The Son Of Man Came To Serve
As we walk through Holy Week this week, we anticipate the most significant day of the year in the Christian faith - Easter Sunday. Holy Week reflects the worst and darkest events of all of time in Jesus’ death on the cross. We also relive the greatest and most significant event in all of history, when Jesus conquered death, rose from the dead, and took His rightful throne in heaven. The death and victory of Jesus in this week changed everything for everyone forever. Across the spectrum of events and emotions that accompany Holy Week, we recognize that it’s all about one person - Jesus the Savior.
We see this to be true as we read the accounts of Holy Week in God’s word throughout the gospels. Everything is centered around Jesus, from His foretelling of His death to the disciples (Matthew 16:21), to the institution of the Lord’s Supper (Luke 22:14), to Jesus’ betrayal and arrest (Luke 22:47), to His death (Luke 23:46), and His victorious resurrection (Luke 24:2). Jesus’ glory throughout is undeniable and awe-striking.
As I was reading these events through Luke, I noticed the reactions and behaviors of the disciples. In Chapter 22, Jesus partakes in the Passover with the disciples. They prepare the Passover meal in the upper room. Jesus institutes the Lord’s Supper, telling them that the bread is His body, given for them, and the cup His blood, poured out for them and representing a new covenant (Luke 22: 19-20). Jesus also tells them that one of them will betray Him. This sparks a conversation amongst the disciples as to who it could be. This seemed to evolve into another conversation, as the passage immediately following says, “A dispute also arose among them, as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest.” (Luke 22:24).
It’s almost shocking that in the midst of Jesus’ foretelling His death, warning the disciples of what is soon to come for Him, and revealing the glorious but sobering plan for the Messiah, the disciples respond by looking to themselves. Instead of recognizing that it was all about Jesus, what they thought of was, “Which one of us the greatest?” How could they think of such things when Jesus was before them, and in such an important point in time? It would be shocking if it wasn’t the tendency of our own hearts as well. How often, instead of looking to Jesus, do we look at ourselves? We focus on how we feel, what we think, how we’re being perceived, or how we’re measuring up. We’re so easily consumed by our earthly circumstances, and we’re so quick to set our eyes on ourselves. But in fixating on themselves, the disciples were missing the whole point of what Jesus was doing and saying right before them. Jesus’ death was for their sin, He was establishing a covenant with them, and He was loving them to the end. He would give them all that they needed, and more than they even imagined. Yet, they wanted to know which of them was the greatest.
Jesus addresses the disciples’ question in the midst of their dispute. Jesus says, “Let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves?...I am among you as the one who serves.” As the disciples incorrectly shifted their focus to themselves, Jesus instructed them to take their eyes off of themselves. He said that favor with Him is not to think of oneself, but instead to serve, and to look to Him in order to do so. How amazing it is that Jesus, God Himself, being worthy of all glory, honor, and service came not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28).
In Jesus, all of our needs are met. Because of Jesus’ work on the cross, our sin is paid for in full. We are fully forgiven, fully redeemed, adopted as children of God, and fellow heirs with Christ. We are fully loved, and every promise of God is fully ours. When we realize that all of our needs are met in Him, we are free to take our eyes off of ourselves and to look instead to Him, serving Him as we serve others. My urge for us this week is to take our eyes off of ourselves and to look fully to Jesus, seeing Him before us, and enjoying the glory of His death, resurrection, and salvation that is ours in Him.