As Christ Came to Serve
“And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
Previously on the Daily Bible Verse Blog we covered Matthew 20:25-26, which set the stage for Christ’s teaching about leadership. He continued with a shocking statement: The Christian leader should seek to serve like a slave!
In the disciples’ world, the classes were clearly defined, and rulers were as far above slaves as can be imagined. So, instead of a cushy job filled with perks, Christ was encouraging His disciples to seek the lowly position of putting others’ needs first.
The most powerful tool in teaching this was Jesus Christ’s own example. He didn’t claim all the benefits He could have as a religious leader. Instead He served and sacrificed daily—and He was preparing to give the ultimate sacrifice!
For more about Jesus Christ’s example, see our blog post “Jesus Christ: The True Model for Manhood.” For more about God’s style of government, see our section on the “Kingdom of God.”
