BaptistWay Bible Study for Texas lesson for April 28
Service with a smile is a good way to share Jesus
__Mark 9:33-37; 10:35-45
___9:33 They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, "What were you arguing about on the road?" 34 But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest.
___35 Sitting down, Jesus called the 12 and said, "If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all."
___36 He took a little child and had him stand among them. Taking him in his arms, he said to them, 37 "Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me." ...
___10:35 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. "Teacher," they said, "we want you to do for us whatever we ask."
___36 "What do you want me to do for you?" he asked.
___37 They replied, "Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory."
___38 "You don't know what you are asking," Jesus said. "Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?"
___39 "We can," they answered. Jesus said to them, "You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, 40 but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared."
___41 When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. 42 Jesus called them together and said, "You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 43 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
|
____By Joe Parker
___We are living in a time when service to others may not be popular. Some initiatives to challenge American citizens to increase their volunteerism and service to their neighbors have waned and lost their initial vigor and excitement.
___A national survey recently noted that despite the outpouring of patriotic fervor after Sept. 11, America has not been transformed in terms of our commitment to improve civic life in our communities. Many pastors will say this same trend can be found among the people of God--service is not a high priority. But what does Jesus teach about service?
___Mark informs us that Jesus sought privacy to continue teaching his disciples as he faced his crucifixion and the end of his public ministry. He already had announced to them twice that he would be betrayed and killed but would rise from the dead. On his journey to Jerusalem to be crucified, he announced it a third time.
___In the short time he had remaining, Jesus wanted his disciples to understand the suffering and work that would be required of them in coming days. The spreading of the good news of Jesus Christ would turn on their effectiveness and not from the affection they would receive from awestruck crowds.
___Extremely crucial to the success of the gospel was the disciples' understanding that they and his other followers should be servants. As Jesus taught them about service, he focused on their arguments, attitudes, ambitions and actions.
___Adopt the right argument favoring service
___As Jesus and his disciples approached Capernaum, the disciples argued among themselves about who among them was the greatest or first. Jesus asked what they were arguing about, but they were too embarrassed to tell him the nature of their conversation. He used this moment to teach them about selfless service.
___Jesus taught them that the one who wants to be first must be the very last and the servant of all. He did not chastise them about arguing; rather, he was more concerned about what they had been arguing about. If they had been arguing about serving and how they could better do it, perhaps Jesus would not have had the same concern or at least the same instruction. They were arguing about the wrong thing.
___The word Mark uses for servant in our focal passage, "diakonos," is most likely derived from an obscure root meaning "to run on errands." This person is an attendant, a waiter on tables or a performer of menial duties. It is a voluntary servant role that is limited by the person occupying the position. Her or his character is demonstrated by the quality of work accomplished. Jesus wanted his disciples to learn to be servants who were willing "to run on errands" selflessly.
___As Jesus' disciples, we must be willing to give selfless service. We should argue in favor of it. In the name of Jesus, we must be willing to serve other disciples and people who are not of the household of faith. There should not be any task that is beneath us. But sometimes other disciples can limit our notion of who should serve.
___On one occasion when I served dinner to the elderly at my church, it was met with surprise because some said they had not seen or heard of a pastor serving dinner to his members.
___I wonder how many of us who are leaders have taught that we have come to be served but not to serve. Martin Luther King Jr.'s words should challenge us when he said: "Everybody can be great because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. ... You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love."
___Acquire the right attitude about service
___Jesus' followers must have the right attitude about service. They must have a welcoming attitude. They must be willing to humbly serve in love.
___Jesus used a little child as an object lesson. He taught that the disciples should welcome people in his name as they would welcome a little child.
___He was not speaking of a child's attitude but the fact that children were considered socially invisible and insignificant on society's honor scale. The child was not empowered with rights, was vulnerable and had no title or societal status. Jesus' followers must have an attitude of humbly serving those who are regarded as insignificant or fringe people in our society.
___Do we have the right attitude about service? Are we willing to serve people outside the church at times other than Thanksgiving and Christmas? How are we willing to serve the elderly poor who live on fixed incomes? Have we developed an attitude of caring for those who are considered insignificant and who live on society's fringes?
___Do we even have a proper perspective as to who are the insignificant and vulnerable? How do we demonstrate the right attitudes about service? Do we care enough about the least of these to engage in public policy discussions that protect their vulnerabilities? What are we teaching our children about service and caring for those who are socially insignificant?
___God is depending on each of us to make disciples who will serve and carry the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world. His disciples must acquire a selfless attitude that invites opportunities to serve, particularly those people whom he describes as "the least of these."
___Advance the right ambition for service
___As Jesus and his disciples were on their way to Jerusalem, James and John boldly asked Jesus to do for them whatever they asked. Patiently, he asked a question of them he continues to ask of us today: "What do you want me to do for you?"
___It was a question about their ambition and desire. One would have thought these brothers might have had ambition for wisdom and knowledge, as did King Solomon, but their ambition led them to seek prestige, power and position.
___In spite of Jesus' earlier teaching that they should be servants if they wanted to be first, the previous argument about status and rank among the disciples had not ended. They continued to press their point by asking to sit in the preferred positions, next to Jesus, when he comes into his earthly kingdom. In order to clarify their understanding, Jesus stated they did not know what they were asking. They would be required to suffer as he would.
___While they believed they could handle the suffering, Jesus wanted them to know eternal rewards and preferred places in his kingdom would be given not as favors, but according to God's decisions. Jesus wanted his disciples to know their ambition must be marked by their willingness to suffer for the sake of the kingdom of God.
___Ambition is not necessarily a bad thing, but misplaced and improper ambition can displace obedience and service as priorities. Jesus' disciples must ensure their personal ambition is properly fettered and their desire to achieve a particular end is for the sake of the kingdom.
___In the midst of following Jesus, we should heed the words of John Stott who says our world (and even the church) "is full of Jameses and Johns, go-getters and status-seekers, hungry for honor and prestige, measuring life by achievements and everlastingly dreaming of success." We must not seek to serve for personal gain or rewards, but to the glory of God.
___Questions for Jesus' followers today are: What motivates us to serve Jesus? Is our ambition in check? Is it selfish ambition or a sincere willingness to be a suffering servant that compels us to serve? What do we want Jesus to do for us as his followers? Is our service about us or about his kingdom?
___Aim for the right action in service
___As Jesus continued to teach his disciples about what is expected and required of them, he wanted them to know that in addition to suffering, the right kind of action also would be required. Jesus reminded them that they must be servants ("diakonos") of each other if they wanted to be great; and whoever wanted to be first must be a "doulous" of all.
___This word used by Mark, "doulous," literally means a person in bonds or chains, forced to do labor while never off duty. This person is wholly the property of another and is at his or her disposal at all times. Mark's use of "diakonos," as to how one can be great, followed by the use of "doulous," as to how one can be first, suggests a servant is on the pathway to becoming a "doulous." One can be a "diakonos" and never be a "doulous," but one cannot be a "doulous" without being a "diakonos."
___Mark's writing seems to indicate that Jesus wants his followers to be servants whom he fully owns and who serve him at all times. Service in the name of Jesus is work; it is action. Service is a daily choice and full commitment we must make as Jesus' followers if we are to call him truly Lord.
___We can take no time off from serving him. No venue is off limits to service in the name of Jesus. We must serve him at work, in the home, at church, in the community and around the world.
___As we aim for the right action in service, we have the options of social service, social education, social development or social justice in the name of Jesus.
___But whatever approach we take to serve, we must ensure that our arguments, attitudes, ambitions and actions advance God's kingdom.
Questions for thought and discussion
___ How does modern society's perspective of service compare with Jesus' teaching about service?
___ How can service to others somehow become a a greater priority than the selfishness of only looking out for one's self? Can adults learn this or must it begin as children? Are children born wanting to serve and taught selfishness?
___ How does our modeling of service affect the spreading of the gospel?
___ How can we teach adults and children about serving people who are considered socially insignificant?
___ How does suffering relate to service?
___ How can ambition displace obedience and service?
___ How does one move from "diakonos" to "doulous?"
___ Does service have any benefit for the person doing the serving?
___ How can you make a difference in someone's life this week?
The Baptist Standard
News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.
Contents/ Masthead / Why We're Here / Links / Archive / E-mail us/ SUBSCRIBE!/ Signup for FirstLook
|