Called to Be Servants

It takes more than a casual reading of Mark’s Gospel to note that every time Jesus told His disciples about His impending death, He followed that announcement with an emphasis on service. 

In Mark 8:31, 9:31 and 10:33–34, Jesus plainly speaks of His approaching death. Each time, the next topic treated is Christian service. If Jesus thought teaching people about service was that important, perhaps we should look more closely at what He said. 

Mark 8:31 describes the scene in Caesarea Philippi following the apostle Peter’s confession that Jesus is the Christ. Jesus tells the disciples He will be rejected, killed and will rise again on the third day. Peter did not want to hear anything about Jesus dying and “rebuked” Jesus. That earned him a scolding like no other disciple ever received. 

Jesus called Peter “Satan” and ordered Peter to get behind Him because Peter spoke from his own desires, not from understanding the mind of God. 

Then Jesus called together all who would listen to Him and declared, “If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.” Were these words part of Peter’s reprimand? Was Jesus saying Peter still followed his own agenda instead of being sold out to Christ? 

 

Habitual action

 

We do know that when Jesus called for followers to “deny” themselves and “take up” their crosses He was talking about disciples making a once-and-for-all type decision. That is the meaning of the Greek aorist imperative form of the verbs used. The word “follow” is a present imperative verb meaning habitual action. 

Jesus was calling for nothing less than redirecting one’s life away from self and toward God as a lifestyle. That is not where Peter was in this episode. 

Mark 9:31 occurs on the 27-mile walk back to Capernaum from Caesarea Philippi. Again Jesus tells the disciples about betrayal, death and resurrection. Again the disciples do not understand. Perhaps because after what happened to Peter they are afraid to ask questions. Perhaps because they were preoccupied with other matters.

After reaching Capernaum and settling in for the evening, Jesus asks what the disciples had been talking about on the road. The response is silence. While Jesus had been talking about His impending death and resurrection, the disciples had been arguing about who was the greatest among them. Said another way, with Peter apparently in Jesus’ doghouse who would be the new leader? 

Jesus already knew what the disciples had been talking about so He calls them together and says, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last and the servant of all.” The Greek word translated as servant is “diakonos.” It is the word from which we get the word deacon. A “diakonos” was one who performed menial tasks. 

Jesus’ definition of greatness was different than the disciples. They thought of position, of being first in line. Jesus thought in terms of service to others. 

Mark 10:33–34 takes place as Jesus and His followers near Jerusalem. Jesus is more specific now. The chief priests and the teachers of the law are the ones who will condemn Jesus and hand Him over to the Romans to be killed, Jesus says. He tells the disciples He will be mocked, spit upon, flogged and killed but will rise again the third day. 

 

The way of the cross

 

By now Jesus’ followers may have begun to understand what Jesus had been saying. After all this was the third time in recent days He had talked about suffering, dying and rising from the dead on the third day. Some of the disciples were astonished at what Jesus said. Some were afraid (v. 32). 

In the midst of this emotion James and John asked Jesus for the positions of honor when He comes into His glory; one seated on His right hand and the other on His left. Ever since Caesarea Philippi it seems the disciples have been primarily concerned about their own agenda and when one is concerned about a personal agenda, it is hard to hear what the Lord is saying. 

As before Jesus responds with the theme of service. He contrasts the way of the world with the way of the cross. The world emphasizes lordship and authority (v. 42). The way of the cross is about being a servant or slave (v. 43). The way of the world is about pomp, power and privilege. The way of the cross is about suffering, rejection, even shame. 

Greatness is not about how many people serve you but about how many people you serve. “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve,” Jesus declared. 

On the last evening of His earthly life Jesus made one final effort to drive home the importance of being a servant. John 13 tells the story of Jesus washing the feet of the disciples. After the task is completed He asks, “Do you understand what I have done?” In verse 15, He says, “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” 

The reference is not about washing feet. It is about being humble enough to be a “diakonos,” a servant of all. 

The story closes in verse 17 with Jesus saying, “Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.” The word blessed is the same word found in the Beatitudes of Matthew 5:3–11. The word also can be translated “happy.” Whichever way one understands the word, being blessed or being happy comes when we do what Jesus teaches — when we are servants.
Knowing the truth Jesus teaches is important but happiness or blessedness does not come from knowing all the right answers. For the Christian happiness is found in Christian service for we are called to be servants.