March 23, 2025
The GOAT
Luke 22:24-38
Rev. Shannon Jordan
Hear the word of the Lord
24 A dispute also arose among them as to which one of them was to be regarded as the greatest. 25But he said to them, ‘The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those in authority over them are called benefactors. 26But not so with you; rather the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like one who serves. 27For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.
28 ‘You are those who have stood by me in my trials; 29and I confer on you, just as my Father has conferred on me, a kingdom, 30so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
31 ‘Simon, Simon, listen! Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat, 32but I have prayed for you that your own faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.’ 33And he said to him, ‘Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death!’ 34Jesus said, ‘I tell you, Peter, the cock will not crow this day, until you have denied three times that you know me.’
35 He said to them, ‘When I sent you out without a purse, bag, or sandals, did you lack anything?’ They said, ‘No, not a thing.’ 36He said to them, ‘But now, the one who has a purse must take it, and likewise a bag. And the one who has no sword must sell his cloak and buy one. 37For I tell you, this scripture must be fulfilled in me, “And he was counted among the lawless”; and indeed what is written about me is being fulfilled.’ 38They said, ‘Lord, look, here are two swords.’ He replied, ‘It is enough.’
Holy God, use these words and this time exploring your scripture to reshape us to be more like you—with childlike and servant like attitudes. Amen
Who are some people that you have heard given the title of GOAT? Simone Biles, Michael Jordan, Jack Nicholas. Serena Williams…the longtime former Patriots QB that I can’t mention as I am married to a Steelers fan—these are a few of the people in our culture given the title of GOAT…greatest of all time. People in this category tend to be not just the best of an era, but their best is so far ahead of the next closest person that there seems to be no competition. They beat the current competition and the past competition, reaching a height only really imagined.
For most athletes who gain the title GOAT, their career demonstrates consistency over time. Countless hours of practice and coaching and trials. They compete, then they watch recordings to see where they can improve. They are known for their mental fortitude. For how they almost get better under pressure. How the weight of the world doesn’t impact how they play the game. Every aspect of their lives is dedicated to their calling.
Our passage this morning starts with the disciples discussing who is the greatest. I don’t think it was from a place of bragging or trash talking… but from a place of fear…or defensiveness. Our scripture last week ended with Jesus saying his betrayer is at the table and they are understandably scrambling to let each other know they are not the one. You know it can’t be me, you saw me heal that kid. You know it can’t be me, you know I was at the transfiguration. You know it can’t be me, I haven’t broken a sabbath law in four year, six months and three days. They were jockeying to make sure the others knew they would have places of prominence in the Kingdom of God.
Jesus describes to them, reminds them, how things will work in the kingdom. It is not going to be like the gentiles and their benefactors. Jesus’s time period, like so many, was a time where those in power had powerful and wealthy supporters that were called benefactors… and the irony of it is they only benefitted each other, not those who needed the resources they could have offered. In fact, they controlled a system that took advantage of the poor and marginalized for their own benefit. And if they did help the poor, it was with the expectation that the recipients would fall all over themselves in gratitude.
Jesus told them they would need to learn to be like the youngest, the servant, to be great. Greatness in God’s economy is not power or wealth, but servanthood. Jesus promises them that they will serve with him in God’s kingdom, sitting on thrones, ruling over the twelve tribes of Israel. They will do this, not because of what they have done, but because of the power of God. They will not gain power by grabbing it or wielding it, but by accepting it and learning to live according to God’s way—the way that Jesus taught and demonstrated—through service, love, and compassion.
Jesus continues, letting the disciples know they are going to be sifted like wheat. Two things to get from this phrase. First, the sifting process is pretty chaotic and violent for those in the sieve. A key point of belief in that era was that you got what you deserved—and if something bad happened to you, it was your fault. In Jesus’s statement to the disciples, they are told that they are going to be tested, much like Job was tested by Satan. So they aren’t experiencing this sifting because of their sin.
Secondly, Jesus looks at Peter and says that he is praying that Peter’s faith remains strong during this time and that when he gets to the other side that he will be able to encourage and strengthen the other disciples. Jesus doesn’t pray that they not be sifted. Jesus does not save them from the sifting, he prays for protection for their faith in the midst of trials. In particular, he prays for Peter’s faith so he can encourage others. This section and prayer is very similar to what is in John, where Jesus prays for his disciples in John 17.
As we sit with these passages, there are two main things I want all of us to take away—serve and pray. Serve and pray.
First, in challenging times, like those of Holy Week, where friends are betraying friends, and there is violence and division, hatred and conflict, Jesus teaches that as leaders for God, that leadership is a servant leadership. Jesus served his disciples. He reminds them that in God’s economy being great looks different than in the gentile world. The disciples have lived this. They have seen it, they have presumably practiced it, and it was about to be game time. They were going to find out if they could hold up under pressure. Jesus is praying that when things get hard, that they are able to stay focused and on track—encouraging one another and serving others.
The last two Saturdays I have been at memorial services for members of FPCA. Both of these members, Bob Bennett and Angela Hardin, were great people. Not because of their wealth or job titles, or their being the best at something, but because of their service to others. Bob’s world had largely shrunk to where he could walk, and he walked with his dog Gumbo to Home Depot at least once a day. He befriended the people who worked there. He also checked into a local coffee shop each day. He connected with people. He listened to people. He lived a life of service and even as he aged out, he gave people his attention and care. He was great. He was killed the week after Helene and six months after his death, there were at least six or eight people from Home Depot and the coffee shop, as well as people from his life here at FPCA.
Yesterday I was able to go to the service of FPCA member Angela Hardin, Jean Shearouse’s aunt. Angela was also a great woman. Again, not because of wealth, power or accomplishments, but because of her care of others. She taught first and second graders for 41 years, as well as leading many scout troops, teaching Sunday school, and leading VBS. She was great because she served the children…exactly as Jesus described. Greatness is not about power and wealth, but service.
I was reminded of how these acts of service and prayer impacted Bryan Stevenson and his founding of the Equal Justice Initiative. Last month we had photos from EJI’s National Memorial for Peace and Justice. This site in Montgomery honors more than 4,400 Black individuals who were victims of racial terror lynchings between 1877 and 1950, with their names engraved on over 800 steel monuments, each representing a county where such lynchings occurred. Our Racial Justic Team is exploring a trip down for that. Bryan Stevenson, a graduate of the Harvard Law School, was a strong Christian and was moved to intern at the Southern Center for Human Rights in Atlanta. Stevenson listened to the death row inmates, recognized the unjust system that put them on death row, and worked for justice. Bryan Stevenson is great according the Jesus’s definition.
This afternoon we have close to 100 people who will be serving in our community during out LOVE AVL event. People will be serving our community with cleaning up the river area after the storm, with a poverty walk, sorting supplies for families in need, and creating home décor for those moving into homes through Homeward Bound, and more! I love that we are a church that takes seriously the call we have to serve others. This is a key part of our identity as a church.
You may not be able to help today. And that is fine! Befriending strangers like Bob Bennett, or teaching first grade for 41 years like Angela Hardin, or being a lawyer for death row inmates may not be your thing. I encourage you to find your thing. One of my favorite quotes is by Frederick Buechner, “The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” What is your deep gladness? What is your passion? What hurts your heart. In what unique way has God created you and how can you use that in service to others? In God’s economy, greatness is found in the little things—not the big splashy things. We can make a conscious choice to find a way to serve others every day.
Many of us are being sifted right now or people we know and love are being sifted. Times are hard. I have had several conversations recently with members of the congregation wondering what they could do, or how to pray, when the outcome they want feels out of their control. How do we pray? One, the liturgical arts team has a prayer banner in the atrium, go write a prayer there…maybe take a photo of it and mail it to the person for whom you are praying.
Prayer can be as simple as naming the person or situation, and then saying Lord in your mercy, hear my prayer. It can be writing something on a post it note and putting it somewhere you will see it. It can be setting a reminder on your phone to pray for someone or something. It can be singing a song about the power of God or memorizing a scripture on God’s faithfulness and learning to trust more.
Jesus is at his last meal with his disciples before his death. He KNOWS that things for them are going to get REALLY hard. By the time Luke was written, maybe 50 years after this happened, there had been a war between the Jews and Rome. I know it is no shock that it doesn’t go well for the Jews and there was a horrific siege of Jerusalem and the Temple was destroyed. Jesus knew things were going to get bad and he told his disciples to serve others and to pray for faith.
As we close this morning, I want to pray one of my favorite prayers in scripture… from the end of Ephesians 3. This is a prayer I pray when I don’t know what to pray – when I don’t know what the best outcome might be and I need to trust God to navigate.
Let us pray.
For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth,9and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, for ever and ever. Amen.