Stop Trying To Be the Greatest

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

In today’s Gospel, the disciples are arguing about who among them is the greatest. These are men who are walking with Jesus, listening to Jesus, watching miracles happen, and still, somehow, they are worried about rank. Who matters more? Who is more important? Who is closer to Jesus? And if we are honest, that struggle is ours too. We may not say it out loud, but we compare. We notice who is appreciated, who is successful, who is listened to, who gets recognised. And little by little, even faith can become another place where we try to prove ourselves.

Jesus does something very simple. He brings a child close to Him. At the time, a child had no status, no influence, no power. And Jesus says, in effect, “If you want to know what greatness looks like, look here.” That is such a reversal. We tend to think greatness means being noticed. Jesus says greatness is being small enough to serve. We think greatness means being above others. Jesus says greatness is making room for those who cannot give us anything in return. The kingdom of God is not about becoming impressive. It is about becoming available.

Then John says, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him because he does not follow in our company.” In other words: “Jesus, he is not one of us.” And Jesus answers, “Do not prevent him.” There is another temptation here: not only wanting to be great, but wanting to control where God is allowed to work. Sometimes we become uncomfortable when someone else has gifts we do not have, when another ministry is fruitful, when another person reaches people we cannot reach. But grace is not a competition. If God is doing something good through someone else, we do not lose anything.

Maybe that is the invitation today: stop measuring your life against everyone else’s. Stop asking, “Am I greater? Am I better? Am I more important?” Those questions make the heart restless. Jesus gives us a better question: “Am I faithful?” Because holiness is not about being the greatest person in the room. It is about becoming the person God can trust with love, with service, with humility. The smallest person in the eyes of the world may be the greatest in the kingdom because that person has learned how to love without needing applause.

So perhaps today we can examine one thing: where am I still competing? In my family? In ministry? At work? Even in the Church? Jesus is not asking us to become less gifted or less passionate. He is asking us to stop turning our gifts into a scoreboard. The goal is not to be greater than someone else. The goal is to belong to Christ so completely that whether we are seen or unseen, praised or unnoticed, we can still say, “Lord, I am here. Use me.”

Prayer: Lord Jesus, free me from the need to be greater than others. Teach me to be small enough to serve, humble enough to rejoice in the gifts of others, and faithful enough to do the good You ask of me, even when no one notices. Make my heart less competitive and more available to You. Amen.

– Homily by Rev. Fr. Patrick Agbeko