Luke 22:24-30
24 Also a dispute arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest. 25 Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. 26 But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. 27 For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves. 28 You are those who have stood by me in my trials. 29 And I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me, 30 so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. NIV
In Luke 22:24-30, Luke writes about an incident that none of the other three writers write about in their gospels. Luke in his account of the last night that Jesus spent with His apostles and the last Passover meal He would eat with them before His death, Luke tells us about an unpleasant event that happened at the dinner table. But most importantly, Luke also continues to tell us how Jesus used this awkward event and turned it in to an opportunity to teach the apostles an essential lesson concerning humility, leadership and service in God’s kingdom.
Most of us have experienced unpleasant moments at the dinner table when a disagreement occurred which turned into an argument. As tempers rose, so did the volume of the voices who were arguing, and for those not involved, there was the unpleasant feeling of being present. Many times when this happens those who are involved in the arguing are utterly insensitive to the others who are at the table who have been obligated to be the unwilling spectators causing them to feel uneasy and having disgust and even disappointment for those who are arguing.
Luke tells us about some important details that help us understand the context of this unpleasant moment at the dinner table, which was the most important holiday and celebration on the Jewish calendar.
First of all, the Passover meal had already started and Jesus was with His twelve apostles at the dinner table. When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table, Luke 22:14. Note that Jesus and His apostles were not sitting at the table, as depicted by Leonardo Da Vinci’s well-known painting of the last supper, which is very culturally incorrect for that period.
These next two points are a good example how the enemy tries to interrupt and or ruin an event of such importance to our Lord Jesus.
Secondly, this last Passover Jesus ate with His apostles was very important for Him; so much so He was enthusiastically waiting to celebrate this Passover meal with them. And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. Luke 22:15.
Thirdly, in Luke 22:17-22 Jesus said, 17 After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. 18 For I tell you I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” 19 And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 20 In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you. Jesus tells them something of very significant importance about the new meaning that the cup of wine and the unleavened bread of the Passover meal would soon have. The Apostles had the responsibility to correctly understand this new meaning and significance of the Passover bread and wine as it related to the soon to happen crucifixion and death of Jesus. After Jesus’ death and resurrection partaking of the bread and wine would be understood as “the Lord’s Supper” (1 Corinthians 11:20) every time there after it would be observed throughout the centuries by Christ’s Church.
Why did this argument take place among the apostles? We can answer this by understanding who were these twelve men that Jesus choose to be His apostles. Some were professional fishermen, one was a tax collector and one was a traitor. But they all were ordinary and imperfect men full of pride who had selfish ambitions and an incorrect understanding of leadership in God’s Kingdom.
What was the argument about? Luke tells us very briefly but clearly, Also a dispute arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest. Luke 22:24. The “Also” that Luke uses, puts in context all the significant words of Jesus and actions that took place prior to the unpleasant moment at the dinner table. Why was being the “greatest” so significant among the apostles that it caused an argument? Pride and self-seeking ambition in the apostles did not want to lose the opportunity to express how important they saw themselves in relation to the others. What pride and self-seeking ambition did, it caused a disregarded of the fact that Jesus was present listening to what was coming out from their hearts and through their mouths. Pride also caused the apostles to forget what Jesus had taught, that our words exposes to others what is really in our heart. “For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.” Matthew 12:34.
There are many essential spiritual truths we can learn from what Jesus said in verses 25 to 29 that Luke writes about, but we can also learn from what Jesus did not say. Even though the apostle’s argument temporarily interfered with the importance of the meal, the unity and the purpose of celebrating the Passover and Jesus’ expectancy of the dinner, Jesus did not tell them to stop arguing. In spite of the fact that Jesus heard what everyone was saying, He did not ask them, why they were arguing nor did He call out anyone in particular, pointing out how wrong they were in their point of view. What Jesus did was to address the point of the apostle’s dispute with an example of how the world thinks and acts, comparing it to the way leadership, self-importance and service to others should not be and should be among them.
Whose principles and way of thinking are we displaying to others with our words and actions when we have a disagreement? What is the spiritual reality of our hearts that others are hearing?
In verses 25 and 26a, Jesus corrects the apostles by making a comparison and not telling how wrong they were by arguing. Jesus told them how worldly people acted and He simply said they are not to think or treat others in the same way as the world does, especially if you are a person in authority. 25 Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. 26 But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves.
The apostles thought they knew who was the “greatest” among them; so much so, they were willing to argue about it. However, their understanding was the way the world defined and demonstrated greatness among others and this was totally opposite to what Jesus was teaching them.
In verse 27 Jesus uses a very effective teaching tool that was very common in the way He taught, He asked a question. He not only asks a question of which every one of the twelve knew the answer, but Jesus also answers the His question which helps emphasize the point of the lesion the apostles needed to learn. If Jesus was the “greatest” at the table and not one of the twelve apostles (who were trying to convince the others by arguing the point), then why was he serving them? 27 For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.
Among the twelve, there was no humility or leadership displayed by their arguing, there was just blind pride exposing itself and putting oneself first. There was no consideration, respect or appreciation for one another when they were arguing, “which of them was considered to be greatest”. There was just “me”, “myself” and “I” and what I believed about myself was the most important.
It was easy to argue among each other about why they thought they were the “greatest”, but it was Jesus and what He did that proved to all of them who really the greatest by what He did.
Next week we will study in John 13:1-17 how Jesus demonstrated to the apostles that it is not what you think or say to others about who you think you are by arguing, but Jesus taught them, who you are is demonstrated in humility by what you do to others especially, if you are a leader.
Pastor John
3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Philippians 2:3-4
