Title Servant (0128a)
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20010128-11 p.m. Sermon Title: Servant Text: Luke 22:24-30
Did you have a good Lunar New Year holiday? Someone said this to me. “I think it’s too hard for women during the holidays.” It seems to be something like that. Why? Only women cook, clean up, wash the dishes... Did you help the male butlers? Lord...
Even though the disciples were unaware of the Lord's feelings, at the beginning of today's text they even quarreled over the question of "who is the greatest" seems to be very similar to most of us. So, it is not easy to say, "Aww, are the disciples at this level?" So Jesus also rebuked many other things, but this time he is explaining rather than rebuking. Jesus' explanation begins like this. "All the kings of this world are rulers who hold power, and they have two characteristics." One, "in charge of us" - which means one who pretends to be a master. Another is "to be called a benefactor" - that is, one who bestows grace. Perhaps that is why even in Korea, in the past, I said to the king, "The castle is gone." This probably remains a characteristic of those in power from ancient times to the present, and for the foreseeable future. So, pretending to be a master and being a giver of grace - how exciting is this? Even if I do what I want, I always hear you say thank you..
But Jesus answers, "No." Verse 26. "You are not!" And then he explains. "The older one should be like the younger one. The boss should be like the one who serves." This is one, not two. In a word, 'serve the older like the younger'. The important thing isn't that it's not big. It's not that I'm not in power. Rather, be in power, but serve with that power! Just as a child serves an adult! The detailed explanation is found in verses 28-30, the last part of today's text. In verse 28, the Lord says thank you for always being with us even in difficult times, and in verse 29, Jesus says that the kingdom of heaven that God entrusted to Jesus is now entrusted to the disciples.
You entrusted me to heaven. How important is this? But what is important is how you entrusted it. There are two explanations in verse 30. One is sitting around Jesus' camp, eating and drinking together, and the other is sitting on the throne and ruling (judging) the 12 tribes of Israel. First of all, there is talk of eating. What does Jesus do when the disciples take on the roles of eating and drinking? Can we sit and eat together? At first glance, it seems so, right? But look at verse 27. "But I am among you as a servant." So what's the mood? Jesus is wearing an apron and carrying food, and the disciples (us) are sitting around a table, eating and drinking... Can you imagine? I think that from today's lunch, we will be more like the Lord. However, it is not okay to think of this heavenly image only when eating. This may be part of it.
When you come to church, do you feel like you sit down to receive a table or do you feel like standing and serving? This is very important. What use is it if we say that we want to live in heaven and enjoy it in our thoughts and words, but if we do not serve it? Jesus entrusted this kingdom of heaven to his disciples, and it has come to us today. So we are the inheritors of heaven. In heaven, those who serve many can rule and judge many. Those who do not serve must keep their mouths shut. And that service should be served with love. We must serve ourselves with the sacrificial love that crucifies us like the Lord. That is why the Lord explained about this service as he ate the Passover Supper before he was arrested.
I pray in the name of the Lord that you and I will live a life that completes the appearance of heaven by serving you while freeing yourself from the temptations of physical harmony and greedy for heaven. -Amen-