THE GREATEST
Matthew 20:25-28 NKJV
25 But Jesus called them to Himself and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. 26 Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. 27 And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave— 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."
Jesus is responding to the interchange that took place with Jesus and the two brothers, James and John. Actually, it was James and John, and their mother. These two guys brought their mom in to ask a favor from Jesus. My mother-in-law, who is in heaven now, would think that the mother asking for her two boys is entirely appropriate. After all, how could Jesus refuse a mother? This mom wanted Jesus to give her boys premium places of authority in His Kingdom. In particular, to be seated on His right and left hand. In ancient cultures, seating placement meant everything. The closer one was to the throne, the greater the authority and power. We must admit it was a gutsy ask for a mom.
Jesus said that it was not His to determine the placement of James and John in the Kingdom. That was the Father's call. But as you can imagine, this going over the heads of the other disciples to ask for power positions did not sit well with the other ten men. Matthew said the ten were greatly displeased. And Jesus launches an important teaching moment.
Jesus contrasted the way the Gentiles, those without God, ruled with the way of the children of God's Kingdom. This teaching was especially vital for the disciples of Jesus. These were the men and women who would take on positions of leadership in the Body of Christ after the resurrection. The foundational principle of Kingdom leadership is serving. Those who are considered great are those who help others. With God's kingdom, it's not about who you are over but who you are helping. The concept of servant leadership would shape the Church for the centuries to come. When the church strays from this important principle, we wind up in trouble.
Even during the days of Israel, when Solomon's son Rehoboam became king, the idea of servant leadership was encouraged. When Rehoboam asked the older men how to be a king, this was their answer: "And they spoke to him, saying, 'If you will be a servant to these people today, and serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever." (1 Kings 12:7 NKJV). I am not sure if this was the first time that servant leadership was mentioned, but evidently, Solomon was a hard leader, and Rehoboam was encouraged to be different. The advice to Rehoboam was not adopted, and he wound up losing a large part of his kingdom to a revolt.
The advice to Rehoboam was, in essence, the same thing Jesus was saying to His disciples. And of course, Jesus was not asking His followers to do what He was unwilling to do. He came to serve, not be served. He came to give, not be given to. And even though He was served and given to by others the underlying motive of Jesus was service first.
APPLICATION
The principle of servant leadership is still in play today. Occasionally, the secular world will jump on the servant bandwagon, as if they had discovered it, and beat the drum for serving others as a way to the top. I believe they have a harder time making servanthood stick. The advantage we have is a changed heart and a constant renewal of our mindset. We know servanthood is God's way, and we have the ability to walk there.
PRAYER
Lord, show me what it truly means to serve others. I want to bless people Your way.