"Jesus the Servant"

Have you ever wanted to be great? There are different ways of being great. According to the world, greatness lies in being the most powerful, the richest, the best. It means being number one. The brothers James and John argued about which one of them would be greatest. That’s not how Jesus defines greatness, however. He contrasts the world’s way of greatness with that of the kingdom.

Two brothers were discussing their life goals after Sunday school. The first brother’s goal was to be rich and famous. The second brother’s goal was to follow Christ to the fullest. The second brother went on to reach his goal. His name was David Livingstone, the renowned medical missionary and explorer of Africa. The first went on to be rich, but his fame came from another. The epitaph on his tombstone reads: “Here lies the brother of David Livingstone.”

Matthew presents Jesus as the Messiah, who will bring in the kingdom. If that were the only gospel we might see Jesus just as the all-powerful ruler, great by the world’s standards. Mark’s gospel shoes us another side of Jesus – the servant.

Mark addressed his gospel to Gentile Christians, to preserve the story of Jesus and to encourage Christians to persist in faithful discipleship.

Mark 10:43–45 ESV

But 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 slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Mark uses two words to describe those who are great: servant and slave. The word for servant is diakonos, originally one who waited on tables. A servant is one whose activities are not directed toward their own interests but to those of another. A slave was considered even lower than a servant.

Jesus served

By teaching and preaching

By healing

By example – washing the disciples’ feet

John 13:14–15 ESV

If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.

By giving his life

We serve

Philippians 2:5–8 ESV

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

By being obedient

By witnessing to Christ

By meeting the needs of others

A train was pulling into the depot. On the platform stood a very small, crippled body. His basket was filled with fruit and nuts to sell the passengers. The train had not yet come to a full stop, when a businessman had swung himself from the train and in his haste collided with the boy on the platform. The basket was overturned and its contents scattered.

The man saw what had happened, but, as the crippled fruit boy was the only one concerned and as the man was in a hurry, he walked away toward the city without a word.

Just then the train stopped and a traveling man alighted. He, too, had important business in the city, but here was a boy in trouble. The travelling man comprehended the situation in a glance—the scattered fruit, the crippled boy, the distress on his face, and the tears in his eyes. The man said nothing, but set down his bag, and quietly but rapidly, assisted the boy to gather and replace in the basket the fruit and packages which could be rescued from amid the hurrying feet.

The task was completed and the traveler was about to leave when he reached into his pocket, and taking out a silver dollar, he placed it on top of the basket. As he did so the boy looked up through tears into the face of the man and said, "Say, Mister, be you Jesus?"

"No," said the man, "I am not Jesus, but I am one of His followers, and as I go about, I try to do the things which I think He would do if He were here."

The motivation for Jesus’ service and for ours is not fear, or duty, but love. Those who accept Jesus’ death as the ransom for their sins will also accept his life as the example for their lives.

Galatians 5:13 ESV

For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.