It is a fairly embarrassing story for men who would become the leaders of the Church. James and John come to Jesus, according to Matthew, their mommy is with them (Matthew 20:20-22). They want Jesus to give them the seats to his right and left when he comes into his glory (Mark 10:35-37).

They are looking for recognition, power, and glory by standing on the platform with Jesus. A similar conversation takes place at the last supper, right after communion is introduced, as the disciples argue over who is the greatest among them (Luke 22:24).

The first followers of Jesus had this desire for worldly leadership and recognition. Jesus understands their motivation and states that the leaders of the Gentiles lord it over others, and their high officials exercise authority over others. Then Jesus responds with a one-line statement that I am sure shocked them to their core: “Not so with you.”

In Jesus kingdom, whoever wants to become great must become a servant. Whoever wants to be first must be a slave to others. Even Jesus himself, as God in the flesh, did not come to be served but to serve.

Jesus acknowledges there is one driving force for all of humanity. We all desire to be seen as the best, to be first, and to get the Lord’s approval. But there are two ways people attempt to gain it. One is through power, dominance, and assertiveness. The other is the way of Jesus, and it involves selfless service.

If you are a follower of Jesus and you ever feel like you need to push others down, defeat them, or be treated as special. Jesus offers one single line of response: “Not so with you.”