I once walked along the famous Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles. As I walked across those famous names embedded in the sidewalk, the memories of those individuals were now passing under my feet.
About the time I walked on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Mother Teresa and Lady Di of England died in the same week. A news commentator made a stark comparison between the two women. He noted Mother Teresa died serving the poor. Lady Di passed as “a concerned tourist.” It was Lady Di who received the most attention.
Part of me thinks Mother Teresa would have wanted it that way. Her life was hidden in her service to those in need. She wasn’t looking for fame or fortune and would not have wanted attention coming her way for doing God’s will.
As Jesus spoke to His followers about the sin of the religious teachers and Pharisees He said, “Do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach” (Matthew 23:3).
There was a purpose in what these religious leaders did, “Everything they do is done for people to see” (Matthew (vs.5). They wanted their memories to find a place on their religious walk of fame. It was not done for God. It was done to exalt themselves, “They loved the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others” (vs. 6-7).
Jesus finished His instruction by saying, “The greatest among you will be your servant” (vs. 11). Greatness in God’s Kingdom happens in places of obscurity, unknown to the rest of the world but seen by God. The most important people in God’s Kingdom are not always recognized in this life but will be remembered in eternity when we stand before the greatest servant of all, Jesus Christ.
Yes, amen