Serve!

Serve!

just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:28 NIV

Context:

The circumstances around this verse matter. There were 12 noted disciples who had been following Jesus everywhere he went. As he performed miracles, people noted. There was even an instance where the people of a city wanted to make him king by force, because they had been miraculously fed with bread and fish. Jesus did not lack both admirers and enemies, so it was not a surprise that anyone would come and seek preferential treatment from Jesus. I must be careful about my intents and motives for following Jesus: am I in it for what I can get out of it or am I in it because I know who I am called to follow?

The mother of two brothers, disciples of Jesus, came privately to Jesus to secure the best seats in the house for her sons: the left and right hand of Jesus in His kingdom. If there was such a thing, did she consider the interests of the other ten? Is my own interest all that matters to me, or do I have room for other people? Am I all about me and my family, to the total exclusion of anyone else? My heart matters; its pursuits and priorities are revealed by the things that hold its strings or directs its actions. What are those things that are able to influence my daily life? I must watch these, and be sure that they are the things that God approves. It will be most unfortunate for a person to have been celebrated on earth for 'working for God' when God has no record of that person ever 'walking with God'. 

Message and Response:

Jesus took time to explain to the mother and brothers the meaning of a personal walk with God and the reward for that walk. He also explained the principles of personal conviction and service to the other disciples who later found out what the two brothers and the mum had done. I believe the biggest lesson is this: don't be so consumed by the trappings and obvious benefits of positions that you forget what the position actually demands of you. 

We crave the high places and the recognition of men, yet we know nothing of what these things will demand of us. We want to be known of all men, yet do not seek the knowledge of the God who sees, knows and will reward all. The example of Jesus remains the standard of service: it was first a knowledge of who he was that defined how he approached the work that was to be done. 

Jesus was comfortable in his own skin and did not need the validation of men to do the work. He made sure of his connection to God first, and then got to work. The order is important: the God-connection must be solid, because when the work starts, it is usually the first thing that will be attacked. Why does the devil attack our relationship with God, seeking to put up false barriers, making it seem that God is distant and unapproachable, and that it is hard for God to relate with man? The devil knows that once he can keep me distracted, every other thing I do may just be hard labour. I might not even know when the joy has disappeared, yet I will keep working. 

Jesus knew his mission: to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. That was the assignment, the focus. A man who knows he has a good master is the one who is glad to serve. Jesus knew the eternal reward of laying down his life for man, so he did it gladly. I stand where I am today because that sacrifice was made for me and I accepted Jesus as Lord and Saviour. I can also work to propagate what I have received because I know the blessings and benefits. 

I consider my life before I met Christ and after I surrendered to Him and I am glad that I took that decision. It is time to then do the work required of all who bear true allegiance to Christ. No job is inferior if it is commanded, and no job is superior as long as it is mandated by the commander. It is not the title that matters, but the One who commissions and the job specification also. 

I go to God daily to confirm the job and the focus for the day. I live in the moment; not bothered by the 'success' of my contemporaries, because we are all working for the same master. That which I have received of Christ is my most important possession: eternal life. I will work to ensure that others too come to the saving knowledge of this same Jesus. That is all the service I need. His time of favour is here.