Matthew 20:25-28 ~ 25 But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. 26 But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; 27 And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: 28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
Jesus is on His way to the Cross of Calvary and as He continues His final journey through Perea and Jericho, heading towards Jerusalem, He is teaching His disciples, and us, a very valuable lesson on being a "servant". He has been preparing Himself for the cross since "In the beginning. . ." as the ultimate of servants. In the previous verses, Jesus tells the disciples that true greatness won't come by flaunting authority as the Gentile leaders do. One of the greatest character traits I saw in my founding pastor, Dr. Terry Booher, was his ability to make Jesus first then, all others more than him. Jesus first, then others, and then you. JOY! He taught it, he preached it, he lived it, AND learned it from our Saviour, Jesus Christ! He was a true servant. This is what the Lord is trying to teach the disciples.
If they wanted to be great among many, they would become great by serving each other, as servant serves his master and as Jesus Himself did when He gave His life on Calvary for every one of us. He came to serve and to die in our stead. That is the ultimate service and sacrifice. Jesus was the only One Who could do that and save mankind from death and hell. The disciples were never going to have to go that far to serve others. Jesus wanted them to understand this and in these last days before His death, some of His last lessons taught were on serving others. In the next chapter of Matthew, He enters Jerusalem before His crucifixion. Time was running out. He had much to tell them, and this one is most needed.
This conversation started because the mother of the sons of Zebedee approached Jesus and wanted Him to bless their sons and that one would sit on his right and the other the left in heaven. The disciples were a little upset fearing they were going to lose their seat in heaven, I guess. The most wonderful thing about heaven, we probably won't be sitting much if we are at His feet in humbleness, praising Him for His sacrifice for our miserable sinful souls. But they didn't have the same visual we have today (through the pages of our Bible), although the Lord Himself was in their midst.
These last days of Jesus' on earth are precious moments the disciples will recall many times, and we are blessed to have them recorded in our Bible. The disciples ask about the future, and in his final message, Jesus speaks of the coming end. It won't be long before Jesus must leave this band of men and women for His final destination in Heaven! All of the last words He audibly spoke are even more precious to us today, aren't they. We have the written "story" of Christ, the disciples had the person of Christ, but both are just as important in His message of serving. May we ever be one of those who loves the poor, needy, sick, unwanted and open our doors to their needs spiritually, physically and materially. We honor the Lord Himself when we do!
GIVE of yourself and God will give grace. Amen!
No comments:
Post a Comment