Introducing Matt Guarino as our guest blogger this week!

“An argument arose among them as to which of them was the greatest. But Jesus, knowing the reasoning of their hearts, took a child and put him by his side and said to them, ‘Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. For he who is least among you all is the one who is great.’” Luke 9:46-48

My dad and I have always enjoyed watching sports. We love getting together and talking about the weekend’s big game.

We talk about our favorite teams and favorite players. We debate about individual players and their legacy.

We are constantly looking at athletes and asking ourselves, who is the “Greatest of all Time – (G.O.A.T)”?

We can never agree on the G.O.A.T.

My dad is a huge San Francisco 49ers fan. He believes Joe Montana is “hands down” the best quarter back and Jerry Rice is the greatest wide receiver.

My dad served in the Philippines during his military career and believes Manny Pacquiao is the greatest boxer of all time.

To this day, these debates rage on.

As I was reading Luke 9, my imagination took me to the first century, during the life and ministry of our Savior Jesus Christ.

I was humbled by God’s provision for his people. Jesus’  disciples are gathered together, and are equipped with power over demons and sicknesses.

They are commissioned to reveal, heal, and preach the good news. The catch is they cannot take a bag or staff with them.

The disciples are called to a mission that requires them to rely on God’s provision.

As the disciples bring the report back to Jesus of what they had done while away, they are welcomed by a crowd in Bethsaida.

The disciples had already found that the Lord’s provision is sufficient while on their journey. Yet, they ask Jesus how they can feed a crowd of 5,000 people.

The disciples are focused on what they don’t have instead of what they do have.
The confession of Peter and the transfiguration of Jesus make for an intriguing and fascinating read; however, I was stunned when I saw a debate between the apostles.

I realized that the disciples were debating something my father and I had often debated: who is the G.O.A.T.? In the debate among the disciples, each one wants to know which one of them will be exalted.

“An argument arose among them as to which of them was the greatest. But Jesus, knowing the reasoning of their hearts, took a child and put him by his side and said to them, ‘Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. For he who is least among you all is the one who is great.’” Luke 9:46-48

In the first century children were not considered important or valuable – here in this passage, Jesus confronts the disciple’s argument by correcting them.

Whoever takes the lowest place is the one who is truly great.

The disciples witnessed miracles, healings, and the provision of the Lord, but it wasn’t enough for them.

In life you either exalt the name of Jesus, or you exalt something or someone else.

My question for you today is this, do you believe that the Lord’s provision is sufficient for you, or are you building your name, status, and legacy trying to become the G.O.A.T?

Matthew Guarino…Guest Blogger, Youth Director