What does it really mean to be a disciple of Jesus Christ? What does it really mean on a day-to-day basis to follow Him and be yielded to Him and walk the path He walked and is walking? As distinct from the superficial allegiance that we may give Jesus, we have been attempting in this series to digest the ‘meat’ of discipleship, the nitty gritty of truly following Jesus.
As we have seen, when Jesus issued the invitation for people to follow Him – some gave up everything and followed Him wholeheartedly while others counted the cost, shook their head and walked away. For those of us who do pursue this discipleship road, we are faced with many tests and we’ve explored some of those already here. I would encourage you to review those sermons online if you have missed any of them.
The first test we explored was the submission test. That is the test which we all face every day in our walk with Jesus. We are not only called to submit to Him and to His will, His Word and the prompting of His Spirit, we are called to submit to each other out of reverence for Christ. That whole area of submission is one that challenges us greatly in our anti-authoritarian culture.
The obedience test was the next one we encountered on the discipleship road. This is a test that the Lord Jesus was led by the Spirit to face in the wilderness at the very commencement of His ministry. Satan came against Him with great power and tempted Him to disobey the Father just the way he had with Adam in the Garden of Eden so long ago. The first Adam failed that test and sinned. The ‘Second Adam’ (Jesus) passed the test. For the first time in human history, a man stood against the powers of darkness and remained obedient, thereby opening the way for each of us to do the same in Him.
The next test that we face on the discipleship road is the servant test. I could preach a whole series on servanthood, but I just want to touch on it today so we might understand how important it is if we are to truly follow Jesus. I will unpack this even more in the next sermon.
Jesus Christ is the ultimate servant. He was referred to way back in Isaiah 53 as ‘The Suffering Servant’ – the One Who came not to be served but to serve; the One Who took the hand basin and towel and washed the feet of His disciples and calls us to do the same. In Philippians 2 we read where Jesus made a choice to become a servant. He was equal with God, yet He chose to become a servant and became obedient unto death. In that same passage we are exhorted to have the same attitude and servant-heart.
The theme of servanthood runs right through the New Testament. There are hundreds of verses referring to our mutual care and service of each other and our service of God in worship. The constant yielding of our own desires and rights in order to serve the needs of others. This servant test is one that you and I face every day, and sadly we fail this test many times too.
Unfortunately, in our society, the term servant can trigger negative connotations. Some people think back to an African slave named Kunte Kinte and the Epic film Roots. Or the thousands of suppressed, underpaid people scrubbing floors and waiting on tables for the high and mighty of society. The concept of a servant for many conjures up images of ignorance, objects of mistreatment, gross absence of human dignity and the epitome of many of the things that the Christian message opposes.
Many have the image of a servant as a pathetic creature with little or no will or purpose in life; bent over; crushed in spirit; lacking self-esteem; dirty, wrinkled and weary. But when we turn to the New Testament, we have a different picture. None of previous description comes close to describing Jesus and yet He was the very ultimate example of a servant. In Matthew 23:11 Jesus said, “ … the greatest among you will be your servant.” He also said that the first will be the last and the servant of all. That’s why even the Son of man came not as a mighty king on a throne in a castle surrounded by an army of thousands, but as a lowly, humble, suffering servant. It is God’s desire that we do the same. Remember that grand declaration of assurance from Paul:
Romans 8:28-29 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.”
Maybe you’ve never stopped to consider that God is committed to one major objective in the lives of all His people and that is to conform us to the image of His Son. We are called to be servants. We are made to be like Jesus. Jesus declared His primary reason for being here:
Mark 10:45 “Even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many.”
It couldn’t be said any clearer. Jesus came to serve and to give. It makes sense then that God desires the same for His disciples. After bringing us into His family through faith in His Son, the Lord sets His sights on building into us the same quality that made Jesus distinct from all the people of His day – a giving, servant-heart. There is nothing more refreshing than a serving heart and a giving spirit. But it as rare as diamonds too. Such a heart-attitude is the exception rather than the rule in our society and sadly, even in the Church. Our selfish old nature continues to rare it’s ugly head and demand attention. I am encouraged to know that even the first disciples, even those who sat at Jesus’ feet, even those who walked and talked lived with the servant of all servants – even they struggled with this.
Let me take you back and show you one example. On this occasion our Lord’s popularity was on the rise, the knowledge of His Kingdom was spreading and the disciples began to be anxious about being recognised as members of His chosen band. What makes this account a little more interesting the presence of a mother of two of the disciples. She’s Mrs Zebedee – wife of the Galilean fisherman and mother of James and John.
Matthew 20:20-24 “Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favour of him. “What is it you want?” he asked. She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.” “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?” “We can,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father.” When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers.”
Now don’t be too tough on this dear Jewish mum. She’s proud of her sons. She had thought about that request for some time. Her motive was probably pure and her idea was in proper perspective. She didn’t ask that her sons occupy the centre throne – of course not – that belonged to Jesus.
But like any good mother who watches out for the breaks in life that could lead to a nice promotion, she pushes her James and John forward as candidates for thrones 2 and 3. She wanted to enhance their image before the public. She wanted people to think highly of her boys who had left their jobs and entered this up-and-coming ministry. There were among the twelve and that needed recognition. As can be seen from verse 24 the other ten were tarred with the same brush. They became indignant. Why? Because there was no way they were going to give up those top spots without a fight. They were ticked off that James and John might get the glory they wanted. Sound familiar?
With biting conviction Jesus answers the mother in verse 22 when He said: “You do not know what you are asking.” That must have stunned her. She really thought she did. She used all of the world’s ideas about authority and status to ask this question. But she was to discover that this movement was not of this world. This kingdom was not like any other. Jesus pulls His disciples aside and spells out the sharp contrast between His philosophy and the world system in which they lived.
Matthew 20:25-28 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the 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 your slave – 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.”
In the secular world there are distinct levels of authority. Today in government we have the Prime Minister and His cabinet and a large body of personally selected men and women who have privileges that the common citizen does not enjoy. In the military there are officers and enlisted men and women and ranks within each category. In sport there are coaches and players. In the business world there are corporation heads and lines of authority between managers and personnel, foremen and labourers. The person in the labour force is expected to show up on time, punch a clock, work hard and not take advantage of his or her employer. There is a name for those who choose to not follow those directions – unemployed! Why? Because the boss is in charge and that’s the way the system works.
But Jesus says to His disciples and to us: “not so among you.” What isn’t so? Simply this: in God’s family there is one great body of people standing on level ground before the cross of Christ and they all have the same position: servant. In fact, if there is any hierarchy in the kingdom of God; if there is any status or importance; if there is any greatness in the kingdom of God; it comes through being the best servant. Jesus said if we want to be great in God’s kingdom we need to be the servant of all. These seem to be forgotten words in our society and even in many churches today. With our smooth Pastors, high-powered executives and superstar performers, unfortunately the servant mentality is not that common. We tend to get so caught up in the success and numbers race, we lose sight of our primary calling as followers of the Servant King. The celebrity syndrome, so present in our western Christian culture, doesn’t even resemble the attitude and message of Jesus.
Colossians 1:15-18 “The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.”
In the body of Christ there is only one Head – Jesus Christ. No human being dare take that position. The rest of us are all servants. Yes, we have leadership roles and there is God-given authority attached to those roles. But the people holding those positions are still servants in the first instance. We are all called to be servants first – those other roles, functions and gifts must all be exercised in the context of serving – or they are not consistent with the clear revelation of what it is to be a disciple of Jesus.
This is so hard to do when we live in a world dominated by three words: I – ME – MINE. Those words stand out in bold print. They dominate our speech and attitudes and are part of the very fabric of our culture. A series of television adds a few years ago bombarded us with the statement that the most important person in the world is you. That sums up the self-absorbed focus of our society. It’s everyone for themselves. We are taught to ‘look after No. 1 – because nobody else will.’ There is no doubt about it, this unhealthy focus on self is so engrained in our culture that it has also permeated church life, and we need to face it head on. If we are to pursue the road of discipleship; if we are to truly follow Jesus and walk in His steps; then we must face this servant test every day.
Philippians 2:3-4 “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”
What a different story we get from the world. Look at the sporting world where billions of dollars are poured into one goal: proving our superiority over others. Apart from all the social and health benefits of sport which are very positive – at the very heart of the world of competitive sport there is an evil selfishness, pride and arrogance that feeds our fallen ego and hinders our ability to live as a servant of others. There are some humble champions, it is possible, but it is also rare. I know that sport is a sacred cow in this nation and I know my comments may not rest with some sports fans here. But I challenge you to build a theology of competitive sport out of the New Testament. Many have tried and failed. Paul uses some sporting analogies a couple of times to make a point, and people try to use that to justify competitive sport.
I’ve been down this road before. I wrote a small book decades ago entitled: Living as a Christian in a Competitive World. Let me tell you it was not a best seller. Many who read it – didn’t like it. Because it challenged sacred cows like sport and education methods and business practices that millions of Christians are involved in. It was very threatening, but I believe that challenge came straight from the New Testament. We can ignore it and say it’s too hard, or we can seriously ask the question: how can I be a servant of all in everything I do. The business world in no better. Everywhere you look it’s dog-eat-dog. Fierce competition. Some of that is healthy – as different people do the same thing in different ways, giving the consumers a choice. If the market is big enough for several players, then let them have a go. But a lot of it is very unhealthy. When companies have the primary goal of dominating the market, pushing all other competitors out of the industry, they are always winning at someone else’s expense.
The education system has suffered the same fate. The system of grading that has been in place over the last 100 years or so sets students against each other, competing for a mark on a piece of paper. The educators are quick to tell us how successful this method is in motivating students to do well. But they are not so quick to tell us at what cost. When we have generations of people brainwashed into thinking that their worth is measured by their performance against a pre-determined academic standard and that they have to beat everyone else to get anywhere in life, what kind of society has that produced? Look around, the answer is clear.
How is it possible for Christians to be servants in such an environment? We run to the church for protection and find that the same selfishness dominates our life together as Christians. We choose to worship in a church that meets our needs. If we like the worship and the Pastor and the teaching, then we stay. If any of that changes, and is not to our liking, then we withdraw; we judge; we complain and eventually we leave. Little thought is given to what we can give to that church body. Our needs, our desires, and our preferences too often inform all our decisions. In the very place we should expect to find this servant attitude (the church), we find that selfishness and pride are just as present and now the difference between us and those outside the Church is barely noticeable some days.
Jesus said: “If you want to be great in God’s kingdom – you must be the servant of all.” All means everyone around you. I don’t really need to give you examples in your family, your Church, your workplace, your neighbourhood. Every single day we are confronted with the same choice: to serve ourselves and our needs and desires or serve others. It’s when we make the wrong choice in this servant test that things start to fall apart in all our relationships. Think how harmonious your workplace would be if everyone had as their primary goal – serving the needs of others. What a great place to work!
90% of marriage problems come because one or both partners start to assert their needs and don’t serve the needs of their spouse. If we entered marriage with only one goal: to serve the other person totally and completely forever, then our marriages would be fail-safe. If both partners have a servant-heart, they will be satisfied, fulfilled and have a solid marriage. The tricky thing is that when one partner starts to lose that servant-heart, the other one feels justified in letting go their commitment to serve too. That’s not how it’s supposed to be at all. We make a commitment to serve our partner’s needs above our own no matter what the circumstances. That can be really tough at times, but if the marriage is to survive the ups and downs of life, that attitude must remain.
Think of how great the church would be if everyone came to give to each other and not take from each other. Think of how many people would want to be Pastors and leaders of a group of people like that. It would be like heaven on earth. If everyone – including the leaders – had as their primary goal and motivation – serving the needs of others – what a place it would be.
Well, I think you already know that the New Testament says that’s what every church fellowship should look like – gatherings of people with servant-hearts who build one another up, encourage one another, serve one another and love one another. That is the New Testament model of the church and if we are serious about travelling the road of a true disciple; if we are serious about digesting the meat of the Kingdom of God, then dealing with this issue of servanthood must be high on our priority list.
Perhaps it is time we all took a long hard look at our servant-hearts this coming week as we allow the Spirit of God to show us those areas where we can serve others’ needs above our own, in our marriage, our family, our workplace, our neighbourhood and especially our church family.
Songwriter Graham Kendrick said it best: “So let us learn how to serve, each other’s needs to prefer, for it is Christ we’re serving.” We will only learn how to serve as we let go of our own needs and desires and let God meet those directly or through others; ask for His empowering presence; ask for the grace to serve others. We cannot do this in our own strength. Only by grace can we stand and only by grace can we serve.