Become a Servant to Others
In Matthew chapter 23, Jesus contrasted the professional religious ministers of His time with those who are truly great in the Kingdom of Heaven.
“Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, saying: ‘The scribes and Pharisees have seated themselves in Moses’ chair [of authority as teachers of the Law]; so practice and observe everything they tell you, but do not do as they do; for they preach [things], but do not practice them. The scribes and Pharisees tie up heavy loads [that are hard to bear] and place them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves will not lift a finger [to make them lighter].”—Matthew 23:1-4 (AMP)
After exposing their hypocrisy, Jesus pointed out that everything these professional ministers did was motivated by a desire to exalt themselves. But they were seeking higher ranks in ways that would not give them lasting rewards. They would not ultimately improve their ranks in the Kingdom of Heaven. In fact, the very things they did to try to exalt themselves would result in the exact opposite of what they were seeking to accomplish. Their actions would actually ensure that they would not be promoted to higher ranks in God’s Kingdom, but instead would more likely cause them to be demoted.
“They do all their deeds to be seen by men; for they make their phylacteries (tefillin) wide [to make them more conspicuous] and make their tassels long. They love the place of distinction and honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues [those on the platform near the scrolls of the Law, facing the congregation], and to be greeted [with respect] in the market places and public forums, and to have people call them Rabbi.”—Matthew 23:5-7 (AMP)
Responding to this, Jesus first made it clear that there is absolutely no division in God’s Kingdom that separates and elevates professional ministers above the rest of His people. Jesus cautioned His disciples not to make the mistake of putting professional ministers on a pedestal, honoring them as if they occupied positions higher than other believers in some religious hierarchy. He also cautioned his disciples not to insist on titles, and not to allow anyone else to elevate them or place them on pedestals above their fellow believers.
“But do not be called Rabbi (Teacher); for One is your Teacher, and you are all [equally] brothers. Do not call anyone on earth [who guides you spiritually] your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. Do not let yourselves be called leaders or teachers; for One is your Leader (Teacher), the Christ.”—Matthew 23:8-10 (AMP)
Paul sternly reinforced this also in 1 Timothy 5:21:
“With God as my witness, as well as the Messiah Jesus and the chosen angels, I solemnly call on you to carry out these instructions without prejudice, doing nothing on the basis of partiality.” (ISV)
James was even more blunt.
“But if you show servile regard (prejudice, favoritism) for people, you commit sin and are rebuked and convicted by the Law as violators and offenders.”—James 2:9 (AMPC)
As He continued speaking in Matthew 23, Jesus told us how to truly be greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. He gave us a secret of how to be exalted in the Kingdom of Heaven to a high rank of eternal honor.
“But the greatest among you will be your servant. Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be raised to honor.”—Matthew 23:11-12 (AMP)
Jesus addressed this again when His disciples were debating which one of them was the greatest. Even though they were embarrassed when Jesus asked them what they were discussing, Jesus didn’t scold them for desiring to be greatest in God’s Kingdom. Instead, He told them how to achieve the greatness they desired.
“After they arrived at Capernaum and settled in a house, Jesus asked his disciples, ‘What were you discussing out on the road?’ But they didn’t answer, because they had been arguing about which of them was the greatest. He sat down, called the twelve disciples over to him, and said, **‘Whoever wants to be first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else.’”—**Mark 9:33-35 (NLT)
At one point in their discipleship, James and John had obviously been interested in securing positions near Jesus in the Kingdom of Heaven, and they approached Him to request these high positions of rank.
Jesus did not deny that such high-ranking positions would exist in His Kingdom, but he clarified to these brothers that securing such positions of honor in the Kingdom of Heaven was not as easy as simply putting in a request for them.
“James and John, the two sons of Zebedee, came to Him, saying, ‘Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask of You.’ And He replied to them, ‘What do you want Me to do for you?’ They said to Him, ‘Grant that we may sit [with You], one on Your right and one on Your left, in Your glory [Your majesty and splendor in Your kingdom].’ But Jesus said to them, ‘You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism [of suffering and death] with which I am baptized?’ And they replied to Him, ‘We are able.’ Jesus told them, ‘The cup that I drink you will drink, and you will be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized. But to sit on My right or left, this is not Mine to give; but it is for those for whom it has been prepared [by My Father].’”—Mark 10:35-40 (AMP)
When the other disciples heard that James and John were trying to claim these chief positions in God’s Kingdom, they became indignant, but Jesus did not. Jesus did not scold his disciples for desiring positions of high rank in His Kingdom. Instead, He took this opportunity to explain clearly to them how they could achieve the positions of high rank which they were seeking.
“Hearing this, the [other] ten became indignant with James and John. Calling them to Himself, Jesus said to them, ‘You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their powerful men exercise authority over them [tyrannizing them]. But this is not how it is among you; instead, whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first and most important among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”—Mark 10:41-45 (AMP)
Jesus is Our Model
**“**Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”—Philippians 2:5-11 (KJV)
Jesus modeled servant leadership for all of us.
“Later, the apostles began to argue about which one of them was the most important. But Jesus said to them, ‘The kings of the world rule over their people, and those who have authority over others want to be called ‘the great providers for the people.’ But you must not be like that. The one with the most authority among you should act as if he is the least important. The one who leads should be like one who serves. Who is more important: the one serving or the one sitting at the table being served? Everyone thinks it’s the one being served, right? But I have been with you as the one who serves.”—Luke 22:24-27 (ERV)
“When Jesus finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and went back to the table. He asked, ‘Do you understand what I did for you? You call me ‘Teacher.’ And you call me ‘Lord.’ And this is right, because that is what I am. I am your Lord and Teacher. But I washed your feet. So you also should wash each other’s feet. I did this as an example for you. So you should serve each other just as I served you. Believe me, servants are not greater than their master. Those who are sent to do something are not greater than the one who sent them. If you know these things, great blessings will be yours if you do them.”—John 13:12-17 (ERV)
The Apostle Paul also took upon himself the form of a servant because he realized that it is the most effective way to win people to Christ.
“I am free and don’t belong to anyone. But I have made myself a slave to everyone. I do it to win as many as I can to Christ.”—1 Corinthians 9:19 (NIRV)
“You see, we don’t go around preaching about ourselves. We preach that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we ourselves are your servants for Jesus’ sake.”—2 Corinthians 4:5 (NLT)
If anyone had bragging rights to claim greatness among the believers, it might have been Jude.
Half-brother of Jesus, also born of Mary, the mother of the Son of God, Jude seemed to be born with a claim to greatness.
Jude had every right to claim an exalted position among Church leaders. It seemed to be his birthright. But when he sat down to write his divinely inspired letter that was filled with the wisdom of God—the letter that eventually became what we know today as the book of Jude in the Bible—he referred to himself as “Jude, a bond-servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James.”
His brother James also claimed no exalted title or position, but simply introduced himself as “James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
James and Jude stand in stark contrast to the professional ministers of our day who scramble to claim such exalted titles as “Apostle,” “Prophet,” or some other high-ranking positions of honor as they seek to separate and exalt themselves above other believers.
And yet none of these professional ministers came out of the same womb as the Lord Jesus Christ like James and Jude did. None of these professional ministers lived in the same household as the Son of God Himself, sharing experiences with Him for most of their lifetimes.
There are many great bond-servants of Jesus Christ on earth today. It is very possible that you may have met some of them without realizing it. These great Overcomers, who will eventually occupy the most exalted positions in the Kingdom of Heaven, often do not stand out in crowds. You may not have noticed or remembered them because they are not the ones who are seeking your attention. These humble servants are the ones who are truly great in the Kingdom of Heaven.
