But it shall not be this way among you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,
Parallel translations
- WEB But it shall not be so among you, but whoever wants to become great among you shall be your servant.
- KJV But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister:
- NKJV Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant.
- NASB But it is not this way among you; rather, whoever wants to become prominent among you shall be your servant;
- NLT But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant,
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Among Jesus' followers it must be different: greatness comes through being a servant. The kingdom measures status by humble service, not authority over others.
Overview
Jesus directly reverses worldly leadership: the one who would be great must serve. This is not a denial of leadership but a redefinition of it as self-giving service to others. The principle reshapes every Christian relationship and finds its perfect model in Christ himself.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Matt 23:8–12But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers.
- Luke 14:11For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
- Matt 20:26–27It shall not be this way among you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,
- Mark 9:35Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the last of all and the servant of all.”
- Luke 9:48And He said to them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in My name welcomes Me, and whoever welcomes Me welcomes the One who sent Me. For whoever is the least among all of you, he is the greatest.”
- Gal 5:13For you, brothers, were called to freedom; but do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh. Rather, serve one another in love.
- 1 Pet 5:5–6Young men, in the same way, submit yourselves to your elders. And all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
- Luke 18:14I tell you, this man, rather than the Pharisee, went home justified. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
- Rom 12:2Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.
- 1 Cor 9:19–23Though I am free of obligation to anyone, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.
- John 13:13–18You call Me Teacher and Lord, and rightly so, because I am.
- John 18:36Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world; if it were, My servants would fight to prevent My arrest by the Jews. But now My kingdom is not of this realm.”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Mark drives urgently to the cross, showing Jesus the Son of God as the suffering Servant who 'came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.'
How Mark 10:43 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.