Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant. Matthew 20:26
Brad moved to a new city and quickly found a church where he could worship. He went to services for a few weeks, and then one Sunday he talked to the pastor afterward about his desire to serve in any way needed. He said, “I just want to ‘reach for the broom.’ ” He started by helping set up chairs for the services and cleaning the restrooms. The church family found out later that Brad’s giftedness was in teaching, but he was willing to do anything.
Jesus taught two of His disciples, James and John, and their mother a lesson in servanthood. Their mother requested that her sons have a place of honor on each side of Christ when He came into His kingdom (Matthew 20:20-21). The other disciples heard about this and grew angry with them. Perhaps they wanted those positions for themselves? Jesus told them that exercising authority over others wasn’t the way to live (vv. 25-26), but instead serving was most important. “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant” (v. 26).
Brad’s words “reach for the broom” are a practical picture for what each of us can do in our communities and churches to serve Christ. Brad described his life’s passion for God in this way: “I want to serve for the glory of God, for the good of the world, and for my own joy.” How will you and I “reach for the broom” as God leads us?
Matthew 20:20-28
A Mother’s Request
20 Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him.
21 “What is it you want?” he asked.
She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.”
22 “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?”
“We can,” they answered.
23 Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father.”
24 When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. 25 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. 26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— 28 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.”
INSIGHT
1. In what ways can you serve your church family?
2. When will you start?
In Matthew 20, Jesus used two words to describe how those who believe in Him are to relate to each other: diakonos, translated “servant” (v. 26) and doulos, translated “slave” (v. 27). Christ turns our common understanding of greatness on its head. He teaches that instead of the greater giving orders to the lesser, the greater person is the one who serves others. In the upside-down kingdom of God, Jesus tells His disciples that to be “great” (v. 26), they must look out for the needs of others: “Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave” (vv. 26-27 nlt).
PRAYER
Dear God, You’ve done so much for me and deserve my love. Please empower me and show me how to serve others in my midst. In Jesus name I pray and believe. Amen.
Read: Matthew 20:20-28 | Bible in a Year: Jeremiah 24-26; Titus 2
