Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave — just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:26-28
Most men desire to be great. We want to be great, or seen as great, in our careers, hobbies, ministries, etc. What we’ve been told is that to be great, you must constantly strive to achieve, reach some defined level of success, be recognized by others, have influence and then you’ll be great.
But Jesus is telling us, it’s none of that. That if you want to be great, you must be a servant. That the people around you are not here to serve you, that you are not to demand preferential treatment. Rather, if you desire to be great, you must be a bondservant (slave). Slaves have no rights.
Want to be great?
Then listen to what Jesus is saying: men who are great in the Kingdom of God relinquish their rights and recognize that nobody owes them anything. They make no demands of anyone, and they will serve and prefer others; and sacrifice their life (desires and wants) in favor of what those around them need. When you can do that, then you will become great.