Fine Print: Serve Sacrificially — Tuesday
Mark 10:40
”…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.” (NIV)
“I am the captain now” is an iconic line from the great high seas drama, Captain Phillips. Somali pirates had boarded and taken command of MV Maersk Alabama, an unarmed container vessel. Captain Philips was no longer in control of his ship, and the story unfolds with a lot of suspense as the standoff between the pirates and the Captain ensues. We’ll come back to this in a moment…
As I shared yesterday, the best way to live is downward. Jesus’ model for leadership is paradoxical. It’s when we give our lives away that we actually gain. It’s in serving others that our souls are fed in ways that getting from others can’t satisfy. Jesus washed feet. He tirelessly taught about His Father, God. He healed people of sickness and disease. He turned away from crowds of enthusiastic followers and sought lonely places to commune with the Father. He lived a life that was constantly submitted, humble, lower… downward if you will.
The apostle Paul described it this way in Philippians 2:5-8:
“Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion.” (MSG)
Jesus could have come to Earth, taken charge, and—like that pirate in Captain Phillips—said, “I am the captain now!” But He didn’t. He humbly submitted His life to His Father in Heaven. He downplayed His deity and denied Himself the privileges that were rightfully His. He set an example for us in His life and His death. Jesus explained to James and John that esteemed places of leadership in His Kingdom weren’t even His to give. Wow!
We can find all the freedom we long for by following His paradoxical example. When we let go, give up control, and allow Him to lead, we gain the freedom our “pirate” hearts strive to attain.
Tuesday’s Reflection
Reread the section from Philippians above, reflecting on the downward position Jesus placed Himself in.