MATTHEW 20:20-28 – Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something. And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Say that these two sons of mine are to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.” Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.” He said to them, “You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.” And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers. But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the. rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
THEME OF THE DAY. SERVANT or SLAVE? If asked this question, how would you answer – “What is your role as a Christian in relationship to the Lord Jesus Christ?” Before you answer, I would say, “You have to us these two words – “servant and slave, not servant or slave.”
In today’s scripture both words are used by the Lord Jesus, yet, they have different meanings. The word servant means “a person who is working in the service of another.” Slave? It means “a person who is legally owned by another and whose entire livelihood and purpose was determined by their master.”
Now the answer to the question, “What is your role as a Christian in relationship to the Lord Jesus Christ?”. We are servants of Jesus Christ in that we actively serve Him, and we are slaves of Jesus Christ in that we are wholly purchased, owned, and directed by Him. Let this sink into our hearts and minds. Such thinking prevents us from a misguided understanding of what it means to be a follower of the Lord Jesus.
The danger we face as Christians is to compartmentalize our Christianity. For instance, if we only see ourselves as servants of Christ then we may “fit service” into our lives as it is convenient. We may simply “sign up” for a ministry that costs us an hour or two a week and be satisfied with our “service” for Jesus. This fails to apply what Jesus did in accomplishing our redemption and that leads to the application of being a slave of Jesus. We are not our own. The Apostle Paul would remind us of this truth – Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
As Christians grasp we are bought property – purchased and fully owned, by the Lord Jesus – who have been called, equipped, and commanded to serve Him, we are discovering true Christianity. In doing so, the pathway to deeper levels of our Lord’s joy is made clear.
PRAYER: “Father, help me to see my greatest joy and privilege is to be a slave of Yours – owned by You for You.”
QUOTE: “We are possessed by the Lord in our entirety, and that fulfills our created and redeemed purposes.”