Again and again Jesus had tried to establish this principle among His disciples. When James and John made their request for pre-eminence, He had said, "Whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister." Matt. 20:26. In My kingdom the principle of preference and supremacy has no place. The only greatness is the greatness of humility. The only distinction is found in devotion to the service of others.

Atter og atter havde Jesus forsøgt at stadfæste denne grundregel blandt disciplene. Da Jakob og Johannes fremkom med deres anmodning om en forrang, havde han sagt: "Den, som vil være stor iblandt jer, han skal være jeres tjener." Matt. 20,26. I mit rige findes der ikke plads for nogen forrettighed eller overhøjhed. Den eneste storhed er ydmyghedens storhed. Den eneste udmærkelse findes i at vie sig til tjeneste for andre.