Gospel Of Mark
The gospel by Mark is written with servanthood as its theme, portraying our Lord Jesus as One who came to serve, showing Himself to be our example of service towards men. Here, we see Jesus, who being God, chose to make Himself nothing, taking upon Himself the very nature of a servant (Phil. 2 : 6 – 7). With that in mind, we will note that the gospel places a heavier emphasis on the works of Christ over His words. In this gospel, we would read more accounts of Jesus' works and actions than we would about his teachings. Even the words used in this gospel tell us of the author's eagerness to present the works of Christ over His teachings; key words such as “immediately”, “straightaway” and “as soon as” used between miracles punctuate the gospel of Mark. He is our perfect example to model after if we want to obey the commandment and exhortation of the Lord to love and serve one another. The main essence of this gospel, therefore, can be summarized in Mark 10 :45 when our Lord explained that He, “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
Now before we even begin to see the servanthood of our divine Lord, let us spend some time to discover a few things about the author of this gospel himself – Mark. There are some spiritual lessons we can learn from the person and life of Mark, and indeed, these are lessons not just that we should know them, but that we should also make the necessary adjustments in our own lives in the light of what we are about to read.
The appended table below gives an overview of the odd occasions in the Bible where references were made to Mark and might be useful in helping us appreciate the points we will shortly be discussing.
Acts 12 : 12 - First mention in the Bible.
Acts 12 : 25 - Found in the company of Paul and Barnabas.
Acts 13 : 5 - An assistant to Paul and Barnabas in their ministry, in this case, on Paul and Barnabas' first missionary trip.
Acts 13 : 13 - Departed from the company of Paul and Barnabas in Pamphylia and returned to Jerusalem.
Acts 15 : 36 – 40 A dissension arose between the two apostles over Mark.
Mk. 14 : 51 - It has been speculated among biblical scholars that Mark might be the disciple referred to in this passage who ran for his life naked.
Col. 4 : 10 – 11 Introduced as :
The gospel by Mark is written with servanthood as its theme, portraying our Lord Jesus as One who came to serve, showing Himself to be our example of service towards men. Here, we see Jesus, who being God, chose to make Himself nothing, taking upon Himself the very nature of a servant (Phil. 2 : 6 – 7). With that in mind, we will note that the gospel places a heavier emphasis on the works of Christ over His words. In this gospel, we would read more accounts of Jesus' works and actions than we would about his teachings. Even the words used in this gospel tell us of the author's eagerness to present the works of Christ over His teachings; key words such as “immediately”, “straightaway” and “as soon as” used between miracles punctuate the gospel of Mark. He is our perfect example to model after if we want to obey the commandment and exhortation of the Lord to love and serve one another. The main essence of this gospel, therefore, can be summarized in Mark 10 :45 when our Lord explained that He, “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
Now before we even begin to see the servanthood of our divine Lord, let us spend some time to discover a few things about the author of this gospel himself – Mark. There are some spiritual lessons we can learn from the person and life of Mark, and indeed, these are lessons not just that we should know them, but that we should also make the necessary adjustments in our own lives in the light of what we are about to read.
The appended table below gives an overview of the odd occasions in the Bible where references were made to Mark and might be useful in helping us appreciate the points we will shortly be discussing.
Acts 12 : 12 - First mention in the Bible.
Acts 12 : 25 - Found in the company of Paul and Barnabas.
Acts 13 : 5 - An assistant to Paul and Barnabas in their ministry, in this case, on Paul and Barnabas' first missionary trip.
Acts 13 : 13 - Departed from the company of Paul and Barnabas in Pamphylia and returned to Jerusalem.
Acts 15 : 36 – 40 A dissension arose between the two apostles over Mark.
Mk. 14 : 51 - It has been speculated among biblical scholars that Mark might be the disciple referred to in this passage who ran for his life naked.
Col. 4 : 10 – 11 Introduced as :
1. a cousin of Barnabas
2. a fellow worker in Paul's ministry, and
3. a comfort to Paul.
2. a fellow worker in Paul's ministry, and
3. a comfort to Paul.
Apparently, there had been a reconciliation that must have taken place after the incident that took place in Acts 15 : 36 – 40.
2 Tim. 4 : 11 & Phile. 24 - Yet again spoken of with a note of commendation – a fellow laborer and useful worker in Paul's ministry.
1 Pet. 5 : 13 - A likely convert in Peter's ministry since biblical trend has if that a direct convert form one's ministry is usually referred to as the latter's “son”.
Church history later records the martyrdom of Mark. He was taken captive by the Egyptians, dragged down the streets, bruised along the way, all the way until they came to a dungeon where he was flung in and burned to death.
Now we need to ponder : what is it, if anything at all, that caused Mark who started off as a timid and seemingly unreliable follower to become one that would some day die for the cause of his faith in the Lord Jesus? He began in much timidity and fear (it would seem, at least from how he comes across to us from the scripture references we have seen), but completed his race in triumph and boldness.
It would be over simplifying the whole matter, but for our present purposes we will concern ourselves only with two possible reasons for the change of spirit in Mark.
2 Tim. 4 : 11 & Phile. 24 - Yet again spoken of with a note of commendation – a fellow laborer and useful worker in Paul's ministry.
1 Pet. 5 : 13 - A likely convert in Peter's ministry since biblical trend has if that a direct convert form one's ministry is usually referred to as the latter's “son”.
Church history later records the martyrdom of Mark. He was taken captive by the Egyptians, dragged down the streets, bruised along the way, all the way until they came to a dungeon where he was flung in and burned to death.
Now we need to ponder : what is it, if anything at all, that caused Mark who started off as a timid and seemingly unreliable follower to become one that would some day die for the cause of his faith in the Lord Jesus? He began in much timidity and fear (it would seem, at least from how he comes across to us from the scripture references we have seen), but completed his race in triumph and boldness.
It would be over simplifying the whole matter, but for our present purposes we will concern ourselves only with two possible reasons for the change of spirit in Mark.
Cultivating the “Barnabas' Spirit” of Restoration
We have seen earlier on in Acts 15 : 36 – 40 where a disagreement evolved between Paul and Barnabas as to whether they should allow Mark in their next journey especially since he had deserted them on their previous trip. Barnabas was keen on taking Mark with them despite Paul's objections to such an idea.
Paul was of the opinion that such a one who had not been faithful in working with them would not be desirable company on their next missionary journey. Harsh as it may sound to us, but Paul might well be right! That someone who is not faithful in little cannot be trusted with much – the Lord Himself taught this principle, remember? But again, Barnabas might not be wrong either – for one of the attributes of our Lord was mercy and yet another, grace. Barnabas was inclined towards dealing graciously with Mark and in the course of it restoring him. We draw neither conclusion nor judgment here, but one safe inference we can draw and that is, if Barnabas had not given Mark another chance to prove himself, or to show himself capable of being faithful in his ministry, then this conscience-stricken Mark might never have picked himself up ever. He might even be so discouraged by his own lack of boldness that he decides never to attempt anything for God again.
Of course, we are working based on the worst possible scenario here, but the lesson we can learn is that we ought to stir in ourselves to cultivate the same spirit of encouragement and restoration that was present in our brother Barnabas. Here is one man who had in him a servant's heart, a heart for God's people, for his fellow brothers. Acts 9 : 26 -27 : at a time when all other disciples did not receive Paul in their fellowship, Barnabas faithfully stood by the man. It really would have been enough for Paul at that time to know that someone is willing to believe in him – after all, he was once zealously in persecuting the Christians! But Barnabas did not just stop here. In Acts 11 : 25 – 26, it was recorded that Barnabas actually sought the rejected Paul out that he might co-labor with him in Antioch. Selflessly, Barnabas raised Paul up till the latter was able to stand on his own and until his ministry was well established. And now again, we see the same spirit being ministered to Mark.
The Church today is in need of spiritual fathers like Barnabas who will give themselves to stand by younger ministers who had erred, encouraging them, restoring them, and building such who in their weakness have suffered bruises in their conscience and faith. With a vessel like Barnabas, God had raised up a mighty apostle like Paul and a gospel writer like Mark. Should we not also then offer offer ourselves up to be vessels like Barnabas whom God can use to restore those who transgress? For it has been said to us “Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.” (Gal. 6 : 1). Let us learn this lesson and make it our way of life – that we should always seek to be a stepping stone for our brethren to move from glory to glory, and not plant ourselves as stumbling blocks that can trip our brethren who our Lord loves and whom we also ought to love.
Consider the story of Noah and Ham in Gen. 9 : 20 – 27. Noah was drunk with wine one day in his vineyard, and he uncovered himself in his tent. His youngest son, Ham, saw his father's nakedness and immediately went to tell his brothers about it. Very clearly, Ham had an attitude of destruction rather than restoration – the flesh takes delights in seeing a defect in others. When Ham came upon his father's improper conduct he showed not the slightest sense of shame and sorrow, nor did he try to cover his father's shame, but instead went to spread the dishonor. Observe though, how Sham and Japheth managed the situation differently from Ham. They entered Noah's tent backwards to avoiding coming upfront with their father's nakedness, and then they covered him. These two sons were aware of their father's misconduct but chose to look beyond that (walk backwards) and restore Him. What a beautiful demonstration of that word in Gal. 6 : 1; that sort of love that covers (literally, in this case!) over a multitude of sins. This dishonor of Noah became a test to the character of Sham, Ham and Japheth. Through this incident, it is revealed as to who had a spirit of restoration and who the spirit of destruction.
We have seen earlier on in Acts 15 : 36 – 40 where a disagreement evolved between Paul and Barnabas as to whether they should allow Mark in their next journey especially since he had deserted them on their previous trip. Barnabas was keen on taking Mark with them despite Paul's objections to such an idea.
Paul was of the opinion that such a one who had not been faithful in working with them would not be desirable company on their next missionary journey. Harsh as it may sound to us, but Paul might well be right! That someone who is not faithful in little cannot be trusted with much – the Lord Himself taught this principle, remember? But again, Barnabas might not be wrong either – for one of the attributes of our Lord was mercy and yet another, grace. Barnabas was inclined towards dealing graciously with Mark and in the course of it restoring him. We draw neither conclusion nor judgment here, but one safe inference we can draw and that is, if Barnabas had not given Mark another chance to prove himself, or to show himself capable of being faithful in his ministry, then this conscience-stricken Mark might never have picked himself up ever. He might even be so discouraged by his own lack of boldness that he decides never to attempt anything for God again.
Of course, we are working based on the worst possible scenario here, but the lesson we can learn is that we ought to stir in ourselves to cultivate the same spirit of encouragement and restoration that was present in our brother Barnabas. Here is one man who had in him a servant's heart, a heart for God's people, for his fellow brothers. Acts 9 : 26 -27 : at a time when all other disciples did not receive Paul in their fellowship, Barnabas faithfully stood by the man. It really would have been enough for Paul at that time to know that someone is willing to believe in him – after all, he was once zealously in persecuting the Christians! But Barnabas did not just stop here. In Acts 11 : 25 – 26, it was recorded that Barnabas actually sought the rejected Paul out that he might co-labor with him in Antioch. Selflessly, Barnabas raised Paul up till the latter was able to stand on his own and until his ministry was well established. And now again, we see the same spirit being ministered to Mark.
The Church today is in need of spiritual fathers like Barnabas who will give themselves to stand by younger ministers who had erred, encouraging them, restoring them, and building such who in their weakness have suffered bruises in their conscience and faith. With a vessel like Barnabas, God had raised up a mighty apostle like Paul and a gospel writer like Mark. Should we not also then offer offer ourselves up to be vessels like Barnabas whom God can use to restore those who transgress? For it has been said to us “Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.” (Gal. 6 : 1). Let us learn this lesson and make it our way of life – that we should always seek to be a stepping stone for our brethren to move from glory to glory, and not plant ourselves as stumbling blocks that can trip our brethren who our Lord loves and whom we also ought to love.
Consider the story of Noah and Ham in Gen. 9 : 20 – 27. Noah was drunk with wine one day in his vineyard, and he uncovered himself in his tent. His youngest son, Ham, saw his father's nakedness and immediately went to tell his brothers about it. Very clearly, Ham had an attitude of destruction rather than restoration – the flesh takes delights in seeing a defect in others. When Ham came upon his father's improper conduct he showed not the slightest sense of shame and sorrow, nor did he try to cover his father's shame, but instead went to spread the dishonor. Observe though, how Sham and Japheth managed the situation differently from Ham. They entered Noah's tent backwards to avoiding coming upfront with their father's nakedness, and then they covered him. These two sons were aware of their father's misconduct but chose to look beyond that (walk backwards) and restore Him. What a beautiful demonstration of that word in Gal. 6 : 1; that sort of love that covers (literally, in this case!) over a multitude of sins. This dishonor of Noah became a test to the character of Sham, Ham and Japheth. Through this incident, it is revealed as to who had a spirit of restoration and who the spirit of destruction.
Strengthening Ourselves in the Lord
Until now, we have seen how we can work to restore our brother or sister who has fallen along the way; now, we want to shift the attention from others and look inward at our own lives. Take another look at Mark – a closer look this time. Here is a disciple who displayed fear when faith was what he meant to draw people to. When faithfulness was what the Lord asked of every disciple, here is one who went on a missionary trip with the two apostles (Paul & Barnabas) and who departed from them halfway! Worse, this incident had actually caused the two apostles to engage themselves in such a disagreement that they actually went their separate ways on their next missionary trip! Here is one who had caused division between two brothers of the kingdom, and two apostles for that matter! How had Mark felt at that time? Not difficult to imagine, I should think. He must have felt shame in thought and stricken in conscience, especially after causing the rife between Paul and Barnabas. Do we see Mark clearly now? He is like the one who has set his hand on the ploughand, who looked back! He was the one of whom Jesus in teaching a lesson on following God, said was not fit for the kingdom of God! Yet, today, we know that this brother, Mark, has secured for himself a special place in heaven reserved for the martyrs who had loved Christ unto death!
How did Mark, from being a fearful, sorry and pathetic figure, come to being one who would receive such a prominent place in the kingdom of heaven? What could have happened to this man that changed his course of life and consequently his destiny in life? No doubt Barnabas must have been a great source of comfort and encouragement; but ultimately, it had to be because Mark decided to stop hanging his head down and looking down on his shame and weakness. And pulling his shoulders together, and lifting his eyes, he must have strengthened himself in the strength of the Lord as he gave himself another chance and went on yet another missionary trip with Barnabas. Likewise, we who walk this road of faith must have come across times when we all fail like Mark; times when our faith gives way to fear. Jesus warned us of offenses that will come to us, and it is not difficult to see that happening around us, is it? Many of us must have experienced countless times of being rejected and misunderstood by the people around us, and at times even from the people whom we love dearly. The thing is, do we resign ourselves to a life of self-pity and misery or do we pick ourselves up and strengthen ourselves in the Lord?
There came a point in David's life when all was going wrong for the king. All the women and children of his household and of his army had been taken captives by the Amalekites. His people even spoke of stoning their king! King David was right at one of the lowest point of his life. Yet, we read that this same David strengthened himself in the Lord. (1 Sam. 30 : 1 – 6) and because he did this, he eventually came to recover that which he lost (1 Sam. 30 : 13), and there as indeed nothing that was taken away from him that was not restored to him.
Beloved of God, we do not live in a world where the enemy does not exist. But when mouths persecute you and fingers point accusingly at you, learn to take heart and strengthen yourselves in the God who has both created you and called you into His great House, for “The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and save such as have a contrite spirit” (Ps. 34 : 13).
Servant of God
As we now approach the main theme of our study – servanthood, let us consider the qualities and traits of an approved servant of God. I believe this list would not be exhaustive, but let us for now, focus on two basic requirements of servanthood.
Love
Until now, we have seen how we can work to restore our brother or sister who has fallen along the way; now, we want to shift the attention from others and look inward at our own lives. Take another look at Mark – a closer look this time. Here is a disciple who displayed fear when faith was what he meant to draw people to. When faithfulness was what the Lord asked of every disciple, here is one who went on a missionary trip with the two apostles (Paul & Barnabas) and who departed from them halfway! Worse, this incident had actually caused the two apostles to engage themselves in such a disagreement that they actually went their separate ways on their next missionary trip! Here is one who had caused division between two brothers of the kingdom, and two apostles for that matter! How had Mark felt at that time? Not difficult to imagine, I should think. He must have felt shame in thought and stricken in conscience, especially after causing the rife between Paul and Barnabas. Do we see Mark clearly now? He is like the one who has set his hand on the ploughand, who looked back! He was the one of whom Jesus in teaching a lesson on following God, said was not fit for the kingdom of God! Yet, today, we know that this brother, Mark, has secured for himself a special place in heaven reserved for the martyrs who had loved Christ unto death!
How did Mark, from being a fearful, sorry and pathetic figure, come to being one who would receive such a prominent place in the kingdom of heaven? What could have happened to this man that changed his course of life and consequently his destiny in life? No doubt Barnabas must have been a great source of comfort and encouragement; but ultimately, it had to be because Mark decided to stop hanging his head down and looking down on his shame and weakness. And pulling his shoulders together, and lifting his eyes, he must have strengthened himself in the strength of the Lord as he gave himself another chance and went on yet another missionary trip with Barnabas. Likewise, we who walk this road of faith must have come across times when we all fail like Mark; times when our faith gives way to fear. Jesus warned us of offenses that will come to us, and it is not difficult to see that happening around us, is it? Many of us must have experienced countless times of being rejected and misunderstood by the people around us, and at times even from the people whom we love dearly. The thing is, do we resign ourselves to a life of self-pity and misery or do we pick ourselves up and strengthen ourselves in the Lord?
There came a point in David's life when all was going wrong for the king. All the women and children of his household and of his army had been taken captives by the Amalekites. His people even spoke of stoning their king! King David was right at one of the lowest point of his life. Yet, we read that this same David strengthened himself in the Lord. (1 Sam. 30 : 1 – 6) and because he did this, he eventually came to recover that which he lost (1 Sam. 30 : 13), and there as indeed nothing that was taken away from him that was not restored to him.
Beloved of God, we do not live in a world where the enemy does not exist. But when mouths persecute you and fingers point accusingly at you, learn to take heart and strengthen yourselves in the God who has both created you and called you into His great House, for “The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and save such as have a contrite spirit” (Ps. 34 : 13).
Servant of God
As we now approach the main theme of our study – servanthood, let us consider the qualities and traits of an approved servant of God. I believe this list would not be exhaustive, but let us for now, focus on two basic requirements of servanthood.
Love
Jesus was reflective of the Father's love when He walked amongst men – He was the expression of God's love itself. The Father's love was always resident in His heart – the kind of love that He carried around with Him wherever He went, allowing it to flow to touch and change lives. Having the same kind of love residing in our hearts is a treasure we, and we believe, most of us, desire. And because it is something we all desire to possess, many have tried diligently to cultivate and develop such love in themselves, and this is where we all have strayed! Reckon now that the genuine love of God is not something we can create for ourselves. It cannot be taught, nor can it be consciously developed even with our best endeavors and enterprise. With only our flesh and emotion, no matter how sincere we may be, such genuine love cannot be created in us. It goes beyond our deepest emotion, our highest wisdom and beyond our most earnest and sincere desire for the good of our brethren. The love of God goes beyond man's all. “For we all know what is in us (that is, in our flesh) nothing good dwells .....” (Rom. 7 : 18). In order for us to have the love of God reign in our hearts, we need to come into union with Him so that the virtue of His love can flow through that union from His heart to ours till that love that is of God come to belong to us too. Only with this love can we then “love them (the people in our lives) to the end”.
Even then, know that this is not a mere ambition or aspiration that is only found in the hearts of the “more noble” or “more spiritual” Christian. This is in fact the prayer of the Lord Jesus for us, no less! In Jn. 17 : 20 – 26, Jesus prayed that we may be one with God just as He was one with the Father. If we are serious about loving people the way Jesus did, then we need to constantly abide in the vine (Jesus), so that the fruit of love can blossom from such union with Him. In this there is no short-cut, nor is there an alternative way to receiving the love of God. We need to abide in Him.
Having seen now that Jesus served His people out of love, let us reflect on the motivation of our service towards men. Can we truly face our God and say that we have served out of the compelling love of Christ that is in us, or do we have to hang our heads in sorry and concede that our service for the people was driven by our personal ambition for the success of our ministry? Do we have to sadly admit in shame that we have served for the sake of recognition? Paul puts it best - “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but we have not love, I have become as a sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing”. The danger is clearly spelt out for us – we can be displaying acts of love (“bestowing goods to feed the poor” etc.) and yet have no love. With this sobering though, let us examine our hearts and weigh the intents of our hearts – would such be approved unto God?
Humility
Even then, know that this is not a mere ambition or aspiration that is only found in the hearts of the “more noble” or “more spiritual” Christian. This is in fact the prayer of the Lord Jesus for us, no less! In Jn. 17 : 20 – 26, Jesus prayed that we may be one with God just as He was one with the Father. If we are serious about loving people the way Jesus did, then we need to constantly abide in the vine (Jesus), so that the fruit of love can blossom from such union with Him. In this there is no short-cut, nor is there an alternative way to receiving the love of God. We need to abide in Him.
Having seen now that Jesus served His people out of love, let us reflect on the motivation of our service towards men. Can we truly face our God and say that we have served out of the compelling love of Christ that is in us, or do we have to hang our heads in sorry and concede that our service for the people was driven by our personal ambition for the success of our ministry? Do we have to sadly admit in shame that we have served for the sake of recognition? Paul puts it best - “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but we have not love, I have become as a sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing”. The danger is clearly spelt out for us – we can be displaying acts of love (“bestowing goods to feed the poor” etc.) and yet have no love. With this sobering though, let us examine our hearts and weigh the intents of our hearts – would such be approved unto God?
Humility
The Word of God tells us that the Lord Jesus and the Father are one (Jn. 10 : 30). The glory which God had in the beginning, yes, even the unapproachable glory of God was also the glory that belonged to the Son. The Father and the Son existed equally and are equal in power and possession. Yet, the Word of God also says that Jesus “did not see this equality with God as something to be eagerly grasped or retained” (Phil. 2 : 6 Amp.) In Phil. 2 : 5 – 7, we see Jesus taking downward steps of humility. First, He humbled Himself in His divinity, and came to be humanity; and then, in this humanity, He again humbled Himself. When the Lord Jesus walked on this earth, He so emptied Himself of the glory, power,status and form of His divinity that no man then living, other that those who received by revelation, knew Him or acknowledged Him as God. Jesus was in every way God the Son yet nevertheless He willingly humbled and submitted Himself to the Father, teaching the people that “the Father is greater than I”(Jn. 14 : 28). All through His years on this earth, the Lord Jesus conducted Himself in this humility and carried it on unto death. This then, is the way of humility we must all strive to walk in – giving up our rights and seeking nothing for ourselves. Because the Lord Jesus was obedient and humble, God highly exalted Him. In same regard, God also will exalt those who would humble themselves.
Humility is very much a principal trait in the Lord Jesus. Thus, whosoever receives the Lord should also receive the same principle of humility and live in it. Today, many of us speak as if we consider it a great privilege to be called a “servant of God”, and perhaps, we really do! Yet, how do we react when people take us at our words and really begin to treat us as nothing more than mere servants? Do we get upset by such treatment? It is sad, but it also is fact, that many are willing to be called servants of God, but yet are not willing to be treated like one. Jesus, however, displayed a different attitude. Humble, He surrendered Himself fully to being obedient to the entire will of God. Do we mean it when we say we want to follow the Lord Jesus? Do we learn from Him and “in lowliness of mind esteem others better than ourselves” (Phil. 2 : 3)? If we do, then let us yield ourselves fully to where God has appointed us to be, both in the body of Christ and also in the world, even if this means a loss of reputation and recognition before men. For at the end of the day, it is our testimony that touches lives, and not the titles we hold.
Duty of a Servant
“And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, 'come at once and sit down to eat?' But will he not rather say to him, 'Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink? Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I think not; so likewise you, when you have done all these which you are commanded say, 'we are unprofitable servants, we have done what was our duty to do,”(Lk. 17 : 7 – 10).
This illustration must be familiar to many of us, and many, we suspect, are able to identify ourselves with the same. We must have come across people (ourselves included) who serve others, both spiritually and secularly, but whose service and efforts have gone unnoticed or unappreciated. The Lord has used this passage to teach us the right attitude of servanthood.
Notice that the servant in the passage did not even get to eat and drink after returning from his labor. In fact, he was further instructed to serve His master. Paul was no different. While serving the Lord, he was “in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fasting often, in cold and nakedness”(2 Cor. 11 : 27). We must learn and be prepared to suffer as Christ did as we serve the Lord instead of focusing on receiving immediate gratification. We do not read of the servant receiving appreciation for his services – we do not know if he ever did. But even Jesus, the Son of God Himself, was not spared from such ingratitude. See Lk. 17 : 11 – 18 where He cleansed ten lepers. Out of the ten that were cleansed, one one returned to thank the Lord.
It does happen, in fact it happens most of the time, that we do not get the kind of appreciation and gratitude we think our service deserves, but the Lord has forewarned us of such indifferent response, that we should guard ourselves against ever feeling discouraged or hurt, and that we might always preserve the peace in our hearts by reminding ourselves that “we are unprofitable servants, we have done what was our duty to do.”
Paul says in Rom. 12 : 1 that in presenting our bodies a living sacrifice to God, we are rendering what is only our reasonable service. Therefore, let us not impute anything more than what has been accorded to us – we belong to the Lord anyway, every part of us, all of us, first by creation, then again, by redemption. Therefore, let us yield to the true attitude of servanthood and not expect appreciation for our works.
The Cost of Servanthood
Allow me to share a personal experience in regard to this point. I was journeying with Bro. Sadhu in Tibet in April of 1998 when I learnt a lesson on what it takes to be a servant of God.
From the day that we landed in Tibet, all through the two weeks that we were there, I was tormented with a gripping headache that was so severe it robbed me of my appetite altogether. Harsh weather conditions like the bitter cold and chilly night winds aggravated the strain I was feeling. The most severe pain, however, came when we were on our last prayer point at the base camp of Mount Everest. The pain was so intense that it kept me awake all through the night though my body was so tired it I dearly would have loved to be able to go to sleep. I remember myself as feeling close to death even. At that point, I remembered my commitment to accompany Bro. Sadhu on all his seven trips to Tibet in 1998. I weighed my commitment against the pain I was going through at that time, and I thought to myself that if the first trip was almost taking my life away, then I really do not think I still want to fulfill my commitment! I was ashamed of myself, and shamed myself for being so weak, for being a vessel not strong enough to fulfill the great things of God.
In the middle of the night, instead of receiving comfort from the Holy Spirit, I felt a strong inner voice rebuking me. Lk. 9 : 62 cut like a two-edged sword into my heart:”No one, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” God didn't need to say further – I learnt, and remembered that lesson.
What then is the cost of servanthood? Lk. 14 : 33 gives it to us plainly:”Whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be my disciple.” This is what it takes, no less – we need to give up all if we truly desire to fulfill God's will for our lives. It is not a matter of forsaking what we can afford to forsake, but it is forsaking all. Whatever plans, ambitions and desires that we may have toward our family, our health, career etc. have to be placed at God's disposal and not ours. He must be given free access to all of us.
But let us take heart, for we serve a God who loves us too much not to give us the best. With this confidence of the Father's love, we can rest in His love, serve Him with oneness of heart and be a good and approved servant in His eyes.
“And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, 'come at once and sit down to eat?' But will he not rather say to him, 'Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink? Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I think not; so likewise you, when you have done all these which you are commanded say, 'we are unprofitable servants, we have done what was our duty to do,”(Lk. 17 : 7 – 10).
This illustration must be familiar to many of us, and many, we suspect, are able to identify ourselves with the same. We must have come across people (ourselves included) who serve others, both spiritually and secularly, but whose service and efforts have gone unnoticed or unappreciated. The Lord has used this passage to teach us the right attitude of servanthood.
Notice that the servant in the passage did not even get to eat and drink after returning from his labor. In fact, he was further instructed to serve His master. Paul was no different. While serving the Lord, he was “in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fasting often, in cold and nakedness”(2 Cor. 11 : 27). We must learn and be prepared to suffer as Christ did as we serve the Lord instead of focusing on receiving immediate gratification. We do not read of the servant receiving appreciation for his services – we do not know if he ever did. But even Jesus, the Son of God Himself, was not spared from such ingratitude. See Lk. 17 : 11 – 18 where He cleansed ten lepers. Out of the ten that were cleansed, one one returned to thank the Lord.
It does happen, in fact it happens most of the time, that we do not get the kind of appreciation and gratitude we think our service deserves, but the Lord has forewarned us of such indifferent response, that we should guard ourselves against ever feeling discouraged or hurt, and that we might always preserve the peace in our hearts by reminding ourselves that “we are unprofitable servants, we have done what was our duty to do.”
Paul says in Rom. 12 : 1 that in presenting our bodies a living sacrifice to God, we are rendering what is only our reasonable service. Therefore, let us not impute anything more than what has been accorded to us – we belong to the Lord anyway, every part of us, all of us, first by creation, then again, by redemption. Therefore, let us yield to the true attitude of servanthood and not expect appreciation for our works.
The Cost of Servanthood
Allow me to share a personal experience in regard to this point. I was journeying with Bro. Sadhu in Tibet in April of 1998 when I learnt a lesson on what it takes to be a servant of God.
From the day that we landed in Tibet, all through the two weeks that we were there, I was tormented with a gripping headache that was so severe it robbed me of my appetite altogether. Harsh weather conditions like the bitter cold and chilly night winds aggravated the strain I was feeling. The most severe pain, however, came when we were on our last prayer point at the base camp of Mount Everest. The pain was so intense that it kept me awake all through the night though my body was so tired it I dearly would have loved to be able to go to sleep. I remember myself as feeling close to death even. At that point, I remembered my commitment to accompany Bro. Sadhu on all his seven trips to Tibet in 1998. I weighed my commitment against the pain I was going through at that time, and I thought to myself that if the first trip was almost taking my life away, then I really do not think I still want to fulfill my commitment! I was ashamed of myself, and shamed myself for being so weak, for being a vessel not strong enough to fulfill the great things of God.
In the middle of the night, instead of receiving comfort from the Holy Spirit, I felt a strong inner voice rebuking me. Lk. 9 : 62 cut like a two-edged sword into my heart:”No one, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” God didn't need to say further – I learnt, and remembered that lesson.
What then is the cost of servanthood? Lk. 14 : 33 gives it to us plainly:”Whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be my disciple.” This is what it takes, no less – we need to give up all if we truly desire to fulfill God's will for our lives. It is not a matter of forsaking what we can afford to forsake, but it is forsaking all. Whatever plans, ambitions and desires that we may have toward our family, our health, career etc. have to be placed at God's disposal and not ours. He must be given free access to all of us.
But let us take heart, for we serve a God who loves us too much not to give us the best. With this confidence of the Father's love, we can rest in His love, serve Him with oneness of heart and be a good and approved servant in His eyes.