"For the Son of
Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many."
When I read my assigned verses, I was immediately struck by déjà vu.
The verses on which I am writing this year are Mark’s account of the same event cited
in Luke about which I wrote in a previous year. Further reading revealed to me also the
same event reported in Matthew. I’ve found it interesting to note the slight
differences in these accounts that render each especially apropos for the audience to
which they were written.
Mark’s account has the dispute occurring between James and John.
They quibbled over who would be closest to Jesus and so be recognized as the greatest.
Jesus’ admonition – one becomes great not by claiming superiority but rather by
serving – emphasizes the importance of giving over taking.
How welcome these words would have been for the oppressed Jews, who had
long been subjugated and impoverished by foreign powers. Imagine the impact of hearing
that greatness comes from service rather than from social status.
Luke’s version, believed by most to have been written subsequent
to Mark’s, places the event immediately after the Last Supper. This change in
temporal setting emphasizes the discontinuity between the disciples’ dispute and the
model Jesus set through both word and deed. It’s especially ironic that the event
occurs just after Christ has told his disciples he is sacrificing his blood and body in
order to save them and us. This point would have been particularly noteworthy to readers
with the trained logic of the Greeks to whom Luke wrote so eloquently.
In Matthew, the mother of James and John precipitated Jesus’
lesson by requesting that her sons receive privileged positions next to him. The concern
with legacy would strike a responsive chord with Jews.
In all of these accounts Christ proclaims and exemplifies leadership by
sacrifice. He specifically teaches and illustrates by his actions that he came to earth
not to rule in a conventional sense, but to serve. When viewing these lessons together we
can see that regardless of our station in life, we should follow Christ not by
establishing our dominion over others, but with serving them.
Prayer: Gracious God, you sent us Jesus as the model of the godly life.
He taught us that greatness in worldly terms – power, wealth, prestige – means
nothing if we lose touch with you and your plan for the world. We ask you to bring us
closer to you by giving us the mind of Christ, that we may serve you through our service
to others. Amen.
