Serving, Leading, and Influencing Like Jesus

09/15/24

17 Now Jesus was going up to Jerusalem. On the way, he took the Twelve aside and said to them, 18 “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death 19 and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!” — Matthew 20:17–19 (NIV)

20 Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him. — vs. 20

21 “What is it you want?” he asked. 
She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.”  — vs. 21

22 “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?” “We can,” they answered. 23 Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father.” — vs. 22-23

24 When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. — Matthew 20:24 (NIV)

25 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26 Not so with you… — vs. 25-26a

…Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave… — vs. 26b-27

“…that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” ~Abraham Lincoln

28 …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. — vs. 28

6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! — Philippians 2:6–8 (NIV)