Not to Be Served But to Serve

I like to be taken care of -- who doesn't?  A massage on a tight muscle, a great meal, and many other treats in life make me feel loved and cared for.  I've learned to give those things away too, because they show love for someone else.

The core reason we celebrate Christmas is that God took on flesh, becoming Jesus, to be with us.  But Jesus wasn't here to be waited on hand and foot.  He corrected the disciples for their self-seeking attitudes in Matthew 20.   He started the lesson by telling them (v. 17-19) that he himself was to die under the hand of the Jews and the Romans.  He told them straight out that they weren't to act like the Gentile rulers, taking advantage of others (v. 25-27).   He capped it off by reversing the normal order for big-wigs, in v. 28:  "For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many." 

He'd been teaching this to the disciples for some time.  In Matthew 14, Jesus heard about his cousin John, the baptizer, being killed by Herod, and tried to get away, but everyone followed him.  Verse 14 says "Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick."  Then (v. 15) "That evening the disciples came to him and said, 'This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away so they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves.' "  But Jesus wasn't going to let the disciples get away with turning others away!  Through a miracle, he made them feed 5,000 men (plus women and children) with one person's dinner. (He multiplied the food, but they had to do the work of distributing it.)

Jesus is still doing miracles and providing for people today.  He provides the resources, but he expects his disciples (yep, that would be you and me) to carry the stuff around.  So, how do we do that?  Some people I know feed the homeless, either directly or by contributing to a shelter.  Others help take care of someone in their neighborhood who is in need.  It can be simple, and not even expensive:  baking cookies; visiting someone who is home-bound or stuck in the hospital; or providing warm clothing for a family in need.

In Luke 14:12-14, Jesus teaches on humble giving by saying we should provide for those who can't pay us back by giving something similar to us.  So why don't you and I make a special effort this month to do something for someone less able?  The message of the Gospel -- the love of God for people -- can begin with physical gifts that lead to spiritual breakthroughs.  It takes figuring out what they need and then deciding to provide it.  Just like Jesus did for you, and for me.  Just like he's continuing to do, and wants us involved in, today.  So let's get busy with Jesus!