The Way Up is Down

I always marvel at the disciples (though I am susceptible to the same thing) that right after Jesus declares that He is going up to Jerusalem to be delivered over to the priests, condemned to death, mocked, flogged and crucified, that their very next conversation has to do with who is going to be the greatest in the Kingdom - who is going to sit in the seats of honor.
But as Jesus always does, He takes advantage of the situation and makes it a teachable moment. He reveals to the disciples what true greatness is all about. He declares that the way up is down; that the way to glory is through the cross (suffering). He Himself would be showing them the way. As He said, "...even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many". You see the ways of the Kingdom are so opposite the ways of this world. I am sure the disciples were wrestling to understand what He meant for they were only schooled in the ways of the world.
Perhaps a better thing to be asking the Lord (instead of who will sit in the place of honor) is what the two blind men asked. They cried out for mercy from the Lord. They asked the Lord that their eyes be opened. I think such humility is the beginning of God's kind of greatness.
In Acts 20 we have one of the most wonderful illustrations of true greatness. The Apostle Paul describes his ministry to the Ephesian elders, and in this description we see the heart and actions of a servant. Paul "served the Lord with humility and with tears and trials". He always declared to them what they needed to hear. He did not "account his life of any value nor as precious to himself" but only wanted to faithfully fulfill the work of service to which His Lord had called him. He worked night and day in order to meet his own needs so that he would not be a burden to others. Paul laid down his life to serve his Lord and the church. Truly this laying down was his exaltation.
Let us all walk in the way of Christ, understanding that the greatest of all is the one who serves!