The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called 'benefactors.' But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves

 Now there was a dispute among them, as to which of them should be considered the greatest.  And He said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called 'benefactors.'  But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves.  For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves?  Is it not he who sits at the table?  Yet I am among you as the One who serves. 

"But you are those who have continued with Me in My trials.  And I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon Me, that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel."

- Luke 22:24-30

Yesterday, we read that when the hour had come for the Passover Meal -- the Last Supper, Jesus sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him.  Then He said to them, "With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God."  Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, "Take this and divide it among yourselves; for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes."  And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me."    Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.  But behold, the hand of My betrayer is with Me on the table.  And truly the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed!"  Then they began to question among themselves, which of them it was who would do this thing.

  Now there was a dispute among them, as to which of them should be considered the greatest.  And He said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called 'benefactors.'  But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves.  For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves?  Is it not he who sits at the table?  Yet I am among you as the One who serves."  My study bible tells us that this small-minded dispute is out of place in the context of the mysteries that Christ has just revealed at the Last Supper (the Eucharist).  Perhaps it is Jesus' mention of fulfillment "in the kingdom of God" (see yesterday's reading, above).   Jesus corrects the disciples; this kingdom is nothing like a worldly one.  He first compares them to power-hungry Gentiles -- the kings of the world -- whom they themselves consider an abomination.  He contrasts these kings to Himself, who serves us even though He is Lord of all.   His voluntary death on the Cross will be the ultimate sacrifice and service to all the world, past, present, and future.

"But you are those who have continued with Me in My trials.  And I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon Me, that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel."  My study bible quotes Ambrose of Milan:  "Christ judges by discerning the heart, and not by examining deeds.  So also the apostles are being shaped to exercise spiritual judgment concerning faith, and in rebuking error with virtue."  The apostles -- as those who will sit on thrones in the kingdom -- will not judge with earthy judgment, but by the witness of their own lives.  My study bible tells us:  "Since God's kingdom begins with the Resurrection of Christ, the authority of judgment has already been given to the apostles and their successors in the journey of the Church on earth (Matthew 16:19; John 20:23)."

It's a real lesson to all of us how Jesus' disciples immediately jump to considerations of who's going to be the greatest in this kingdom He is talking about.  He's just given them the Eucharist, He's rather explicitly laying out His sacrifice on the Cross, what is going to happen.  It's obviously of tremendous, exceptional importance when He tells them they must "do this in remembrance of Me."  After all, this is a command without time limits, and 2,000 years later is still the center and focus of our worship.  They also fail to understand the tremendous mystical reality that has just been instituted and given to them.  So, all in all, we could say that this is a great example of how our "worldly" minds work.  In that context, it's interesting that the first lesson He teaches them is humility.  It's the secret and the key to His power, His way.  In fact His whole system of power works in the opposite way in which they're thinking, the opposite and totally unexpected way compared to the kings of the Gentiles and the examples of great worldly power they know around themselves.  This isn't going to be that kind of kingdom!  Even though they have been His disciples for quite some time, living with Him, learning from Him in daily life throughout His ministry, witnessing His teaching and healing -- they still aren't in that place where their minds don't automatically jump to a worldly image of power at the mention of the fulfillment of His kingdom.   As leaders and judges to be, they must have it in their heads to serve, as He does.  And what does it mean to serve?  It means, as St. Ambrose has said above in the quotation from my study bible, the exercise of virtue, witnessing.  Our lives become examples of upholding His truth and His love.  We stand up for something.  We don't let easy sentiment drive our lives.  We don't take our opinions and emotions from the "worldly" and let the world sway us with its vehemence.  We stand with Him.  He is the One who has made the great sacrifice in order to institute a Kingdom and bring us all into it.  We must be like Him and not lose our heads to the worldly, to exaggerated and easy notions of power, to over-excited emotions and what the crowds of the moment seem to trumpet.  We witness by practicing virtue, we learn the discernment of the heart.   For that we must be right in our own center, with Him where He lives and dwells within us, focused in prayer, in what we know are the virtues He has taught, starting with humility -- not the focus on the desires of the crowds and the trappings of worldly glory.  His example of service is just the opposite of that.  We live in a world that still desperately needs such witnessing, such a Kingdom, such virtue and discernment of the heart.  Can we help serve it?