Greatness, It Turns Out, Carries a Towel
Graham Joseph Hill
6 min read ⭑
When I came to faith in Jesus Christ in my teenage years, it was a response to the person and message of Jesus himself. I’d decided I didn’t want to be a Christian because my experience of so many Christians was negative. I saw too much hypocrisy, apathy and cultural compromise.
I look back now and feel some shame about these views. When we’re young, we can often be judgmental. Nonetheless, I had these barriers to belief. But then I read the four Gospels afresh, and the way of Jesus gripped my heart and mind. What radical love, astonishing grace, compelling justice and righteousness, and transforming truth and sacrifice! The Jesus way captured my heart and imagination.
In my thirties, I grew weary of a Christianity that shouted but didn’t heal: conservative circles chained to power and certainty, progressive circles drifting into relevance without transformation. Both claimed Christ, but neither looked much like him. What stirred in me then was a holy discontent, a hunger for the way of Jesus himself: the narrow, costly, freeing path of love, humility, justice and grace.
Jon Tyson; Unsplash
We seem to live in an age when humility isn’t as prized as it once was. Social media and cultural forces encourage us to promote and brand ourselves. Inflated egos and self-promotion seem to be the order of the day. But this contrasts with the way of Jesus. Throughout his life, Jesus modeled and taught humility and servanthood.
Here are definitions of both, according to the teachings and life of Jesus Christ and the words of the Bible:
Humility is laying down self-interest to lift others, choosing servanthood over status, and trusting that true greatness is found in love, not power. It’s living with open hands, releasing control, embracing grace and seeing others as equally worthy of dignity and compassion (Mark 10:43-45; Luke 14:11; John 13:12-17; Phil. 2:3-8; 1 Pet. 5:5-6).
Servanthood is a life poured out for others where love takes action, power is surrendered and the needs of others are prioritized over self-interest. It’s not an obligation but freedom — choosing to lead through humility, to give without seeking recognition and to embody love through everyday acts of grace (Matt. 20:26-28; Mark 9:35; John 13:12-17; Gal. 5:13; Phil. 2:3-7).
Jesus redefines greatness in a way that’s offensive to the world’s values. While society glorifies power, influence and recognition, Jesus kneels, washes feet, touches the outcast and calls the least important person in the room the greatest. The Jesus way isn’t about climbing higher but stepping lower, not about dominance but about self-emptying love. The world often measures success by how many serve us, but Jesus measures it by how many we serve. Where culture insists on revenge and self-protection, Jesus teaches forgiveness and peacemaking. When struck, turn the other cheek. When betrayed, pray for the betrayer. When wronged, respond with mercy (Matt. 5:38-44). These aren’t theoretical teachings; they’re a call to absorb the world’s pain without passing it on. Strength isn’t found in retaliation but in the refusal to let hatred have the final word.
Jesus’ love is scandalous. It crosses every human barrier, welcomes sinners without condition, honors the disgraced, values the invisible, refuses to retaliate, chooses servanthood over power, loves without exception, loves enemies, touches the untouchable, eats with sinners, lifts the forgotten, defies logic and traditions, breaks legalistic and religious rules, rewrites what it means to belong, and dies for enemies and all humanity (Mark 1:40-42; 5:25-34; 10:13-16; Luke 5:30-32; 23:34; John 4:7-26; 8:1-11; 13:12-17; Rom. 5:8, 10; Gal. 3:28). Jesus doesn’t love because people deserve it. He loves because that’s who he is. His love invites us to do the same and to break down our walls of exclusion. Following Jesus means believing in him and embodying his way daily. It means living with radical compassion, countercultural humility, extravagant love, illogical faith, relentless grace and irrepressible hope — not just in the big moments but in the small, everyday choices that shape us.
The Cost and Reward of Following Jesus
Jesus never promised an easy road. Instead, he warned that following him would require self-denial, surrender and a willingness to let go (Luke 9:23). The world urges us to seek personal fulfillment at all costs, to prioritize comfort and achievement, yet the call of Christ is one of release, not accumulation. We don’t find freedom in grasping for more but in learning to let go. This path is costly. Choosing love over self-interest, truth over convenience, servanthood over domination, surrender over control, embrace over exclusion and humility over recognition means dying to pride, comfort and even certain relationships or opportunities (Matt. 10:37-39). Walking this way often feels counterintuitive. Why embrace sacrifice when the world offers an easier alternative? Could it be that the things we cling to most tightly are the very things keeping us from life?
“The Jesus way is about opening our hearts to God’s transforming presence, allowing divine grace to accomplish what sheer willpower and self-improvement programs cannot.”
Jesus constantly spoke of the cost of following him and his way. He never softened his message. His parables and messages contained striking warnings and exhortations that following him costs us everything. Like builders, we should calculate the cost before construction, and like military leaders, we should weigh the risks before entering battle (Luke 14:28, 33). Are we truly ready to surrender all, to lose everything, to let go and follow Jesus wherever he may lead, whatever the cost? The Way of Jesus and the kingdom of God are hidden treasures and pearls of immeasurable value, but they require us to give up lesser treasures (Matt. 13:44-46).
When we follow Jesus’ way, he confronts our hesitations and our clinging to comfort, security, ambition, plans, loyalties, self and unfinished business (Luke 9:57-62). The cost is high, including losing comfort, relationships and reputation. Still, the gain is far greater — a life of deep purpose, an unshakable identity and the joy of belonging wholly to God’s family.
Yet those who follow this way discover something astonishing — the loss is an illusion (Matt. 19:29). The things surrendered are nothing compared to what is received — a peace unshaken by circumstance, a joy untethered to success, a love that can’t be lost, a faith beyond our ability to believe and a hope secured by Christ himself. The invitation isn’t to emptiness but to fullness. Surrender isn’t the end of life but the beginning of it.
Countless people have walked this road and testified to its truth. Wealth, status, control, comfort, security and ambition pale compared to the depth of soul, purpose and love in surrender to Jesus Christ (Phil. 3:7-8). Too often we’ve chased after things that can’t satisfy while the life we long for waits in Jesus’ invitation to follow. Jesus offers the fullness of life and promises immeasurable gain. Surrendering to him and following his way offers abundant life, deep purposes and eternal treasures far beyond our imaginings, dreams and hopes. When we walk in Jesus’ way we receive eternal life and true abundance, peace beyond understanding, freedom from fear and burden, a new family and genuine belonging, the kingdom of God in the present and forever, joy that can’t be taken away, and a reward that can’t fade (Matt. 6:19-20, 33; 11:28-30; 19:29; Mark 8:35; John 10:10; 14:27; 16:20, 22.)
An Invitation to Practice the Movements of the Jesus Way
The movements of the Jesus way aren’t abstract ideals but embodied practices that reorient our lives toward love, justice and grace. These movements include shifting from material success to spiritual riches, competition to compassion, exclusion to embrace and legalism to grace. The Jesus way is the path of discipleship and a transformed life. How often do we believe in the way of Jesus but struggle to live it? Without practice, faith remains theoretical, detached from the world’s deep hunger for mercy and healing.
The Jesus way is about opening our hearts to God’s transforming presence, allowing divine grace to accomplish what sheer willpower and self-improvement programs cannot. Left to our own efforts, we bend toward selfishness, pride and control, but when we surrender, the Spirit reshapes us. Too often we mistake discipleship for self-improvement, but the Spirit of Christ lovingly invites us to trust in divine transformation.
Like branches connected to the vine, we bear fruit when we abide in Christ (John 15:4-5). This isn’t about producing results through frantic effort but drawing life from the source. As we stay rooted in Jesus, compassion, justice and mercy grow naturally. Are we exhausting ourselves trying to manufacture goodness, or are we abiding in the one who sustains us? The deeper we sink our roots into the way of Jesus, the more fruit of the Spirit we bear — love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Gal. 5:22-23). And we glorify God.
Graham Joseph Hill is an Australian author and Christian minister writing about society and culture, Christian spirituality, and World Christianity. In 2024, he received the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for service to Baptist churches and theological education.
Adapted from “Ten Movements of the Jesus Way: Shifting from Worldly Self-Interest to Radical Discipleship” by Graham Joseph Hill. Copyright © 2026. Used by permission of InterVarsity Press.
