Sunday Scripture

 

Again this Sunday, I'm sharing from the Made for Community reading plan from Love God Greatly that I worked on back in 2015.  With this study, as I have often done, I used the SOAP method of Bible study.  Just a quick reminder that the S is for Scripture, O is for Observation, A is for Application and P is for Prayer.  The eighth, and last, section is Made for Community Challenge Week.  So here we go with the Scripture for the fifth day of that section. 

S= "And He sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all."  (Mark 9:35)

O= As they walked to Capernaum, the Twelve had been disputing among themselves as to who should be the greatest.  When Jesus asked them about this, they were ashamed to answer Him.  Jesus sat them down and explained that if anyone desired to be first, that person should be not only last of all, but servant of all.  

If we read further on, we see that Jesus took up a child in His arms as He sat in the midst of the Twelve: a visual to reinforce the lesson.

Warren Wiersbe notes in Be Diligent: "The world's philosophy is that you are 'great' if others are working for you, but Christ's message is that greatness comes from our serving others.  Since the words child and servant are the same in the Aramaic language, it is easy to see why Jesus connected the two.   If we have the heart of a child, we will have little difficulty being servants, and if we have the attitude of servants, we will welcome the children as the representatives of Jesus Christ and the Father."

He adds: "When we lovingly receive a child or compassionately share a cup of cold water, we are giving evidence that we have the humble heart of a servant."

A cross-reference is 1 Corinthians 15:9 where Paul wrote:

"For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God."

Another is Matthew 23:2-8, which presents the contrast of the Pharisees, who did all they could to be noticed by others: 

"But all their works they do to be seen of men."

Cross-references for "servant" include:

Matthew 23:11 -- "He that is greatest among you shall be your servant";

Mark 10:44 -- "Whosover of you would be the chiefest, shall be servant of all."

Luke 22:27 -- Jesus said, "I am among you as He that serveth."

A= This was an important lesson that Jesus had to teach the Twelve.  He had modeled servanthood among them, but they still didn't get it.  Jesus had to create a teaching opportunity to sit them down and explain to them about the first being last, and the need to be a servant to others.

Jesus also wants me to be a servant.  He Himself came not to be served, but to serve, and He is my example.  I think I need to pay closer attention to my heart attitude -- to remember that it's very possible to serve others and yet have a wrong attitude in doing so.  I have often done so!  But Jesus wants me to have a servant's heart.

P= "Lord, I thank You for the clarity of Your Word.  I can picture the disciples arguing as they walked that dusty road, and I can picture them later sitting around Jesus as He explained what it really meant to be great. 

 I pray that You will help me to take this lesson to heart and to consistently be a servant to others.  Help me to serve with a right attitude, with a servant's heart, with a desire to please You my only motive.  I thank You for all You will do, in Jesus' name, Amen."

As you see, this is the last of my Made for Community posts.  As I write this in mid-February, I'm considering and praying what to do next for Sunday Scriptures!