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Luke 22:24-30
24 A dispute arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest. 25 Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. 26 But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. 27 For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves. 28 You are those who have stood by me in my trials. 29 And I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me, 30 so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”
This reading seems to be a continuation of the conversation Jesus had with his disciples at his Last Supper with them – after he established the ritual which has come to be known as the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper.
It seems that some of the disciples got into an argument about which of them was “the greatest.” To me, this seems mind-boggling. For three years, the disciples had been with Jesus most of the time. Maybe every day. And all that time, they’d been listening to him preach and teach. Jesus had already warned them – by his example as well as his words – about the foolishness of arguing about questions of status within his movement.
And if there was any question in their minds about the foolishness of status-seeking, you would think there’d be some clarity after Jesus got down on the floor and washed their feet. But still, it seems, they didn’t get it.
I guess you could say that this argument was just a manifestation of the world’s way of looking at things. We accept it as a virtue to work hard to “get ahead” – to “climb the ladder of success.” Of course, for one person to get ahead, someone else has to be left behind. And those who are higher up the ladder expect to be served by those who are lower. It’s how the world works.
But in this passage, Jesus says it’s not how his kingdom works. In fact, leadership among Jesus’ followers would be the reverse of the world’s way.
That’s what Jesus meant when he said something that usually goes over our heads as modern readers. It’s the part about “benefactors.” In the Greco-Roman world, people were always looking for chances to build up their own status by dispensing help and favors to others. But that help and those favors always came at a price. Those who got that help were expected to pay it back. They owed the benefactor, who could call in the favor at his convenience. Think of the way organized crime is portrayed in the movies – that’s basically the Greco-Roman model. If you ask a favor from the godfather, you’re expected to pay it back when you’re “asked” to.
But Jesus said his movement isn’t meant to be a ‘benefactor’ system. His followers aren’t supposed to do favors for others so we can demand things in return. We’re supposed to serve others without expectation of getting anything in return.
Which brings us to the other part of this passage that’s usually overlooked. It’s only in the Gospel of John’s account of the Last Supper that we’re told about Jesus getting down on the floor to wash the feet of the disciples. Luke doesn’t explicitly tell us about that. But in this reading, Jesus says, “For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.” Even though Luke doesn’t tell us about the washing of feet, doesn’t it seem like that’s what Jesus is alluding to here?
Those who would lead in the Jesus movement are called to lead as Jesus himself led – from our knees. We serve a master who established a new model of leadership when he got down and washed the feet of those around him – even those who would betray and deny and doubt him. That’s the kind of “servant leadership” Jesus calls his followers to.
Servant leadership seems crazy to the world. But throughout the history of the church, those who humbly served others in Jesus’ name are those who have come to be regarded as ‘the greatest among us.’ Mother Theresa. Francis of Assisi. The first generation of Christians, who stayed in the cities and nursed victims of the plagues. By imitating the example of Jesus, they have led the rest of us in following his path.
It seems to me that one of the surest signs of a follower of Jesus in whom the Holy Spirit is at work is the spirit of humble servanthood Jesus himself displayed. And when we can find it within ourselves to be that kind of humble servants, that’s when we really find opportunities for leading others to walk the way of Jesus, too.
Let’s Pray. Lord, by your Holy Spirit, move us to follow Jesus in humble servanthood, concerned with serving faithfully, and not with building status for ourselves. In his name we pray. Amen.
Grace and Peace,
Henry
(The listed readings for today are Psalms 57 and 58; I Samuel 8:1-22; and Acts 6:15-7:16. Our readings come from the NIV Bible, as posted on Biblica.com, the website of the International Bible Society)
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