A HIGH CALLING

 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. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave-- 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."

Matthew 20:25-28 (NIV)

               If you are a fan of Downton Abby or have read any English Country novels, you will be familiar with the social structure of the early 20^th century. There was a distinct hierarchy that existed. At the top were the landed gentry. Under the gentry were the people of business and merchants. This was followed by those “in service” to the gentry. Finally, there were the common people; farmers, clerks, day laborers. Those “in service” were more secure than the common people, but had less freedom than those above them. It was a trade off in a time when security was valued more than position. There was an interesting twist to this situation. Those who were “in service” often gained a certain amount of status by who they served. Within this class of people, there was a hierarchy based on which family they served. It was a privilege to serve one of the “better” families.

               In America, we pretty much did away with this rigid hierarchical system. We have fostered rugged individualism and making our own way. We pride ourselves in being self-made people, not bound by our class. Therefore, the idea of being “in service” is seen as a negative thing rather a benefit. We all want to be our own boss, even if we have to work for someone else.

               In Jesus day, being a servant meant that you were at the bottom of the social scale. There were different levels of being a servant, from a slave to a household servant, but it meant that you had no status in society. No one aspired to be a servant. It was not something a person would choose; it was just their lot in life. Then Jesus came along and turned the system upside down.

               Jesus said, if you want to be great, be a servant. He not only said it, he lived it. Paul tells us that Jesus intentionally set aside His glory to become a servant.

Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross!
Philippians 2:6-8 (NIV)

               Jesus had every right to pull rank and to demand that others serve Him. Instead, he chose to take on the role of a servant. Then He called His followers to do the same thing. One day His disciples got into an argument about who was the greatest among them. When Jesus became aware of this, He instructed them to take a different path. He reminded them that seeking to be in charge of others was the way of the world. The way of the Kingdom was different. If they wanted to be great in His Kingdom, then they needed to learn to be servants.

               In many ways, we have forgotten Jesus’ command for us to be servants. We have allowed the values of the world to infiltrate the church and reestablish a worldly hierarchy. But, in doing so, we have lost our impact on the world. We are not demonstrating Kingdom living. We are mimicking worldly living. It is time for us all to learn what it means to be a servant to all.

               Being a servant in the Kingdom of Jesus is a high calling. It doesn’t mean that we demean our life or give up our positions in life. It means that we approach everything we do with a servant’s heart. Instead of expecting others to serve us, we need to look for ways to serve them. This can be accomplished in big and small ways. What matters is not so much what we do, but why we do it.

               When I was a boy, I would go the mall with my mom and Aunt. As we walked through a store, if there was an item on the floor, my mom would say, Dave, would you please pick that up and put it back on the shelf. To this day, I cannot walk through a store without picking up items off the floor and replacing them in their proper place. My mom was teaching me to be a servant and it has stuck with me. Having a servant’s heart is being willing to do what needs to be done even when it is mundane. It is easy to do the big things that bring the praise of others. It is harder to consistently do the little things that bring no praise. But that is what it means to be a servant. For, remember that we are servants of the King of Kings. Could there be any greater position to have?

               When Paul was writing to slaves in the early church, he challenged them to look at their position from a very different angle.

Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.
Ephesians 6:5-8 (NIV)

               These people had no choice about their position in life, but they had every choice about how they would do their work. Paul reminded them that ultimately, they were working for Christ and not their earthly master. It was Christ who would reward them if they were faithful in their work. We need to be reminded of the same thing. No matter what our position in life may be, we can either work for the praise of people or for the praise of the Lord. If we will serve wholeheartedly for the glory of God, we will be rewarded.

               Living a life “in service” for Christ is a high calling. Every day we have opportunities to serve Christ through the way we serve others. Being a servant is a conscious choice we must make every day. It is a choice that will shape how others see us and how Jesus sees us. If we really want to be great, then we need to embrace the high calling of being a servant.

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Philippians 2:3-4 (NIV)