+ 19 September AD 2021+
Reflection for the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B 

If you were to google “the greatest man that ever lived,” chances are that “Jesus Christ” would be the first name to pop-up! That Jesus is the greatest man of all times is incontestable. It makes sense therefore, that all those who aspire to achieve true greatness must become familiar with his biographies. What surprises me however, is that when we examine all the biographical information we have about Jesus, the findings are quite astonishing. The New Testament, for instance, reveals that the greatest man that ever lived never held any political position; he never had an army under his command; he never had a huge bank account, except of course the piggy-fish bank where he saved his tax money (Matthew 17:24-27). The greatest man that ever lived never had any vacation homes, and never built any houses for himself (Matthew 8:20). In fact, he was born in a borrowed manger (Luke 2:7) and after his death, was buried in a borrowed tomb (Matthew 27:57-61). His resumé does not even show any degree or certificates. Yet, he remains the greatest man of all times. The life is Jesus is indeed a great lesson in greatness. 

In today’s gospel, Jesus gives his apostles a terse lesson 101 on the nature and scope of greatness. He said to them: “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.” Matthew captures this even more succinctly: “The greatest among you shall be your servant” (Matthew 23:11). Theretofore, the apostles, motivated by worldly understanding of greatness debated about who the greatest among them was. Peter must have bragged that as the rock, he was the greatest. No doubt, his brother Andrew would have retorted that were it not for him, Peter would never have known Christ. Of course, James and John would have flaunted their consanguine privilege. And sure, as you would expect, Judas would have argued that Jesus would not have entrusted him with the finances of the group if he did not think highly of him. Unfortunately, unknown to them, their covert resumé parade drew the attention of Jesus. When they arrived Capernaum, he took some time to explain to them that all their so-called achievements were inconsequential to genuine greatness. Indeed, Jesus’ lesson 101 on greatness has a huge pedagogical implication for us today. 

In a world that defines greatness through the lenses of 5ps: power, position, possession, prestige and popularity, Jesus insists that genuine greatness rests upon service. Greatness does not consist in the number of people we command and demand service from, true greatness rests on the number of people we are able to affect, influence positively and minster to. Greatness for Jesus consists in the number of mouths we are able to feed, the number of wounds we are able to heal, the number of broken hearts we are able to mend and the number of the poor and the neglected we are able to give new life, renewed hope and fresh opportunities. 

The second reading of today invites us to shun the worldly, self-centered understanding of greatness which triggers a host of evils such as division, jealousy, envy, exploitation, dishonesty and even murder. We must move away from a “one man standing” twisted-notion of greatness - a kind of greatness that tramples on others and pulls them down. We must move away from the kind of greatness that says: “for me to succeed, others must fail; for me to climb, others must fall.” Jesus invites us to re-evaluate our notion of greatness, and to aspire to climb the mountain of greatness through the path of service, humility and simplicity. This is the kind of greatness that is peaceable, gentle, compliant, full of mercy, bears good fruits and is without inconstancy or insincerity.

    Fr. Lazarus Onuh