Mark 10:44-45 ASV
“And whosoever would be first among you, shall be servant of all. For the Son of man also came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.”
In God’s Kingdom, figuratively speaking, the road to greatness passes through humility. The greatness referred to here is what God sees and says about us in Christ Jesus; it is from God’s point of view. In our reference text, Jesus emphasized that truth from His own example and said, “…whosoever would be first among you, shall be servant of all. For the Son of man also came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” Hallelujah! Ordinarily, those who see themselves as “first” would want to be served by others. However, according to Jesus, it works the other way in the Kingdom of God.
Though men and angels worshipped Him from the days of His birth, the Lord Jesus kept His focus straight: He had come to serve and “to give his life a ransom for many”. Hallelujah! As a result of Adam’s disobedience (Gen 3), God’s justice demanded a chastisement (punishment) that was necessary for our peace (Isa 53:5). Thankfully, that chastisement was laid on Christ. At the heart of His sacrifice was our forgiveness of sins, salvation, healing, and eternal life, among others. During His lifetime on earth, the grace of God kept multiplying upon the Man Jesus, as He humbled Himself before the Father.
The Word says, Jesus “…increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor [grace] with God and man” (Luk 2:52 ESV). Besides the aforementioned benefits from the cross of Christ, the Word adds “Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who prophesied about the GRACE that would come to YOU, searched and carefully investigated. They inquired into what time or what circumstances the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating when he testified in advance to the sufferings of Christ and the GLORIES that would follow” (1 Pet 1:10-11 CSB). Hallelujah!
Pst. Emmanuel