Who is the GOAT?
It's this sports term for greatest of all time.
Tom Brady, five-time Super Bowl winning quarterback
of the New England Patriots,
often called the GOAT the greatest of all time
by many of his peers and many fans around the country and world.
Usain Bolt, perhaps the fastest man who ever lived.
No one ran a 200-meter sprint like him.
Some athletes are even nicknamed the Great One,
like former hockey player Wayne Gretzky,
or self-proclaimed it as they're preparing for a heavyweight boxing fight
like Muhammad Ali, who called himself the greatest in the world,
the greatest fighter the world had ever known.
In other circles, of course, celebrities are valued for their social greatness,
their status amongst mere mortals like us,
who, unlike them, don't get the red carpet treatment,
don't have paparazzi taking photographs
when we're eating dinner at the local restaurants.
We're not ending up on the late-night TV shows like they are.
We're not getting book deals.
We're not the front-page news and the gossip columns.
It's hard to imagine American life apart from ranking almost everything, isn't it?
We want to know what the best burger joint in Kenosha is.
We sort of argue even over the best Christian preachers,
the best smartphone.
Are you an Android person?
Are you an Apple person?
And that sort of defines your worth in our culture.
And then once you've got the phone,
what service provider is going to provide the best coverage for your network?
We want quality products.
We want great products.
We want to feel important ourselves.
We want to be well thought of.
We want to be great.
We aspire to be great,
even if it's in our own sort of self-defined ways.
We want to be great.
We want to be recognized.
We want to be important.
Before we know it,
the world's way of defining greatness
and status and importance has crept into our Christian experience.
It skews our worldview.
It bends how we think.
And it messes with our value system.
Well,
we recognize our need to be reoriented
around a different understanding of how things work,
a different understanding of status,
a different understanding of greatness.
We need to redefine and pursue greatness
as defined and exampled by Jesus Christ
and no one and nothing else.
If we embrace our culture's definition of greatness,
which is found through success and ladder climbing,
our kingdom usefulness plummets.
But if we listen to Jesus' definition,
we can pursue true greatness.
We can find real value
and true esteem in what God says is great.
So let's read this text together
and consider this morning
what Jesus exactly is calling us to as his disciples.
This is Matthew chapter 20,
starting in verse 17.
And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem,
he took the 12 disciples aside
and on the way he said to them,
See, we are going up to Jerusalem
and the Son of Man will be delivered over
to the chief priests and the scribes
and they will condemn him to death
and deliver him over to the Gentiles
to be mocked and flogged and crucified
and he will be raised on the third day.
Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee
came up to him with her sons
and kneeling before him,
she asked him for something.
And he said to her,
What do you want?
She said to him,
Say that these two sons of mine are to sit,
one at your right hand
and one at your left in your kingdom.
Jesus answered,
You do not know what you are asking.
Are you able to drink the cup
that I am to drink?
They said to him,
We are able.
He said to them,
You will drink my cup,
but to sit at my right hand
and at my left is not mine to grant,
but it is for those
for whom it has been prepared by my Father.
And when the ten heard it,
they were indignant at the two brothers.
But Jesus called them to him and said,
You know that the rulers of the Gentiles
lord it over them,
and their great ones exercise authority over them.
It shall not be so among you.
But whoever would be great among you
must be your servant,
and whoever would be first among you
must be your slave.
Even as the Son of Man came,
not to be served,
but to serve,
and to give his life as a ransom for many.
And as they went out of Jericho,
a great crowd followed him.
And behold,
there were two blind men
sitting by the roadside,
and when they heard that Jesus was passing by,
they cried out,
Lord, have mercy on us, son of David.
The crowd rebuked them,
telling them to be silent.
But they cried out all the more,
Lord, Lord, have mercy on us, son of David.
And stopping,
Jesus called them and said,
What do you want me to do for you?
They said to him,
Lord, let our eyes be opened.
And Jesus, in pity,
touched their eyes,
and immediately they recovered their sight
and followed him.
Well, we can think of our text this morning
kind of like a sandwich.
Any good sandwich has two parts.
It's got the bread on the outside
and the fixings on the inside.
So we're going to look at this passage
just like we would examine a sandwich.
We're going to first look at the bread.
There's a slice in verses 17 to 19.
And then the other slice is in 29 to 34.
We're going to see specifically
what that has to say about Jesus.
And then we're going to look at the fixings.
We're going to see how,
in light of who he is,
and in light of his character,
and in light of what he's done,
what that calls us to as his people,
and his followers.
So first, the bread.
Here's the main idea
in 17 to 19 and 29 to 34.
Our king, Jesus Christ,
is a suffering servant.
Our king is a suffering servant.
From the outset of Matthew's gospel,
he wants to set the record straight
about this guy.
We see in the very first verse,
Jesus the Christ,
the son of David,
the son of Abraham.
A little bit later,
he's Emmanuel.
He's God with us.
As the story has progressed,
we've seen Jesus' power on display
and miraculous healings
and the exercising of authority
over creation,
calming seas,
healing paralytics,
giving sight to the blind
as we see even in our passage today.
Matthew is asking
and getting us to ask the question,
who is this guy
that is calling us
to follow him?
What's his identity?
What's his character like?
What's his mission
on planet Earth?
Well, his identity, of course,
is the Christ,
the anointed one of God,
the one who is inaugurating
the saving reign of God
throughout all of the world.
His character,
we've seen time and time again
that he's full of compassion.
He's full of mercy.
He reaches out to those in need.
For those who cry for help,
he answers.
In his mission,
we can summarize it as
destination,
Calvary.
He's headed to the cross.
He's on a mission
to die in the place of sinners.
Well, this passage in Matthew
is perhaps the clearest
statements yet
where Jesus' identity
and his compassion
and his mission
sort of align.
And they come together
and Matthew really focuses in
in these verses.
And it's the close proximity
of this identity
and character and mission
that's going to bring clarity
to who this guy is.
So first,
we look at,
there's two titles
that we can see.
The first is in verse 18.
See it there?
The Son of Man.
Right?
And this is Jesus'
self-proclaimed title.
This is how he references himself
time and time again
in Matthew's Gospel.
We see that this comes
from Daniel chapter 7
verses 13 and 14
where one like the Son of Man
is brought before
the Ancient of Days,
before the throne of God.
And interestingly,
he's given an everlasting dominion,
an indestructible kingdom
that all nations
should come and serve him.
That's the first title,
the Son of Man.
But then also,
if you notice
in verses 30 and 31,
there's a different title,
similar,
but it's on the mouths
and lips of the blind men.
Son of David.
Son of David,
have mercy on us.
Interestingly,
every time that this title
occurs in Matthew's Gospel,
it's in context of healing.
people are imploring Jesus
to heal them,
to relieve their suffering
or their pain
or their physical needs.
And so they call out
Son of David.
Well, this is, of course,
a title that is seen
as the fulfillment
of a prophecy
from 2 Samuel chapter 7,
specifically verse 16
where the prophet Nathan
comes to David
and says,
your offspring
is going to be
on your throne forever.
These blind guys
in our passage
seem to realize
a little bit
of the extent
of what this title means.
Here's the one,
the prophesied king,
the son of David
who would come
and take the throne
forever and ever and ever.
He's the son of man.
He's the son of David.
He's an eternal king.
His kingdom
and his dominion
have no end
and cannot be destroyed.
These titles
in our text
show us
that Jesus
is the legit heir
of King David
and that he is
the divine,
eternal king
who will rule
all people
forever.
But we don't
just see titles,
right?
We see his character
displayed especially
in verses 29
to 34.
He's on the way
to Jerusalem.
He's already pointed
this out.
He's from the beginning
said,
hey,
I'm going to Jerusalem.
There's all this commotion.
There's all this energy.
It's the time
of the Passover.
So all the Jews
are converging
on this city.
Energy is maxed out
and especially
this time
because the prophet's
coming.
The promised Messiah
is coming.
He's going to
take his throne.
So everybody's
worked up
and excited
and here come
two pesky nobodies
and they start
killing the vibe.
That's how the world
sees them, right?
That's how the crowd
sees these two blind guys.
We see that
from the rebuke.
In verse 31,
they say,
shut up.
King doesn't have
time for you.
He's on the way
to his throne.
Leave him alone.
Get out of here.
He has no time
for these blind men,
doesn't he?
Thankfully,
the crowd's there
to help him out, right?
They rebuke him
for begging.
King has more
important duties.
Just keep quiet here.
Well,
thank God
that Jesus
does not respond
to these two blind men
the way that
the crowds do.
See in verse 32,
stop it.
He takes time
out of this procession
that's all about him.
It's all about
his movement
towards Jerusalem,
his kingly arrival.
He stops.
He calls them
and he says,
what would you like
me to do for you?
He listens
to their request
and notice
in verse 34,
he has pity
on them,
compassion,
mercy.
He stops
the procession
that's all about
him to serve
two guys
that everybody
in that crowd
has deemed
to be no one,
of no consequence,
of no value
to the king
and yet the king
stops and serves them.
He heals them.
He gives them sight.
Merciful power
on display.
It's amazing.
Jesus is eager
and able
to stop
what he's doing
to care for
these two men.
Friends,
you and I
are never,
ever,
ever going to meet
anyone as consistently
compassionate
as King Jesus.
He's amazing.
He has time
for even the little guy.
He's a merciful king.
But this king,
the son of man,
the son of David
who has compassion,
he's on a mission.
Right?
We jump back
to that first slice
of bread now,
verses 17 to 19.
We see what
that mission is.
Destination,
Calvary.
He's got a one-way ticket
to suffer and die
on the cross.
This king,
the son of man
who gives mercy
to blind guys,
will be delivered
to the high priests
and scribes,
verse 18.
They will condemn
him to death.
They will hand him
over to pagans
because these Jewish
rulers don't have
the authority
themselves
to put Jesus
to death.
So they'll
bypass that
by handing him
over to the Romans
where he will be
mocked
and flogged
and crucified.
Well,
what happened,
you may ask,
to the throne
of glory
and the throngs
of angels
that he's been
talking about
upon his return?
We see as recently
as chapter 19,
verse 28.
Jesus says,
Truly I say to you
in the new world,
when the son of man
will sit on his
glorious throne,
he's coming into
a kingdom,
and yet now he's
talking about
suffering and a
brutal death
on a cross,
condemned to die
as a criminal.
Well, right,
there's a reason
that this is now
the third prediction
of Jesus' death
in Matthew's gospel.
how hard it is
for our human
thinking
to see
and conceive
of suffering
and crucifixion
as the pathway
to the throne.
It's folly
to us
unless God
gives us
ears to hear
and eyes
to see.
We're never
going to grasp it
apart from
his grace.
It's a despised
and rejected
notion.
One that the world
stumbles upon
over and over.
I will not
bend the knee
to a crucified
Messiah.
But it's the path
our king traveled.
Jesus' mission
ended in a death
deserved
by criminals,
not by the innocent
lamb of God.
it's not because
of his guilt
but because of ours.
The sin of the world
took him
on that mission.
A mission
of sacrifice
and ultimate
suffering.
A unique
and lonely
mission.
Our king
is a suffering
servant.
Matthew
has brought
this identity
and this
character
and this
mission
together
to speak
of the guy
who you and I
follow.
Who is this guy?
He's our king.
He suffered
for us.
His path
of sacrificial
service
brings us
life.
He is the one
we orient
our lives around
and we gladly
worship.
He's the suffering
servant king
who reaches out
to us in mercy.
That's who he is.
But he also
calls us
to follow
in his footsteps
right?
Matthew doesn't
just tell us
this stuff
about Jesus
so we can go
yep that's
who he is
but so that
we would follow
him.
That we would
obey him.
So we got to
look at the fixings
now of our
sandwich.
Verses 20
to 28.
to calling us
to embrace
a different
pathway to
greatness.
Not calling us
to reject
greatness as
some
substandard
sort of
worldly thing
but to
reorient
our minds
around how
God defines
greatness.
And to spend
all of our
days seeking
that which
God says is
truly great.
Servanthood.
verses 20
to 28 can be
summed up
in this point.
For the
Christian
servanthood
is the true
measure of
greatness.
For you and
I if we
follow Jesus
faithfully and
obediently
then we define
our greatness
by serving
other people.
So we
remember the
context as we
get into these
verses into our
sandwich fixings.
In verse 28
Jesus has told
his 12
disciples
verse 28 of
chapter 19
excuse me
he's told his
disciples that he's
coming to sit on a
throne of glory
and these 12
original guys who
have been with
him first
from the
beginning
are going to
get 12
thrones too.
That's a pretty
good deal for
James and John
and Andrew and
Peter and the
rest of them.
But what we
see immediately
in verses 20
to 28
right up front
is there's
another blindness
at work in our
passage.
Not a physical
blindness that
causes these guys
to cry out for
mercy but a
blind ambition
that causes the
disciples to
seek glory and
honor and
recognition.
Unfortunately this
blind ambition has
caused quite the
selective hearing
children for
James and John
the sons of
Zebedee.
They get their
mom to come
ask Jesus a
question.
They're so
fixated on
these seats of
power and
influence that
the best way I
can describe them
is like that
cartoon wolf
right who's so
hungry that he
sees every sheep
not as a sheep
but like a steak
on a plate.
That's how they
are with his
glory.
That's how they
are with the
honor.
They're like that
wolf that just
looks out over the
flock of sheep and
goes steak,
lamb chops,
pot roast.
They're blinded to
what they're even
asking.
And it's amazing
right?
It's amazing that
so close to
Jesus telling
them what his
mission was going
to be and why
he was nearly at
Jerusalem.
Jericho, a day's
walk.
He's almost
there.
He's almost
there.
And in
earshot of that
and in complete
abandonment of
what Jesus has
just said, these
two sons and
their mom come
up.
They want their
glory and they
want Jesus to
secure it for
them.
Now it makes
sense maybe that
James and John
would do this,
right?
They're two of the
first disciples
chosen.
Peter and Andrew
first and second,
James and John
third and fourth.
They must be super
important, right?
They've been there
from the beginning
and they've walked
with Jesus.
They've helped him
out on his mission.
He sent them out
and they've probably
even maybe cast out
some demons
themselves.
These two guys
were on the
mountain when Jesus
was transfigured
before them.
Moses and Elijah
showed up.
They're kind of a
big deal.
Plus their mommy
thinks they're the
best two sons in
the world.
Well she starts
out somewhat
okay, right?
She goes low.
She takes this
humble position,
at least body
position, but of
course we can see
through that humble
knee bending
posture because
this request
comes from a
heart full of
pride.
In fact, it
comes from three
hearts full of
pride.
We see that in
verse 22 when
Jesus answers the
request of the
mom with a
address directed
at James and
John.
You too do not
know what you are
asking.
And they said to
him, we are
able.
Three arrogant
hearts wanting a
position of power
and prominence in
the kingdom.
She wants her sons
to have the top
spots.
Humbly at least
she lets Jesus
decide which sits on
which side, right?
Well at least,
Jesus, you can figure
that one out.
But here's what
this request is.
It's an audacious,
self-centered,
heartless display of
pride.
Jesus has just
told them about the
horrific fate that
awaits him in
Jerusalem.
And these two are
only concerned about
where they sit in
glory.
But we're not
surprised at this
point in the
gospel, are we?
Because time and
time again, we've
seen the disciples
stumbling over this
same way of
thinking.
Peter confesses
Jesus as the
Messiah, the
Christ, the Holy
One of God.
And then immediately
Jesus says, yeah, I'm
going to Jerusalem and
I'm going to suffer
and die.
And then Peter goes,
no way, Jose, not
you.
To which Jesus
says, get behind
me, Satan.
You're setting your
mind on things of
men, not things of
God.
chapter 18, verse
1, Billy preached
on this.
They want to know
who's the greatest in
the kingdom of
heaven.
They're sitting there
when Jesus is kind of
maybe just out of
earshot going, man,
how do we get great?
How do we get Jesus
to say, you're great?
And so they ask
Jesus, well, how do
we become great in
your eyes?
He says, well, hold
on, folks.
Unless you turn and
humble yourself like a
child, you're not
even going to get in
my kingdom.
Whoa.
And then we see
these same disciples
rebuking people for
bringing kids to be
near Jesus.
You don't have time
for them, little guys.
Get them out of here.
Just like the crowd
rebukes these blind
guys in our text.
Well, friends, it's
easy for us to look
on the disciples'
folly as if through
pharisaical eyes.
We sit back kind of
arms folded, jeering
and scoffing at their
pride and their
arrogance.
But we in our human
nature are exactly the
same.
we all want the
celebrity.
We all want the
glory.
We all want the
mountaintop experience
of everybody just
celebrating us and
patting us on the back
and telling us how
wonderful we are.
And we all tend to be
blind to the road that
must be traveled to
true greatness.
But the disciple
remembers.
The one intent on
following Jesus
remembers that it's a
narrow gate and a
hard road.
They're so enamored by
glory, like the
cartoon wolf is
enamored by lamb
chops, that they
don't hear about the
path required to be
followed.
Jesus has already told
his followers in this
gospel that you'll be
hated by the world,
that you're going out
as sheep among wolves.
And then in chapter
16 he issues the
most fatal blow to
self imaginable.
If you would come
after me, you must
deny yourself.
You must put self in
the grave and pick up
a cross of suffering and
follow me.
Self is not only
merely a threat to our
position in the kingdom
of God.
Self is a threat to
entering the kingdom
of God and we must
slay all notions of
self as followers of
Jesus.
We must see our own
tendency to grasp for
positions of power and
prestige in the
disciples' request or
else we're missing the
point for us today.
Amazingly in verse 22
Jesus responds kindly
it seems.
He doesn't kick him in
the shins and shoo him
away.
But even in his kind
response they're still
clueless.
They're still blinded by
their ambition and
thoughts of glory.
But Jesus says you don't
know what you are asking.
following.
Followed by are you
able to drink the cup I
am about to drink?
Well we know this cup.
It's a cup of suffering.
It's a cup of being
mocked and flogged and
crucified by Gentile
rulers.
Hated by everybody it
seems.
But James and John as
one commentator puts it
they don't see this cup
as a cup of suffering.
They think it's a golden
goblet of glory and
power.
They think the cup is
exactly what they're
after.
The Messiah is coming to
town.
This cup is one of glory
and prestige and honor
and fame.
Jesus says you have no
idea what you're talking
about.
If you had heard my
words just in the
previous three verses
you would know.
But you've been blinded
by your ambition.
It's a cup of suffering
that Jesus offers to
anyone who would follow
him.
That's how he explains it
to James and John and
that's how he explains it
to you and I.
They'll truly suffer even
though at the moment they
don't recognize that that's
what Jesus is getting at.
church history says James
was martyred, John was
exiled, died on an island
probably mostly alone.
But alas, even though they
will get the suffering, they
will end up on thrones, it's
only the Father who grants
these seats of honor.
Jesus himself does not even
have the authority to do
that.
Well, at this point in our
story, the disciples pop back
up on our radar in verse 24
and we see how seethingly angry
they are at James and John
for this request.
They've been kind of listening
and judging and condemning
from the background.
To be clear, they're not mad
for self-denying kingdom-seeking
priorities.
They're mad because they want
the honor for themselves.
And James and John thought of
the idea first.
James and John are creeping in
on the other ten's turf
and they're mad about it.
What a great teaching moment
for Jesus.
To reorient his disciples
around what truly matters.
And in a culture like ours
that exalts good looks
and money and cars
and power and influence,
celebrity,
in a culture who makes TV shows
called the Lifestyles of the
Rich and Famous,
in a culture that defines
popularity and status
by how many friends one has
on Facebook and how many
Instagram followers one might
have,
that thinks great things of
those who make platinum records
and win Grammys.
These are some of the most
important words
we could ever hear
Jesus say to us
as his followers.
He's speaking to us too.
Look at him again.
Verses 25 to 28.
Jesus calls all of his
twelve together
and says,
you know that the rulers
of the Gentiles,
by Gentiles he means
the pagans,
the godless.
You know that the godless
rulers lord it over them
and their great ones
exercise authority
over them.
It shall not be so
among you.
Not if you're going to be
in my kingdom.
Not if you want greatness
as part of
my community.
But whoever
would be great among you
must be your servant.
And whoever
would be first among you
must be your slave.
And then here's why.
Even as
the son of man
came not to be served
but to serve
and to give his life
as a ransom
for many.
Pagan leaders,
godless men
have the power
and exert the authority
and push their weight
around.
Those great in the kingdom
are servants
and slaves.
The world says
blessed are the powerful.
Jesus says
blessed are the meek.
The world praises
the go-getters,
the hard chargers,
the ladder climbers.
Jesus says
to be great
you must be a servant.
It doesn't mean
that we
reject the notions
of career advancement
or anything
of that nature
but it does
reframe how we see it
and how we pursue it.
Humble heart
does not seek
promotions,
church offices,
things of that nature
in order to feel
more important.
in order to exert
more authority.
That's pagan thinking.
It's to be cut out
of the heart
and mind
and life
of the disciple,
the one who follows
the suffering king.
A humble heart
does not despise
any opportunity
to serve.
There's no task
beneath the servant,
the one who is great
in the kingdom's eyes.
As kingdom citizens,
those of greatest status,
those that God
looks upon
with particular gladness,
are those who have
glad hearts
eager to contribute
to the mission.
Pride and self,
they seek importance,
glory,
opportunities
to exert authority
and power
over others.
Humble servants
seek to build others up,
to consider the interests
of others
as more significant
than their own.
Do you aspire
to be great,
Christian?
Then adopt the heart
and mind
and lifestyle
of a servant.
None of us
are that important.
But Jesus says
we can be great,
great in the kingdom's eyes,
but only through servanthood.
Let's remember
one last time
what that type
of service entails,
right?
It's in the same vein
as our crucified,
suffering king.
It's a cup of suffering,
sacrifice,
self-denial.
That's kingdom greatness.
That's what Jesus
puts his finger on
in this passage.
Notice,
again,
who it is
that's calling us
to it.
It's the one
who gave his life
as a ransom
for many.
Verse 28.
He didn't come
to be served.
He's not looking
to have palm fronds
waved over him
in the hot summer days,
grapes fed to him.
He comes as a servant,
one who suffers
and dies for us.
He calls the shots
about how we now
live our lives.
See what God's saying
in this text?
Servanthood
must be your measure,
Christian,
of true greatness
because King Jesus
became a suffering servant
for you.
Servanthood
must be your measure
for greatness
because King Jesus
became a suffering servant
for you.
The one who calls us
to self-denying
sacrificial service
is the one
who emptied himself.
Emptied himself
by becoming obedient
to the point of death,
even death on a cross.
His servanthood
ransomed you and I
out of darkness
and into his marvelous light
and calls you
and me
as Christians
to esteem servanthood
above all.
You want to be great?
Serve.
Servanthood
must be
our measure
of greatness
because Jesus
suffered
in service
to us.
So as we close,
let me just offer
a self-diagnostic
for us
as we
examine our own hearts
and the ways that
self
is competing
with servanthood.
and then I want
to speak to two
groups of people
in particular.
First is self-diagnostic.
Speaking to me too.
Servants
don't get upset
at dirty dishes.
They clean them.
Servants
don't see
certain tasks
as beneath them.
They link arms
and they do it.
Servants
don't
gauge
their time
to be more
valuable
than that
of other
people's.
They put
others
before themselves.
Friend,
would you
ask God
today
to show you
the areas
of your life
in which
your heart,
mind,
and lifestyle
resemble
much closer
to the pagan
Gentile rulers
than that
of a disciple
of Jesus?
would you
ask him
for the grace
to change?
I think
we're all
in that boat
in different
ways.
Examine
your heart
and your life.
In closing,
two groups.
I want
to speak
to husbands
and I want
to speak
to leaders.
First,
husbands.
I'm going
to venture
a guess
that for
each of us
in this room
who's married,
there are
patterns of
thinking
and acting
that exhibit
self rather
than servanthood,
that exhibit
pride,
not humility.
Christ
calls us
to service
at the expense
of self.
After all,
Jesus gave
his life
for the church,
Ephesians 5.
You don't boss,
you don't get grumpy,
you sacrifice,
you serve.
leaders.
Those holding
offices here
at the church,
elders and
deacons and
pastors,
life group
leaders,
Sunday school
teachers,
event organizers,
beware of the
feeling of
self-importance,
the feeling
that you're
irreplaceable.
Beware of the
temptation to
despise a
fellow Christian
from prideful
notions of
superiority.
Make no
mistake that
your value,
it's not in
how much
authority and
influence you
exert,
but it's linked
to your
willingness to
serve.
It's linked
to a heart
posture that
says,
I'll give of
myself for the
sake of God
and his kingdom
and his people.
In the end,
self-promotion
will profit you
nothing.
self-denying
service is
everything.
Our text
today calls
us to
something
challenging
and above
each and
every one
of us.
And yet,
the good
news is
God gives
grace.
God does
not call us
to something
that he is
not already
determined to
see brought
about in the
hearts and
lives of his
people because
the suffering
servant is
reorienting and
establishing a
community of
people that
follow him,
even to death,
follow him in
sacrifice and
humility and
service to one
another and to
the world.
It's what Jesus
has called us
to.
He's called us
to value
servanthood above
all things in
this life.
life.
It must be how
we as
Christians define
and measure
greatness because
we follow a
king who
suffered and
sacrificed himself
for us.
Jesus served
us all the way
to the cross.
So we serve
others in his
footsteps.
Let's pray.
Father God,
we thank and
praise you that
the community
of people you
are creating
is not one
that looks like
the world,
but one of
service and
humility.
God, I pray
for all of us
that you would
help our hearts
and our minds
and our lives
resemble that
of our servant
king, the one
who suffered
and died for
us.
In the state
of this, would
you give grace?
We ask it in
Jesus' name.
Amen.