Disgruntled Church
Scripture: Luke 22:20-21, 23-27
"After supper he took another cup of wine and said, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you. 21 “But here at this table, sitting among us as a friend, is the man who will betray me...23 The disciples began to ask each other which of them would ever do such a thing. 24 Then they began to argue among themselves about who would be the greatest among them. 25 Jesus told them, “In this world the kings and great men lord it over their people, yet they are called ‘friends of the people.’ 26 But among you it will be different. Those who are the greatest among you should take the lowest rank, and the leader should be like a servant. 27 Who is more important, the one who sits at the table or the one who serves? The one who sits at the table, of course. But not here! For I am among you as one who serves.
Observations:
At the Last Supper, the final meal Jesus shared with His disciples before His death, He began to teach them about the New Covenant that was about to usher in God's Kingdom by means of His suffering and death. Right in the middle of the meal, Jesus revealed the fact that one of them was disloyal to Him and would betray Him. In the awkward silence that followed the disciples' suspicion of one another quickly turned into paranoia, arguing, comparison, and jealousy to the point that Jesus had to break up all the fighting with a lesson on servanthood that put each of them to shame. In contrast to the world's leaders who flaunt their authority, play politics, fight for positions, and crave the spotlight, Jesus' statements (vs.27) underscore the reality that this kind of selfish, power-hungry corruption has no place in His Church- certainly not among the "leaders"!
Application:
Whenever we begin making "church" less about the fact that Christ suffered and gave His life so that people could have right relationship with God and are more concerneed about who's better than us, arguing over who's got the most influence, competing with others, and always trying to one up our brothers and sisters in Christ, we distance ourselves from the Kingdom of God. If we were just eager to fight over who gets to be the servant and shedding our self-importance, the church would overflow with so many "leaders" that we wouldn't know what to do with them! Church will never be what God intended it to be so long as we are all focused on ourselves. It's quite impossible to even recognize the needs of others let alone meet those needs when we are blinded by self-promotion. It's difficult to build God's Kingdom when we are busy building our own. Jesus assures us that in eternity each of us have a place in His Kingdom that is far greater than anything this world knows. But those places cannot be obtained by political power plays. They are the reward for those who decided long ago that life is too short and eternity is too long to waste their lives seeking that which does not last forever.
Prayer:
Father, we desire to be like You. Help us to lay aside our selfish ambition and give us the lowest positions in this life that are despised by men so that we can effectively "serve" as builders of Your eternal Kingdom. Teach us to love one another and "consider others better than ourselves" (Philippians 2:3) Amen.
Daily Bible Reading Plan
"After supper he took another cup of wine and said, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you. 21 “But here at this table, sitting among us as a friend, is the man who will betray me...23 The disciples began to ask each other which of them would ever do such a thing. 24 Then they began to argue among themselves about who would be the greatest among them. 25 Jesus told them, “In this world the kings and great men lord it over their people, yet they are called ‘friends of the people.’ 26 But among you it will be different. Those who are the greatest among you should take the lowest rank, and the leader should be like a servant. 27 Who is more important, the one who sits at the table or the one who serves? The one who sits at the table, of course. But not here! For I am among you as one who serves.
Observations:
At the Last Supper, the final meal Jesus shared with His disciples before His death, He began to teach them about the New Covenant that was about to usher in God's Kingdom by means of His suffering and death. Right in the middle of the meal, Jesus revealed the fact that one of them was disloyal to Him and would betray Him. In the awkward silence that followed the disciples' suspicion of one another quickly turned into paranoia, arguing, comparison, and jealousy to the point that Jesus had to break up all the fighting with a lesson on servanthood that put each of them to shame. In contrast to the world's leaders who flaunt their authority, play politics, fight for positions, and crave the spotlight, Jesus' statements (vs.27) underscore the reality that this kind of selfish, power-hungry corruption has no place in His Church- certainly not among the "leaders"!
Application:
Whenever we begin making "church" less about the fact that Christ suffered and gave His life so that people could have right relationship with God and are more concerneed about who's better than us, arguing over who's got the most influence, competing with others, and always trying to one up our brothers and sisters in Christ, we distance ourselves from the Kingdom of God. If we were just eager to fight over who gets to be the servant and shedding our self-importance, the church would overflow with so many "leaders" that we wouldn't know what to do with them! Church will never be what God intended it to be so long as we are all focused on ourselves. It's quite impossible to even recognize the needs of others let alone meet those needs when we are blinded by self-promotion. It's difficult to build God's Kingdom when we are busy building our own. Jesus assures us that in eternity each of us have a place in His Kingdom that is far greater than anything this world knows. But those places cannot be obtained by political power plays. They are the reward for those who decided long ago that life is too short and eternity is too long to waste their lives seeking that which does not last forever.
Prayer:
Father, we desire to be like You. Help us to lay aside our selfish ambition and give us the lowest positions in this life that are despised by men so that we can effectively "serve" as builders of Your eternal Kingdom. Teach us to love one another and "consider others better than ourselves" (Philippians 2:3) Amen.
Daily Bible Reading Plan
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