Being Minors and Servants

"But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves."

Luke 22:26 NKJV

In discipling the group that was to bear the weight of the early Christian community, Jesus invites them to consider how the kings of nations rule and dominate them, and how these kings are seen, in some ways, as benefactors only because they show interest in certain issues, masking their hegemony (Luke 22:5). They, on the other hand, must not seek approval or exercise authority over others, for Jesus taught them to serve. The concept is completely reversed: those who think they are the greatest are called to serve and to put themselves in the place of those who are subordinate. With Christ, things work the other way around. The leader is not the boss, but the “guide”: Jesus describes him as a great man who stands before others; he is the one who leads a group, inspires and shows the way. The concept can be clarified with an expression: “leadership is the ability to lead a group of people from point A to point B.” To do this, there must be mutual trust between the leader and the led; the leader must already have been at point B and must know the way.

For believers, the behavior is unique: do unto others as you would have them do unto you. If this principle were applied everywhere, we would not need laws, codes, or authorities responsible for order and legality. In the comparison between the one who serves and the one who is served at the table, the latter appears to be greater. Jesus explained these things to His disciples while they were sitting down to eat. Then He got up, took a basin and a towel, and began to wash their feet. Peter resisted, having understood fully who it was who was doing this. According to Luke, after Jesus explained to His disciples that they should look to Him as an example of service, He praised them for having stayed with Him until then: they were a team He could rely on. It is a great comfort in suffering to know that there is someone you can count on. Our certainty is knowing that God is always there and never leaves us. That same group received the promise of the kingdom: as God had given it to Christ, so He gave it to them. He is an instrument that receives and transmits. Those who think they are doing something for God by selfishly holding back are only serving themselves. Jesus, on the other hand, took His glory and His life and laid them down for us.

The apostle Paul reminds us that we are seated in heavenly places on the throne of Christ (Ephesians 2:6), not because we deserve it. He has determined to give us His kingdom because we are His flock, and one day we will sit at His table. At His side, we will participate in the judgment as witnesses of what the Lord has done for us through His immense grace. When we were lost, Jesus humbled Himself by becoming a servant and even giving His life for us. The apostle Peter reminds us that we were bought with the precious blood of the Lamb (1 Peter 1:19). In those days, a person paid a sum of money to have possession of a slave's life. We were not bought with gold or silver, but with His precious blood, and as a result we became His and now belong to Him. He left the glory of the Father, chose to be born in a stable, and lived among us to bring us salvation. We too, following His example, are called to serve others with love, to reach out to those in need. Those who serve reach out to give, not to take. Those who do so to grab are not trustworthy and should be avoided. Let us serve God, and one day we will be in His presence to enjoy all that He has prepared for us.

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Weekly Bible Reading Plan #34

August 18, Psalms 100-102; 1 Corinthians 1

August 19, Psalms 103-104; 1 Corinthians 2

August 20, Psalms 105-106; 1 Corinthians 3

August 21, Psalms 107-109; 1 Corinthians 4

August 22, Psalms 110-112; 1 Corinthians 5

August 23, Psalms 113-115; 1 Corinthians 6

August 24, Psalms 116-118; 1 Corinthians 7:1-19