True Greatness | Mark 9:30-40
Have you ever heard of the G.O.A.T? The greatest of all time. It is often attributed to athletes, musicians, or other public figures. The term came from Mohammed Ali who said he was “the greatest.” Later on, LL Cool J said he was the GOAT and had an album with the same name. The sports world calls Lebron James, Michael Jordan, Serena Williams, Tiger Woods and Tom Brady GOATs. We live in a world where people are constantly chasing after greatness. Often what the world calls great and what they think is greatness is not really that great. Greatness is often temporary; there is always someone who will come in and replace you. Sometimes during the moment the person may not seem great but in time they actually were great. (Churchill) Often those who we call “great” aren’t very great people; low character; frauds. Yet, we still chase after greatness and who we are looking for is the true and ultimate GOAT: Jesus Christ.
As we continue in Mark, we are zeroing in on why Jesus came and it looks like to follow Him. Jesus is intentionally teaching and investing in his disciples to prepare them for the road ahead. This section focuses on greatness and how to be great in the Kingdom of God. In this text, we see the meaning and the measure of greatness.