"Excuse me, we've been waiting..." Even as the words escaped my lips I realized how childish, selfish, and un-Christlike they sounded. My face flushed with embarrassment, but inside I tried to justify myself: We've been standing here ten minutes in the hot sun waiting for this ride, the kids are tired, hungry, and cranky, and those girls just walked in front of a line full of people!
But no matter how frustrating the circumstances or how fine-sounding the argument, the truth was this minor inconvenience had revealed a major issue in my own heart...and I didn't like it. I didn't want to extend grace; I wanted recognition for doing things the right way. I didn't want to give to others; I wanted what I'd earned waiting for my turn. I didn't want to be humble; I wanted to be first.
In Luke chapter nine we find a handful of stories illustrating what it truly looks like to follow Jesus. After giving the Twelve power and authority to preach the gospel, heal the sick, and drive out demons, Jesus asks them to serve…dinner. In meeting the mundane, basic needs of the crowd, Christ showed the disciples that seemingly small needs were just as important as great ones.
Later, after a confident confession, a miraculous mountaintop transfiguration, and an amazing display of divine deliverance, Jesus tells His disciples He must suffer and die at the hands of the Jewish leaders. Then, in the midst of a naive argument over who would be the greatest in the Lord's kingdom, Jesus simply shows them a small child. It would seem as though Jesus was deliberately raining on the disciples' parade—dashing their dreams of fame, and sobering them with grim predictions and unglamorous chores!
In reality, Christ was modeling what true kingdom service looks like. He reminded the disciples no task was too small if it ministered to those in need. He showed them the desire for praise and recognition ought to be foreign to His followers. He exemplified self-denial and an others-centered lifestyle. He taught them to "embrace the least".
Embracing the least goes against our very nature. We've been taught all our lives to self-promote, self-actualize, and self-affirm. We idolize power, position, and popularity. We fear unrealized dreams. We dread being unknown. Unsuccessful. Unloved. We long for a taste of greatness.
And if we’re honest, worldly greatness is tempting. It carries with it privilege and prestige. Fortune and fame. It comes in many attractive and desirable shapes. Greatness in Christ's kingdom, however, comes in the shape of a helpless infant, a suffering servant, and an excruciating cross. Jesus said, ”If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me" (Lk. 9:23).
In Jesus' day, everyone knew the cross was a ruthless, unrelenting instrument of death. It wasn't about religion, tradition, or spirituality—it was a means of executing people. The cross is not a political platform or a means to personal prominence. It is a symbol of suffering, of sacrificial love, and of self-denial. It is a reminder that our Savior embraced the least as the greatest—even unto death—for our sakes.
How is Jesus calling you to embrace the least in your own life? Maybe it's by meeting an overlooked and unglamorous need in your church or workplace. Perhaps embracing the least means laying down your hopes of recognition and dreams of fame to give yourself more fully to your family. It could be as simple as living each day with the mindset of "What can I give?" instead of "What can I get?" Or maybe it is a radical, life-changing call to surrender self-seeking and make a total commitment to Christ today.
Whatever the 'least' looks like for each of us, may we remember that as we share in Jesus' sufferings we will also share in His glory! Let us pray the Holy Spirit would enable us to set 'self' aside, to look to the needs of others above our own, and to willingly choose the low places that Christ may lift us up in His time. "For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted" (Lk. 14:11).
Lord, help me grow in Christlikeness. Holy Spirit, empower me to be more others-centered, to serve selflessly and sacrificially, and to consider others’ spiritual, physical, and material needs above my own. Help me do this both in my home and beyond its walls. Remove from me the desire for praise and recognition, and help me follow in Your footsteps by embracing the least. Amen.
Reflection Questions
- Read Phillipians 2:3–8. Consider the attitude of Christ described by Paul. How are you imitating Christ’s humility? His servant-heart? His obedience?
- We have become somewhat desensitized to the cross in our modern era. How would you receive it if Jesus said, “Walk down death row daily and follow Me?”
- What are some practical ways you can embrace the least in your daily life?