Thought for Today

Genesis 12:2 I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.

Genesis 15:6 And he believed the LORD; and the LORD reckoned it to him as righteousness.

Matthew 4:16 the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned."  

Matthew 5:19 Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.  

The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History is a 1978 book by Michael H. Hart. It is a ranking of the 100 people who, according to Hart, most influenced human history. Unlike various other rankings at the time, Hart was not attempting to rank on "greatness" as a criterion, but rather whose actions most changed the course of human history  . . . The first person on Hart's list is the Islamic prophet Muhammad . . . The development of Christianity, by contrast, has its influence split between Jesus's initial teachings and foundational work, and Paul the Apostle, who played a pivotal role in the early spread of Christianity as well as distinguishing its doctrines and practices from Judaism and the other Greek and Roman religions of the time period” (en.wikipedia.org)

What makes something or someone great? Who gets to decide? In the last several years we have seen frequent references to something or someone being the G.O.A.T., the greatest of all time. Every time I hear or read some reference to ‘the GOAT,’ I cannot help but wonder whether or not we could come up with a better acronym.

The word great does appear more than 800 times in the Bible. The Hebrews had that promise from God that they would become a ‘great nation.’ “Genesis 1:16 God made the two great lights-- the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night-- and the stars.” Yet, God’s covenantal promise to the Hebrews was not based on their greatness, it was the result of Abram’s righteousness. Is righteousness before God more important than greatness?

I do find it interesting that Michael H. Hart ranked “the Islamic prophet Muhammad” first on his list. As of 2025, there are an estimated 2.055 billion followers of Islam in the world compared to 2.6 billion Christians. Approximately 31.7% of the earth’s population is Christian versus 24.1% being Islamic. (all figures from a Bing Search).

I am not a historian. I am an avowed Christian and admittedly biased on the subject. Hart seemed to feel that somehow Jesus’ Incarnation would not have been enough without Paul’s missionary work. I see Paul’s efforts as important, but as derivative of Jesus’ work, i.e., Paul would have remained a Jewish tent-maker without his encounter on the road to Damascus.

How are we to determine greatness? Do we do it by some numerical metric? If so, which metric? Hart certainly did not make his top 100 based on numbers of followers. He used a subjective evaluation of “whose actions most changed the course of human history.” Interestingly, Abraham Lincoln did not make his top 100 list. Even Sam Houston didn’t make the list, much less Tom Brady.

I find comfort in those words from Matthew’s gospel above. I suspect that greatness, like beauty, is much in the mind of the beholder. I do believe Jesus’ words that “whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” The “them” referenced in that phrase are the “Matthew 5:17 law or the prophets” Jesus came “not to abolish but to fulfill.”

As a Christian I am comfortable and confident of my greatness and my place in eternity as long as I “Luke 10:27 love the Lord (my) God with all (my) heart, and with all (my) soul, and with all (my) strength, and with all (my) mind; and (my) neighbor as (my)self."

Stay safe, live lives of love, trust God,

Pastor Ray