And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.
Jesus has just heard James and John ask for the top seats in His kingdom, and the other ten have grown angry about it. Instead of settling the argument on their terms, He calls them all near. He points to the way power works among the nations. Then He tells them their own circle runs on the opposite principle.
Kindness before correction
His first move is not a rebuke but an invitation. The example He picks was already in front of them.
Leslie M. GrantThe kindness with which the Lord speaks to them is precious. He first calls them to Him. He does not drive them away with harsh words; He wants them near Himself. Then He reminds them of what they already knew about the way the world governs. Men may be called "public servants," yet they hold places of dignity and authority above ordinary people. Of course they saw this in the rule of the Gentiles over Israel.
The pull to copy what everyone else does
Why say this at all? Because the world's way looks normal, and disciples copy it without noticing.
F. B. HoleHow easy it was, and still is, for the disciples of Jesus to take on the standards and customs of the world around them. It is just as easy to take for granted that, because everybody seems to be doing it, it must be the right thing to do. Again and again our Lord would say to us, "But it shall not be so among you." The nations have their great men, who use their authority to lord it over people. Among the disciples of the Lord, greatness shows itself in a completely different way. There true greatness takes the lowly place of service to others — serving the Lord in serving them.
Two opposite appetites
The contrast is not just between two styles of leadership. It reaches down to what a person enjoys.
J. N. DarbyAnyone who seeks to be great, and to take the lead among Christians, has completely falsified the Christian character. He will be the last of all. The true way to have the highest place is to serve, counting yourself the slave of the needs of other disciples… Seeking to be raised up yourself is only the selfishness of the flesh, the spirit of the world, which is enmity against God. Love delights to serve — this is what Christ did; pride and selfishness love to be served, and to take precedence over others.
Where the two kinds of authority come from
The rulers in the verse hold power everyone can see. Authority among Christ's people starts somewhere else, and it aims at something else.
The Bible TreasuryThe world's officer carries all the marks of present power. He demands to be recognised as a man with power, and he should be. Everyone can see where his authority comes from, and everyone can watch him use it. The source of authority in the church is invisible. It comes from above, from the ascended Jesus, and it works as real spiritual control and guidance. The great aim is that the man who carries it should so lose his prominence that Jesus, and not the man himself, is exalted.
Who the great ones actually are
So who counts as great in the kingdom? One writer answers plainly, and the help he names is not always spiritual.
George DavisonWe gather from this that the great men in the kingdom are those who do all they can — simply, humbly, earnestly and with devotion — to help the saints of God on their path through this world. It may not always be in spiritual matters; it may be in material matters.
The road to the highest place
Jesus had told the two brothers that the chief places were not His to give. He does not leave them with nothing.
Hamilton SmithJesus calls them to Himself and corrects the fleshly thoughts of the two disciples and the ten by setting before them the path of true greatness. If He cannot give them the chief place in glory, He can show them the path that leads there. The One who takes the lowest place on earth as the slave of all will have the highest place in glory. The Son of Man was the perfect pattern of such a path.
Summary
- Cause. Ambition for place is the flesh at work. It showed in the two who asked, and in the ten who resented them for asking.
- Call. Jesus does not drive the ambitious away. He calls them near and teaches them from the government they already saw over their heads.
- Contrast. The world's authority is visible and demands recognition. Authority among Christ's people comes from the ascended Jesus. It works so that He, not the man, stands out.
- Conversion. Greatness is not abolished but turned around. Love delights to serve; pride loves to be served. The great are those helping God's people in spiritual and material things alike.
- Crown. The chief seats were not His to hand out. But He could show the road: lowest on earth, highest in glory, with Himself as the pattern.