Chapter 45: Greatness

Perfection That Looks Unfinished

Chapter 45 of the Christian edition of the Tao Te Ching presents a paradoxical view of greatness, where the most profound qualities appear counterintuitive to the world’s standards. The chapter begins by suggesting that great perfection may seem imperfect, yet its lasting usefulness remains unfailing, much like Christ’s perfect sacrifice, which appeared weak and imperfect to many but was, in truth, the means of eternal salvation (Hebrews 12:2). This idea is further reflected in John 19:28-30, where Jesus, in His final moments, declared, “It is finished,” showing how what seemed like an end was, in reality, a fulfillment of divine perfection.

The world measures perfection by polish: no flaws, no mess, nothing out of place. The Cross fails that test completely. Yet the Letter to the Hebrews calls Jesus “the pioneer and perfecter of faith,” and His perfection was love carried all the way to the end. That is why the line adds, “But its lasting usefulness is unfailing.” What He finished on Calvary still saves, still heals and still feeds us at every Mass.

“but he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” So I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.”
2 Corinthians 12:9NRSVue

This changes how we see our own lives. God’s work in us often looks unfinished: a marriage still growing, a habit not yet broken, a faith that still has questions. St. Paul learned that God’s power shows up best in the very weak places we would rather hide. For a Christian, perfection is not looking flawless. It is a love that lasts, given by God and lived with Him, one imperfect day at a time.

“I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.”
Philippians 1:6NRSVue

Fullness That Never Runs Dry

The chapter goes on to explain that great fullness may appear empty, yet it is inexhaustible. This mirrors the overflowing grace and abundance offered by God, as described in Romans 11:33 and 1 Peter 1:18. In Christ, believers experience a fullness that never runs dry—an inexhaustible source of life and grace (John 1:16).

From the outside, this fullness can look like nothing much. Jesus “made himself nothing” (Philippians 2:7). He was laid in a manger, owned no home and died with nothing but the clothes the soldiers gambled for. Yet out of that emptiness came a fullness that has fed the whole world. The same is true at the altar: what looks like a small piece of bread is Christ Himself, the gift that never runs out.

“knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.”
1 Peter 1:18-19ESV

St. Peter turns the line around. A life crowded with things can be the truly empty one, an “empty way of life” copied from everyone around us. The fullness God gives is different. It does not shrink when we share it, and it does not depend on our bank account or our feed. Jesus promised water that becomes “a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:14), and His mercy is new every single morning.

“The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
Lamentations 3:22-23NRSVue

Crooked Roads and Clumsy Hands

Next, the chapter describes great straightness as seeming crooked, and great skill as appearing clumsy. These statements align with the way Christ’s ministry seemed upside down to the world. He defied conventional expectations and led through humility and sacrifice, as seen in Luke 3:4-6, where John the Baptist prepares the way for Jesus by declaring the need for repentance and making “the crooked places straight.” Similarly, David’s defeat of Goliath, though appearing improbable and clumsy to the world, was a display of God’s power and skill (1 Samuel 17:41-50).

When God straightens a road, it rarely happens the way we expect. John the Baptist did not prepare the way from a palace but from the wilderness, calling people to turn their hearts around. The straightness God gives begins inside: a heart made honest and turned back to Him. To a world that loves shortcuts, that path can look crooked and slow. To God, it is the straightest road there is.

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”
Proverbs 3:5-6NRSVue

David’s story shows the same thing about skill. Before the fight, Saul dressed him in royal armor, and David could hardly walk in it. He took it off and went out with a sling and five smooth stones. It looked clumsy, even foolish. But the skill that mattered was his trust in God, joined to the simple gift he had practiced while keeping sheep. God still works this way, taking ordinary gifts offered humbly and doing great things with them.

“Then David said to the Philistine, ‘You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.’”
1 Samuel 17:45ESV

When Silence Speaks

Great eloquence is described as seeming silent, which echoes Exodus 4:10-12, where Moses, despite his perceived inadequacies in speech, was chosen by God to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. God’s power is often displayed through weakness, showing that divine wisdom does not conform to human expectations.

God’s answer to Moses is worth hearing in full. He does not tell Moses that he is secretly a great speaker. He reminds him who made his mouth, and He promises to be with it. The words that set Israel free were never Moses’ own. They were God’s words, carried by a man who knew he could not do it alone.

“Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.”
Exodus 4:12ESV

Jesus fulfills this line most of all. The eternal Word, through whom everything was made, spoke His greatest message from the Cross with very few words. Our best witness is often quiet too: a kept promise, a patient answer, a life that makes people wonder why we live this way. Words still matter. They simply carry more weight when they come out of silence and prayer.

“…my beloved brothers and sisters: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger”
James 1:19NRSVue

Stillness in Heated Times

Finally, the chapter suggests that stillness and silence are the true ways of nature, overpowering the chaos of busyness and heated times. Proverbs 29:11 and Psalm 37:7-9 emphasize the wisdom of waiting quietly for God’s timing. Jesus Himself demonstrated this in His trial, remaining silent when accused (Matthew 27:12-14), showing how stillness can be a powerful response to the trials of life.

The chapter does not say that all activity is bad. “Bustling-about overcomes cool times”: when life is cold and stuck, it is right to get moving, to serve, to begin. Jesus worked hard, healed the sick late into the evening and walked from town to town. But He knew the other half too. When the crowds pressed in and the days grew heated, He led His friends away to rest.

“He said to them, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.”…”
Mark 6:31NRSVue

“Stillness overcomes heated times.” On the stormy lake, Jesus did not panic with His disciples. He stood up and spoke peace, and the wind obeyed. That calm was not weakness; it was the strength of a Son who trusted His Father completely. And the chapter ends by calling stillness and silence “the Way of nature.” Creation grows this way: seeds sprout in the dark, and the skies praise God without a sound.

“The heavens are telling the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims his handiwork… There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard”
Psalm 19:1, 3NRSVue

Living the Chapter

In this way, Chapter 45 calls believers to recognize that true greatness in God’s Kingdom often looks different from what the world esteems. It is found in humility, stillness, and trust in God’s sufficiency, rather than in outward success or striving. Through Christ’s example, we see that the way of greatness is often the way of apparent weakness, but it is in this very weakness that God’s strength is made perfect.

Chapter 45 turns greatness inside out. It is the finished work that looked like failure, the fullness that looked empty, the straight road that looked crooked, the skill that looked clumsy and the Word who spoke through silence. Each time, the line leads us to Jesus, who chose the hidden, humble way and showed us that it was the way of power.

“…but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave, just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many.”
Matthew 20:26-28NRSVue

We do not have to win the world’s contest to live this chapter. We can stop polishing and start serving. We can let God fill us instead of our carts and calendars. We can trust the bend in the road, offer our plain gifts and stay still when the heat rises. That is how ordinary people become great in God’s Kingdom.

“But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.”
2 Corinthians 4:7ESV