He Came to Serve You [Mark 10]
42Calling them to Himself, Jesus said to them, "You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great men exercise authority over them. 43"But it is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; 44and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all. 45"For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."
James and John had approached Jesus asking Him to allow them to sit on either side of Him in the kingdom. They were caught up in the hope of being great. In other passages we know that their mother had this in mind for them as well. They sensed they were part of something greater than themselves. They have been with Jesus as he healed the sick, deaf, blind and demon possessed. They have seen Him perform miracles. Jesus has taught them about the kingdom of God and how hard it is to enter. "With men it is impossible, but not with God, because all things are possible with God" (v. 27).
Were they so caught up in the greatness of Christ's ministry that they have missed something? Did they miss what He said about the little children? "Let the children come to Me. Don't stop them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I assure you, whoever does not welcome the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it" (vs. 14-15, Holman CSB).
It is the opposite with the kingdom of God than with the kingdom of men. Whoever wants to be great must be your servant. And if you want to be first you will be a slave to all. Can you get a hold of this thinking? Only as you see Jesus showing what that looks like. He came not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for me.
May we live this truth by letting Him serve us instead of trying so hard to serve Him. He came not so we could do something for Him but so He could do something for us. May we be like a little child (knowing that we have nothing to offer) and receive His provision of power and grace that He has for us today.
Verna McCrillis, 2/13/2009