“But Jesus called them to Him and said, ‘You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.'” Matt. 20:25-28
Devotional Thought For The Day
You are probably familiar with this account. It is a rather remarkable glimpse into the thoughts and motivations of the disciples of Jesus early on in their training. It was the “sons of Zebedee,” James and John, who brought this request to Jesus, to have the highest positions of honor and authority in Christ’s Kingdom. Actually, it is recorded in Matthew’s account that their mother brought this request to Jesus. Now it is a wonderful thing to have great ambition for what is good and right, and nothing could be more important than the rule and reign of the Son of God. However, as Jesus makes clear, the dynamics of His kingdom are quite different than the way of the world, and we need to take cognizance of this reality and ultimately yield to it. Much evil and harm has been done to the church and by the church because of failures in this regard, men [and often their mothers] thinking of the church as a means to prestige, power, and prerogative.
Again, Jesus does not discourage “greatness” within the church, His kingdom in this world. However, the way to greatness is the way of slavery to the good and welfare of others, the loss of the freedoms and prerogatives that we consider normal and our rights, and ultimately the pouring out of our life for the sake of the church. First He speaks of becoming a “servant,” and then “a slave,” and finally a comparison to His own ministry – “not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” These are sobering thoughts, principles that require a redirecting of our normal ambitions, and a rather dire and dreadful transformation of our expectations and our energy. One wonders just how long it took for the disciples to fully grasp and understand these things. Certainly it took a personal experience of the sufferings and death of Jesus for their sins, and also a very poignant experience of their own weaknesses and instability. And no doubt the gift of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. However, this transition was ultimately accomplished in these disciples as they served the Lord Jesus and His kingdom without regard to personal profit, status, health, and even their lives.
There are also passages in Scripture which encourage “leadership” and “oversight,” with proper warnings about being overbearing and self-serving. There are passages which instruct us to submit to those who have “authority” over us, even within the church. The ideal – if we take all things into consideration and conform – is leaders who are utter servants and slaves without regard for personal status, and those served being fully and completely submissive and conforming to the instructions of their leaders [as these instructions come directly from God’s Word]. The ideal is seldom found, and often we resort to our “auto-pilot,” the dynamics of our sinful nature, and it is quite remarkable what the Lord is able to accomplish in spite of us. However, the greater and deeper pleasure for true followers of Jesus is to conform to His love regardless of what others around us are doing and in spite of personal cost. This does not mean becoming “door-mats,” but being willing to suffer in ministering humbly as servants and also in being submissive to our leaders.
Whenever “self” is front and center, the main goal and objective, love is left behind in the shadows, and our behaviors will reflect this. If Jesus is at the front and center of our thinking, and the source of our motivations and ambitions, then His love will be dictating the course and the nature of our ministry, indeed, of our whole life and being. This involves loss of ego, pride, prestige, privilege, and prerogative – but in the larger picture, these personal concerns are ridiculously overblown. More important than the commendations and advantages we might receive from other people is the final commendation of Jesus: “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your Master.” If we keep this at the center of our motivations and ambitions, and conform our hearts and lives to Jesus’ love, we will stay on the right course regardless of personal cost – just as Jesus stayed the course in love to bring us redemption and eternal life.
Prayer For The Day
Dear Lord Jesus, our blessed Savior and the King of Love, grant us humility and the courage to simply follow You in all things. Forgive us our untoward and destructive ambitions, and also our rebelliousness against Your will and Your order. Grant that the blessed leaven of Your love fill the hearts of Your servants and Your people, that Your church be a place that reflects Your heart and Your character, and that accomplishes Your will. Amen.