“The Servant’s Greatest Service”
Mark 10:32-52
For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many. – Mark 10:45
This is the Servant’s greatest service. He served Himself unto death for the sins of the world. We have referenced this verse many times in our study of Mark. It is the height of Mark’s Gospel. It is the key verse in the whole of the book.
It was His greatest sacrifice, and yet again the disciples missed it. Even after this third and descriptive language of our Lord’s sacrifice, they continued to argue about their position in the Kingdom [ref. Mk 10:37]. But there is much application for us. Many of our tendencies are to complain; but we have so much more to be thankful for. The authenticity of the Christian life is when we can say, amid suffering, “blessed be the name of the Lord.”
Understanding the Servant’s sacrifice takes us into the depths of a selfless life. And it is in that life that we find liberty, freedom from any other person, place, or thing in this life. The life of faith is a life of service. It cannot be overstated and over-emphasized. A life that is maturing spiritually grows more concerned about the things of God and less concerned about the things of self.
And this is what Mark 10:45 describes; it is the height of what Jesus not only taught but lived; and it is what we are called to. Yes, the way up is down in the Kingdom. We have seen this repeatedly in the Gospel of Mark. “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.” [Mk 9:35] Jesus lived this and displayed this in an act that can never be replicated: He suffered and died for the sins of the world. He came from the Highest [the right hand of the Almighty]; and went to the lowest [“for cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.” Gal 3:13; ref. Deut 21:23].
In like manner, we, too, are called to serve and sacrifice. This is not by might nor by power but by His Spirit [ref. Zech 4:6]. But make no mistake, a disciple of Christ serves and sacrifices. It was our Lord’s way, and it needs to be ours.
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.” [Rom 12:1] Might we ponder and pray this exhortation over our own lives and fellowship this day.
