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By Neal Griffin
What is it that shall not be so among them? Salome, mother of James and John, asked that her sons be seated on either side of Jesus in the restored kingdom. Matthew 20:21. To sit at the side of a monarch is to be in a position of great authority, so what it is that "shall not be so" is that there shall not be positions of authority in the kingdom. Jesus had, as recorded in Matthew 18:3, already dealt with this issue, so it is obvious that neither she nor her sons understood the lesson. So, again, Jesus would patiently teach a very vital kingdom principle, and that principle is that to be great in the kingdom, one must be a servant. To be the greatest one must be the least.
This was a difficult pill to swallow back then, and by all indications, it is as difficult in our day. This lesson falls on deaf ears now as it did then. So, in kindness I beg your consideration of these questions: Where does "lording it over" take place? Jesus said that "the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them". Isn't it in the secular realm where such conduct should be observed? Do their "great ones" meet the criteria for greatness in the kingdom? Isn't it in the secular realm (Gentile world) where hiring and firing takes place, where "stabbing in the back" occurs, where the reputations of good men are ruined, where good men are cast out because of their refusal to conform to party lines, and where good men are sacrificed on the altars of sectarianism? Aren't these the things one would expect to find in the world of the flesh? Aren't these the things that should not be mentioned once among the children of God?
Dear reader, the question I am trying to ask is this: If this conduct is characteristic of your rulers, are they of the kingdom or of the Gentile world? The world, as it persecutes Christians, crucifies Christ anew. "And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye did it unto one of these my brethren, even the least, ye did it unto me". Matthew 25:40. It was the established religious institution that crucified our Lord, so the question is this: If the religious institution, that you are promoting, practices these abominations, is it of the kingdom or of the world? Dearly beloved saints of the Lord Jesus, are your rulers of the kingdom or of the world? "By their works ye shall know them".
Please consider these thoughts whether they be true to the Word. May God bless you according to His promise, as you hunger and thirst for His righteousness.
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