It will not be so among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave; just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.
Matthew 20:26-28
This passage is a response that Jesus gave to his disciples after the mother of the sons of Zebedee asked Jesus to have her sons sit at the right and left hand sides of Jesus in his kingdom. Jesus responded that these places beside him belong to those chosen by his Father. When the disciples heard this response they were indignant with the brothers and Jesus responded with this passage that whoever wishes to be great among them must be a slave and serve others.
What I take away from this passage is that in God’s eyes there are no kings, rulers, or "fair haired children" here on earth. No matter what your wealth or state in life, in God's eyes everyone is equal. Bill Gates is just as important and loved by God as the person who begs on the street corner. In fact, those with any amount of success or wealth are called to a greater responsibility to help others in need.
Jesus came to earth as a servant and modeled that behavior for all of us to follow, and he is the son of God! In those moments when we are giving of ourselves and serving others, even in simple ways like sending a card to someone to let them know someone is thinking about them, or taking food to a friend who is struggling in some way, these acts allow those recipients of our "service" to see little glimpses of God!
How have you served someone today?
Brenda White
