Matthew 20.17-28
Servanthood is not a virtue in the present world order. It is a sign of inferiority and incapability. Hence, everyone desires to be a leader. And since people cannot all be leaders in the same field at any one time, everyone tries to find a niche for himself/herself so as to be recognised as a leader in that particular field. As a result, we now live in a marketplace full of leaders.
In the face of demands for positions of greatness, Jesus pronounces the requirement for those who desire to be leaders in the scheme of His Kingdom: they must be servants and slaves (Matt 20.26, 27). He presents himself as the ideal example, being the God who abandons his position in glory and comes into the mortal order as a simple man to serve the world and to give his life for many (Matt 20.28). In a crowd that is bursting with leadership frenzy and craving for significance, the call for the Christian is to live a life of simple service unto God and to our fellow neighbours.
Reflection: How can you better serve the Lord by being of service to another fellow human person? In your present capacity of leadership in your faith community, how will you resolve to lead your people?
My Response: I’m preparing the prayer sessions and Bible studies on “Why do we exist as a Church?” for this Friday’s Refocusing Prelude. Perhaps we need to think in terms of the Big “C” as well as the small “c”