To Serve or to Be Served?

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Dear Fellow Travelers,
Sometimes, Biblical passages are so familiar to us, that it is hard for us to see anything, other than what we have already seen, and the following is no exception: “But Jesus called them [the disciples, especially James & John] unto Himself, and said, ‘You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. It is not so among you, but whosoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many’” (Matthew 20:25-28 NASB; brackets added).
In case you have forgotten, Jesus made this statement because the mother of James and John came to Him, asking (really, demanding!) that her two sons have places of honor in His kingdom—one to sit on His right hand and the other on His left hand. His immediate response was very forthright: “You do not know what you are asking for. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink” (vs. 22a)? Their response, however, was a bit telling, if you know what I mean: “We are able” (vs. 22b). This reminds me of Israel’s response to Moses, when he relayed the Ten Commandments to them, telling them that should they keep them, God would bless them: “All that the Lord has spoken, we will do” (Exodus 19:8a)! Yea, right!
Because I know you are such an astute Bible student, I know that you can see the obvious in this: Be careful what you ask for because it might be more than you can handle! To say that another way: Be sure you brain is in gear before you put your mouth in motion! Great theological truths!
With that, Jesus proceeded on with the statement I gave you in the first paragraph, telling them some things they probably did not want to hear, certainly not in the moment. This is my paraphrase of what He said: The Gentile rulers got it all wrong in “lording it over” their subjects, in exercising such authority over them, because they believed that greatness came from having the best seats in the house, from controlling others, rather than serving them. This is not the way things work in My Kingdom. The fact is, in my kingdom, if you desire to become great, you must become a servant, a slave. In case you have forgotten, I came not to be served by you, but to serve you, and to give My life a ransom for yours.
Did you see it? Can you think outside the “box” and see what most never see? Go ahead and give it a try! It might be like the old Polaroid picture—slow to develop—but it will come. Be patient!
OK, I will help you. When you attend “church” this Sunday morning, to hear the Word of God preached, and to eat the bread and drink the wine of the Eucharist, remember this: He is there to serve you His Word, His Body, and His Blood; it is NOT the other way around. You should not attend church to serve Him; instead, you should attend to allow Him to serve you. When He has completed serving you, THEN you go out into your part of His world and serve others. He really does not need your help, BUT your neighbor does!