In Matthew 23, it is written that Jesus said: "The greatest among you shall be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted." (Matthew 23:11-12). This paradox in the teachings of Jesus is probably the simplest to understand but the most difficult to act on. In fact, this statement is embedded in a critique of Pharisees and teachers that do not practice what they teach.
Many of Jesus’ teachings contain seemingly contradictory ideas, such as the last shall be first, or you must lose your life to save it. We will examine four of these paradoxical teachings in this message series.