Today I want to explain the difference between being great in the kingdom of God and being the foremost.
Jesus said: "Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Mat 20:26-28)
If you want to become great, you must be a servant of others, and if you want to be first or foremost, you must be their slave. Consider the difference between being a servant and being a slave.
The word servant in the passage above comes from the Greek word diakonos, meaning an attendant, that is, (generally) a waiter (at table or in other menial duties); specifically a Christian teacher and pastor (technically a deacon or deaconess): - deacon, minister, servant.
The word slave in the same passage comes from the Greek word doulos (δοῦλος), meaning a slave (literally or figuratively, involuntarily or voluntarily; frequently therefore in a qualified sense of subjection or subserviency): - bond (-man), bondservant. Some of the people in Scripture who identified themselves as the Lord's slaves (doulos), included Peter (2 Pe 1:1), Paul (Rom 1:1; Tit 1:1), John (Rev 1:1), Timothy (Php 1:1), Mary (Luk 1:38,48), Simeon, (Luk 2:29), Epaphras (Col 4:12), James (Jas 1:1), and Jude (Jud 1:1).
Some versions of the Bible (such as the ASV) translate the word doulos as servant, but that is not the appropriate translation of doulos, since doulos does not bear the connotation of a free person serving someone.
The Bauer-Arndt-Gingrich (BAG) A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature notes that using the word “‘servant’ for ‘slave’ is largely confined to Biblical translations and early American times…in normal usage at the present time the two words are carefully distinguished” (BAG p. 205).
Therefore, the word doulos must be correctly translated as either a slave or bondservant. Most people today probably don't know the difference between a servant and bondservant, especially since the word bondservant has become rather archaic. A servant has a measure of freedom and is paid for his service. However, a bondservant indicates one who sells himself into slavery to another, one who is subjected to the authority of another, or whose person and liberty are restrained. It is a person bound in service without wages. This is essentially synonymous with a slave.
Now as we go back to the passage in Matthew, we can better understand what the Lord meant when He said, "Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave."
He did not indicate that there is any problem with aspiring to greatness, as long as you go about it God's way. If you aspire to be great, then you must be a servant, and if you want to be first or chief of all, then you must be their slave, which means you are bound in service to them without wages.
May the Lord help us to walk in His steps, as He modeled for us what it means to be a slave. For we are not above our Master (Mt 10:24), who took upon Himself the form of a slave (Php 2:7), and came not to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many. It is enough for us to become like our Master (Mt 10:25). Then as we walk as He did, we will join the ranks of those in Scripture who -- as slaves - were the greatest of all.
Attribution notice: Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan, used by permission.
Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, please also see the following: God's Way to Greatness, Having a Servant's Heart, Following in His Steps, Paradoxes of the Kingdom of God, Living a Life Worthy of the Lord, and Living on Earth as They Do in Heaven. You may find the Main Directory for this blog at Home, and you may also access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."
Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus. Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?
“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15). He preached that we must repent and believe.
Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"
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Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International. He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.
