and fellow citizens, as we prepare to elect new leaders this November, I urge you to ponder with me the question which the disciples of Jesus were considering as they approached a prickly Jerusalem:  Who is the greatest?

Jesus had rubbed the Jewish high priest and his cronies raw.  They were suspicious of him, nervous about his power with the people, afraid that his growing popularity could touch off riots, trip a Roman backlash, and bring their own ruin. The disciples saw that there was trouble ahead, and feared for their own survival, for if Jesus were arrested or assassinated, who would lead them?  Who could protect them?  James and John, the so-called sons of Thunder, were the first to broach the sensitive issue, but Mark's gospel says they all got into it.  "Who is the greatest?" they murmured, embarrassed to be raising such a question while the Prince of Peace still walked among them.  Yet, they felt compelled to ask it, because of the pressure of events.  Who is the greatest?  Who has the right stuff to lead us, and what is the right stuff?

Oh, to be a fly on their wall!  How do you suppose they grappled with that perennial human question:  Who shall keep the wolves at bay?  Who is man enough?  The disciples of Jesus were spiritual seekers, yes, but the crunch was bringing out the animal in them.

In his recent book entitled King of the Mountain:  the Nature of Political Leadership, psychiatrist Arnold M. Ludwig writes that humans pick their leaders as apes do:  The one who puts on the most awesome show, intimidating his challengers by beating his chest, roaring, and attacking if need be, wins.  Ludwig writes, "Humans have evolved more sophisticated and civilized methods than other primates for awarding leaders power, such as election campaigns, constitutions, and rules for succession; but, when you strip away all the trappings, the different ways that aspirants for high office jockey for power over others and keep it seem remarkably similar at times to those of our simian kin." 

Jesus could see into peoples' hearts, says scripture.  He overheard his disciples murmuring about who was the greatest, and he could sense the animal drift of their desperate need for a leader to protect them during a time of great peril, but he would not let fear cow them into settling for the toughest ape.  So, he took a child in his arms, the least powerful and the least threatening person in their society.  He lifted up that child to remind them that if you want to be a citizen in God's kingdom, you have to be like that trusting, harmless little person.  Jesus told them in so many words that in God's kingdom the who-is-the-greatest contest is turned upside down; for the greatest person in God's kingdom is not the toughest of the tough, the one who beats his chest and rules by violence or the threat of violence.  No, the greatest in God's kingdom, Jesus said, is the servant of all, that is, the one who puts the needs of others before his own.

Some Americans confuse me.  Some take pride in being Christian; yet, if the polls are to be believed, they do not want a leader who is greatest in the terms that Jesus uses.  Some spurn the very idea of a sensitive leader.  They laugh in derision at the mention of "girly men."

And why, pray tell, do Americans all across the political spectrum dwell on whether a candidate for president has served in the military or not?  What sort of qualification for leadership is that?  Does military service necessarily prove that one has great courage, or fortitude, or even love of country?  No, it does not necessarily demonstrate any of those virtues.  Now, I don't mean to impugn the reputation of anyone who has served in the military.  But we citizens do need to ponder why military service is so important to us as a presidential credential.  Is it a valid measure of greatness?  Do we figure that someone who has dodged bullets must have been toughened by that experience, and therefore won't hesitate to send men and women into combat if need be?  Or, do we figure that military service gives one a better grasp of the techniques of combat, so that one will be a wiser Commander in Chief?  Both assumptions are naive.  I correspond with a lot of Vietnam vets on the Internet.  Military service seems not to have affected us at all similarly.  Some are hawks now.  Some are doves.  And certainly, none of us would be sufficiently equipped by our service thirty some years ago to manage present combat situations.  Weapons have changed.  Equipment has changed.  No doubt, strategies and tactics have changed too.  No veteran's experience a generation ago would necessarily make him a wiser Commander in Chief today.  So what is this fixation upon military service about then? 

I think that if we dig down below the patriotic hoopla we will discover it's about our adulation of power, that's what.  If we are honest about our motivation, we must acknowledge that our yearning for a military veteran is not in accord with God's values, for what we really want is a leader who is good at pushing people around, like the silverback ape who stays king of the mountain by intimidation, or in the last resort, attacking.  We want a tough guy.  That is our most important measure of greatness.  And that doesn't square with what Jesus taught about greatness in a leader, not at all.

In his letter to the Philippians Paul noted that God exalted Jesus because Jesus did not seek greatness.  He humbled himself, taking the form of a servant.  How far do you think a candidate for public office would get who humbled himself or herself, and took the form of a servant?  Humility seems to impress only in Sunday school.  It doesn't cut the mustard on the hustings.  In this election we are responsible for the tone of debate and for the leadership credentials that are considered worthy.  In the end, we get what we vote for.  If we prefer bravado and foll-de-roll to humility and honesty, then we shall have to endure the consequences.

I love the letter of James, which almost didn't make it into the Bible, because James picked a bone with brother Paul about the importance of walking the talk.  James was courageous to contradict a prominent leader in the church.  He did so not from anger, but love.  He spoke the truth in love.  I honor James for that, and invoke now his words, which serve us well as we prepare to elect new leaders.  James wrote:

Who is wise and understanding among you?  By his good life let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom . . . The wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, without uncertainty or insincerity.  And the harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.