by Jon Bloom
It contaminates our motives for doing just about anything.
It shows up even in
the most holy moments, like it did for Jesus’s disciples in Luke’s account of
the Last Supper (Luke 22:14–30).
But in that account we also see how Jesus frees us from the suicidal slavery of
selfish ambition.
Jesus’s final meal before the cross was perhaps the most
ironic time for the Twelve to debate over which of them was the greatest.
The greatest human being who would ever walk the earth, the
Founder and Perfecter of their faith (Hebrews 12:2), was
reclining at the table with them.
He was the only one in the room without sin (Hebrews 4:15).
He was the
only one there who always did what was pleasing to the Father (John 8:29).
This Person had just led the Twelve through the last Passover
meal before his death — the death that would be the propitiating sacrifice for
their sins (Romans 3:25).
And he had just instituted the new Passover meal, which they and all future
disciples were to observe regularly until he returned so that they would always
remember that their sins were forgiven only through the substitutionary,
atoning death of the true Passover Lamb (Acts 10:43).
This was no time for any disciple to assert his own
greatness, except the greatness of his sin.
Even more ironic is what ignited the debate.
Preoccupied with Prominence
Jesus had just revealed that one of them that very night
would willingly participate in the most spectacular sin in history: the
slaughter of the Son of God.
And yet somehow the introspection and inquiry that
followed ended up in a competition over who was greatest (Luke 22:24).
It was a moment that displayed the terrifying blinding power
of pride in sinful people.
How quickly the moon of selfish ambition eclipses
the Sun of Righteousness (Malachi 4:2).
Jesus was about to die for their sins.
One of them was about
to betray him to that death.
Their response to such horror and glory should
have been mourning, repentance, and worship.
But instead each disciple was
suddenly and absurdly preoccupied with his own place of prominence in God’s
plan of salvation.
Grace to Change Their Gaze
But what grace Jesus displayed in this moment.
This sin too
would be paid in full.
Therefore, Jesus did not condemn his disciples for
thinking far too highly of themselves at the worst possible time (Romans 12:3).
Instead, Jesus mercifully drew their gaze off of themselves
and back to him:
The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors.
But not so with you.
Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves.
For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves?
Is it not the one who reclines at table?
But I am among you as the one who serves.
(Luke 22:25–26)
Keep Looking to Jesus
God was so merciful to move Luke to include this account of
the disciples’ sin, because we too are frequently tempted to sin in this way,
even in the most sacred moments.
The secret to freedom from slavery to selfish ambition is to
keep looking to Jesus.
When our focus is on ourselves and each other we begin
to compare and compete, which leads us into a black hole of demonic evil (James 3:14–15).
But looking to Jesus reminds us that we have nothing that we haven’t received
through him (1 Corinthians
4:7).
Past and future, world without end, all is God’s grace toward
us in Christ.
Looking to Jesus reminds us that loving and serving each other
just as Jesus has loved and served us is the path to full joy (John 15:11–12).
We will have to fight against selfish ambition as long as we
live in this fallen state because it’s right at the core of our fallen nature.
Our sinful desire to be like God (Genesis 3:5) and pursue
others’ worship.
We don’t need to feign shock when we see it in ourselves (as
if we’re surprised that we’re selfish!) and, like Jesus, we should be patient
when we see it in others.
Looking away from ourselves to Jesus is the key to walking in joyful
freedom from selfish ambition.
Because God designed us to be satisfied with
Jesus’s glory, not our own.
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