“But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:25-28
Dear Reader,
This teaching by Jesus is directly after James and John asked to be on His left and right hand in the coming kingdom. They had ambition to be great. Christ’s teaching in these scriptures was in response to their appeal.
Often in the kingdom of heaven, principles are the exact opposite of the kingdom of earth. Many of Jesus’ stories are paradoxical. And many of His hearers simply could not fathom something so opposite to what they have known.
This teaching is in the same vein. Essentially, Jesus says that to be great in the kingdom of heaven is to make yourself nothing. It is to give your life for others. Jesus declares that He is the primary example of this principle.
Almost Right
His teaching was an indirect rebuke of James and John. Their ambition was to be great. Note that their ambition was of a good cause. They wanted to be in Christ’s kingdom, under His authority. They simply wanted to be above the other disciples in authority. This was wrong.
In the world, we see the principle of the Gentiles that Jesus spoke of. The biggest bull has authority of the female herd. The person who shamefully self-promotes their business finds success. The ambitious candidate with the loftiest promises and the most money, wins the election.
In the kingdom of God, this is not so. In fact, sinful ambition is so abominable to God that He will not honor it. We live in a confusing day where many preachers look like rock stars, or worse. Simply because they attract the crowds, does not mean that they honor the cross.
If a young man starts the path to preach God’s word and desires a stage, an audience, and a following, he just might find it. Unfortunately, he might find it without Christ and without God. Ambition is a dangerous thing in the spiritual realm.
Dear reader, examine those you put your spiritual trust in. Do they seem personally ambitious? Beware of those men.
Draw it Out
Allow me to ask a few questions. Why is this ambition condemned? After all, what good can a human be without ambition? Would that not be defined as a lazy person? Is ambition inherently bad? These are valid questions.
Clearly, laziness is condemned in the scriptures, so we see that it cannot be the opposite of ambition. Here is the important distinction:
Ambition is dangerously sinful when it is personal.
James and John wanted to be on the right and left hand of Christ. They wanted authority. They had personal ambition of the dangerous nature. What is commendable by God is this:
Ambition is dangerously powerful when it is not personal.
If someone is ambitious for Christ’s cause in the world, then that is a good Christian. That is commendable. So it was with every honorable preacher since Christ. He had great ambition for the Kingdom of Christ. But his heart was lowly. That good Christian has stripped himself of all personal ambition to the point that he would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of God than well known or important.
God Does This
Very often however, God lifts those beggars from the dunghill and makes them well known and important. God does this because they are the only ones who can handle such a godly responsibility, without personal ambition. So it is wrong to jump to the conclusion that because a preacher is well known and important, they are of the wrong type of ambition.
Paul the Apostle comes to mind. A real-life changer of the world. Mountains of ambition to preach Christ where idols have reigned since the beginning of time. Yet no ambition whatsoever to be greatly esteemed among men.
Dear reader, what about you? Examine your Christian ambition. First, does it even exist? Do you have any desire of attaining anything in the spiritual life? If the answer is no, you are in great need. Get alone with God and His word!
Second, if you do have spiritual ambition, is it personal? Do you want to have your name in the church bulletin for all to see your devotion? Do you aspire to preach at important conferences to thousands?
Or do you want nothing of the honors, accolades, and respect so long as Christ is exalted? Will you sweep the floor in the kingdom of God while other men take the stage? Will you wash saints’ feet while others sign books? Will you pray in the unknown closet while another is in the pulpit?
These are not questions to exaggerate. Christ will ask similar questions to everyone that begins with Him. He will give you the opportunity to display your true ambition. In love, He will also correct you when you need it. We need not ask James and John. If necessary, take their example and repent of sinful ambition immediately!