The Problem with Being a Servant

Reading the Scriptures, we find a number of terms for identifying people we commonly refer to as “Christians.” Among them are “children of God” (1 John 3:1), “sheep of His pasture” (Psalm 100:3), “followers of Jesus” (Luke 22:49), “saints” (Philippians 1:1), and “believers” (James 2:1). Each of those individually is deserving of discussion, but one term we don’t hear spoken nearly as much is “servants.”

 

One reason it’s not used as frequently is probably because, after all, doesn’t being called a servant sound demeaning? If we believe what the Bible says, the answer to this question is both ‘yes’ and ‘no.’ 

 

Consider Mark 10:45, in which Jesus Himself declared, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” Imagine that! The Son of God – God incarnate – determining not to demand the honor and position that He truly deserved. Instead, He assumed the role of a servant, doing things like shunning earthly comforts, ministering to outcasts, healing the sick, miraculously feeding thousands, riding a lowly donkey into Jerusalem, and dying on a cross to atone for sins He did not and could not commit.

Following Jesus’ example, His followers used the same term for themselves. The apostle Paul opened his letter to the church in Philippi with, “Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:1). He started the book of Romans the same way: “Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus….” 

 

The apostle Peter asserted the same, opening his second New Testament letter with, “Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:1). The apostle James referred to himself as “a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ” (James 1:1).

 

But what does that have to do with us? Actually, it has everything to do with us. In the gospel of John we read of Jesus performing the demeaning task of washing His disciples’ feet, truly the role of a hired servant. When He was finished He told them, “Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet” (John 13:14).

 

Ah, but this is easier said than done, right? We enjoy being served – whether it’s at a restaurant or having someone perform some necessary service for us. But when the tables are turned, figuratively if not literally, not so much.

 

My friend Ken in Omaha, Neb., in one of his brief weekly email reflections, made these observations about serving and servanthood:

“You’ll know you are a servant – when you are treated like one. I want people to view me as a good servant of God. I want folks to be impressed with my self-sacrificing commitment to the Lord and to others…. But that’s not the mark of a real servant.

 

“A true servant is in the shadows, invisible, never drawing attention to self, simply knowing and anticipating and meeting the desire of the master.”

 

Genuine servanthood – being a servant to God and others – isn’t optional for Christ followers. It’s part of the job description. Paul exhorted believers in ancient Ephesus, “Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free” (Ephesians 6:7). He presented essentially the same admonition in Colossians 3:17-23 for believers in ancient Colossae. 

 

As my friend Ken said, you’ll know you’re a servant when you’re treated like one. When someone of greater importance or position arrives and you’re directed – not politely asked – to perform acts of service and after you’ve done so, you’re not shown the gratitude and appreciation you feel you deserve.

 

At such times we need to remember and follow the example of the Lord Jesus, who humbly announced that He “did not come to be served but to serve.” If Jesus was okay with that, shouldn’t we be?