“Whoever wants to be first among you 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 ‭20‬:‭27‬-‭28‬ ‭CSB‬‬

I was not the valedictorian of my high school class. Nor was I the salutatorian. I graduated third in my class. (There’s no name for that, apparently.) And that was exactly the way I wanted it. Why? Because the people in those top two spots were required to give speeches at graduation. And I was not at all interested in doing that!

But I’m unusual in my goal of third place.

We don’t give trophies and gold medals for last place. We don’t hold elections for “average citizen” or “member”. No one auditions with the hope of becoming an extra.

Trophies and gold medals are reserved for first place winners. Elections are held for presidents and chairpeople. Actors audition in hopes of the lead role at casting calls.

That’s the way society works.

Jesus taught about God’s kingdom throughout His ministry. Everything He taught about it, including today’s verse, was upside-down and backwards from the culture then, the culture today, and human nature. But God’s kingdom is how God intended His creation to be. So which one is actually upside-down?

The reason God’s kingdom seems upside-down is because, due to our rebellion and selfish choices, we are living in a “fallen” world. We are all living in the upside-down.

Jesus came to teach us to see things right side up.

According to Him, if I want to be God’s leading role valedictorian and get my heavenly presidential gold medal, I have to be the servant-iest servant that ever served.

Dear God,

Thank you for sending Jesus to teach me how to serve and how important serving is. Forgive me for the times when I have scrambled for the front of the line and pushed my way to the top at the cost of others. Remind me how valuable serving is, how meaningful it is to be last, and how much you love patience, generosity, and humility.