Mark 10:42-45 – And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But 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 slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
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We live in a world where people continually are taught to fight for their rights. All around us, men and women battle it out for power, prestige, and position. Often, the battle is not to become supreme among a group, but it is at least fought to be certain that no one assumes too much of you, thinks too lowly of you, or takes something away from you that you feel you rightfully deserve. We battle to be thought of as important, special, and unique. We demand that no one call us to step down even one rung on the ladder of success.
Yet, when we look at the ethic taught by our Lord, life should look a whole lot different. Jesus, in this response to the request of two of his disciples to be placed in positions of honor, tells us that fighting for our rights and getting all we can is not all that it has cracked up to be. In fact, he says that the way to do best, the way to have true success, is to become the servant of all. He then colors in the picture for us by pointing out that he did not come to be served, but to be a servant.
Today would be a good time to check your heart and ask how you are doing on Jesus’ call to be a servant. Are you battling it out with someone from whom you are demanding the respect you “deserve?” Are you bitter toward someone for not giving you the promotion or prestige you have “earned?” Are you collecting things or experiences so that you can trump someone else’s achievements or be thought of as interesting, well-traveled, or just a little more special than the average Joe? Do you have jobs that you simply refuse to do because they are “beneath” you? Perhaps it is time for you to look at all that Jesus gave up to be a servant, to be a sacrifice, to pay your ransom. Perhaps it is time to stop thinking that this life is about you and your comforts and rights, but to see life, instead, as about others made in the image of God and ultimately for the glory of God.
Dear Lord, it is so very easy for us to fall into the flesh’s trap of demanding to be thought of as important or special. It is so tempting to demand our rights, and to refuse to serve if we feel that service will lower our status or involve us giving up something we deserve. I pray, however, that you will forgive me for how I have done that in the past. I pray that you will forgive me for refusing to serve others in a Christlike way. I ask that you will help me to live in a way that honors Christ by looking like him. Help me to serve as Jesus served. Please show me in my life anywhere that I am fighting to be lifted up. Please help me to repent of that, and to humbly serve as you have called me to do.
Pastor Travis Peterson 