“Not so with you. Whoever wants to become great among you must first become your servant” (Mark
10:43). The whole episode begins with the strange request of James and
John and ends in a heated dispute. It’s all perfectly natural because
we were born to compete, to fight for the top spot, to look out for
number one. Winning and losing is what it’s all about. Whether we admit
it or not, getting ahead of our friends is a major motivation in
everything we do. Before we condemn the disciples, we ought to take a
good look in the mirror.
Ambition has become something of a
dirty word in our day. In every company you can find a few people who
are willing to play fast and loose with the truth if it will help them
climb the corporate ladder. They cut corners, they lie on their expense
reports, they spread malicious gossip, they abuse their authority, and
they know how to stab you in the back and walk away laughing.
Jesus
knew all about men and women like that. And he understood that his
followers would be tempted to use the same tactics. With four simple
words he radically broke with that kind of ambition: “Not so with you.” Then
he painted an entirely picture. “Do you want to be a leader? That’s
great because the world needs good leaders. Here’s what I want you to
do. Become a servant. Pick up a towel and start washing dirty feet.”
No
doubt the disciples recoiled at the thought of taking the menial role
of a servant. After all, these were the geniuses who had just been
arguing about who was going to have the seat of honor at the big
banquet in the Kingdom. The whole point of picking the seat of honor is
to have someone else serve you.
“Not so with you.” With
those four words Jesus turned the values of the world upside down and
established a new fraternity—the Royal Order of Servants. Want to join?
You can reach the author at ray@keepbelieving.com. Click here to sign up for the free weekly email sermon.