The disciples, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, wanted the power positions in the kingdom of God when Jesus would reign. They wanted to sit, one on his right and one of his left. And all the other disciples were angry, James and John were the first to ask what they all wanted to ask too. They too, wanted the power positions.
Jesus responded putting them all in their proper place, and us too by extension. Jesus said:
Whoever wishes to become great must be a servant…just as the Son of Man come not to be served, but to serve…
Jesus turned the power request upside-down. Jesus put James and John in their place and challenged them to be great, challenged them to be servants.
This is still our challenge today, as our contemporaries, and as we seek to be great. Our greatness will come as we strive to serve others with our time, our treasure and our talent.
Generosity leads us to servant-hood and greatness in the kingdom of God.