The GOAT

"The Last Supper" by Fritz von Uhde (1886)

It was yet another dispute when all he was hoping for was a nice, quiet, peaceful meal – was that asking so much? It seems this time it was, and the dispute won out. The “disputers” and the “disputees” brought their dispute to him in order to set the record straight. And so, like a parent
arbitrating an argument between squabbling children, setting the record straight is what Jesus did.

The meal was the Passover – lots of food, lots of remembrance, and not a little bit of wine. The “disputers” and the “disputees” were Jesus’ followers, also known as the disciples.

And the dispute? It was over who was the greatest of among them—the Greatest of All Time— or as they refer to it in the world of professional sports, the GOAT. So they turned to Jesus, and who knows? Maybe when the dispute was settled one of them would get Jesus’ vote for being the greatest among the disciples.

But Jesus set the record straight with these words: “Among you it will be different. Those who are the greatest among you should take the lowest rank, and the leader should be like a servant. Who is more important, the one who sits at the table or the one who serves? The one who sits at the
table, of course. But not here! For I am among you as one who serves.” (Luke 22:25-27).

~ Pastor Tom

Jesu, Jesu, fill us with your love, show us how to serve the neighbors we have from you.”
(hymn: "Jesu, Jesu")