Matthew 18:1-4 AMP
At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” [2] He called a little child and set him before them, [3] and said, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, unless you repent [that is, change your inner self—your old way of thinking, live changed lives] and become like children [trusting, humble, and forgiving], you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. [4] Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 20:25-27 AMP
But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles have absolute power and lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them [tyrannizing them]. [26] It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, [27] and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your [willing and humble] slave;
There were several situations when the apostles argued among themselves about who was going to be the greatest among them. At one point, the mother of John and James came to Jesus to ask if her sons could sit at his right hand and his left hand. James and John themselves came together and asked Jesus if they could be the greatest. In Luke 22, after Jesus told the disciples that he was going to be betrayed, instead of being concerned about him, they once again broke into an argument about who was going to be the greatest among them. The fascinating thing about all this is that Jesus never rebuked them for wanting to be great. As a matter of fact, he, in response to their desire to be great, explained to them what was necessary to be great in the eyes of God. During the sermon on the Mount, Jesus actually addressed the idea of being great, “Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:19.
I am not talking about the desire to be great in the eyes of men. I am talking about being great in the eyes of God. Three different times in the book of Daniel, the angel referred to Daniel as “highly esteemed” in heaven.
I think Jesus was thrilled that his disciples were arguing about greatness instead of discussing among themselves who would be the best at mediocrity among them. Jesus wants us to live a life that God is zealous over. We know that God is jealous for us, but Joel 2 says that we can live a life that God is zealous over, which is different. The Father loves us all who are in Christ with the same intensity, but He is thrilled over a life so Christlike that it’s highly esteemed in heaven. Sadly, so many Christians, particularly in the Western world, have settled for spiritual mediocrity. I believe that God is using all the external pressures over the last few years to awaken the heart of The bride of Christ to choose greatness over mediocrity. Those who decide that mediocrity and half-heartedness are good enough are safe in Christ and will one day go to heaven, but God is looking for wholehearted people who are willing to live unsafe lives in the midst of this cosmic conflict, bringing heaven to earth.