“And there was also a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest. And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve. For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as he that serveth. Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations. And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me; That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”
The world is pervaded with the desire to be the greatest, look the greatest, and act the greatest. Name recognition and public accolades appear to be the ultimate glory in life. On the contrary, Jesus explained to His disciples that those who are truly great are those who serve. Serving, in the context of this passage, is more than just getting what someone wants or needs and bringing it to them.
Serving is being a friend who will stick with a person through thick and thin. When all of life seems to be falling apart, a servant is the one who comes along side and helps pick up the pieces. A servant is a cheerleader for the losing player, an intercessor for the one going through a crisis, a listening ear for the burdened heart, and an optimist for the discouraged student.
Serving is a loyalty to someone. When an offense wounds someone, a servant refuses to pick up an offense or to spread gossip. Instead, a servant will speak the truth in love to only those who are directly involved in the situation.
A servant also recognizes God at work in a person’s life and refrains from doing the work of the Holy Spirit or being a distraction to what the Lord is doing. A true servant reminds others of the ultimate purpose of Christ-like character in us that God is continually working towards. And if need be, a true servant will graciously expose the blind spot of another person with only their best interest at heart.
As key elements of serving, faithfulness, loyalty, and truthfulness comprise the beginnings of a “great” person in God’s eyes. It seems backwards for the greatest Person to be servant of all, but Jesus has proved that those who serve here on earth will one day have incredible rewards in heaven.
Laura Frahm
3/5/2006
Luke 22:24–30
“And there was also a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest. And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve. For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as he that serveth. Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations. And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me; That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”
The world is pervaded with the desire to be the greatest, look the greatest, and act the greatest. Name recognition and public accolades appear to be the ultimate glory in life. On the contrary, Jesus explained to His disciples that those who are truly great are those who serve. Serving, in the context of this passage, is more than just getting what someone wants or needs and bringing it to them.
Serving is being a friend who will stick with a person through thick and thin. When all of life seems to be falling apart, a servant is the one who comes along side and helps pick up the pieces. A servant is a cheerleader for the losing player, an intercessor for the one going through a crisis, a listening ear for the burdened heart, and an optimist for the discouraged student.
Serving is a loyalty to someone. When an offense wounds someone, a servant refuses to pick up an offense or to spread gossip. Instead, a servant will speak the truth in love to only those who are directly involved in the situation.
A servant also recognizes God at work in a person’s life and refrains from doing the work of the Holy Spirit or being a distraction to what the Lord is doing. A true servant reminds others of the ultimate purpose of Christ-like character in us that God is continually working towards. And if need be, a true servant will graciously expose the blind spot of another person with only their best interest at heart.
As key elements of serving, faithfulness, loyalty, and truthfulness comprise the beginnings of a “great” person in God’s eyes. It seems backwards for the greatest Person to be servant of all, but Jesus has proved that those who serve here on earth will one day have incredible rewards in heaven.