“But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Matthew 23:11-12).
Self-examination is required in all aspects of Christianity, but it is never more necessary than in evaluating the way we fulfill the traits Jesus teaches in these verses: servitude and humility.
These are not traits that usually come to mind when we think of one who is great, but Jesus here elevates them to a position of greatness. A “servant” is one who “performs duties for others,” normally indicating a lower position than the one being served.
“Humble” means “having or showing a modest estimate of one’s value or importance,” not a position usually displayed by a person in authority. Jesus, then, removes false pride from His followers, placing them in a lower position and causing them to realize that true greatness comes from serving.
One who becomes an humble servant of his fellows is actually humbling himself before God who then becomes the ultimate Judge of his true greatness. And a person’s “being exalted” sometimes comes in this life but certainly in the life to come.
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