“But Jesus called them to Himself and said…it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant…just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” – Mathew 20:25-28 (NKJV)
Despite the parable of God’s grace and generosity and in spite of hearing Jesus’ remark twice that the first shall be last and the last first, Jesus’ disciples were still missing the point.
The mother of Zebedee’s sons, James and John, asks Jesus to grant her two sons the most prominent places in his coming kingdom. Jesus asks, “Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink…?” (Matthew 20:22). They responded, “We are able.” When the other ten disciples heard about this, they were angry. Jesus took that opportunity to challenge their concept of prominence (verses 24-28).
True leadership is found in serving others. The looks of it may vary according to the work environment and situation. But this doesn’t mean that a chairman is expected to sweep the floors or clean the toilets, nor that any worker can cite helping someone else as an excuse for not doing their own work appropriately. It does mean that we do all our work with the aim of serving our customers, colleagues, shareholders, and whomever else our work affects.
The servant-leader is the person who knows his or her power under God’s control (Matthew 5:5). They know how to maintain the right relationships. The servant leader will apologise for mistakes (Ephesians 4:32), show mercy when others fail (Matthew 5:7), make peace when possible (Matthew 5:9), and endure unmerited criticism when attempting to serve God with integrity (Matthew 5:8,10). Jesus sets the pattern in His own actions on our behalf (Matthew 20:28).
We show ourselves to be ‘Christ-followers’ by following His example.
Prayer
Thank You, Lord Jesus, for setting the foundation by Your own actions for us. We choose to be Your followers by following Your examples. Help us to live by Your Word, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Read: Mathew 5:7-10; 1 Peter 2:21-23Bible Reading Guide: Proverbs 21:5-16; 2 Corinthians 1:23-24; 2 Corinthians 2:1-11; 2 Chronicles 31:2-21; 2 Chronices 32; 2 Chronicles 33:1-20
