Then Jesus confounded them with words that have become well known across the world: “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.”29 I am convinced that these words of Jesus have been terribly misunderstood. They have been heard over and over again as an admonition against the desire to be first. But in actuality he never discouraged the disciples from wanting to be first; he just told them what first looks like in his economy: If you want to be first, then you must be last. If you want to be first, you must become the servant of all. He didn’t try to diminish
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