Our theme this season is Servant of All and the corresponding Scripture is Mark 9:35 which says, “And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.”
We live in a “me first” world. Society challenges us to look out for ourselves first. To take care of our own needs, wants, and desires and, if we do that, life will be wonderful – or at least much better than it is right now.
Buy this. Do that. Go there. Don’t focus on what other people need, do what feels good to you.
Caveat: I’m not suggesting we should not practice self-care. It is important to take care of ourselves so we can serve others with our own cups full. We have all heard the statement that you can’t give away what you don’t have. But we can’t do this in a way that is detrimental to other people either.
In the context of our theme scripture, what we are talking about is thinking that you are better than others and wanting to be seen as the best or the greatest. We want to be acknowledged, to have our actions – even when sacrificial – seen and remarked upon. To be put on a pedestal.
Mark 9:33-37 explains the concept this way, “And they came to Capernaum. And when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?” But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” And he took a child and put him in the midst of them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.”
This passage talks about being lowly and humble and not expecting to receive any acknowledgement for our actions. That can be a hard pill to swallow. We all like to be acknowledged for what we do. We like praise. We like being told that we have made a difference.
The use of the word “servant” in verse 35 is enlightening. If we think historically about the role of a servant, they take their instructions from their employer and they go silently to work. They slide in and out of rooms, living and moving in the periphery of what is going on in the house. What they are doing is integral to the running of a household, but it is usually unacknowledged and even unnoticed.
The members of a household might not notice the scullery maid scrubbing away at the dishes, but they do notice the shining plates and bowls when their food is served to them. The physical labor of cleaning the dishes, the actions taken, aren’t acknowledged, but the result of the actions is of great consequence. If the dishes had not been scrubbed, the next meal could not be served.
The role of scullery maid was one of the most menial and low-ranking jobs in a household of servants. She might never have been thanked by anyone, certainly not the homeowners, but she did her job anyway. It was her job, it was where she had been placed, and she did what was placed in front of her to do.
Can we be like the scullery maid? Can we do the lowliest of low jobs – as servants of God – without expecting anything in return or any immediate acknowledgement? Can we do it just because it is our job, without seeing it as a stepping stone to move up to a “better” position?
Why do we find the idea of serving so hard?
What is a servant anyway? Merriam Webster defines a servant as: “one that performs duties about the person or home of a master or personal employer.” This doesn’t sound so bad but I don’t think anyone today typically aspires to be a servant. We might use a title like “personal assistant” or something like that. It has a much nicer feel to it. It sounds like a “position” of greater prestige.
The word “servant” comes with a lot of negative connotations. “Servant” is the root word of “servitude” which is defined as, “a condition in which one lacks liberty especially to determine one’s course of action or way of life.” And there it is, a loss of liberty, an inability to be in charge of what we do, our own actions. Most of us chafe at the idea that we can’t be in charge of our own actions. We hate to give up control to anyone else. Yet, this is what God asks us to do.
What does it mean to be a “servant of all” in our context today? How do we serve where we are placed? What needs can we meet? How do we humble ourselves in such a way that we expect nothing in return for our actions? These are all relevant questions, and they are questions we each must answer on our own as part of our own growing relationship with God.
Serving looks different for each of us. God has uniquely placed us where we need to be to serve Him in ways that perfectly fit our gifts and abilities. These places may be totally comfortable to us, or He may put us in places that are entirely out of our comfort zone. Either way, He has placed us where we are, and He has equipped us to serve.
I’m going to turn this inward for a minute. Back toward me. God has equipped me to serve. He has placed me where He wants me. Can I set aside my own desire to be in control and to be noticed? Am I willing?
Are you willing?
Taking it Further: Where has God called you to serve? Who has God called you to serve?