"I am the greatest!"

Those familiar words came from Muhammad Ali decades ago. Ali passed away last year, but he left behind a boxing and cultural legacy that continues to this day. In his life and in the ring, he wanted to be the best. He wanted to succeed. He wanted to be the greatest.

As you read the short encounters with Jesus Christ in Mark 12.28-44, the theme of each is greatness.

First, Jesus Christ answers the question about which commandemnt is the greatest. Jewish law had 613 commands and the theologian who approaches Jesus wants to know which of the 613 is the most important.

Christ responds by taking the scribe to two passages - Deuteronomy 6 and Leviticus 18. These two passages from the writings of Moses describe the greatest commands of God - to love God and to love others. There is nothing greater than loving God and then loving others.

The second example in Mark 12 comes in verses 38-40. In these verses Jesus warns us about the scribes or theologians of his day. The scribes wore bright, full length robes decorated with prayer tassels. They wore these religious robes everywhere. They wore them to get noticed. They wore them to be recognized by others in town. They wanted to be seen as the greatest religious men in their city. They wanted the approval of others.

However, Jesus Christ doesn't have a high opinion of these "great" men. Rather, Jesus Christ says the only thing great about them is their coming judgment from God. "They will receive the greater condenmnation." Their fake piety and false devotion to God does not earn them God's grace, but only God's wrath on pride and sin.

Finally, the last example of being the greatest comes from the final verses of Mark 12. As Jesus teaches in the temple, he observes a woman giving a gift to the temple. She is alone. She is poor. She gives two small coins to the temple, not enough of a donation to even keep the lights on at the temple. No one would have noticed this woman if it had not been for Christ pointing her out.

Jesus Christ says she has given the greatest gift. She did not give out of her abundance, but she gave out of her poverty. She gave because of her love and faith in God. When others gave some and held some back, this woman demonstrated her relationship with God by how she gave. According to Jesus, this is the greatest gift - the gift of giving all you have to God.

Mark 12.28-44 teaches you that the greatest commandment is to love God and others. God does not call you to act like the greatest, as illustrated by the hypocritical scribes of Mark 12. Instead, you can fulfill the greatest command by following the example of the poor widow. She gave all she had to God.

God calls you to give him all you have - your time, your talent, your money, your abilities. Give your life to God, not to pay him back for his grace, but to bring him glory and to demonsrate his greatness to others in your life.