Seeds for 12/05/2023 - Matthew 20:24-28
Scripture: When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—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.”
Observation: Can’t blame the other ten disciples for their reaction to the Zebedee brothers making a play for sitting at the right and left hands of Jesus. Time to huddle up and straighten it all out.
This presents the perfect opportunity for Jesus to draw a contrast in leadership styles—leadership cultures really.
“The rulers of the Gentiles lord” their rank, position, and authority over those under their charge. This is the way of the surrounding culture, but not the way of Christ. Let’s be sure to note that the context for Jesus’ instruction about the upside down nature of the kingdom (which is actually right side up), is two disciples taking their cues about how to pursue their ambition for status, authority, recognition, and we assume power as well, from the world. We can discern the “Christian-ness” of a church, ministry, or Christian organization’s leadership culture based on how clear or murky it is on what constitutes greatness. Is its leadership ethos shaped more by the way of Christ or the way of the surrounding culture?
“Whoever wants to become great” is an intriguing phrase.
For the world, greatness is about ascending. For Jesus, greatness is about descending: “whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant.” We see this elsewhere in the New Testament too. In John 13, Jesus begins His last evening with the disciples by washing their feet—taking the role of a slave performing an act of hospitality for the guests of his master. Remarkable. In Philippians 2, Paul quotes a hymn already circulating about Jesus that describes the depths to which He went in order to redeem us by His descent and self-sacrifice.
Jesus does not cede His authority, but rather uses it to serve. It’s a different stewardship of authority, which is to say, a different kind of leadership.
What is true for Jesus is true for His followers: greatness is about descending rather than ascending. Ambition has a new target. “Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve.”
Application:
Where can you pursue greatness through serving this week?
What else might the Holy Spirit be speaking with you about in the text today?
Prayer: Lord, may my understanding of greatness and my ambition to pursue it be shaped by your example and transformed by your power. Amen.
“But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (Matthew 13:23)
If you liked this post from Seeds of Faith, why not share it and/or subscribe?
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™