-- Matthew 12:18
Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave -- just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.
-- Matthew 20:28
Like most of us, Jesus' disciples were sometimes caught up with a sense of their own self-importance, at times even arguing with each other about which of them was greatest. Jesus startled them by reversing the natural order in which it is the weak who serve the strong. He assured them, instead, that He came not in order to control and dominate but in order to serve.
Though prophets, judges and kings were called servants of God in the Bible, Jesus is the greatest of all God's servants, the Man of Sorrows who laid down His life in obedience to His Father. He is the Servant who through His suffering has saved us. When you pray to Jesus as Servant, you are praying to the Lord who has loved you in the most passionate way possible, allowing Himself to be nailed to a cross in order that you might have life and have it to the full.
Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that His hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved His own who were in the world, he loved them to the end...During supper Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, got up from the table, took off His outer robe, and tied a towel around Himself. Then He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around Him. (John 13:1-5)
The night before He died, Jesus removed His outer garments. Wasn't He showing His disciples a picture of what was about to happen, when the next day He would be stripped of His clothing before being nailed to a cross? And what about the water He had poured into the basin in order to cleanse them? Hadn't He also poured out His blood for them on the cross? Surely Jesus had acted the part of a slave by washing their feet. Wasn't He also executed as a slave? Crucifixion, they knew, was a punishment so cruel it was reserved for subjugated peoples and slaves. In the midst of His disciples' reflections, one of them would have recalled Jesus' words shortly before the Passover feast: "I lay down my life for the sheep...No one takes it from me but I lay it down of my own accord" (John 10:15, 18).
Jesus gave His life - not grudgingly, but gladly. He stripped Himself of power so that a deeper power could be at work reversing the deadly effects of our sin. Today, when you think of Jesus as the Suffering Servant, think not so much of what you have done to cause His suffering but of what He has done to cause you joy. Dwell not on your own unworthiness but on His worthiness. Think about His willing sacrifice, His determination, and His love. Just as Jesus loved His disciples to the end, He will love you to the end. Praise Him for saving you and changing you through His great, long-suffering love.
Discuss: This passage calls Jesus a servant. What is a servant? Where are there actual examples of Jesus being a servant? Describe an experience in which someone served you. How did it affect you? Describe experiences in which you have been able to serve someone else with the love of Christ. How can you be a servant today, this week?
Prayer: Dear Jesus, I was like a bruised reed You would not break, a smoldering wick You would not put out. Instead You allowed Yourself to be pierced for my sins, crushed for my iniquities. You were despised and rejected, a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering. The punishment that brought me peace was placed on You. Help me to grow a true servant’s heart for Your ministry and not complain about or question the direction You have for me. Amen.
Ornament: http://www.biblestoryprintables.com/BibleCraftsChristmasNamesJesus.html#.Vm_0kdA-Ab3
Craft: Have the student(s) make “coupons” that can be redeemed by the receiver. The coupons should be for things that are above and beyond normal and expected chores but within the student’s capabilities.
Service Project Idea: Participate in helping a food kitchen (may also be called a soup kitchen). If the student is too young for this, have them help cleaning up after a church function or some type of community function. Also, see if there is someone in your neighborhood, church, or family who is in need of assistance with housework, yard work, etc. This help is to be given without financial compensation. This activity should reinforce the idea of having the “heart of a servant.”
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