A L M A C I A S

WHO ARE THE GREATEST IN THE KINGDOM?

In the Gospel account given by Mark, we read about a very interesting incident in the lives of the apostles. It seems that on one occasion two of the apostles came to Jesus, asking for a special favor from the Lord when he would establish His kingdom. We read in Mark 10:35-38, "And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, come unto him, saying, Master, we would that thou shouldest do for us whatsoever we shall desire, And he said unto them, What would ye that I should do for you? They said unto him, Grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left hand, in thy glory. But Jesus said unto them, Ye know not what ye ask."

What were these two brothers requesting of the Lord and what lessons can we all learn as Christians living in today's world? They were asking for the most important places of honor when the Lord would come to establish His kingdom. These apostles, along with the others, had not understood that the kingdom that the Lord would establish would not be an earthly kingdom but rather a spiritual kingdom. These men thought that the Lord's kingdom would be like the kingdom of King David and, therefore, they were trying to get the places of honor before the others found out about it. In the way that the Lord answered these men, we find some very timely lessons for anyone who has been contaminated by the worldly spirit of ambition and self-centeredness.

The Lord told these men that they did not know what they were asking. What the Lord was saying to these men was that they were asking the wrong question. What they should have asked was how could they be great servants in the kingdom of God. The Lord explained to these men (and it applies to us as well) that in the kingdom of God things are very different than in the kingdoms of men. In earthly kingdoms, people are always in search of how they can be served by others. In this world in which we live, to be served by others is to be greater than they are. In the kingdom of the Lord, to be greater than others is to be willing to serve others. Even the Lord Himself came to this world to serve others and not to be served. And the Lord was the Son of God! Who are we to expect more than the Lord expected from all of those He served? How important is it for you to serve others? Are you like those of this world, who want only to be served? Let us have the spirit that the Lord wanted His apostles to have and not the spirit of those in the world.