The Commands of Christ, Part Thirty

If you’ve spent much time in a church body, you likely have heard about James and his brother John (not John the Baptist, the other John). They were the sons of Zebedee, they got a cool nickname when Jesus called them “The Sons of Thunder.” You likely know who I’m referring to on this. One time, their mom decided to ask for something major: that her sons would sit at Christ’s left and right side when He came into His throne. It kind of takes “audacity” to another level! Christ is pretty quick to say that while James and John would eventually drink the same cup, the Father was the one who decided where folks might sit. This caused a bit of a stir amongst the disciples. I get it, one of my heavenly goals is to have a secret handshake with Jesus that only the Trinity and Me know about. I know that sounds silly, but that’s how well I want God to know me! The disciples all wanted that precious number one spot. But, Jesus had something to say about that mentality in Matthew 20:25-28 (NASB20):

But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles domineer over them, and those in high position exercise authority over them. It is not this way among you, but whoever wans to become prominent among you shall be your servant, and whoever desires to be first among you shall 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.

The disciples were humans and, as humans, they often let their minds go toward human things. This is what Christ wanted. That’s why he gives such a firm reprimand: “It is not this way among you…” He makes it clear: if you want status in heaven, serve on earth.

Now, it is my belief that the more you serve God, the more your will begins to align with his. Eventually, service becomes less about building status in heaven and more about getting as many people into heaven as possible. It’s less about recognition on earth (because if you seek recognition on earth, you already have your reward) and more about seeking to please God.

It’s easy to apply a worldly mentality to heaven, especially when you take lines like, “store up treasures in heaven” out of context. Christ wanted His disciples to recognize that humility was the way to God’s heart. It still is. Look at it this way. The Trinity has always existed. The Son is part of the Trinity, equal to each of the other parts. Yet, for our sake, the Son became flesh. He didn’t become flesh to have an earthly life of glory and treasure, but to have one of service and to be a living example that we could identify with and follow. No matter how hard any of us try, we will never match that kind of humility.

Godly humility isn’t about self-deprecation. It’s about others-elevation. When I intentionally surround myself with men who are wiser than me, who have spent more time in the Bible than me, who have had an active relationship with God longer than me, that is not humility. That’s just me being hungry for knowledge and insight. Humility only occurs in situations where you don’t have to be humble.

Christ did not have to humble himself and take the form of a man. He chose to do that so He could elevate us. There was a time I could honestly tell you that I was humble when I would let my son beat me in chess because I loved seeing his interest in it grow and I loved seeing him get better. I must confess that I am no longer the one letting the other win. I can’t be humble when playing my son in chess because he’s better at it than me. I can’t be humble if I go help a friend who knows a lot about machinery and how to fix it because he knows far more about that stuff than I do. Humility doesn’t come from a lack of authority or a lack of knowledge. It comes from a place of abundance. Humility is when you could justify being thought of as prominent, but you don’t seek it. It’s when you could justify why you should be thought of as first, but you are happy to let others go first.

Again, at the time of this writing, I am blessed to be part of a church body that doesn’t struggle with members seeking status, or at least not that I have seen. I have, however, seen bodies where someone not being put in a leadership position has caused them to leave that body of believers in favor of another one. Our number one job as Christians is to live the Gospel so that we might magnify Christ through our actions. In Christ’s own words he did not come to be served, but to serve. He came to give His life as a ransom for many. Just as He served, so should we.