Less is More

Jesus is always doing this. He turns things on their head. He swims upstream. He is counter-cultural. He says things that make you say, "What?" He is not being a smart-aleck or just trying to be difficult. He is giving us God's perspective on life. This is the way God sees it. Jesus thought differently and spoke differently because He saw the world differently than most, especially the religious leaders of His day. In our text Luke adds this: "For he who is least among you, this is the one who is great." (9:48) We tend to think in terms that "bigger is better."  "More not less" is desirable. One of the phone companies has a really cute commercial with kids and some vintage NBA stars on this very theme. We want more, more, more, more! The word "least" is micros, with obvious connection to many of the words we use today. Jesus says a simple cup of water given to a little one results in a reward. You mean God notices such things? Yep, because less is often more in God's eyes. Jesus told everyone that John was the Greatest, and then turned around and said the least in the kingdom was Greater than John. What? How can you be greater than the greatest? Jesus tells us that the angels of the little ones always behold the face of God. The little flock gets the kingdom. They will all know God beginning with the least. It only takes a few loaves to feed thousands. Plain, ordinary water produces the best wine in Jesus' hands. A few powerless men become Jesus' apostles entrusted with the very words of God.

Paul summed it up in 2 Cor.4:7 when he speaks of this great treasure being contained in jars of clay so that the all surpassing power or greatness will remain with God and not with us. If God worked through the powerful and the greatest as man views power and greatness, the world might misunderstand, thinking the kingdom was about powerful men. The kingdom is about a powerful God who takes the despised things of this world and produces eternal outcomes. The little ones are not to be despised or looked down on. They are to be the examples for the rest of us, just as this child was on this occasion. Ministries need "micro-focus" giving attention to the so-called small things. As I stood Sunday thinking how God was going to bless our little flock, I looked to my left and saw an entire section filled with youth and children. Not one of them was rich or powerful or a possessor of great strength. They were all pretty plain with some pretty plain folks working with them. But, this is just what God loves to do, i.e. to take some plain, common, weak folks and transform them into a mighty army of humble servants.

Lots of land, bigger buildings, many paid staff members, plush surroundings, state of the art this and that does not define the quality of a church. The quality is found in the things and people that God uses to do great things in His name. We need more children, both those who are 3-4 years old and those who are 70-80 years old. We need people who see themselves as least and who know who is Great and who will allow He who is Great to use their little to do great things in His name.