Jesus sat down, called the twelve disciples over to him, and said, Whoever wants to be first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else.
Mark 9:35
Ask any group of children “Who wants to be first?” and there is little doubt that you will be flooded with raised hands and voices shrieking “Me, me, me, choose me!” Everyone wants to be first, even adults. Just notice the behavior in the line when the door opens at the year-end sale of a local department store. Surely this “me first” syndrome is a recent cultural phenomena and didn’t apply to Jesus’ followers; yet there we see it: bold, clear, startling, among Jesus’ very disciples.
Walking along with the Savior Himself, the perfect model of humility, the disciples argued about which of them was the greatest. Jesus responded with one of the most perplexing oxymorons in Scripture- if you want to be first, you must take last place and be a servant to everyone else. His statement must have puzzled the disciples, as it puzzles us today. In this statement Jesus gives us the formula for humility. It has nothing to do with any lack of our value or worth, but it focuses on how we acknowledge the value and worth of others. Just as Jesus did, we are called to place the interest of others before our own. When we do this, He will lift us up.
Personal reflection: Have you found it hard to generate humility in your life? It’s not a feeling; it is an action – putting the interest of others before your own.