The Walk of Servanthood

Who wouldn’t want to be considered GREAT!?!  For some, greatness is winning a championship as a professional athlete.  For some, greatness is having thousands of fans cheer while you are performing on stage.  For some, greatness is making money as the CEO of a large corporation.  For all of us, greatness is ascending up a ladder of success, popularity, or authority as high as possible.  We want to be singled out as the one on top or the winner.  We want to be elevated to places of honor or recognition. We want power and authority to control or influence others.  While this is the definition of greatness for some, is it possible that such a desire is what prevents us from becoming truly great?  What if greatness is a descent down rather than an ascent up? Jesus Christ took a different path to become great.  How did Jesus become great?

READ: Matthew 20:20-28

Living life in the same way as Jesus did requires becoming GREAT through SERVANTHOOD!  Jesus defines greatness and becomes great Himself in a very different way than anyone would expect.  Jesus, using His own life as an example, said the He, “came not to be served but to serve”.  In a great reversal, Jesus declares greatness is not a selfish process of ascending higher in order to be honored, admired, or served by others, but instead a sacrificial process of descending lower in order to serve others.  Jesus willingly exemplified this by exchanging His greatness for our worthlessness, “giving His life as a ransom for many”.  As a ransom (the price paid to buy a slave’s freedom), Jesus served us by purchasing our freedom as sinners with His blood.  That is true greatness and the type of greatness that we should be striving to emulate.

TRANSTION:  How do we become great through servanthood? 

Greatness through servanthood is NOT craving a POSITION or AUTHORITY (Mt. 20:20-21, 25-26a) - We do not like to be told what to do, we like to be the one in charge telling others what to do.  James and John’s mother asked Jesus if her sons could, “sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom”.  She wanted her sons to be given positions of importance and authority in Jesus’ kingdom.  Jesus rebukes this request later saying that they should not want to be like the “rulers” and “great ones” who “lord” and “exercise authority” over others.  Being higher and above others are not indicators of true greatness.  Power and authority only feed our selfishness, pride, and mistreatment of others.  Beware of needing to be in front, on top, and in charge, this craving is a major hindrance to us becoming truly great.

Greatness through servanthood is NOT confidence in OURSELVES (Mt. 20:22-24) – The Little Engine That Could is known for his attitude of “I think I can, I think I can”.  The story encourages us to be optimistic, believe in ourselves, and work hard.  Not bad qualities, but NOT what makes us great.  James and John answer Jesus’ question, “are you able to drink the cup I myself am about to drink?” with a confident, “we are able”.  James and John did not realize that when Jesus used the phrase “drink the cup” He was referring to the suffering of God’s wrath that He would endure on the cross for sin (Mt. 26:39).  James and John had an entirely different idea of what it meant to be great in mind and were overly confident in their own ability.  Our greatness does not depend on our ability, our talent, our personality, or our skill.  Beware of trusting in our own ability, this self-confidence will prevent us from becoming truly great.

Greatness through servanthood is a choice to SERVE and ENSLAVE ourselves to others (Mt. 20:25-28) – Servants and slaves in Jesus’ day were the lowest, most insignificant members of society because their job was to do anything and everything that someone else told them to do.  Doing what someone else tells us to do is hard, degrading, and humiliating.  According to Jesus, being “great” and being “first” among others requires living the life of a “servant” and a “slave”.  These are characteristics of lowering ourselves and willingly putting ourselves under the authority of others.  These are not characteristics that seem like they lead to greatness, but according to Jesus they are the only path to becoming truly great!

CONCLUSION:

Jesus said in Matthew 23:11-12 that, “the greatest among you shall be your servant.  Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted”.  Servanthood requires humility.  If we reject servanthood and choose a different path to greatness, a day will come when we will be humbled and our greatness will be exposed for what it really is.  But if we humble ourselves and walk as a servant as Jesus walked, a day will come when we will be exalted and considered truly great!  Are you willing to humble yourself in order to become a servant?