Matthew 20:20-28

Introduction:

1. As His disciples repeatedly argued over which one of them would be the greatest in His kingdom, Jesus upended everything tying greatness to lives of servitude.

2. His definition of greatness is patently absurd to a self-serving world (Matthew 7:13-14).

3. “Little Christs” must embrace the servant mindset of our servant King.

Discussion:

I. Greatness Through Worldly Eyes

A. In the worldly way, the greater is served by the lesser.

B. On this view, greatness is in exercising one’s might (Matthew 20:25; Mark 10:42).

C. Clearly the disciples pursued worldly greatness, and it was predictably breeding dissention among them (Matthew 18:1; 20:20-24; Mark 9:3-34).

II. Greatness Through Jesus’ Eyes

A. Using a mighty hammer, Jesus raised the reality that their pursuit of power was in the manner of the Gentiles (Matthew 20:25; Mark 12:42).

B. He gave three unexpected examples of true greatness to correct their error.

1. A helpless, fully dependent child (Matthew 18:2-4).

2. A servant executing others’ commands (Matthew 20:26; Mark 9:35).

3. A slave, bondman, one who is in a servile state (Matthew 20:27 Romans 6:17-22).

III. The Servant King

A. Some may be compelled to gripe about having to so humble themselves, but we do not have a leg to stand on in view of Jesus’ servant attitude.

B. The King of kings and Lord of lords became the Servant of all humanity.

1. The Son of Man (Daniel 7:13-14) came to serve rather than be served, even to the point of yielding His own life (Matthew 20:28; John 10:17-18; Philippians 2:5-8).

2. He was willing to do the lowliest acts of service (John 13:1-11), so who are we to refuse to follow His example of servitude? (John 13:12-17).

Conclusion:

1. This is yet another very challenging principle of Christian living.

2. Nonetheless, we cannot claim to be “little Christs” if we refuse a life of service.

Further Food for Thought

1. Can you think of a time(s) when this characteristic proves difficult to implement?

2. What are some ways we might all take on a more servant-like attitude?

3. What if we create opportunities to serve those we may not naturally want to serve?