Freshbrook Church Podcast | 29Mar26 | Passion | John Cairns

John Cairns continues our series of talks from the Gospel of Luke - Passion (How Jesus founded an everlasting kingdom upon love, humility and sacrifice).    

Today's passage is - Luke 22: 24 - 38.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:04

Good morning. If you'd like to borrow a church Bible, do just put your hand up, and one of the stewards will come and bring you one. This morning's reading then is from Luke chapter 22. And we're reading from verses 24 to 38. And in the Church Bible, this can be found on page 1057. A dispute also arose among them as to which of them was considered to be the greatest. Jesus said to them, the kings of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who exercise authority over them call themselves benefactors. But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. For who is greater? The one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves. You are those who have stood by me in my trials, and I confer on you a kingdom, just as my father conferred one on me, so that you may eat and drink at my table, in my kingdom, and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat, but I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers. But he replied, Lord, I'm ready to go with you to prison and to death. Jesus answered, I tell you, Peter, before the cock crows today, you will deny three times that you know me. Then Jesus asked them, When I sent you without a purse, bag, or sandals, did you lack anything? Nothing, but they answered. He said to them, but now, if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag. And if you don't have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one. It is written, and he was numbered with the transgressors. And I tell you that this must be fulfilled in me. Yes, what is written about me is reaching its fulfilment. The disciples said, See, Lord, here are two swords. That's enough, he replied. Amen.

SPEAKER_00 3:43

Have you ever dreamt of achieving fame? Do you want to be known, recognized, and loved? Well, you wouldn't be alone if you did. Human beings' obsession with celebrity is no new phenomenon. Not only did Jesus' disciples debate which of them should be the greatest, the Bible is full of stories about men, usually men, who enjoyed the limelight. We can perhaps forgive the young and inexperienced Joseph, who irked his older brothers by twice revealing dreams, which showed that one day they would have to bow down to him. He was only 17 at the time. But when Joseph did indeed become Israel's savior and Egypt's too, it was good to see that the self-confidence and swagger of his youth had been replaced by a reliance on God. Indeed, it was reliance on God that created other great Old Testament heroes like Joshua, whose fame we're told spread throughout the land. And later exactly the same was said of David. But in between there were many others, like Deborah, Gideon, or my favorite, Samson, whose story John Milton wrote about and celebrated in a poem called Samson Agonistes. This preoccupation with greatness isn't confined to stories that we read about in the Bible. If you've read any Greek mythology, such as Homer's Iliad, written about 800 years before the birth of Christ, they too focus on feats by fearless warriors like Achilles. Achilles, you might recall, was given a choice. He could choose a long, peaceful, and ordinary life and be eternally forgotten, or a short life of honor, glory, and eternal remembrance. Read the Iliad, and you will see that he eschewed the quiet life, the poem recording his many heroic deeds in the Trojan War. You need to read it yourselves because my poor knowledge of Greek mythology has always been my Achilles' elbow. According to Plutarch's The Life of Julius Caesar, at the age of 33, Caesar came across a statue of Alexander the Great, which caused him great unhappiness. It reminded him of the fact that he was just an average Roman governor of Spain, whereas even before he was Caesar's age, Alexander had already conquered the world. He thought no one would ever remember him in time to come. But remembered he is because we remain enthralled by those who achieved who have achieved some sort of celebrity status, even those whose actions were nefarious. We only have to look at the cues of people outside Madame Tissauds in London's Baker Street, still as popular today as it was when it opened in 1835. People continue to see celebrities and even waxen ones, it seems. He said they're not laughing now. So what can we learn from this? It's perhaps this that throughout history the desire to be remembered for something, to have made a difference in some way, seems to be common to all human beings. We all want to feel that our lives have made an impact, that we've contributed something special. We might not have a monument erected in our honour or a blue plaque placed on our house, but most of us would at least like to be remembered for something good that we did. Like the disciples, we would like to have a high popularity rating, some recognition for what we achieved. Actually, a little while ago I passed a bungalow near where we live in Roughton, and I noticed there was a blue plaque on the wall which I'd never noticed before. So I decided to walk down the garden path to see what it was and what it said. And it said, nobody of any significance has lived here. All of which reminds me of a BBC television series broadcast back in 2002. Some of you might remember this. It was based on a poll to determine who people considered to be the top 100 Great Britons in history. And what struck me was what an eclectic list of people it turned out to be, ranging from the likes of William Shakespeare, Brunel, Nelson Churchill, Elizabeth I, not many women, Sir Isaac Newton, and so on, to favourite personalities of today, like pop singers and entertainers and famous royals. But of course, the list was bound to be a hotchpotch because we have an incomplete knowledge of people's lives, and the criteria we use for judging greatness varies from one individual to the next. And how can we really compare, say, Princess Diana's qualities with those of, say, Alexander Fleming? And what about the millions of people's lives we know nothing about? Where would they rank in this spurious league table? No wonder the disciples couldn't agree on who was the greatest. I don't think any of us would agree. But at this point, Jesus steps in. And what he says is that in God's kingdom, the rules governing greatness are turned on their head. He tells the disciples to get rid of the Gentiles' idea of kings on thrones exercising lordship, something they were perhaps imagining for themselves. He said, if they were seeking greatness, then they shouldn't be thinking of those who govern. No. They should be thinking of those who serve. And to bring this point home, he gives them a picture of someone sitting at the table and being waited upon by someone else. A situation they would have experienced many times. He then asks them a rhetorical question: Who would you rather be? The one who eats the meal or the one who serves the meal? Well, there was no need for them to answer. They would rather be the one sitting at the table eating the meal. But Jesus says to them that he has taken his place among them as one who serves. So if they if they too really did want to be the greatest, then they too needed to be the servant of all. And he goes on to assure them that this will be recognized. He says, this is in verses 28 to 30, that he knows that they have stuck with him through thick and thin. As a consequence, he has conferred on them the royal authority that his father conferred on him, so that one day they too will eat and drink at his table in God's kingdom and be strengthened as they take up responsibilities among God's people. This then is the standard of greatness that we should apply today. Who are the great in our society? Those who give themselves to serve others, the sick, the needy, and the wounded. And Jesus leads this list as the greatest of all, because he gave himself for the sins of the world. We have that famous passage found in Philippians, where Paul tells us that being found in the appearance of man, Jesus humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death of the cross. Therefore, God has highly exalted him and given him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow. There is actually a very practical outworking of this law of greatness, which you may have already observed or even experienced. Those who do serve the most people may often become the most famous and sometimes even prosperous. But that was not their motive. Rather, recognition came about as a consequence of their self-giving, their childlike service to mankind. And you can probably think of many examples, like Mother Teresa, but there are many ordinary Christians, people in this church and across this town, who regularly give of themselves for the sake of the needy. What they are doing is imitating Christ, who went about having compassion for the hungry and healing the lame, the blind, the crippled, and many others. And this is far from the world's notion of greatness as it is possible to get. What it recalls in my mind is the example of a man called William Walker, and I've mentioned him here before. He was a person who undertook an extraordinary task lasting nearly six years, but which prevented the collapse of one of this country's finest buildings. At the beginning of the last century, it was discovered that in some places the 800-year-old Winchester Cathedral had sunk two feet into the ground. As a result, arches were becoming distorted, large cracks were appearing, and some walls were leaning outwards so far there was an imminent risk of large sections of the cathedral collapsing. And the problem was caused by the fact that the piece of land on which the cathedral was built had been a bog. I've no idea why all those years ago a decision had been made to build on swampy land. But they thought that they could overcome the problem by digging down into this bog and laying a raft of trees. Well, that was okay for a few hundred years, but over the time the trees started to rot away. Noticing the structural defects, an investigation into the foundations found that the masonry stopped some eight feet below the surface, and beneath that was what was left of the raft of trees, which was not much. Hence the whole cathedral was sinking at different speeds into the bog. The answer to the problem was to immediately start underpinning work, which meant digging deep pits into the bog. Unfortunately, because of the high water table, as soon as they started doing this, the excavations immediately filled with water. How on earth could this underpinning work be done when it would mean working under water in the dark and for long periods of time? Not an appealing job. But eventually someone came forward who said he would do it. He was William Walker. If we just have a look at that one there, that's the picture of William Walker, one of the country's most experienced divers. And each day, beginning in 1906, this was, William Walker donned his heavy diving equipment and working by touch alone, electric light was unable to penetrate the murky darkness. In each of the pits that were sunk, he would lay layers of cement bags. It was a lonely and arduous task that took him over five years to complete. Quite extraordinary. And during that time, you don't seem to be able to move it on, Steve. Okay, well, they might pop up. Oh, there it is. So during that time he used 900,000 bricks, 25,000 bags of concrete, and 114,900 concrete blocks. Can you imagine what it must have been like every day for five years working on your own in those conditions? No wonder when the work was completed, there was a special service held at the cathedral attended by George V. And it was most fitting that he was later summoned to Buckingham Palace, where the king presented William Walker with the Royal Victorian Order. If you could flick it on one more, Steve. If you visit the cathedral, look for the statue of William Walker in his diving suit with a plaque commending the man who, by his hands alone, saved a cathedral. His legacy is assured. And if you could move on one more, there you go. That's the last slide. For me, this story epitomizes what service is all about. It isn't glamorous, it's often repetitive and mundane. It requires personal sacrifice and huge commitment. It remains hidden from the eyes of most people, yet it makes a lasting difference. It keeps things standing when otherwise they would have collapsed. And what is more, you can be sure that one day such service will be honored by a king. And you don't have to have special outstanding qualifications to make a contribution in God's kingdom. Often it's about reliably turning up and doing what is needed. Often humble tasks that no one else notices. Don't we find it particularly reassuring that Jesus didn't choose extra special people to be his disciples? Instead, he chose ordinary, fallible human beings, ones at times he knew would let him down, people like you and me. And that's made clear when Jesus predicts Peter's denial. Notice in the passage verse 31 31 onwards that instead of addressing him as Peter, the name given to emphasize the characteristics of a rock, Jesus addresses him as Simon. Jesus knew that he would soon act in accord with his old nature, which is one of human weakness. But notice the actual words Jesus says to Simon Peter, he says, Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat, but I have prayed for you. Simon, that your faith may not fail. It reminds me of Job's experience where he says, Oh, that one might plead for a man with God as a man plead for his friend. Well, just as Jesus was Job's advocate, now he was interceding for Simon. Isn't that reassuring to know that Jesus is our advocate, our supporter? He puts forward our case to the Father. As John Wimber used to say, the good news is that Jesus is praying for you. The bad news is that you're going to need it. In many ways, we understand and share Peter's desire to serve his master, don't we? He loved Jesus. He wanted to act like the Greek hero, Achilles, Lord, I'm ready to go with you, both to prison and to death. But Jesus knew when the time came, he, along with the other disciples, would capitulate. Indeed, even before the night was out, Peter would not once but three times deny ever knowing Jesus. It perhaps causes us to reflect on those occasions when our well-meaning words, our professions of loyalty were not matched by our actions. And after Jesus' crucifixion, we can also appreciate how guilty, lost, and alone Peter would have been feeling, and why he returns to his old occupation, fishing. Although, as someone once said, that would risk opening another can of worms. I know it's a bad one, that one. When we read stories of Christians in places like Iran and North Korea being imprisoned and tortured, yet refusing to renounce their faith, we can understand what Jesus was getting at when in the final few verses in this passage he reminds his disciples of the times he used to send them out, and taking only the bare necessities with them, which they always agreed was enough. But Jesus says, yes, but now things are going to change. After he has left them, what he's referring to is after his death and resurrection, Jesus tells them that times will become very difficult. He even says that they might have to pawn their coat in order to buy a sword. Because what was written in Scripture, he who was lumped with the criminals, gets its final meaning in Jesus, because everything written about Jesus is coming to a conclusion. Their literal response, look, Master, two swords, shows that they didn't understand his meaning as if two swords were sufficient for eleven men to defend Jesus. And it's no wonder Jesus replies, enough of that sort of talk. What Jesus was warning them about was that after his crucifixion, they would have to have their wits about them as they would face hatred and persecution. Advice that comes all the way down to us in 2026. Although so far we in the West have not been tested in the way so many of our brothers and sisters are being tested in other parts of the world, though we all have our trials. At the beginning, I mentioned the archetypal Old Testament hero Samson and the poem that John Milton wrote about him called Samson Agonistus, when I had to study many years ago, but never forgotten. Milton may have identified with Samson because he too had lost his sight. And in spite of Samson's often extreme and at times quite bizarre behavior, he was struck by how in his final act of self-sacrifice he achieved true greatness. And for a famous society like ours, Samson's life offers many lessons. Ones we can all relate to and learn from. And there have been many recent high-profile examples of how arrogance and self-importance have preceded a downfall. Samson was no different. It was his initial pride in his physical strength, the worldly renown that he achieved as a mighty warrior, and his subsequent sexual exploits that eventually led to his downfall. But Samson's story gives us hope because it doesn't end there. How does his regeneration begin? It begins when through humility, suffering, and service, he finally achieves God's will, which brings about true honor, culminating in his self-sacrifice and his lasting fame. But you might say, we don't have Samson's physical credentials, nor many of the attributes of many other Old Testament and New Testament heroes of the faith, which is true. But whoever we are, whatever our capabilities, whatever our backgrounds and wherever God has placed us, we all have the same calling to give ourselves over to God's will in his service. We are unlikely to achieve fame, celebrity status in this life. In fact, as Jesus warned, it's more likely we will be despised and ill-treated. But what is it the root of our desire to be remembered? Isn't it the desire to be recognized, known, and loved? As Christians, we have the assurance that God, our loving Father, will never forget us. In the book of Isaiah, we are told that even if a mother were to forget her child, which is unthinkable, far less imaginable is that God could forget us. Therefore, as God's servants, we should not worry about earthly recognition, successes, blue plaques, statues, memorial buildings or tombstones. Rather, we should know that true honor, serving Jesus in the way that we've been called, will have its final reward. And one day, like William Walker, we will stand before our King. Let's pray. Father God, we thank you for your only Son, Jesus, who made himself of no reputation, and took upon himself the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men. We thank you that he was willing to give himself as a ransom for many. We thank you that the price is paid, and through childlike faith we can enter his kingdom, where greatness is not found in self seeking, but in serving him. We ask that you'll give us the will and strength to follow his example so that others might come to know and trust you, the one true God. Amen.