Episode 1212
What Does It Really Mean to Be Great? The Uncomfortable Truth Jesus Taught | Matthew 20:17-28
In this episode of the Daily Bible Refresh, Dr. Brad Miller reads Matthew 20:17–28 from The Message and unpacks Jesus’ radical teaching that true greatness is found in servanthood, not status. Using the story of the mother of James and John lobbying for her sons’ places of honor, Dr. Miller explores how deeply we absorb hierarchical, power-driven thinking from our culture, families, churches, and politics. He contrasts the “currency of the empire”—platform, prestige, and being “above” others—with the currency of Jesus’ kingdom, where greatness is measured by a willingness to serve, to enter into others’ pain, and to trade comfort for someone else’s dignity. Through personal stories from his family life, his ministry among people living with cancer, and a simple but powerful weekly action step, he invites listeners to quietly choose service over status and to rediscover the strength and joy of a servant-hearted life.
Key Takeaways
- Jesus redefines greatness as servanthood
- In Matthew 20:17–28, Jesus makes it clear that in his kingdom, whoever wants to be great must become a servant, and whoever wants to be first must become a slave, turning normal power structures upside down.
- We’re quietly shaped by systems of power
- The mother of James and John isn’t portrayed as evil; she simply sees “the best” in terms of status and proximity to power, illustrating how our imaginations are often formed by hierarchy—who’s on top, who’s closest to the throne.
- Servanthood is not weakness but subversive strength
- Serving isn’t about being a doormat or disappearing; it is a deliberate act of resistance against the empire’s obsession with status, choosing a different “currency” rooted in love, presence, and humility.
- Real influence comes from presence in suffering, not credentials
- From Dr. Miller’s work with people living with cancer, those who have the most impact are often not the professionals with titles, but the ones who sit with others in hard moments and keep showing up.
- “Drinking the cup” means trading comfort for someone else’s dignity
- The “cup” Jesus speaks of isn’t about chasing suffering but about being willing to enter into another’s pain, offering presence over prestige and choosing someone else’s good over your own comfort.
- Practical action step: quietly choose service this week
- Listeners are challenged to trade a position of comfort for a position of service—like giving up a better parking spot, sitting with a struggling friend, or amplifying a quieter voice in a meeting—without drawing attention to themselves.
Links referenced in this episode:
The "Daily Bible Refresh" is presented each day by Rev. Dr. Brad Miller who has a goal of speaking a bit of the bible into two million ears (one million people) in three years (2025-2028).
He is the author of "The A, B, C-1,2,3 Bible Study Guide" Free to you by clicking HERE.
Brad served as a local church pastor for forty years and has a background in radio and podcasting. Moreover, he is a life-long student of The Bible.
He believes in the words of Jesus that “scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21)
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Transcript
Hello my friend Dr. Brad Miller here with the Daily Bible Refresh.
Speaker A:This is your daily reading of the Bible from a progressive point of view.
Speaker A:In a bit I will read the New Testament lessons selected from the Revised Common Lectionary for this very day.
Speaker A:The reading is understandable.
Speaker A:I use the Message version relatable.
Speaker A:Please listen to the points to ponder and applicable with action steps you can take.
Speaker A:We pray and are done in less than 10 minutes.
Speaker A:It's all brought to you by voiceofgoddd daily.com which is the home of your free personal Bible Study Guide, the ABC1, 23 Bible Study Method.
Speaker A: lionaires a million people by: Speaker A:You can help by saving and subscribing to the podcast and tagging your friends.
Speaker A:Here's today's reading.
Speaker B: ay from the Gospel of Matthew: Speaker B:We are on our way up to Jerusalem.
Speaker B:When we get there, the Son of Man will be betrayed through the religious leaders and scholars.
Speaker B:They will sentence him to death.
Speaker B:They will then hand him over to the Romans for mockery and torture and crucifixion.
Speaker B:On the third day, he will be raised up alive.
Speaker B:It's about that time that the mother of the Zebedee brothers came with her two sons and knelt before Jesus with a request.
Speaker B:What do you want?
Speaker B:Jesus asked.
Speaker B:And she said, give your word that these two sons of mine will be awarded the highest places of honor in your kingdom.
Speaker B:One at your right hand and one at your left.
Speaker B:Jesus responded, you have no idea what you're asking.
Speaker B:And he said to James and John, are you capable of drinking the cup that I'm about to drink?
Speaker B:And they said, sure, why not?
Speaker B:Jesus said, come to think of it, you are going to drink my cup.
Speaker B:But as to awarding places of honor, that's not my business.
Speaker B:My Father is taking care of that.
Speaker B:When the 10 others heard about this, they lost their tempers, thoroughly discussed it with the two brothers.
Speaker B:So Jesus got them together to settle things down.
Speaker B:He said, you've observed how godless rulers throw their weight around, how quickly a little power goes to their heads.
Speaker B:It's not going to be that way with you.
Speaker B:Whoever wants to be the greatest must become a servant.
Speaker B:Whoever wants to be the first among you must be your slave.
Speaker B:That is what the Son of Man has done.
Speaker B:He came to Serve not to be served, and then to give away his life in exchange for the many who are held hostage.
Speaker B:Powerful reading of Scripture there, my friends.
Speaker B:Let's get into a couple of points to ponder, teaching points about this.
Speaker B:Here's the thing that gets me.
Speaker B:When I read this passage.
Speaker B:Jesus has not only told his disciples plainly and directly, no parables here, no word puzzles.
Speaker B:He told them he's going to be handed over, tortured and killed.
Speaker B:And what happens next?
Speaker B:A mom shows up lobbying for her two sons or boys to get the best seats in the house.
Speaker B:Now, it's kind of laughable in a way, isn't it?
Speaker B:It's kind of like we may have seen hovering moms, you know, I saw in kids soccer and things like this.
Speaker B:But really, honestly, it's a human thing, isn't it, for a mom to want the best for her sons, that's really human.
Speaker B:That is so us.
Speaker B:So here's my point to ponder.
Speaker B:We are far more shaped by systems of power than we usually realize.
Speaker B:The mother of James and John was that she wasn't a bad person.
Speaker B:She loved her sons and she wanted what was best for them.
Speaker B:She wanted the best.
Speaker B:But her entire imagination of what the best looked like was built around a framework of hierarchy.
Speaker B:Who's on top?
Speaker B:Who's got the most influence, who sits closest to the throne?
Speaker B:And Jesus says, and I love how the message puts us.
Speaker B:You've observed how godless rulers throw their weight around, how quickly a little power goes through their heads.
Speaker B:So he's naming something.
Speaker B:He's calling it out here.
Speaker B:He says, look, I kind of see the water, the pool that you're in, that you're swimming in.
Speaker B:I understand the world that you grew up in, but that's not what we're talking about here.
Speaker B:That's not the vision I'm casting.
Speaker B:Now, my wife and I have been married for 34 years.
Speaker B:We've got three great adult children who have really awesome lives.
Speaker B:And I've noticed this in our family and our faith community and our culture.
Speaker B:It's how quietly, almost invisibly, we absorb the idea that greatness looks like somehow being above one, up on somebody else.
Speaker B:You know, get in the corner suite, office, or the biggest platform, the loudest voice in the room.
Speaker B:But a progressive Christian approach to this Scripture pushes back on that.
Speaker B:It pushes back on it hard, invites us to ask, whose voices are centered in our churches, in our communities, in our politics, and more importantly, who gets left out?
Speaker B:This is not a comfortable question, but Jesus isn't always about comfort, is he Teaching point number two.
Speaker B:Point to ponder number two, which it says the point that servanthood is not weakness.
Speaker B:It's the most subversive act of strength there is.
Speaker B:And when Jesus says whoever wants to be great must become a servant, he's not calling for his followers to be doormats.
Speaker B:He's not saying roll over, let people walk all over you, be invisible.
Speaker B:He's flipping the entire power structure upside down.
Speaker B:He's saying the currency of my kingdom is completely different than the currency of the empire.
Speaker B:Now I have a weekly podcast for people living in the shadow of cancer and folks trying to cope with some, with some great grimness in their life, with some humor and hope.
Speaker B:And what I've noticed in my podcast and dealing with people with cancer is that, is that people in that community who have the most influence, who carry the most credibility, are not really often the ones with most credentials.
Speaker B:Doctors, for instance, things like that.
Speaker B:They're the ones who have sat with others in the hard moments and still chose to show up for somebody else.
Speaker B:And that's the cup that Jesus is talking about here.
Speaker B:Drinking from the cup doesn't mean seeking suffering.
Speaker B:It means being willing to enter into someone else's pain, to trade your comfort for their dignity, to choose presence over prestige.
Speaker B:I got two great granddaughters.
Speaker B:They're very young right now, and I'm telling you, nothing on my weak tops laughing.
Speaker B:But those girls, when they do something silly or I tell a dumb joke and you know, those kids haven't yet learned to this kind of hierarchy of greatness, they just are.
Speaker B:They're just having fun.
Speaker B:They're just being kids and they're fully present.
Speaker B:They're fully generous with their joy.
Speaker B:Maybe Jesus was onto something when he said the kingdom belongs to the little children.
Speaker B:Okay, here's your action step for today, and this one's pretty practical.
Speaker B:This week I want you to find an opportunity to trade a position of comfort for a position of service.
Speaker B:Do it quietly, without paying attention or calling attention to yourself.
Speaker B:No big announcements here, no social media post about it, just not making sure other people know you do.
Speaker B:Could be simple as setting someone else have a better parking spot when you go to Walmart, or sitting with a friend who's struggling or just offering some helpful conversation or advice to someone or advocating for someone in a meeting whose voice gets drowned out by others who are louder and talk more.
Speaker B:Do it and see how it feels.
Speaker B:Because Jesus says that's where greatness lies.
Speaker B:We're going to come back and have a prayer here in just a second.
Speaker B:But I want you to know we've got a resource for you called the ABC 123 Bible study method.
Speaker B:It's going to help you with your at home Bible study practices.
Speaker B:Please go over to our website voiceofgoddaily.com free to you there.
Speaker B:Let's pray Voice Lord, loosen our grip on status and our hunger for the best seat.
Speaker B:Teach us that to serve is to be truly alive.
Speaker B:Amen.
Speaker A:My friend, I am delighted you chose to join me for today's reading.
Speaker A:The Daily Bible Refresh is completely listener supported.
Speaker A: on years, a million people by: Speaker A:I would be so grateful if you would go to voiceofgodddaily.com and share your gift of any amount.
Speaker A:Thanks much.
Speaker A:My name is Dr. Brad Miller and I'll be right here tomorrow with your Daily Bible Refresh.
Speaker A:Please subscribe and tag your friends until tomorrow.
Speaker A:Remember, God's loyal love doesn't run out.
Speaker A:His merciful love hasn't dried up, it's created new every morning.
