“A pupil is not above his teacher; but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher.”
Luke 6:40
Servanthood is a defining characteristic of a biblical disciple. Jesus’ life exemplified what it meant to be a servant. Before Christ came in the flesh He was described as the Suffering Servant.
As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; by His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, as He will bear their iniquities.
Isaiah 53:11
Those who were expecting the Messiah, were not looking for a servant but a King. To their great surprise, Jesus “did not come to be served, but to serve.”
“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
Through the course of His ministry, Jesus taught the disciples to be servants.
Sitting down, He called the twelve and said to them, “If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.”
Mark 9:35“But it is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant;
Mark 10:43“But the greatest among you shall be your servant.”
Matthew 23:11
When Jesus came to the end of His life, to the disciple’s dismay, He washed their feet. Once again, He reminds them that being a servant must define their life and ministry.
“You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.”
John 13:13–17
We cannot be true disciples if we are not servants. To be a servant we must have a master. Our master is the Lord Jesus Christ. It is not enough to call Him Master. Disciples joyfully live their lives under the authority of their Master. Being a slave of Christ is not like serving in a restaurant where you serve for a few hours and then you are off the clock. Jesus is always our Master and we are always His slave. After all, He has purchased us with His own blood!
If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth; knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.
1 Peter 1:17–19
