Dear Christian friends:

All people day-dream a lot about becoming a famous or great person. That is the strongest fantasy that we have.

We dream about becoming a movie or TV star, a beauty queen, a baseball or football hero, a senator, governor or president. We all enjoy the praise and worship of the fans in our dreams.

We Christians even dream about becoming a famous church member, a famous pastor like Robert Shular or Billy Graham, the District President or maybe the President of ILDA like Charles Kotal.

Here in our text we see that James and John, two of Jesus' disciples and brothers, wanted Jesus to let them have great power and honor in His Kingdom. They truly were proud and lusted for fame as bad as the unbelievers in the world.

So Jesus taught them and the other disciples about fame and who is really a great person in His Kingdom. I think that we, too, need this lesson, because we often are proud and greedy for fame. So let us attend to our text and learn from Jesus:


Famous people often are not great people. A really great person is one who humbly serves God and his fellows.

Famous people often are not great people. Charles Manson, John Dillinger, Richard Nixon, Elvis Presley, Billy Martin, Judas Iscariot, Pontius Pilate are examples of some very famous people who are or were not great people.

People who become famous often wish they were not. Elizabeth Taylor, the famous movie star says, "Fame is the greatest whitewash (fake) there is." She should know, because she is a real phony (fake). But we must give her credit for admitting it. In a recent "New West" magazine article Paul Newman tells how he finds fame a burden, especially when fans tear his clothing or rip off his sun glasses to get a souvenir. George C. Scott says this about fame: "After a while the pleasure stops and the self-contempt (self-hate) begins." Many famous people know that they really don't deserve all the praise they receive.

And that is true! Often people who become famous don't deserve their fame. A person can become famous because of a beautiful face. Elizabeth Taylor is a good example. Marilyn Monroe became _ a famous movie star because she happened to have a sexy figure, but she was a lousy actress and not much of a person.

Some people are born into a famous family like the Rockefellers and the Kennedys. Some become famous because of a disaster. They were a survivor of the Titanic which sank when it struck an iceberg.

Others become famous through crime. Charles Manson and John Dillenger and Al Capone are some examples. Some people even commit a crime to get on the evening TV news for five minutes or less, as Sarah Moore and Squeaky Fromme who tried to kill President Ford.

Many become famous because the fans have poor taste for what is really good talent and success. People with knowledge and understanding of the arts have different heroes than the low-brow people. People with knowledge and understanding honor artists, authors, ballerinas, opera singers. They understand the skill and discipline and the hard work of a true artist.

But the masses without knowledge and understanding make idols of country music stars, baseball players and movie stars. These idols make millions and are not really worth it. They often live fake lives, frequently drift into the drug culture and die young.

In America we have so many tacky heroes, because most of our people have poor knowledge and understanding about who is a truly great person.

In our text, Jesus tells us who a truly great person is.

A really great person is a person who humbly serves his fellowman.

The disciples, like most people, had the wrong idea about_how to become great. James and John tried to use their friendship with Jesus to get a place of honor in His Kingdom. (verse 37) When the other disciples heard about it, they became angry and jealous, lest it happen they themselves get no place of honor in Jesus' Kingdom. (verse 41)

So we see that even Church members, who should know better, think too much about fame, just like the unbelievers in the world. That is why we often see church members jealous of one another and quarreling and fighting and not working together to serve the Lord and their fellowman.

So Jesus teaches them about who is a really a great person. He said to James and John, "You don't know what you are asking!" Then He continued to explain that if they wanted to become really great they must serve and suffer like He Himself was soon to do. (verses 31-34)

Then Jesus said to all His disciples: "If one of you wants to be the leader, then he must be the servant of the others. And if one of you wants to be first, then he must be the slave to all. Because the Son of Man (Jesus) did not come to have others serve Him. No, He came to serve and give His life as a payment to free many people." (verses 43-45)

We all agree that Jesus is the most famous person of all history. Why does everyone kneel before Jesus and honor Him? Why does even God the Father honor Him? Because He came to suffer and die for us sinners. He came to serve. He let His will agree with God's will. Jesus offered His life in service to God and people. He came not to have others serve Him and honor Him. No! He came to serve others and, to give His life on the cross. That is why Jesus is the greatest person in history. That is why God honors Him and millions kneel before Him with love and praise. (Isaiah 53:12 and Philippians 2:5-11)

True, God does not ask us Christians to suffer and die for the world's sin as Jesus did. That only Jesus could do, and this is finished and done. God needs no more offering for sin. Jesus is the perfect offering. He is the Lamb of God! But God does want us to have the same humble spirit of love and service as Jesus had. We Christians should remember that we are not called into the church to have others serve us and praise us, but God calls us to daily take up our cross and give love and service to others. (verses 38-39)

If we really believe in Jesus, and if we really love Jesus, we will daily confess our past sins and failures and make new decisions to serve Him by serving others. We will with love and joy make our commitments on Loyalty Sunday and every day of our life.

Then God Himself will honor us and we will be really great persons here on earth and when we enter the Kingdom of glory in heaven. Jesus, our dear Lord and Savior will say to us: "Well done: You good and faithful servant....enter into the joy of your Lord. (Matthew 25:21)

Are you really a great person? Perhaps you are and didn't know it. Usually a truly great person does not think of himself as being great. And often the unbelieving world does not recognize him as great. But God does, and sometimes other Christians do, too. If you now humbly serve others and forget yourself you are a really great person. God help us all to become really great persons.

Amen.