But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,

Mathew 20:25-26

From our youngest days we’re taught, directly and indirectly, that there are certain values that animate our world and lead to a successful and meaningful life. A drive to succeed. A vision for where you’re headed. Networking with people of significance and purpose. On and on we could go. And while, rightly understood, these values can be a meaningful part of the Christian life, I fear they far too often work their way into our hearts and minds without us ever pausing to notice or question their merits and effect on our overall outlook on life and our place in the world.

Jesus Christ is not primarily concerned with your status or your significance. In fact, he was quick to call people out when they fell into the trap of believing their primary purpose in life was to be honored, respected, or secure. These impulses may be natural, but they are not kingdom values.

One of the many effects of sin upon the human soul is how it moves us away from the peace and comfort of our Lord and pushes us into places of persistent and chronic fear. So many of our choices in life are animated by fear. Fear of losing something or someone we hold dear. Fear of being rejected. Fear of not having enough. Fear of failure. And when we live and make decisions from these places of fear, we are overcome by a love of self and are primarily interested in our own preservation at any cost. Generosity becomes conditional, giving to others only when we know that our own bases are covered. Relationships stall out and fail to develop because we’re afraid of the vulnerability and transparency required to take the next step. Societal fears become solidified when we allow our personal fears to keep us from moving towards the other in love.

The words of Jesus require a complete reorientation to what is good, beautiful, and true. They demand that we lay down our fears, our thirst for power, our quest for significance, and our blindness to how we contribute to the suffering of others. Jesus does not open this up for discussion. As someone who loved the art of a well-formed question, here he instead gives us an explicit command: “It will not be so among you.” 

There is no place in God’s kingdom for self-exaltation or the pursuit of personal glory. The Church in every age must relentlessly pursue the way of humility and self-giving love, constantly reorienting our personal and corporate lives around the example of Jesus, the one who “came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

“For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.” Lose your life in service, for it is the path to abundant life!

 Matthew 16:25