Friday January 24
Pride, Our Greatest Danger
Luke 9:43-48
43 And they were all amazed at the majesty of God. But while everyone marveled at all the things which Jesus did, He said to His disciples, 44 "Let these words sink down into your ears, for the Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men." 45 But they did not understand this saying, and it was hidden from them so that they did not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask Him about this saying. 46 Then a dispute arose among them as to which of them would be greatest. 47 And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a little child and set him by Him, 48 and said to them, "Whoever receives this little child in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me. For he who is least among you all will be great."
Today, I have basically one point that I would like to emphasize. From this passage before us in Luke 9, and from my other experiences in life, I am convinced that one of the greatest dangers we will face in following Christ as His disciples is pride. After following and being with the Lord Jesus for now over three years the disciples are arguing and disputing with one another over “which of them would be the greatest”. Can you imagine how this must have grieved the Lord Jesus as He “perceived the thought of their heart”.
For the past three years the disciples have been with Jesus as He as preformed many miracles. He fed the five thousand men and their families with only five loaves of bread and two small fish. He cast demons out of people, setting them free from their bondage. He heals the lepers, He raised the dead boy at Nain, and He gave sight to the blind.
Over and over Jesus showed great love and compassion for the individual. He took time for the woman who touched the hem of His garment while the crowd was thronging Him. He crossed a stormy sea to go the other side and set one maniac Gentile man free from the possession of a “legion” of demons. Every day the disciples experienced up close His miraculous power to heal poor people and cast out demons. Every day they saw His love and compassion for everyone!
But most of all, they must have seen and noticed the humility of Jesus. They had proclaimed that they believed that He was the Promised Messiah of the Old Testament. That He was the Christ, the Son of God! They heard Jesus’ messages on love and forgiveness! They watched Him respond to rejection at His hometown, and from the scorn of the religious leaders in every place they went. In every situation Jesus portrayed His humility as a servant to everyone He ministered too.
But now, instead of being humble like Jesus, they individually are seeking to be in a position of greatness or authority over all the other disciples. They are not only “disputing” verbally with each other about this subject, but their inward attitudes that caused this conflict was one of pride. “Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart.” Their hearts were full of pride!
But before we get too critical of them, can you imagine what it must have been like to be a poor, nobody, fisherman, or despised tax collector, and you have been chosen specially by Jesus to be with Him every day as He ministered and performed His miracles? I think it would have been very difficult not to experience a spirit of pride that I was so honored by Jesus Himself to have this privilege and position as His disciple. Goodness, three of them had just seen Moses and Elijah and the glorious transfiguration of Jesus on the mountain!
Shortly after they got back home to Capernaum, the Lord decided to deal with their disputes. According to Mark's account, they were in a house when Jesus took a child and set the child alongside Him. The Lord set these big burley men in contrast with the young child, prattling about little concerns. Then He said, "Whoever receives this little child in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me. For he who is least among you all will be great." (9:48).
We are to love, help, and protect children, who are the very symbol of all who are weak, helpless, and dependent. In doing so, we serve Him and, by extension, His Father as well. So much for their boasts as to which of them would wear the brightest crown!
Remember “the pride of our heart will always deceive us” into thinking we are better than we really are. (Obadiah 1:3). No doubt, our greatest danger in experiencing the wonderful and miraculous blessings of the Lord Jesus will be pride! We should all be very careful!
God bless!
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