“Everyone who wants to be first will be the last.” Jesus’ words challenge us when it come to the heart and posture of a servant. Join Dr. Marty Baker as we kick off our 5-week series I Surrender All: Serving Like The Savior.
According to Irving L. Jensen, a renowned NT scholar, Christ chose His twelve disciples in the middle of the second year of His ministry while He worked in the Galilee region (Luke 6:12ff).[1] Why do we mention this? We mention it because for the next 1 ½ to 2 years, the disciples daily listened to Christ’s teaching, witnessed His jaw-dropping miracles that proved His divinity and messiahship, and heard His prophetic words. One prophetic word occurred in Matthew 20:17-19 as He traveled to Jerusalem for the last time. At this juncture, He informed His disciples again that the religious leaders would oppose and kill him, but that He would rise from the grave on the third day.
Armed with this precise prophetic word, coupled with all that they had seen and heard from Jesus, it is absolutely amazing how hard-headed they were. They heard what they wanted to hear, and they failed to understand what kind of saints and leaders He wanted them to be. These observations are validated by an episode that occurred after Christ gave them this prophecy of His upcoming death and resurrection. It’s recorded for the world to see in Matthew 20:
20 Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to Jesus with her sons, bowing down and making a request of Him. (Matt. 20)
“Then” is a chronological marker that tells us what happened after Jesus spoke as a prophet about the real purpose of His entire life. You would think after the word “then” would come something like, “Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to Jesus with her sons, bowing down and thanking Him, along with her sons, for being willing to go to the cross for their sins, and having the power to defeat death itself.” That is not what we read. What we do read takes our breath away and leaves us dumbfounded at how selfish and self-centered the disciples, of all people, were right before Christ’s trumped-up arrest and crucifixion.
What did the mother of James and John, the sons of thunder, want from Jesus?
21 And He said to her, “What do you wish?” She said to Him, “Command that in Your kingdom these two sons of mine may sit one on Your right and one on Your left.” (Matt. 20)
Shocking, isn’t it? Sad, too.
When we consider who this mother was, it makes her request even more telling. Concerning her, William Barclay correctly observes:
Mary the mother of James and Joses must be the same person as Mary the wife of Clopas; therefore the third woman is described in three different ways. Matthew calls her the mother of the sons of Zebedee; Mark calls her Salome; and John calls her Jesus’ mother’s sister. So, we learn that the mother of James and John was named Salome, and that she was the sister of Mary the mother of Jesus. That means that James and John were full cousins of Jesus; and it may well have been that they felt that this close relationship entitled them to a special place in his kingdom.[2]
We know from Mark’s parallel account that James and John also spoke up along with their mother (Mark 10:35-45), and they all wanted the same thing: rulership rights on the key thrones in the Messiah’s future kingdom. After all, they were family; therefore, they thought they had special rights to claim these particular thrones for themselves.
This verbal exchange always takes my breath away. Jesus spoke about the cross, and some of His key disciples were focused on crowns, not crosses. Jesus spoke about being terminated, and they spoke about being elevated. Jesus spoke about being eliminated for the sake of sinners, while some of the disciples asked for places of political power so they could dominate others. Talk about being hardheaded . . . and clueless. They had completely missed His messages and His model of what He desired from them as followers… and leaders.
All of this makes me pose some logical questions: Have I, have you, completely missed what Jesus wants from me, from you until He calls me, or you, to my, or your, heavenly home? Am I selfishly thinking about what I want and not what He wants?
Now before we get too deep into this instructive passage, permit me to point out a positive trait of the disciples. For instance, the mere request reveals they possessed a firm faith in the prophesied kingdom of the Messiah from the OT, and that Jesus was, in fact, the Messiah. Jesus had just told them He would die shortly and rise from the grave, and this didn’t deter them for one moment from believing the prophesied Davidic empire would appear right after this. Is this not like us? One part of our Christian walk can be stellar, while another is sinfully off-base.
Jesus always evidenced a loving patience with people, especially those closest to Him. His response here is no exception:
22 But Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?” They said to Him, “We are able.” 23 He said to them, “My cup you shall drink; but to sit on My right and on My left, this is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by My Father.” (Matt. 20)
With these terse words, Jesus lovingly and patiently educated the disciples that elevation in His coming kingdom is first preceded by degradation. His question followed by their quick reply shows they didn’t have a clue about what was coming their way after His death and resurrection. James would be the first disciple to be martyred (Acts 12:2). His cup would be death for his faith. John, conversely, would drink a bitter cup of prolonged persecution under Emperor Domitian until he died in Ephesus. What about you? Do you think that the Christian life should be easy street all the way to glory? Christ never promised this. He did call us to bear a cross each day for the faith, to be willing to have friends and family turn against us, and to live exemplary lives (Matt. 5-7). And He did promise to be with us no matter what (Heb. 13:5).
How did the other ten disciples respond to this exchange between Jesus and His kinfolk? Not well.
24 And hearing this, the ten became indignant with the two brothers. (Matt. 20)
What were they upset about? In light of what Jesus says next, they appear to be upset that James and John posed this question before they could. You can easily conjecture what they said as they raised their fists in jealous anger, “Hey, that’s not fair. You are cousins. It’s not fair to use your family connections to attempt to seize two of the most powerful thrones in the Davidic empire next to that of Jesus.”
Once the arguing died down, Jesus stepped up and gave all of them a real education about what He wanted from them, and from us.
25 But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. 26 “It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant.” (Matt. 20)
Jesus quickly reminded the disciples that while political types in the world strive to get in positions of power so they can dominate and control others, He said that is not what His kingdom leaders and members are supposed to focus on. He says if you want to be powerful, be powerful in your life as a servant, not an authority figure.
He then adds this additional challenge:
27 . . . and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” (Matt. 20)
His kingdom members are not supposed to be fighting and lobbying for top positions so they can be powerful and prestigious. No. His kingdom members are not to fight to be on the top, but the bottom. They are always to strive to live as servants to others, not Lords over others. Jesus illustrated this core teaching with His life. He, the Lord of glory, could have come to earth to be elevated above all kings, kingdoms, and people. He, the Lord of glory, could have come to demonstrate His total power and authority over everyone He had created. He, however, did neither of these things. He came to serve us, not to be served, and His ultimate act of selfless service is pictured in His sacrificial death that secured our salvation. He paid for our spiritual freedom with His life. By so doing, He forever shows us that servanthood is all about living sacrificially for others.
These are forgotten words in our self-absorbed culture. Don’t believe me? Just check out how many selfies are taken each day by ordinary people: 92 million. That is 4% of the 2.3 billion photos that are snapped worldwide daily. Jaw-dropping. Consider that the average person spends about 7 minutes per day, or 54 hours per year, taking snapshots of themselves. Women take 1.5 times more selfies than men. More than 95% of young adults and over 50% of millennials have published a selfie online. The top spots for taking selfies are outdoors (21%), at home (18.89%), and while traveling (18.65%). I’m not anti-selfie, but I do think it says something about us. We love us.
Oh, and I’ve seen people taking them while traveling. While traveling in Greece last summer, we went to Meteora to see the monasteries built atop massive and lofty stone pillars rising from the valley floor. Even though I’m not afraid of heights, I slowly walked over to this railing at one monastery and quickly took a picture of the valley below. No sooner did I do this than a young lady jumped up on the narrow cement ledge of this fencing, turned her back to the valley, and started taking selfies. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Fearlessly she snapped away, and I waited for her untimely fall . . . but it fortunately didn’t happen. That didn’t keep me from shaking my head at her stupidity. Some people will do anything to showcase themselves, even if it means flirting with death.
And we do love to be pampered.
- Manicures
- Pedicures
- Drive-thru coffee, food. Would you rather drive through Starbucks than get out of your car? Isn’t it easier to pull through McDonald’s or Chick-fil-A and get lunch for you and the children without the hassle of parking and trying to corral the kids while you order in line?
- Almost instant delivery of anything and everything from Amazon. And if our order is not there in a day or two, we start getting uptight and edgy.
- Who doesn’t like the concept of DoorDash? You don’t even have to get in your car and drive to the drive-thru. No, just stay in the comfort of your home, order your meal online, and then DoorDash does the rest. While sitting in our favorite Chinese restaurant a couple of times per month, I’m always amazed at how many people come in as DoorDash drivers to pick up food. The restaurant can be almost empty, but there is a line of people at the register picking up food for people who didn’t want to drive to the restaurant. Really?
- Groceries brought out to you from someone else who did the shopping. Really? Don’t you have time to go in and walk the aisles? Safeway or Walmart will send someone to pick your order for you and bring it to your car when you pull up.
- How about the shoe shine at the airport? Can’t you shine your own shoes?
- Hot stone massage. Ah, it does feel so good.
- What about a massage (check out the people in the mall who are ready to loosen you up)
- Attendants who bring you drinks at a resort. Kinda nice not to have to get up from your tanning bed.
- Breakfast in your room at a luxury hotel.
Being pampered is nice now and then, especially if you work hard; however, I do think our culture tempts us into thinking that life is about being served, not serving.
Unfortunately, this mindset can be easily brought into the local church setting. It’s nice and easy to enjoy a worship service others lead. It’s nice and easy to be welcomed by volunteers as you enter worship. It’s nice and easy to let others teach and impact your teens and children. It’s nice and easy to have someone find a seat for you as you enter, rather than you doing this for others. It’s nice and easy to have others hand you a cup of coffee, instead of you having to show up early to make it and set up all of the dispensing stations, along with the sugar and cream towers. Yes, it’s nice and easy to be served, but this is not the way of Christ. Christ’s way is distinct from that of the world:
Jesus calls us to be selfless servants of others inside and outside of this church building.
Jesus calls us to conform our lives to His life. And since His life dripped with selfless service to others, ours should reflect no less.
The key word here is “conform.” Years later, Paul put all of this in perspective when he wrote these words to the Roman church:
2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, (Rom. 12).
The first command (it is not a suggestion, either) contains a negative followed by a present tense imperative (καὶ μὴ συσχηματίζεσθε τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ). Dana and Mantey’s A Manual Grammar of the Greek New Testament informs us how this grammatical combination forbids an act in progress. Their precise definition is: “The purpose of a prohibition, when expressed by the aorist subjunctive, is to forbid a thing before it has begun; i.e., it commands never to do a thing. But a prohibition in the present imperative means to forbid the continuance of acts; it commands to quit doing a thing.”[3] Translated: the Roman church was guilty of conforming their lives to the godless Roman world. True, there are grammatical exceptions to this rule, but there are times when it does reveal what occurred at the time.
What does it mean to be “conformed to the world?” First, we must understand the pivotal verb, to be conformed, syschematizo (συσχηματίζω). Bauer, Arndt, and Gingrich’s Greek Lexicon offers this helpful definition:
συσχηματίζω to form according to a pattern or mold, form/model after someth. (Aristot., Top. 6, 14, 151b, 8 τὶ πρός τι; Plut., Mor. 83b) pass. w. act. mng. be formed like, be conformed to, be guided by (Plut., Mor. 100f; Eunap., Vi. Soph. p. 111) w. dat. of thing to which one is conformed τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ Ro 12:2. ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις 1 Pt 1:14.—DELG s.v. 1 ἔχω 3.[4]
While working as a janitor for Azusa Pacific University and attending the school from 1976 to 1980, I always enjoyed cleaning the art room. Why? Because I could see the progression of the work of many new budding artists. The room always looked the same. The professor placed some objects at the front of the class, and the students positioned all of their easels in rows so they could copy said objects onto their white canvases. By doing this, they followed the schema, the form of the object. Therefore, with each pencil stroke, they conformed their drawing to that object, or that, at least, was the goal.
Applied theologically, schema, in a command form, means we, as Christians, are to constantly be wary of places in our lives where we are conforming to the twisted, erroneous, evil, and false ways of this passing age. We are commanded not to color our lives according to the carnal color of the world, which naturally calls for minute-by-minute monitoring. The only other usage of this unique term is found in 1 Peter 1:14, “Like obedient children, do not act in compliance (μὴ συσχηματιζόμενοι) with the desires of your former ignorance” (1 Pet. 1:14). Paul’s caution, along with that of Peter, is for believers, who are positionally holy (1 Cor. 1:30) but are still susceptible to the pull of the sinful world and flesh, to conform their lives instead to Christ and His holiness. It is to constantly monitor (like a radar screen) and resist embracing the evil desires of this age, be what they may. Hence, if our culture is overly self-centered and selfish, which it tends to be, then we must conform not to it, but to the model of what Christ sets before us. What is His model? Christ’s model was not about being served, but being a servant to the needs of others.
You say you struggle with this? You say this will be hard for you to do? You say you’re going to need some help to live as Christ intends? Where will your help come from? It will come in two ways.
One, it will come from the Lord who, alone, possesses the power to transform your mind, your thinking. Let’s go back to what Paul commanded the Roman believers:
2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind . . . (Rom. 12).
. . . ἀλλὰ μεταμορφοῦσθε τῇ ἀνακαινώσει τοῦ νοὸς (Rom. 12:2b).[5]
“But” or alla is the strongest adversative in the Greek. This means it states the strongest contrast possible, grammatically. Instead of allowing your mind to be conformed, in this instance, to how you should view service, you should permit your mind to be renewed to think differently and otherworldly. Additionally, the word to be transformed, metamorpho-o (μεταμορφόω), is most instructive. It speaks of radical change. Think of how an ordinary man in the Avengers series with Marvel Studios turns into the massive, muscle-bound, green-skinned Hulk, and you have an illustration of what this Greek word means.
Further, because the verb, to be transformed, is a present passive imperative, it means the subject, i.e., you, is being acted upon from the outside. And since this process is wedded to the renewal of the mind, which has been corrupted by sin and the desires of the flesh (Rom. 1:28 . . . the godless mind is called worthless), it tells us the renewal is ultimately God’s job through the inner ministry of the Holy Spirit (John 16:8).
How does this all work? You hear the Word of God, and the Spirit speaks to you and informs you that you need to get your life in compliance to grow in the faith. You then either rationalize your activity, or you submit to His convicting voice through confession. Next, you ask Him to fill you, to fill your mind so you are positioned to be obedient in this pivotal area of the faith. Once more, Paul talks about this:
18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, . . . (Eph. 5).
At the moment of faith, sinners are saved and given the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:13). This indwelling is yours until you see Christ (Eph. 1: 13-14; 4:30). Being filled, or controlled by the Spirit, is another matter altogether. Filling denotes whether your life is submitted to and controlled by the Spirit, or not. Filling is also the means whereby you tap into divine power to live like Christ.
My son’s new car has a normal driving mode and a turbo mode. The other day when we drove to the Santana concert at Jiffy Lube Stadium, he hit the turbo button while we were cruising on Highway 66 headed west. Believe me, the power surge was enough to get any man to grunt with joy like Tim the Tool Time Taylor with a new power tool in his hand. With power like this, Nathan’s car was able to travel at a whole other level . . . safely, of course. Think, therefore, of the Holy Spirit in your life as your turbo button. He’s always resident, but not always used and unleashed. Where service is concerned, I’d dare say it is time to hit the button so your mind is transformed to think and act like Jesus. And how did He think and act? He thought and acted like a selfless servant toward others.
So, as you’re reaching for the spiritual turbo button, let me leave you with the main motif from Matthew 20. May this motif serve to remind you why you need to hit this button:
Jesus calls us to be selfless servants of others inside and outside of this church building.
[1] Irving L. Jensen, Jensen’s Survey of the New Testament (Chicago: Moody Press, 1981), 104.
[2] William Barclay, The Gospel of Matthew, Third Ed., The New Daily Study Bible (Edinburgh: Saint Andrew Press, 2001), 267.
[3] H. E. Dana and Julius R. Mantey, A Manual Grammar of the Greek New Testament (Toronto: The MacMillan Company, 1955), 301.
[4] William Arndt, Frederick W. Danker, and Walter Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 979.
[5] Barbara Aland et al., eds., The Greek New Testament, Fifth Revised Edition (Stuttgart, Germany: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2014), Ro 12:2.
