Chapter 48
Who Is the Greatest?
ON returning to Capernaum, Jesus did not
repair to the well-known resorts where He had taught the people, but with His disciples
quietly sought the house that was to be His temporary home. During the remainder of His
stay in Galilee it was His object to instruct the disciples rather than to labor for the
multitudes.
On the journey through
Galilee, Christ had again tried to prepare the minds of His disciples for the scenes
before Him. He told them that He was to go up to Jerusalem to be put to death and to rise
again. And He added the strange and solemn announcement that He was to be betrayed into
the hands of His enemies. The disciples did not even now comprehend His words. Although
the shadow of a great sorrow fell upon them, a spirit of rivalry found a place in their
hearts. They disputed among themselves which should be accounted greatest in the kingdom.
This strife they thought to conceal from Jesus, and they did not, as usual, press close to
His side, but loitered behind, so that He was in advance of them as they entered
Capernaum. Jesus read their thoughts, and He longed to counsel and instruct them. But for
this He awaited a quiet hour, when their hearts should be open to receive His words.
Soon after they reached the
town, the collector of the temple revenue came to Peter with the question, "Doth not
your Master pay tribute?"
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This tribute was not a civil tax, but a religious
contribution, which every Jew was required to pay annually for the support of the temple.
A refusal to pay the tribute would be regarded as disloyalty to the temple,--in the
estimation of the rabbis a most grievous sin. The Saviour's attitude toward the rabbinical
laws, and His plain reproofs to the defenders of tradition, afforded a pretext for the
charge that He was seeking to overthrow the temple service. Now His enemies saw an
opportunity of casting discredit upon Him. In the collector of the tribute they found a
ready ally.
Peter saw in the collector's
question an insinuation touching Christ's loyalty to the temple. Zealous for his Master's
honor, he hastily answered, without consulting Him, that Jesus would pay the tribute.
But Peter only partially
comprehended the purpose of his questioner. There were some classes who were held to be
exempt from the payment of the tribute. In the time of Moses, when the Levites were set
apart for the service of the sanctuary, they were given no inheritance among the people.
The Lord said, "Levi hath no part nor inheritance with his brethren; the Lord is his
inheritance." Deut. 10:9. In the days of Christ the priests and Levites were still
regarded as especially devoted to the temple, and were not required to make the annual
contribution for its support. Prophets also were exempted from this payment. In requiring
the tribute from Jesus, the rabbis were setting aside His claim as a prophet or teacher,
and were dealing with Him as with any commonplace person. A refusal on His part to pay the
tribute would be represented as disloyalty to the temple; while, on the other hand, the
payment of it would be taken as justifying their rejection of Him as a prophet.
Only a little before, Peter
had acknowledged Jesus as the Son of God; but he now missed an opportunity of setting
forth the character of his Master. By his answer to the collector, that Jesus would pay
the tribute, he had virtually sanctioned the false conception of Him to which the priests
and rulers were trying to give currency.
When Peter entered the house,
the Saviour made no reference to what had taken place, but inquired, "What thinkest
thou, Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own
children, or of strangers?" Peter answered, "Of strangers." And Jesus said,
"Then are the children free." While the people of a country are taxed for the
maintenance of their king, the monarch's own children are exempt. So Israel, the professed
people of God, were required to
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maintain His service; but Jesus, the Son of God, was under
no such obligation. If priests and Levites were exempt because of their connection with
the temple, how much more He to whom the temple was His Father's house.
If Jesus had paid the tribute
without a protest, He would virtually have acknowledged the justice of the claim, and
would thus have denied His divinity. But while He saw good to meet the demand, He denied
the claim upon which it was based. In providing for the payment of the tribute He gave
evidence of His divine character. It was made manifest that He was one with God, and
therefore was not under tribute as a mere subject of the kingdom.
"Go thou to the
sea," He directed Peter, "and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first
cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that
take, and give unto them for Me and thee."
Though He had clothed His
divinity with humanity, in this miracle He revealed His glory. It was evident that this
was He who through David had declared, "Every beast of the forest is Mine, and the
cattle upon a thousand hills. I know all the fowls of the mountains; and the wild beasts
of the field are Mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is Mine, and
the fullness thereof." Ps. 50:10-12.
While Jesus made it plain
that He was under no obligation to pay the tribute, He entered into no controversy with
the Jews in regard to the matter; for they would have misinterpreted His words, and turned
them against Him. Lest He should give offense by withholding the tribute, He did that
which He could not justly be required to do. This lesson would be of great value to His
disciples. Marked changes were soon to take place in their relation to the temple service,
and Christ taught them not to place themselves needlessly in antagonism to established
order. So far as possible, they were to avoid giving occasion for misinterpretation of
their faith. While Christians are not to sacrifice one principle of truth, they should
avoid controversy whenever it is possible to do so.
When Christ and the disciples
were alone in the house, while Peter was gone to the sea, Jesus called the others to Him,
and asked, "What was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way?" The
presence of Jesus, and His question, put the matter in an entirely different light from
that in which it had appeared to them while they were contending
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by the way. Shame and
self-condemnation kept them silent. Jesus had told them that He was to die for their sake,
and their selfish ambition was in painful contrast to His unselfish love.
When Jesus told them that He
was to be put to death and to rise again, He was trying to draw them into conversation in
regard to the great test of their faith. Had they been ready to receive what He desired to
make known to them, they would have been saved bitter anguish and despair. His words would
have brought consolation in the hour of bereavement and disappointment. But although He
had spoken so plainly of what awaited Him, His mention of the fact that He was soon to go
to Jerusalem again kindled their hope that the kingdom was about to be set up. This had
led to questioning as to who should fill the highest offices. On Peter's return from the
sea, the disciples told him of the Saviour's question, and at last one ventured to ask
Jesus, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"
The Saviour gathered His
disciples about Him, and said to them, "If any man desire to be first, the same shall
be last of all, and servant of all." There was in these words a solemnity and
impressiveness which the disciples were far from comprehending. That which Christ
discerned they could not see. They did not understand the nature of Christ's kingdom, and
this ignorance was the apparent cause of their contention. But the real cause lay deeper.
By explaining the nature of the kingdom, Christ might for the time have quelled their
strife; but this would not have touched the underlying cause. Even after they had received
the fullest knowledge, any question of precedence might have renewed the trouble. Thus
disaster would have been brought to the church after Christ's departure. The strife for
the highest place was the outworking of that same spirit which was the beginning of the
great controversy in the worlds above, and which had brought Christ from heaven to die.
There rose up before Him a vision of Lucifer, the "son of the morning," in glory
surpassing all the angels that surround the throne, and united in closest ties to the Son
of God. Lucifer had said, "I will be like the Most High" (Isa. 14:12, 14); and
the desire for self-exaltation had brought strife into the heavenly courts, and had
banished a multitude of the hosts of God. Had Lucifer really desired to be like the Most
High, he would never have deserted his appointed place in heaven; for the spirit of the
Most High is manifested in unselfish ministry. Lucifer desired God's power, but not His
character. He sought for himself the highest
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place, and every being who is actuated by his
spirit will do the same. Thus alienation, discord, and strife will be inevitable. Dominion
becomes the prize of the strongest. The kingdom of Satan is a kingdom of force; every
individual regards every other as an obstacle in the way of his own advancement, or a
steppingstone on which he himself may climb to a higher place.
While Lucifer counted it a
thing to be grasped to be equal with God, Christ, the Exalted One, "made Himself of
no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of
men: and being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto
death, even the death of the cross." Phil. 2:7, 8. Now the cross was just before Him;
and His own disciples were so filled with self-seeking--the very principle of Satan's
kingdom--that they could not enter into sympathy with their Lord, or even understand Him
as He spoke of His humiliation for them.
Very tenderly, yet with
solemn emphasis, Jesus tried to correct the evil. He showed what is the principle that
bears sway in the kingdom of heaven, and in what true greatness consists, as estimated by
the standard of the courts above. Those who were actuated by pride and love of distinction
were thinking of themselves, and of the rewards they were to have, rather than how they
were to render back to God the gifts they had received. They would have no place in the
kingdom of heaven, for they were identified with the ranks of Satan.
Before honor is humility. To
fill a high place before men, Heaven chooses the worker who, like John the Baptist, takes
a lowly place before God. The most childlike disciple is the most efficient in labor for
God. The heavenly intelligences can co-operate with him who is seeking, not to exalt self,
but to save souls. He who feels most deeply his need of divine aid will plead for it; and
the Holy Spirit will give unto him glimpses of Jesus that will strengthen and uplift the
soul. From communion with Christ he will go forth to work for those who are perishing in
their sins. He is anointed for his mission; and he succeeds where many of the learned and
intellectually wise would fail.
But when men exalt
themselves, feeling that they are a necessity for the success of God's great plan, the
Lord causes them to be set aside. It is made evident that the Lord is not dependent upon
them. The work does not stop because of their removal from it, but goes forward with
greater power.
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It was not enough for the
disciples of Jesus to be instructed as to the nature of His kingdom. What they needed was
a change of heart that would bring them into harmony with its principles. Calling a little
child to Him, Jesus set him in the midst of them; then tenderly folding the little one in
His arms He said, "Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall
not enter into the kingdom of heaven." The simplicity, the self-forgetfulness, and
the confiding love of a little child are the attributes that Heaven values. These are the
characteristics of real greatness.
Again Jesus explained to the
disciples that His kingdom is not characterized by earthly dignity and display. At the
feet of Jesus all these distinctions are forgotten. The rich and the poor, the learned and
the ignorant, meet together, with no thought of caste or worldly preeminence. All meet as
blood-bought souls, alike dependent upon One who has redeemed them to God.
The sincere, contrite soul is
precious in the sight of God. He places His own signet upon men, not by their rank, not by
their wealth, not by their intellectual greatness, but by their oneness with Christ. The
Lord of glory is satisfied with those who are meek and lowly in heart. "Thou hast
also given me," said David, "the shield of Thy salvation: . . . and Thy
gentleness"--as an element in the human character--"hath made me great."
Ps. 18:35.
"Whosoever shall receive
one of such children in My name," said Jesus, "receiveth Me: and whosoever shall
receive Me, receiveth not Me, but Him that sent Me." "Thus saith the Lord, The
heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool: . . . but to this man will I look,
even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at My word." Isa.
66:1, 2.
The Saviour's words awakened
in the disciples a feeling of self-distrust. No one had been specially pointed out in the
reply; but John was led to question whether in one case his action had been right. With
the spirit of a child he laid the matter before Jesus. "Master," he said,
"we saw one casting out devils in Thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbade
him, because he followeth not us."
James and John had thought
that in checking this man they had had in view their Lord's honor; they began to see that
they were jealous for their own. They acknowledged their error, and accepted the reproof
of Jesus, "Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in My name,
that can lightly speak evil of Me." None who showed
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themselves in any way friendly to
Christ were to be repulsed. There were many who had been deeply moved by the character and
the work of Christ, and whose hearts were opening to Him in faith; and the disciples, who
could not read motives, must be careful not to discourage these souls. When Jesus was no
longer personally among them, and the work was left in their hands, they must not indulge
a narrow, exclusive spirit, but manifest the same far-reaching sympathy which they had
seen in their Master.
The fact that one does not in
all things conform to our personal ideas or opinions will not justify us in forbidding him
to labor for God. Christ is the Great Teacher; we are not to judge or to command, but in
humility each is to sit at the feet of Jesus, and learn of Him. Every soul whom God has
made willing is a channel through which Christ will reveal His pardoning love. How careful
we should be lest we discourage one of God's light bearers, and thus intercept the rays
that He would have shine to the world!
Harshness or coldness shown
by a disciple toward one whom Christ was drawing--such an act as that of John in
forbidding one to work miracles in Christ's name--might result in turning the feet into
the path of the enemy, and causing the loss of a soul. Rather than for one to do this,
said Jesus, "it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he
were cast into the sea." And He added, "If thy hand cause thee to stumble, cut
it off: it is good for thee to enter into life maimed, rather than having thy two hands to
go into hell, into the unquenchable fire. And if thy foot cause thee to stumble, cut it
off: it is good for thee to enter into life halt, rather than having thy two feet to be
cast into hell." Mark 9:43-45, R. V.
Why this earnest language,
than which none can be stronger? Because "the Son of man is come to save that which
was lost." Shall His disciples show less regard for the souls of their fellow men
than the Majesty of heaven has shown? Every soul has cost an infinite price, and how
terrible is the sin of turning one soul away from Christ, so that for him the Saviour's
love and humiliation and agony shall have been in vain.
"Woe unto the world
because of occasions of stumbling! for it must needs be that the occasions come."
Matt. 18:7, R. V. The world, inspired by Satan, will surely oppose the followers of
Christ, and seek to destroy their faith; but woe to him who has taken Christ's name, and
yet is found
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doing this work. Our Lord is put to shame by those who claim to serve Him,
but who misrepresent His character; and multitudes are deceived, and led into false paths.
Any habit or practice that
would lead into sin, and bring dishonor upon Christ, would better be put away, whatever
the sacrifice. That which dishonors God cannot benefit the soul. The blessing of heaven
cannot attend any man in violating the eternal principles of right. And one sin cherished
is sufficient to work the degradation of the character, and to mislead others. If the foot
or the hand would be cut off, or even the eye would be plucked out, to save the body from
death, how much more earnest should we be to put away sin, that brings death to the soul!
In the ritual service, salt
was added to every sacrifice. This, like the offering of incense, signified that only the
righteousness of Christ could make the service acceptable to God. Referring to this
practice, Jesus said, "Every sacrifice shall be salted with salt." "Have
salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another." All who would present
themselves "a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God" (Rom. 12:1), must
receive the saving salt, the righteousness of our Saviour. Then they become "the salt
of the earth," restraining evil among men, as salt preserves from corruption. Matt.
5:13. But if the salt has lost its savor; if there is only a profession of godliness,
without the love of Christ, there is no power for good. The life can exert no saving
influence upon the world. Your energy and efficiency in the upbuilding of My kingdom,
Jesus says, depend upon your receiving of My Spirit. You must be partakers of My grace, in
order to be a savor of life unto life. Then there will be no rivalry, no self-seeking, no
desire for the highest place. You will have that love which seeks not her own, but
another's wealth.
Let the repenting sinner fix
his eyes upon "the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" (John
1:29); and by beholding, he becomes changed. His fear is turned to joy, his doubts to
hope. Gratitude springs up. The stony heart is broken. A tide of love sweeps into the
soul. Christ is in him a well of water springing up unto everlasting life. When we see
Jesus, a Man of Sorrows and acquainted with grief, working to save the lost, slighted,
scorned, derided, driven from city to city till His mission was accomplished; when we
behold Him in Gethsemane, sweating great drops of blood, and on the cross dying in
agony,--when we see this, self will no longer clamor to be recognized. Looking unto Jesus,
we shall be ashamed of our coldness, our lethargy, our self-seeking.
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We shall be
willing to be anything or nothing, so that we may do heart service for the Master. We
shall rejoice to bear the cross after Jesus, to endure trial, shame, or persecution for
His dear sake.
"We then that are strong
ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves." Rom. 15:1.
No soul who believes in Christ, though his faith may be weak, and his steps wavering as
those of a little child, is to be lightly esteemed. By all that has given us advantage
over another,--be it education and refinement, nobility of character, Christian training,
religious experience,--we are in debt to those less favored; and, so far as lies in our
power, we are to minister unto them. If we are strong, we are to stay up the hands of the
weak. Angels of glory, that do always behold the face of the Father in heaven, joy in
ministering to His little ones. Trembling souls, who have many objectionable traits of
character, are their special charge. Angels are ever present where they are most needed,
with those who have the hardest battle with self to fight, and whose surroundings are the
most discouraging. And in this ministry Christ's true followers will co-operate.
If one of these little ones
shall be overcome, and commit a wrong against you, then it is your work to seek his
restoration. Do not wait for him to make the first effort for reconciliation. "How
think ye?" said Jesus; "if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone
astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh
that which is gone astray? And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he
rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray. Even so
it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should
perish."
In the spirit of meekness,
"considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted," (Gal. 6:1), go to the erring
one, and "tell him his fault between thee and him alone." Do not put him to
shame by exposing his fault to others, nor bring dishonor upon Christ by making public the
sin or error of one who bears His name. Often the truth must be plainly spoken to the
erring; he must be led to see his error, that he may reform. But you are not to judge or
to condemn. Make no attempt at self-justification. Let all your effort be for his
recovery. In treating the wounds of the soul, there is need of the most delicate touch,
the finest sensibility. Only the love that flows from the Suffering One of Calvary can
avail here. With pitying tenderness, let brother deal with brother, knowing that if you
succeed, you will "save a soul from death," and "hide a multitude of
sins." James 5:20.
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But even this effort may be
unavailing. Then, said Jesus, "take with thee one or two more." It may be that
their united influence will prevail where that of the first was unsuccessful. Not being
parties to the trouble, they will be more likely to act impartially, and this fact will
give their counsel greater weight with the erring one.
If he will not hear them,
then, and not till then, the matter is to be brought before the whole body of believers.
Let the members of the church, as the representatives of Christ, unite in prayer and
loving entreaty that the offender may be restored. The Holy Spirit will speak through His
servants, pleading with the wanderer to return to God. Paul the apostle, speaking by
inspiration, says, "As though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's
stead, be ye reconciled to God." 2 Cor. 5:20. He who rejects this united overture has
broken the tie that binds him to Christ, and thus has severed himself from the fellowship
of the church. Henceforth, said Jesus, "let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a
publican." But he is not to be regarded as cut off from the mercy of God. Let him not
be despised or neglected by his former brethren, but be treated with tenderness and
compassion, as one of the lost sheep that Christ is still seeking to bring to His fold.
Christ's instruction as to
the treatment of the erring repeats in more specific form the teaching given to Israel
through Moses: "Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in anywise
rebuke thy neighbor, that thou bear not sin for him." Lev. 19:17, margin. That is, if
one neglects the duty Christ has enjoined, of trying to restore those who are in error and
sin, he becomes a partaker in the sin. For evils that we might have checked, we are just
as responsible as if we were guilty of the acts ourselves.
But it is to the wrongdoer
himself that we are to present the wrong. We are not to make it a matter of comment and
criticism among ourselves; nor even after it is told to the church, are we at liberty to
repeat it to others. A knowledge of the faults of Christians will be only a cause of
stumbling to the unbelieving world; and by dwelling upon these things, we ourselves can
receive only harm; for it is by beholding that we become changed. While we seek to correct
the errors of a brother, the Spirit of Christ will lead us to shield him, as far as
possible, from the criticism of even his own brethren, and how much more from the censure
of the unbelieving world. We ourselves are erring, and need Christ's pity and forgiveness,
and just as we wish Him to deal with us, He bids us deal with one another.
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"Whatsoever ye shall
bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be
loosed in heaven." You are acting as the ambassadors of heaven, and the issues of
your work are for eternity.
But we are not to bear this
great responsibility alone. Wherever His word is obeyed with a sincere heart, there Christ
abides. Not only is He present in the assemblies of the church, but wherever disciples,
however few, meet in His name, there also He will be. And He says, "If two of you
shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them
of My Father which is in heaven."
Jesus says, " My Father
which is in heaven," as reminding His disciples that while by His humanity He is
linked with them, a sharer in their trials, and sympathizing with them in their
sufferings, by His divinity He is connected with the throne of the Infinite. Wonderful
assurance! The heavenly intelligences unite with men in sympathy and labor for the saving
of that which was lost. And all the power of heaven is brought to combine with human
ability in drawing souls to Christ.
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