Be a Servant

Good afternoon and welcome to a beautiful day in the Panhandle, well if it would rain it would be prettier. 

Christ Jesus has a habit of doing things different, servant hood is one example of that. Society as a whole teaches that we need to look after ourselves, you know, “Looking out for #1.” There is a movie titled “How To Succeed Without Trying.” The movie is about a young man who is trying to get to the top of the corporate ladder as quickly as he can. The top of the ladder is where we are told we need to be. Up there things will be so much better, we can do whatever we want. But Christ Jesus has other ideas, so come on in, sit a spell and let’s do some Bible surfing. Today we are going to be looking at Matthew 20:26-28.

²⁶ But it should not be that way among you. Whoever wants to become great among you must serve the rest of you like a servant. ²⁷ Whoever wants to become first among you must serve the rest of you like a slave. ²⁸ In the same way, the Son of Man did not come to be served. He came to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many people.” (Matthew 20:26–28).

Rather than exercising authority, a godly leader willingly becomes a servant of others. Christ Jesus does not merely instruct His disciples about what they should do; He models it for them.¹ So when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said to them, "Do you know what I have done to you?…Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him.” (John 13:12; 16)

Dominion and authority were what the princes of the Gentiles pursued, and they prided themselves in; they would bear sway over their subjects, they would have every body yielding to them. They would have a runner go before them before them crying, “Bow your knee!” ²

“But it should not be that way among you.” The spiritual kingdom is quite different from those of this world. We are to teach those of God’s kingdom, to instruct them, to counsel and comfort them, to take worry with them, and suffer with them, not to exercise dominance or authority over them. We are not to lord it over God’s charge (1 Peter 5:3), but to labor in it. This forbids not only tyranny, and abuse of power, but the claim or use of any such, like secular authority does. It is hard for egotistical men, even good men, to have that kind of authority, and not get all puffed up with it. And to do more harm than good with it. That is why Christ Jesus saw it necessary to teach against it. Paul himself disowns dominion over the faith of any ~ Not that we lord it over your faith, but are workers with you for your joy; for in your faith you are standing firm. (2 Corinthians 1:24). The show of grandeur doesn’t become Christ Jesus’ followers and it has no place in the church body.

How then should it be among the disciples of Christ Jesus? Christ Jesus explains it; “Whoever wants to become great among you must serve the rest of you like a servant,” Observe that it is the duty of Christ Jesus’ disciples to serve one another, for mutual enlightenment. This includes both humbleness and usefulness. The followers of Christ Jesus must be ready to stoop to the lowest office with love for one of another. The way to be great is to be humble and willing to serve where we can. We must be like the Christ Jesus Himself; and it is very fitting that we should, after all the Son of Man did not come to be served. He came to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many people. v. 28.

It gives us a lot to think about doesn’t it? Hey, thanks for dropping by and may our Lord and Saviour, Christ Jesus richly bless you and yours.

Biblesurfer

1 Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Mt 20:26–28). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

2 Henry, M. (1994). Matthew Henry’s commentary on the whole Bible: complete and unabridged in one volume (p. 1718). Peabody: Hendrickson.