It is common for a person to visit a doctor for help with a particular subject. For example, if you have a sports-related injury, you might visit a sports medicine doctor. Luke is the author of the gospel that bears his name. One of the things that we know about Luke is that he was a doctor (see Colossians 4:14).
In his gospel, Dr. Luke provides us with guidance from Jesus’ ministry on how to be great. In Luke 9:46-48, the disciples argue over which one of them is the greatest. The place of prominence and prestige was a reoccurring issue for the disciples.[1] Instead of reflecting Jesus’ attitude of humility and service, they reflected pride and a desire for power and prestige.
While Jesus did not always correct the disciples, in this case, he uses a child to illustrate how to be great in the coming kingdom. The child shows the need to care for those who are helpless and who might be otherwise overlooked. Jesus says that the motivation was to do this “in My name” which meant to act on his behalf in a way that was representative of him.
“Jesus’ point was that prominence is not measured by human standards of achievement, but by one’s relationship to God.”[2]
Although the world has its standards for measuring greatness, Jesus’ standard is radically different. Being great involves reflecting him as we serve instead of seeking a place of power and prestige. To do this, we must first reflect Jesus’ quality of humility.
Blessings,
Pastor Steven
*See more of Dr. Luke’s advice here = https://pastorstevendbc.wixsite.com/nbba/blog/categories/dr-luke-s-advice