Matthew 20:26 It is not this way among you, but whoever wants to become prominent among you shall be your servant, 27 and whoever desires to be first among you shall be your slave; 28 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.”
Put yourself in the disciples’ shoes for just a moment. For context, the nation had been waiting 400 years for the Messiah to come; for their Savior to ride in on a white horse and deliver them from all of their enemies. As Jesus enters the scene, he begins to fulfill all of the Messianic prophecies and establish this new kingdom, granted it was less conventional than everyone had expected. Yet even still, Jesus had his twelve disciples, His presidential “Cabinet” (for a modern analogy), all having different roles and functions to help usher in this new government. So of course the disciples were talking about who was greatest and what role had the most importance - you and I would do the same.
But Jesus tells His ambitious disciples a shocking thing - if they want to be great, they must become servants to others. If they want to be first, they must become slaves to each other. Jesus points out that this is exactly the life He has been living among them. Using the title He often applied to Himself, He says the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve others. In fact, He came to voluntarily give His own life away as a ransom for many. Paul expounds on Jesus’ teaching when he writes to Christ-followers:
Philippians 2:5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, as He already existed in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself by taking the form of a bond-servant and being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death: death on a cross.
As you reflect on your life, how well are you a servant? I have heard it said this way, “being a servant is not thinking less of yourself, but rather thinking of yourself less.”
Does your life reflect how Christ lived?
What are some ways you can think of yourself less?
Where do you need to start being a servant? To your spouse? To your kids?
Austin Dennis
Facility and Property Management Director
"Being a servant is not thinking less of yourself, but rather thinking of yourself less.” WOW. I've been talking to my daughter about selflessness recently, and this is a perfect devo to share with her in this season. Thanks, Austin!