Luke 22:24-30

Luke 22:24-30 Also a dispute arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest. Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves. You are those who have stood by me in my trials. And I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me, so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel."

Mark 10:35-45 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.” “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked. They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.” -- When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Philippians 2:5-7 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.

Today's breakfast is the main course of anyone's Christian life. Before we ever rule and reign with Jesus in the kingdom of God, we must be servants to all here. If we are not servants, our lives are pretty much like everyone else's in the world. Jesus the Lord turned the world upside down because He came to serve mankind. He came to redeem mankind. He came to die even for his enemies. He epitomized love, unreciprocated, undeserved, and unconditional love--God's love.

As the body of Christ, we are his ambassadors, who should turn the world upside down by serving others. Now this concept of servanthood is basically foreign to mankind's self-interest. In general, we want everything in our immediate world to eventually revolve around us--our perspective, our needs, our lives. If we marry, we want our mates and our children to defer to us when needed. If we cannot get our way by dictating, laying down the law, cajoling, pleading, crying, or railing, we tend to become angry, bitter, upset, and removed or distant. Jesus came to serve mankind, a very unruly, unholy family. Yet He went about preaching the "good news" and healing people. As his disciples followed him on this mission of servanthood, they sometimes had to live off the land. The elite criticized the disciples for eating grain in a field on the Sabbath. Farmers always left some grain for the poor. Jesus did not have a place to lay his head; nevertheless, the disciples willingly followed him in this lifestyle for a while, but they expected a reward sooner or later. Of course, as Jesus gained popularity for his miracles, many followed him for the fishes and loaves and for his healing ministry. But they did not become servants.

Christ's popularity with the common people brought a certain amount of prestige to his entourage. Those close to Jesus probably were considered important and privileged people; therefore, the disciples received honor from the people. But Jesus reminds them that they must be servants if they desire to be great in his kingdom. He explains that on Earth, people who rule and reign are considered great. The most important people here are those in a position to dictate their wishes. But in the Kingdom of God, the greatest are those who are the servants of all. Now this idea of servanthood rubs many Christians the wrong way. We want to be on the dais; we want God to give us THE MESSAGE or THE SONG. But Jesus says, you must be like little children, powerless, unhonored; you must be servants, willing to use your energy and strength to make other people happy. Such is the kingdom of God, a kingdom of love, of service. Wow, do any of us want to be a servant all the time--to serve everyone, even our enemies? I think not. We will serve those who can reciprocate or who are kind to us, but we are not going to serve the unruly, the unthankful, the unkind. The fleshly nature wants to rule like king David, but Jesus took on the very nature of a SERVANT. As his servants, his body, OUR ATTITUDE SHOULD BE THE SAME AS THAT OF CHRIST JESUS.

James confirms Christ's call, saying, let me see your faith by your actions. If we follow Christ, we should be a servant to as many people as possible. This servanthood starts in the family where we serve our spouses and our children, going out of our way to be of service. If we are waiting for others to serve us or to reciprocate our kindness, we are still not Christlike. We are still in the selfish mode of the ungodly. If we strive to preserve our energy for ourselves, we are not sacrificing our lives for Christ. Following Christ is very simple: people are to be like Christ in all situations. Father, Mother, Grandpa, Grandma, Sister, Brother, Daughter, Son, Friend, will you lose your place of honor and authority if you are a servant? No, you will gain importance, honor, respect, and authority in God's eyes and often from those you serve. People who know and care for you will be more likely to want to please you, to heed your words because they will know you follow Christ closely as a true ambassador of his kingdom of grace, mercy, and love.