Servant of Others

Scripture Reading

Mark 9:33-37 English Standard Version (ESV)

33 And they came to Capernaum. And when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?” 34 But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. 35 And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” 36 And he took a child and put him in the midst of them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them, 37 “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.”

Luke 22:24-27 English Standard Version (ESV)

24 A dispute also arose among them, as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest. 25 And he said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors. 26 But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. 27 For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves.

Introduction

We have come to a passage in the Mark where Jesus talks about leadership. The disciples were arguing about who would be greatest in the kingdom of God. This wasn’t the first time the disciples argued about this point. The disciples were greatly concerned about who would be closest to Jesus in his coming kingdom and were constantly jockeying for power. Indeed, James and John, along with their mother, asked Jesus if they could sit on his right hand and his left when he came into power.

In my opinion, Jesus’s habit of taking Peter, James and John with him in certain situations may have created certain insecurities with the disciples. James and John wanted to make sure they were exalted over Peter, and the others wanted to make sure they had places of honor over one another.

Now the word dispute in Greek indicates that this was a very contentious issue that not only caused strife and friction, but also it was the kind of tense argument that disciples were eager to engage.

Have you ever noticed that there are some topics that people enjoy getting fired up? Politics is a subject that comes to mind. Talk about welfare, immigration, affirmative action, or the founding fathers in certain company and you will soon have tense yet eager argument brewing. This how the disciples engaged each other with the subject of being great in the kingdom of God.

The Basis of Contention

This makes the premise of Jesus’s question important to us. Why were they arguing about this? Luke’s account of a similar incident sheds some light. Jesus explains that the Gentile leadership style is based on a very different understanding of greatness than what greatness is. Gentiles understand greatness as having power and position over others, and they pridefully flaunt that power, especially in the form of grandiose titles of authority. Gentile leadership, therefore, is animated by sinful pride, a love of power and contempt for the small and weak.

In the kingdom of God, leadership is energized by humility and service.

Humility

Humility is having a low-lying attitude and does not seek to exalt oneself above others. God the Son demonstrated humility when he took on flesh:

Philippians 2:3-8 English Standard Version (ESV)

3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

True humility does not disregard one’s interests but considers the interests of others. True humility does not despise oneself but considers others more significant. True humility is willingly obedient to the Father, to the sacrifice of one’s own comfort.

Every Christian has the nature of Jesus in their spirit, and therefore, every Christian has fruit of humility waiting to manifest in their life. It is our nature to be Christlike, and it is our nature to be humble. It is beneath our high calling in Christ to be selfish, arrogant and divisive. Let us give praise and glory to the Father for making us new creatures in Christ.

Service

The second aspect of divine leadership that Jesus identified is service, or more precisely, wanting to be a servant of all. Jesus said, “If anyone would be first.” That means our humans wills are very much involved in leadership and our calling to be leaders. Indeed, we see that God the Son willingly obeyed the Father and in going to the cross.

In the local church we often disregard an individual’s willingness when it comes to service. Jesus never forced anyone to follow him as a disciple. Many believed, but not all followed him in ministry. We have to be careful about putting pressure on people to serve in the local church.

I understand thoroughly that my words will be misunderstood and even twisted by some. Of course, believers should work in the local church. But according to Jesus, the essence of service is willing obedience, not unwilling obedience.

Servant of All

How can we be a servant of all? This is a misunderstood concept. Being a servant of all does not mean trying to make everyone happy and comfortable. We are studying Jeremiah in Bible study. Jeremiah didn’t make God’s people comfortable. None of the prophets did. Jesus didn’t make people comfortable. At Jesus’s first sermon, he made people so mad they wanted to kill him.

Being a servant of all and putting others first means that you have to lay down your feelings and preferences and be obedient to the Lord no matter what the cost. This means being obedient to do what God has called you to do, and only that.

The Gentile attitude about power is vanity because, in God’s economy, a person’s title does not confer worth to the person. In God’s kingdom, every God-given assignment is important because an infinitely perfect God has conceived it. Therefore, one title is no better than another, although people do have different responsibilities and therefore different levels of authority in the kingdom of God.

Love of Titles

I have spoken at length about the love of titles in the local church in previous sermons. I don’t need to repeat those thoughts now, except to say that as the Jews of Jesus’s day, there are many reasons, some justified, why titles and authority have captivated our imagination, especially in the black church.

Therefore, we need to remember the local church is God’s house, and therefore we should respect God’s order and refrain from getting carried away with titles. Similarly, while we are very happy about people’s secular achievements, we must be clear-eyed that a secular title or honorific does not convey spiritual authority to people or qualify them for the ministry. It doesn’t disqualify them, nor does it qualify them. Luke was a medical doctor. His medical training was not the basis of his calling. Matthew was a tax collector. His profession was not taken into consideration when God called him. The Word of God is the baseline for understanding qualifications for the ministry and leadership.

Finally, we must remember that the greatest title for the redeemed is “brother” or “sister.” That title is certainly greater than any title the world can give.

What Does a Child Have to Do with It?

Jesus continues his teaching in the house by calling a child to him. It seems this child was very young, like toddler age. Jesus called the child, and the child came to him.

This episode is a sermon in itself. However, I’d like to relate it to the idea of service, as I believe Jesus does. The goal of leadership in the kingdom of God is to serve God’s people, who are, in fact, God’s children. Like natural children, God’s people are innocent and trusting and very precious to the Father. Jesus wants us to understand that as leaders, we cannot lose sight that serving in the ministry is to be entrusted with God’s inheritance, his children.

I am not saying that all leaders in the local church are mature Christians, and all non-leaders are baby Christians. Certainly not. I am saying that leaders in the local church must see their leadership as people, not a building, not a document or a process. The question all leaders should be asking themselves is, “how will this impact the body of Christ.”

Now again, every toddler needs discipline. You don’t do a child any favors by letting them run amok. However, correction must be administered patiently and in love.

Whom the Lord loves, He chastens. And one of the tools God uses to chasten his children is their shepherd. God will also use parents, a boss, a husband or a friend. However, except for parents, a pastor is unique amongst all of those because 2/3 of the ministry of a shepherd is to rebuke and correct in their teaching and preaching ministry. Now when you are faithful in your ministry as a shepherd, you are operating within the bounds of your ministry, and you are putting others first. You are putting others first because your flesh doesn’t want to deal with the stress and pressure of being obedient.

When we studied Paul’s epistles to Timothy last year, we learned that Timothy had to endure a lot of stress and heartache because he was a young man called to pastor a church comprised of many older saints who resented his leadership. Some of his deacons were stepping out of line and resisting his authority, and Timothy was conflicted about disciplining them and bringing them under control. Paul warned him that God and the angels were watching him and would judge him if he showed partiality in disciplining his deacons. He also told him that he must always be kind and respectful to every one according to their station in life. Timothy didn’t have it easy. Paul’s admonitions to Timothy are an amplification of the teaching of Jesus in these passages.

Conclusion

Jesus teaches us a lot about leadership. It is vital to understand that secular understandings of leadership are very different from how Jesus understands leadership. Our Lord shows us that leadership in the kingdom of God is based on humility, which involves thinking of others more highly than oneself and considering the interests of others along with your interests. Leadership also involves willing obedience to serve God’s people, valuing people higher than material things or processes.

While titles in the local church are important because they help us understand a person’s role, responsibility, and God-given authority, we must remember that the greatest title is brother or sister. Made-up or secular titles don’t create spiritual authority.

Implied in Jesus’s teaching to his disciples is that we should be honored and satisfied to do what God has called us to do, whether or not it brings us power, fame or acclaim.

In the name of God, Amen.