Jesus redefined what it means to be great, at Christmas
• Phil 2:6-9 “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death - even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name…”
• Matt 20:28 “…the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Greatness is not a position you hold. It is defined by servanthood – the desire to serve the needs of others, even at a cost. That’s what makes a life great!
• Two disciples, James and John wanted to be great too, but they got it all wrong.
• They wanted an easy way to greatness and requested Jesus to exalt them, to positions of privilege and power.
Let’s read Matt 20:20-28. This request was made by their mother.
• If you look at Mark 10:35-45, Mark wrote that the request was made by the brothers themselves. I believe all three were talking about it with Jesus.
Jesus corrected them and highlighted TWO things worthy for us to note:
(1) 20:23 “These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father.”
Who exalts? The Father exalts. Phil 2:9 says “Therefore God exalted [Jesus] to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name…”
• I was reading 2 Chron 1 this week in my devotion. God appeared to King Solomon and said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.” (2 Chron 1:7)
• His reply was: “Give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may lead this people, for who is able to govern this great people of yours?” He was thinking about how best to lead God’s people, to serve the nation.
• And the book made this clear - 2 Chron 1:1 “Solomon son of David established himself firmly over his kingdom, for the Lord his God was with him and made him exceedingly great.”
(2) 20:26 “…whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant.”
Don’t ASK to be great, SERVE to be great. That’s the pathway to greatness. That’s the road Jesus took.
• The Father blesses those who humble themselves to serve others.
• We don’t make use of others to get your way. We don’t step onto others to climb up the ladder. We don’t compete with others to get ahead.
• All these will result in strife and discord. That was what happened – the ten other disciples were angry.
People don’t usually like to serve others. We prefer to be served.
• I find that one of the reasons why we have a hard time getting people to return the trays after eating or clear the tables at hawker centres is this good feeling of being served.
• We prefer to have cleaners to do the job. We pay them to do the work. It is a nice thing to be served.
I am the sponsor to 4 study mothers here in our church.
• Foreigners studying in Singapore need a Singaporean to act as their sponsor for them to stay in Singapore. There was a time I was sponsoring 6 to 7 of them.
• It all started with a need. They do not know many Singaporeans here when they arrived. They came to church, and application like this requires them to go online and read English. So I helped.
• And I got reprimanded - that it is dangerous, you should not have done that, can you really trust them, what if they run away or commit a crime, and then you’ll be in trouble…
I reckon that all these are true. You need to be wise, of course. I don’t do that with total strangers. I am more careful now.
• But there is no easy way out. To help someone means you must be prepared to take a risk; there is a price to be paid.
• To save us, Jesus “humbled himself and became obedient to death - even death on a cross!” (Phil 2:8) He gave “his life as a ransom for many” (Matt 20:28) because that was what we need.
We are NOT called to make such noble, great sacrifices, although a handful may be.
• For most of us, I believe God wants us to learn to serve by being willing to endure some inconveniences. If you are not prepared for any inconveniences, you will not serve.
• Serving God and serving people requires certain sacrifices.
I’ve got to go to ICA each time they renew their Long Term Visit Pass (study mom pass), being their sponsor. At times, the wait can be as long as two hours.
• Am I frustrated? Yes, of course, sometimes, especially when my schedule is tight and feels that a pastor should not be doing this. Yeap, Jesus shouldn’t be washing His disciples’ feet too!
• But there is no neat answer, sometimes you just need to do what you need to do.
• If you are calculative, you’ll never serve. If you want to know your ROI before you do something, you will end up not serving anyone. To serve is to give.
Jesus says in 20:25-26a “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.”
• In other words, the concern is not “what I want you to do for me” but “what can I do for you?”
• Jesus Himself set us an example. From the day He was born until the day He died, He has not for one moment lived for Himself.
• We are blessed today because He come serving.
The best way you can bless someone is to serve him. Think about that.
• When we serve someone, God uses us as a channel for His love and grace to flow through.
• When we touch them, God touches them.
If Jesus serves, then we must serve. For are we greater than Jesus? Can we do anything less?
• It is not about aptitude (abilities) but attitude. Phil 2:5 “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus…” NIV
• KJV “Let this mind be in you” – it’s a mindset of serving the needs of others.
Can we see that? We don’t always see that.
James and John did not see that.
In both Matthew and Mark accounts, just before they made such a request, Jesus actually spoke about His impending death.
• In fact, this was the THIRD time Jesus mentioned it (cf. Mk 8:31, 9:31, 10:33). And right after he said that, the disciples requested to sit by His throne.
• Matt 20:22 “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?” And their answer was: “Yes, we can.”
Apparently they were so engrossed with their self-serving aspiration that they did not hear what Jesus was saying.
• They did not understand what it means to share in His glory.
• Jesus sees the NEEDS of man (and therefore death coming), while they see THEMSELVES enthroned (and glory before them).
The attitude of Christ is that we “do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (Phil 2:3-4)
That’s the way we are called to live – just like Christ.
• The way to a great life is to serve. That’s the pathway to greatness. Great people lifts others up.
• That probably explain why the producers of this AUTHENTIC RELATIONSHIPS Series decide to put this as the last chapter.
• At the end of the day, this is what really matters. How many people have you served?
Remember there were TWO basins of water mentioned in the Bible:
• One, Herod used it to wash his hands – “it has nothing to do with me”.
• The other one, Jesus used it to wash His disciples’ feet. It has nothing to do with Him too, actually. It’s the job of slaves but He did it.
• And He said, “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” (John 13:15)
Which basin do you have with you today?
