Matthew 20:20-28 This is the portion where the mother of James and John comes to Jesus asking for her boys to sit on either side of His throne in Heaven. Jesus explains that is not His decision to make. He warns that they will indeed drink of the same cup. Later we see both of them suffering for the cause of Christ.
I want to draw your attention to verses 26-28, “But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.”
Jesus clearly states why He came. To minister and to give His life for us.
We get excited and thankful over that because that is the Gospel. That is our salvation in one sentence. We should. Never lose the joy and wonder of salvation.
But do we really stop to think of what all this involves?
Jesus, God in flesh, left the perfect splendor of heaven to come to this earth. Would you have done that? I don’t think I would have. Heaven is too perfect for us to ever choose to leave. But Jesus did. He made that choice for you and me, not Himself. He didn’t gain anything by leaving, but you and I gained everything.
The Creator became flesh to dwell among the creation.
The King of Glory came as a helpless infant.
The Eternal God that deserves all worship and praise, was born in a manger among the animals.
Jesus came to seek and to save the lost, even though He’d be rejected, mocked, and murdered for doing so.
He came to die, so that He could give eternal life to all.
He came to minister, while being the only one to deserve all praise and worship.
He came to redeem us before we ever asked.
He came to show eternal, unconditional love to those that wouldn’t love Him in return.
This is what Jesus did for us.
What He endured is nothing compared to the offences most of us face. Yet, we feel so entitled to be treated “as we deserve”. What did Christ do to deserve dying for sins He didn’t commit? We get upset when someone doesn’t recognize us when we do something. Yet, when was the last time you thanked God for your salvation and all He went through to bring you eternal life? For His love, mercy, and grace?
We owe the Lord more praise and thanks than we could ever not be given for our works and efforts on this earth.
Let’s look to Jesus for our example.
Stay in His Word, stay close to the Shepherd, and let Him lead you in paths of righteousness.
With Hope in His service,
Heather
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