DISCIPLESHIP JOURNEY: SERVICE JESUS' WAY

DISCIPLESHIP JOURNEY: SERVICE JESUS’ WAY

Monday May 12, 2014

Matthew 11:28-30 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

  The following is written from notes taken and personal thoughts and load or lightness provoked during Pastor Josh Klein’s May 11, 2014 Sunday sermon.

Mark [NLT] 10:35-45 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came over and spoke to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do us a favor.” 36 “What is your request?” he asked. 37 They replied, “When you sit on your glorious throne, we want to sit in places of honor next to you, one on your right and the other on your left.” 38 But Jesus said to them, “You don’t know what you are asking! Are you able to drink from the bitter cup of suffering I am about to drink? Are you able to be baptized with the baptism of suffering I must be baptized with?” 39 “Oh yes,” they replied, “we are able!” Then Jesus told them, “You will indeed drink from my bitter cup and be baptized with my baptism of suffering. 40 But I have no right to say who will sit on my right or my left. God has prepared those places for the ones he has chosen.” 41 When the ten other disciples heard what James and John had asked, they were indignant. 42 So Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. 43 But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. 45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

  The children gathered at the front on the floor as Jon Mayo spoke to them of the love of mothers. At his conclusion the children gave every mother a flower.

  Pastor Josh then began telling of life on the farm, his Mom and Grandmother dedicated to cooking early breakfast, dinner (We now say “lunch”.), and supper for the working men. No Pop Tarts or TV banquets there, all meals were full and large in quantity. At this, though taking notes, my mind wandered to living and working on classmate George Kegley’s dad’s (Lucian) dairy farm. We arose at 4:30am, milked, tended the cattle, shoveled the spreader full of manure, washed up, dressed for school, then ate a large breakfast prepared by Mrs. Kegley, and rushed out the lane to catch the school bus. My favorite breakfast was pork chops, eggs, grits, cornbread & white gravy, and one or more vegetables. In the afternoon we rushed from school bus down lane, changed to barn clothes and repeated the morning acts. For this work I received room & board plus the handsome sum of 35 dollars cash a week, which was considerably more than I earned when I first started working for Western Electric.

  Oops, back from lifelong problem of rabbit trail mind active with random thoughts stimulated by all that I hear, see, smell, taste ….

  Josh opined that a mother’s dedicated and sacrificial love is probably the closest to that of Jesus the Servant King. I wholeheartedly agree.

  Reviewing God’s Record in Mark 10:35-45, we see Jesus, Servant King, faced with His disciples male posturing, they jockeying for chief positions. How amazing was His grace! Rather than anger, He challenged them with the truth of their future. Then when they boasted manliness in being up to the task, Jesus taught them a lesson in responsible leadership. He washed their crummy feet.

  Those who want to be great must live humble!

  For the followers of Christ this means to be servant to others. [KJV and others use “servant”, but actual Greek it means voluntary or involuntary “slave”.] Serve others as Jesus served and continues to do so.

  Reminder: Discipleship is to bring our life under control of Christ.

  Challenge: Deliberately leave personal comfort zone to literally or otherwise wash feet . . . completely doing so without expectation or demand for recognition or reciprocal response.

EBB4