The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve

Jesus said these words following the request of his two disciples (James and John, sons of Zebedee) to be his left and right hand men in the future kingdom (Matthews 20:20-28). No doubt they were thinking of an earthly kingdom. They had seen Jesus' authority and power (feeding the five thousand, walking on water, healing the sick in Matthews 14, just to name a few). They also had experienced the power they were given (healing the sick, raising the dead, casting out demons etc - see my last two blogs on Matthews 10). They were committed to go all the way with Jesus. They were convinced that they were able to "drink the cup Jesus was about to drink" (verse 22). I am assuming that James and John understood what this "cup" Jesus was talking about. The Sacred Page has a very good article on "the cup of Jesus". I wonder if they were thinking the cup was the cup of suffering and judgement (Psalms 75:8), or the cup of triumph and blessings (Psalms 23:5). They shall discover much later...

Anyway, they felt they deserved to be ahead of the pack. The other ten disciples were mad at these two for wanting to be singled out. They wanted in also. Then Jesus explained to all twelve of them this great truth:

“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.”

What a completely opposite world view!! The world is telling us to get ahead for the purpose of controlling others. We are to put ourselves in a servanthood (slavery) position. The lower we make ourselves the greater we are to our Lord and our heavenly Father! Jesus has done it. He shows us how to do it. As a result, Jesus sets us free from the real bondage - he has paid the ransom for us - his life for the price for our freedom. What a concept! We won't know if it's true until we try it. Take His word for it!

"Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

Who, being in very nature God,
    did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing
    by taking the very nature of a servant,
    being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
    he humbled himself
    by becoming obedient to death—
        even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
    and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
    to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:1-11)