Are you among others as 'the one who serves?'

Greatness = servanthood.

That is the way it is in the upside down, other worldly realm known as the kingdom of God.

Obviously, that is not the way it is in the kingdom of man. That is not the cultural air we breathe in the natural world we inhabit. No, in this world, greatness is marked by how many follow us, how many wait on us, how many do what we say.

A solitary voice echoes through time against that torrent of worldly wisdom, self-centeredness and pride. To those He served by sacrificing Himself, Jesus says, “But it is not this way with you, but the one who is the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like the servant” (Luke 22:26).

Jesus gave this counter-cultural message when His followers were arguing about which one of them was the greatest. Their contest in boasting came only hours before God the Son would serve them and all who would trust in Him by sacrificing Himself in an ignominious fashion. He capped his brief tutorial by saying, “But I am among you as the one who serves” (Luke 22:27).

When I preached on this passage in February, I offered the following five points for us to use to examine what it might look like for us to resemble these disciples and regard ourselves as greatest. In other words, what it might look like for us to resemble the disciples instead of Jesus. Here are those points:

* If you think your opinion is always better than another Christian’s, you might be regarding yourself as greatest.

* If you think primarily about how others should serve you instead of how you should serve others, you might be regarding yourself as greatest.

* If you want others to consider your perspective on issues that arise in the church or family but don’t consider their perspectives, you might be regarding yourself as greatest.

* If you believe there are some opportunities to serve that are beneath you, you might be regarding yourself as greatest.

* If you demand that opportunities to serve be convenient before you will accept them, you might be regarding yourself as greatest.

What does it mean for our church? All of us should value others as more important than ourselves and look to others’ interests, not just our own (Phil. 2:3-4). All of us should be focused on how we can serve the church corporately and our fellow disciples individually, not on whether we will be served. All of us should be willing and ready to serve as needed by the church – whether it is caring for toddlers and special needs children, sweeping the floors or embracing any of the other opportunities that present themselves.

May each of us live as our Lord did: “But I am among you as the one who serves.”