What does the Greek word protos actually mean?
The Greek word protos means 'prestigious,' referring to someone in leadership or at the head of the line. It does not mean the worst. In Luke 22:26, it describes the greatest or chief among people, who is to become as the younger and as one who serves.
Les explains that the same Greek word protos appears in Luke 22:26 and 1 Timothy 1:15. In Luke 22:26, Jesus says, '...but you shall not be so, but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he that is chief, as he that doth serve.' Les notes that this word does not imply someone intrinsically wicked or bad. He looked it up in a Greek dictionary: protos meant prestigious, someone in leadership, someone at the head of the line. It did not mean the worst. Jesus said the most prestigious, the one at the head of everything, should go to the bottom of the rung or ladder. The same word protos is used in Acts 14:12, where Paul and Barnabas came to Lystra and performed a miracle.