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Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Today's Frontline Devotion February 5, 2008 Kings or Servants |
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Frontline Devotion for Tuesday, February 5, 2008 by Brenda Kessler
Matthew 4: 5-7 “Then the devil took him to the holy city, and set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will give his angels charge of you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Again it is written, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’” (RSV)
Biblical scholar, James Efird, says this about this passage. “The temptation is not for Jesus to prove his divine Sonship to himself. Such Sonship is never questioned in the NT. Rather, the temptation or ‘testing’ is implicitly presented as Jesus’ struggle over whether to obey God’s call to be a servant-messiah or to interpret messiahship in the traditional terms of power, strength, and conquest.”
King or servant. The scriptures repeatedly show us that Jesus’ disciples never fully understood that Jesus came to be a servant. They were stuck in business as usual. They were stuck in what was familiar to them – power, strength, and conquest. Servanthood? That was a new concept for them.
We have the benefit of two thousand years of history since Jesus walked this earth as a servant and yet I suspect many of us, like those early disciples, have not really grasped the idea of servanthood. We are stuck in what is familiar to us - power, strength, conquest. Temptations and testings still run rampant in our world. The subtle devil – or call it what you will – is still doing his thing. Is it “win at any cost” for us or is it “let’s work together?” Is it “my house is bigger than your house” for us or is it “how can I help you to get a roof over your head?” Is it “my kid is smarter than your kid” for us or is it “how can I help all kids to learn?” Is it “I have a right to park in the church parking lot, I’ve been a member here for many years” or is it “I’ll park off site so that visitors, the sick, and the elderly will have a place to park close to the church entrance?” Is it “my country is better than your country” for us or is it “this world is God’s world, let’s build a better world?”
God calls us to be servants. Will we be kings or servants? That is our struggle.
Prayer: Thank you, God, for sending Jesus to teach me to be a servant. Forgive me for those times when I have chosen power, strength, and conquest over servanthood. Teach me to be a better servant. I ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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