Jesus’ disciples argued about which of them would be the greatest. But Jesus knew their thoughts and, as usual, turned the conversation upside down. He used a little child nearby to illustrate his point about humility, putting his thumb squarely on the disciples’ sin of pride.

The Lord hates pride and arrogance (see Proverbs 8:13) which put our focus on ourselves. Trouble often brews when we take our eyes off Jesus. The theme of this month’s Anchor has been “the least of these”—highlighting people whose everyday decisions and ordinary lives took the focus off of themselves and onto the Lord. Each character, no matter how minor, played a vital part in God’s plans. A little boy offering his lunch; a widow giving sacrificially; a slave girl helping her master; a leper expressing thanks, and so on. These “least” kinds of people laid down their pride and point us to Jesus who gave sacrificially for us and lived a perfect life for us.

God’s plans will not be thwarted, even if our pride gets in the way. Let’s turn our eyes upon Jesus instead!