SERVING THE CAMPUS

DIRECTION:

Culturally, leadership is based on position, glory, and lording over others.

Even when the world tries t o model leadership after Jesus, their posture is still for personal gain.

But Jesus teaches that the purpose and motivation of leadership is to serve others.

It is crucial for both current and next-generation leaders to grasp this truth and reach the campus not for our o w n gain, but with a genuine heart a n d desire to lead them t o J e s u s .

Lead by Serving: Jesus' Model of True Leadership

Bible Passage: Matthew 20:20–28

Matthew 20:20–28 “Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something. And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Say that these two sons of mine are to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.” Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.” He said to them, “You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.” And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers. 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.””

Summary: In this passage, the mother of James and John requests a place of honor for her sons, highlighting a common desire for status. Jesus responds by redefining leadership as servanthood, emphasizing that greatness in His kingdom comes through serving others rather than seeking power or prestige.

Application: This sermon can encourage both current and emerging leaders to reassess their motivations and practices in leadership. It challenges individuals to embody a servant mindset, stressing the importance of humility and selflessness in their interactions with the younger generation. By embracing this philosophy, they can positively influence those around them and genuinely lead them towards Christ.

Teaching: This sermon teaches that true leadership, according to Jesus, is rooted in servanthood. It contrasts worldly ideals of leadership — which are often self-serving and hierarchical — with Christ's example of humility and service, urging leaders to prioritize the needs of others over their own desires for recognition and authority.

How this passage could point to Christ: This passage reveals Christ as the ultimate servant leader, who, though He had all authority, willingly laid down His life for humanity's sake. His model of leadership contrasts with worldly views and invites believers to follow His example of humility and service, reinforcing the message of the Gospel that true greatness comes from serving others.

Big Idea: Leaders are called to serve, not to be served — embodying Christ's servant leadership to effectively guide and inspire the next generation in their faith journey.

Recommended Study: As you prepare this sermon, I recommend studying the cultural context of leadership in the first century, exploring how Jesus’ model contrasts sharply with contemporary views. Utilize your Logos library to investigate insights from early church leaders on servanthood and examine exegetical commentaries on this passage to deepen your understanding of its implications for both personal and community leadership.

CULTURAL CONTEXT OF LEADERSHIP IN 1st Century

First-century leadership operated within a deeply hierarchical world that makes the early Christian approach to authority genuinely revolutionary.

Ancient Mediterranean culture, whether Jewish or Roman, was decidedly patriarchal, with one-man rule as the norm in both the home and the empire.

Greco-Roman society was highly authoritarian, with Caesar demanding not just submission but even worship, and with fathers having the right to kill their own sons if they were disobedient.

The pursuit of honour was the all-consuming goal that gave purpose to life.

Ancient Greek and Roman cities contained countless inscriptions chiselled into rock, honouring certain individuals and proclaiming their many achievements and titles for as long as the rock may last.

The Mediterranean world itself was layered and complex. The political structures of the Roman Empire, the cultural traditions of Greece, and the languages and religious customs of the various regions formed different layers of socialization, with indigenous languages and religious traditions forming the oldest stratum unique to each region and people.

Since the beginning of the third century B.C.E., Hellenistic culture formed a unifying link among the great variety of peoples subjected to it.

Rome ruled in Palestine through various Jewish kings and governors who were clients dependent on Rome, and starting with Augustus, Roman political rule encompassed the entire Mediterranean world.

What makes early Christian leadership countercultural is striking: Paul intended the leaders of his churches to function in community, and nowhere does Paul appoint a sole or senior pastor to oversee a church he has planted.

The most common metaphor for the church was the family, early Christian communities met in homes, and one would expect each house church to have a single male leader serving as the authoritative patriarch.

The glaring absence of such figures points to a degree of countercultural intentionality on Paul’s part.

Jesus and his apostles subverted the dominant cultural values to raise up leaders who could turn their backs on worldly authority and honour, and by embracing the disgrace of the cross, Jesus set an example that changed the worldview of his disciples.

EXEGETICAL

Matthew 20:20–21 ESV

20 Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something. 21 And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Say that these two sons of mine are to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.”

SALOME - THE MOTHER OF SONS OF ZEBEDEE

Jesus’ aunt and the sister of Mary, Jesus’ mother.

This woman had been a faithful follower of Jesus, and her request on behalf of James and John reflects both her maternal concern and her family relationship to Jesus.

Her request for positions of honor for her sons becomes more understandable when understood through their kinship

Jesus, Mary, Salome, James, and John were family, and culturally such relationships would naturally carry expectations within a kingdom context.

In first-century Palestinian culture, mothers actively promoted their sons for positions of honor and blessing, as demonstrated by figures like Bathsheba with Solomon.

Rather than viewing Salome as inappropriately ambitious, the narrative suggests the sons themselves initiated the inquiry with their mother’s support, representing a family discussion among those who knew each other well and cared for one another

Her presence in the Gospel story extends beyond this single moment of ambition.

She was among the women who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to him, and she was present at his crucifixion, observing from a distance.

(Matt 27:55–56) Mark’s parallel account identifies her as Salome, one of the women who followed Jesus in Galilee and ministered to him, traveling with him to Jerusalem.

(Mark 15:40–41) After the Sabbath, she was among those who purchased spices to anoint Jesus’ body.

The right and left side positions alongside Jesus suggest positions of prestige and power in His earthly kingdom.

Matthew 20:22 “22 Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.””

CUP

The “cup” functions as a metaphor rooted in Old Testament imagery—a cup of divine wrath that represents suffering and judgment (Isa 51:17; Jer 25:15–17). When Jesus asks if they can drink his cup, he’s asking whether they’re prepared to share in his suffering and death.  

The disciples and their mother did not realize that the Cross must precede the crown.

To share the crown (glory) they would have to share the Cross (suffering).

Since they did not know what that involved for Jesus, they could hardly appreciate what it would mean for them (cf. 5:10-12; 10:37-39).

The "cup" in Old Testament figurative usage sometimes refers to

blessing (Ps. 16:5; 23:5; 116:13).

judgment or retribution (cf. Ps. 75:8; Isa. 51:17-18; Jer. 25:15-28; Ezek. 23:31-34).

It also pictures suffering (Isa. 51:17-23; Lam. 4:21). Jesus used this figure, the cup, to represent the divine judgment that He would have to undergo in order to pay for the sins of humanity—including its accompanying suffering (cf. 26:39). The disciples evidently thought that all He meant was popular rejection.

Matthew 20:23 “He said to them, “You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.””

Jesus answered the disciples on their own terms. They would indeed experience suffering and rejection.

James would become the first apostolic martyr (Acts 12:2)

executed by King Herod Agrippa I with the sword (Acts 12:1–2). This event occurred around AD 44 in Judea1, making it a pivotal moment in early church history.

and John would suffer exile (Rev. 1:9),

but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.

doesn’t deny his divine power but rather reflects his voluntary self-limitation within the incarnation and his alignment with the Father’s will.

Rather than operating on the basis of human ambition, family connections, or personal requests, kingdom positions reflect God’s sovereign knowledge of who will faithfully embody kingdom values.

Matthew 20:24 “24 And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers.”

James and John's request evidently offended the other ten disciples,

probably because they were hoping for those positions.

Greatness in the earthly kingdom was still much on their minds, despite Jesus' teaching on humility and childlikeness (cf. 18:10).

This reaction reveals the competitive and self-serving atmosphere that had infected the apostolic group.

The ten disciples weren’t angry because James and John had asked something wrong in principle—they were upset because the brothers had beaten them to it.

Their indignation exposes their own hidden ambitions.

If the other disciples had truly embraced servant leadership and humility, they would have been grieved by the request itself, not jealous that they hadn’t made it first.

Instead, their anger demonstrates that all twelve were wrestling with the same desire for status and recognition.

Matthew 20:25 “25 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.”

Jesus begins by pointing out that pagan rulers “lord it over” their subjects, with their great ones exercising authority over them (Matt 20:25–28)

a model of leadership based on domination and power concentration.

This isn’t merely descriptive; it’s a pointed contrast to what should characterize his followers.

What makes this teaching revolutionary is its inversion of human expectations about status. Whoever desires to become great must function as a servant, and whoever wants to be first must become a slave (Matt 20:25–28). Jesus doesn’t soften this paradox or offer a middle path. Greatness and servanthood are not separate categories that can be balanced; they’re fused together. You cannot be great in God’s kingdom while avoiding the role of servant.

Matthew 20:26 “26 It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,”

Jesus establishes the fundamental principle: “It shall not be so among you.” (Matt 20:25–28) This isn’t a suggestion or an ideal to aspire toward eventually—it’s a direct prohibition against adopting worldly power structures within the community of believers. The kingdom operates on entirely different principles than the kingdoms of this world.

Matthew 20:27 “27 and whoever would be first among you must be your slave,”

Whoever desires to be great must adopt the role of servant, and whoever wants to be first must become a slave. (Matt 20:26–28) The language escalates deliberately: from “servant” to “slave” emphasizes total availability and self-surrender. A servant might retain some autonomy or dignity, but a slave belongs entirely to another’s purposes. Jesus isn’t describing a temporary posture or occasional humility—he’s redefining what prominence actually means.

Jesus escalates the language deliberately: whoever wants to be great must be a servant, but whoever desires to be first must become a slave. (Matt 20:26–27) This progression isn’t accidental—it reflects intensifying levels of self-surrender.

A servant retains some degree of agency and can negotiate terms of service. A servant might work for wages, maintain personal boundaries, or leave employment. But a slave belongs entirely to another (Mark 10:43–44), with no ownership of time, resources, or will. The shift from servant to slave emphasizes total availability and complete reorientation toward another’s purposes.

The escalation mirrors the two levels of ambition Jesus is addressing. Those seeking greatness need to adopt a servant’s mentality—shifting from self-promotion to others’ benefit. But those grasping for the first position—the ultimate prize—must go further still. They must surrender not just their actions but their very identity and autonomy. There’s no partial commitment possible at that level; the person who wants to lead must be willing to lose everything.

Matthew 20:28 “28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.””

Jesus presented Himself, "the Son of Man," as the supreme example of a slave to others. He would even lay down His life in the service of others—not just helping them, but dying in their place (cf. Isa. 53). As Messiah, Jesus had every right to expect service from others, but instead He served others. “To be great is to be the servant (diakonos) of many; to be first is to be the bond-servant (doulos) of many; to be supreme is to give one's life for many."[1565] The Greek word lytron ("ransom") was a word used frequently in non-biblical Greek to describe the purchase price for freeing a slave.[1566] This word connotes a purchase price whenever it occurs in the New Testament.[1567] "For" (Gr. anti) indicates the substitute nature of Jesus' death.[1568] The "many" for whom He would die could be either the elect, or all of mankind (cf. Isa. 52:13—53:12).

Jesus declares that the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. (Matt 20:28) This statement encapsulates the entire purpose of his incarnation and establishes the foundation for all Christian discipleship.

The first part—that Jesus came to serve rather than be served—directly contradicts worldly expectations of power and authority. Though the Father had given all things into his hands, Jesus rose from supper, laid aside his outer garments, and began to wash the disciples’ feet. (John 13:1–17) The one with absolute authority chooses absolute humility, demonstrating that true power operates through self-giving rather than self-exaltation.

The second part—giving his life as a ransom for many—reveals the redemptive purpose behind his service. Though he was in the form of God and did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, he emptied himself by taking the form of a servant and humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Phil 2:5–8) His servanthood reaches its climax in sacrificial death. He gave himself as a ransom for all. (1 Tim 2:5–6)

The word “ransom” carries profound theological weight. He bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. (1 Pet 2:21–24) His death accomplishes what no mere service could—it liberates humanity from sin’s bondage through substitutionary sacrifice.

This verse becomes the measure for all Christian leadership. If Jesus, the Lord and Teacher, washed the disciples’ feet, they also ought to wash one another’s feet, for he gave them an example that they should do just as he had done. (John 13:1–17) Service modeled on Christ’s example flows from recognition of what he accomplished through his death—redemption purchased at infinite cost.

1. Pursuing God’s Purpose

Matthew 20:20–23

“20 Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something.

21 And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Say that these two sons of mine are to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.”

22 Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.”

23 He said to them, “You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.””

Perhaps you could focus on how the mother of James and John seeks status for her sons, a reflection of a common human desire for recognition and power. Jesus uses this opportunity to teach a profound lesson about His kingdom, where positions of honor are not granted through ambition but through God’s purpose and plan. This suggests we reassess our motivations in leadership and pursue God’s will above personal ambition.

The world’s idea of greatness is to rule, but Christian greatness consists in serving.

J. C. Ryle

2. Promoting Service Over Status

Matthew 20:24–27

You could highlight how the indignation of the other disciples reveals the worldly mindset they still harbored, emphasizing competition and status. Jesus contrasts this by teaching that true leadership comes from serving others. This suggests that we must abandon a hierarchical mindset in favor of service-driven leadership, aiming to nurture others, particularly the young, in their faith development and personal growth.

3. Patterning Christ’s Sacrifice

Matthew 20:28

Maybe you could emphasize Jesus’ climactic assertion that He came not to be served, but to serve and give His life as a ransom for many. This statement is the pinnacle of the passage, encapsulating the essence of Christ's mission and the nature of His leadership. Perhaps you could inspire leaders to adopt Jesus' revolutionary model, fostering a sacrificial and servant-hearted approach that mirrors Christ’s love for humanity.