Top and Bottom

 September 26, 2021

“Whoever wants to be first shall be slave of all.”

—Jesus (Mark 10:44)

If you want to be at the top, you have to spend a great deal of energy and time fighting all the others who also want to be king of the mountain. You can never take your eye off those who want to take your place. If this is a dog-eat-dog world, the top is usually populated by the most voracious wolves. At the top, you have a target painted on your back; you can’t simply sit back and relax, and often can’t do what you really want to do, or even what God wants you to do. It’s not only lonely at the top; it can be idolatrous, robbing us of our focus on God as we try to stay in first place.

To the uninitiated, the top looks like a place of privilege, when often in reality it is a prison. When we spend an inordinate amount of time trying to protect our possessions and place, privilege can shackle us as surely as irons.

Jesus’ remedy is surprisingly simple, yet deceptively difficult. It’s found in the previous verse of Mark’s gospel: “Whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant.” Greatness isn’t about position or power; it’s about service and sacrifice. God’s saints don’t often roam the halls of the rich and powerful; they are more likely stooping at the doors of hovels and mixing with what one rich and powerful person called “the unwashed masses.” It can be dirty, smelly business, but you never have to worry about others clamoring to take your place. There is a lot of elbow room at the bottom.