Theologian J.I. Packer said that “Christians… grow greater by growing smaller.”*

That’s a helpful reminder. People talk about “greatness.” Sometimes they simply think about it. And yes, they might use different words, but the idea is the same.

In the book of Esther, Haman seemed to be concerned with a certain understanding of greatness. With his wife and friends he boasted “about his vast wealth, his many sons, and all the ways the king had honored him and how he had elevated him above the other nobles and officials” (Esther 5:11).

But that’s not how God measures things. True greatness is faithfulness. 

When you’re a follower of Jesus, you don’t need to go first. (For the record, a follower is clearly behind a leader, not in front of him—otherwise, they wouldn’t be a follower.) You are a servant, not a master. That’s what Packer meant by “growing smaller.” He was talking about humility and servanthood as the true measure of “greatness.”

Speaking to some of his disciples who were scrambling for places of prestige, Jesus explained it like this: “whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant…” (Matthew 20:26). He went on to explain that this way of seeing things was based on his own example.

It’s easy to get swept up in a certain understanding of “success.” But pause and re-evaluate. True greatness is faithfulness. 

“Christians… grow greater by growing smaller.”*

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Notes and extra content:

—“Pride goes before destruction – Esther, Part 3.” Sermon. Click here. February 25, 2024.

—*J.I. Packer, Rediscovering Holiness: Know the Fullness of Life with God (Wheaton: Crossway, 2021), 2nd ed., 136.

—Bible quotes are from the NIV.