“A dispute also arose among them, as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest” (Luke 22:24, ESV).
St. Luke states, in a matter of fact manner, that an argument began among the disciples about who was the best. While we can rush to opine that there is nothing new under the sun, there is first something to note about the word that the evangelist uses. The word for dispute literally means to love strife and dissension. Before we unpack it further, let’s set the stage.
These are the 12 men who had walked with Jesus for three years. They had left everything to follow Him and had seen things that they would never have imagined—He had healed the sick, fed the masses, and even raised the dead. This dispute arises the night on which He will be betrayed by one of them. Just a few minutes earlier, He had instituted the Holy Supper as a lasting testament to His love and forgiveness. And now, after the meal, they begin arguing about which of them is the greatest. The word that St. Luke uses is fitting, as it acknowledges that they love such dissension.
How often we find ourselves just like the disciples. We find all kinds of things in which we can achieve a dispute against our brothers and sisters in the faith. We can argue about what color the carpet is or what makes a “real Lutheran” and demonstrate greater love for dissension than we do for one another. May it not be so among us!
But thanks be to God the One who reclined at the table with His disputing disciples came to earn forgiveness for all of their fights. He instituted the Lord’s Supper precisely for sinners who love to argue and stir up dissension. He knew exactly the sort of disciples they were, yet He was the only One who would truly love His brothers and sisters more than strife and dissension. Thanks be to God, that is still the case for us today.
Whether we experience disputes within our congregation or some larger issue in our church body, we are blessed to know that the one who is the greatest among us is the one who serves. Jesus, the Suffering Servant, loved and served us in spite of our sin and the strife that we so often love. May Christ’s love change our hearts to love our brothers and sisters more than the fight, and may we live together in love and peace.
Prayer – O heavenly Father, Your love for this fallen world was so great that You would send Your Son to give His life as a ransom for many. May Christ be the peace that unites brothers and sisters in the faith at the foot of the cross, as a witness to the world of Your love. In His name, we pray. Amen.
Fraternally in Christ,
President Lee Hagan