Mark 10:35-45
We all like being served. As matter of fact we like it so much our economy has given birth to the service economy. There is a whole economic system that is based on serving others.
John and James
John and James surmised “Somebody is going to be in charge, it might as well be us. And why not? They had met all the demands Jesus placed on them as disciples. They left everything to follow Jesus. They had endured many hardships. In their mind they had earned the right to a promotion.
Jesus asked them a question, “Are you ready to suffer?” “Sure,” they said, “why not?” Jesus then reminded them that they would indeed suffer for the kingdom, the positions they wanted were not Jesus’ to grant.
Do you want to be great?
Jesus had to remind them about how the kingdom works. It doesn’t work according to the standards of the world we live in. Greatness is not about power and position. It is amazing that Jesus does not condemn the idea of greatness, he condemns going about it the wrong way.
Jesus wants us to be great. The word traslated “great” in this passage is “mega.” Jesus wants us to be mega Christians, Mega Men, Mega Women, Mega Kids – He wants us to be great, but great by his definition. His definition of greatness is service. The path of greatness is the path of service
The Greatness of Serving
The greatness of serving is not found it a focus on our serving, it is found in putting a focus on the one we serve. To be sure we serve God ultimately, but we serve God by serving others. The focus of serving must be placed not on us but on the people we serve. The path to greatness is serving other people in the name of Jesus
Conclusion
In Holy Communion we celebrate the greatest act of serving in the history of the world, the day when the Almighty God of the universe came to serve a sinful human race by giving his life on the cross. He came as a servant to seek and save that which was lost.
In Jesus’ life, death and resurrection he gave us the pattern of service. We come and offer ourselves as a living sacrifice not just in surrender to God, but in service to others.
Notice these words from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.:
If you want to be important—wonderful. If you want to be recognized—wonderful. If you want to be great—wonderful. But recognize that he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. That’s a new definition of greatness.
…by giving that definition of greatness, it means that everybody can be great, because everybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You don’t have to know about Plato and Aristotle to serve. You don’t have to know Einstein’s theory of relativity to serve. You don’t have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love. And you can be that servant.