A certain pastor was less-than-encouraging when his daughter announced that God was calling her to serve as a missionary in Uganda. At first, he refused to let her go. ‘Don't you know that Uganda is a very dangerous place for Christians?" he asked. After two years, the young woman finally set out to pursue her calling. As the pastor watched her plane rise into the sky, he commented that he had wanted his daughter to be a respectable Christian not a real one.

What makes the difference between a respectable Christian and a real one? Jesus makes that very distinction in verses 11 and 12: "The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted." Jesus never wore fancy robes with long tassels. He hung out with outcasts and sinners, not with the movers and shakers. Instead of expecting the place of honor at banquets, Jesus took the place of the lowest servant and washed his disciples' feet. "Respectable" members of society got nervous when Jesus entered the room. He didn't play by their rules.