March 22, 2016
Today’s reading from Encounter with God

The Essential Vice

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Opening Prayer

Spirit of Christ, show me the true nature of things. May I live in the world without being of it.

Read LUKE 22:24-38

[24] A dispute also arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest. [25] Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. [26] But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. [27] For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves. [28] You are those who have stood by me in my trials. [29] And I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me, [30] so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. [31] “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. [32] But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” [33] But he replied, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.” [34] Jesus answered, “I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.” [35] Then Jesus asked them, “When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything?” “Nothing,” they answered. [36] He said to them, “But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one. [37] It is written: ‘And he was numbered with the transgressors’; and I tell you that this must be fulfilled in me. Yes, what is written about me is reaching its fulfillment.” [38] The disciples said, “See, Lord, here are two swords.” “That’s enough!” he replied.

Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Reflect

“Servants, somehow in the process of losing their lives, have found them. They are the graced ones, the favored ones” (Philip Yancey). This is the life Jesus calls us to.

Boxing champion Mohammed Ali gained notoriety in the 1960s for loudly proclaiming, “I am the greatest!” Whether he was serious, or just joking to gain media attention, his unabashed pride shocked and irritated many people. Unfortunately, in this passage the disciples take the same line (24) and do so at the very point Jesus has revealed the essence of his mission on earth (19,20)! But let’s not get too judgmental with the disciples. Although we may be more subtle than Ali, isn’t there a corner of every heart that’s always ready to assert, “I am the greatest!” in conversation, at work, at home or at church? Hidden pride has a way of corrupting everything we do. No wonder C.S. Lewis called pride “the essential vice.” To him, all the other vices were “mere fleabites in comparison,” because “pride leads to every other vice.”

That’s why I’m struck by the way Jesus reacted, or rather, the way he didn’t react. He didn’t slam his fist on the table or shout at the disciples. We could excuse him for such an outburst, especially since he was under intense pressure (44). Instead, he patiently explained the essence of servant leadership. “The greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves” (26). As he’s already explained, the path to greatness in God’s kingdom is by developing the humility of a little child (Matt. 18:1-5). Apparently that’s easy to forget.

So how do we avoid pride and cultivate the true humility Jesus is looking for in his followers? By focusing on “the essential virtue,” love. As Paul said, “Three things will last forever–faith, hope, and love–and the greatest of these is love” (1 Cor. 13:13, NLT).

Apply

Write down some practical expressions of love you could act on this week. Now ask God to help you do them, without seeking undue credit for yourself.

Closing prayer

Lord, I need special grace to live a life of service. I naturally prefer to be served. Grant me a new heart, I pray.

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