“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 26 It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, 28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
In John Milton’s Paradise Lost, Satan says out loud what man thinks to himself as he lives his life. “Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven.” Man has always wanted to be in control and Milton describes the resulting Fall shortly thereafter. The rulers of the Gentiles were the Romans and it must have stung to have Jesus compare the disciples to the Romans but the analogy is apt. If they wanted to follow Jesus, they would suffer and serve, not swagger and strongarm.
This may be one of the problems with the increasingly visible and public downfall of pastors in recent years. They simply wanted to lead people, not serve them. Peter warned the elders not to lord it over the people. If anyone could, it would have been Peter, the right hand man of the Savior. If you really want to be an important leader in a megachurch, that might be the first warning sign. If you love the Lord as a forgiven sinner and just want to serve, don’t be surprised if you become a leader in a church because Jesus reigns, not us.
Dear Lord, thank you for the reign that you hold over the universe. Help us to have humility to serve you so we can lead better. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Pastor Brad Boyer
Cape Community Church