But Jesus called them to Himself and said, ‘You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.’
I have thought a lot about servant leadership lately. It’s something we discuss in my Emerging Leaders Program I participate in at work. Even more, it’s something I have had the privileged of witnessing while being out in the world. I’m sure we all have from time to time.
Recently, my husband and I went out to eat at a little restaurant we like to frequent. The food is good, and the staff do such an amazing job. We have gotten to know one of the owners, let’s call him John. He was the first one to serve us when we first started going and has continued to serve us many times since. He was very apologetic when we were there the other day because he couldn’t get to us right away. We didn’t care but he did. He said he was short staffed and was doing the dishes, cleaning tables, and taking orders. He was very busy, and we could see that.
What struck me was he was being honest and humble all at the same time. He genuinely wanted to make sure we had a good experience. He always does. John goes out of his way for his customers, and his business. He will cook, take orders, clean tables, and even wash dishes. The part owner will wash dishes. This is an example of servant leadership.
This is exactly how Jesus was. He came not to be served but to serve. “And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” (Philippians 2:8 NKJV) Jesus willingly went all the way. He was humble and served His mission all the way to the cross. He always served and did not see himself as greater than anyone else. He chose to take our place and pay the price we owed.
We need to remember Jesus’ example of servant leadership. No one is greater than any other. Humble ourselves before God, be obedient, and do for others even the lowest of jobs. We should all desire to be servants.
Wash the dishes. Humble ourselves always for others. Jesus did.