Matthew the apostle wrote how Jesus said, “You know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister. And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant”, and in chapter twenty and verse twenty-eight of his book, Matthew shared how Jesus told His disciples, “the Son of man came...to minister” where we read:
Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto,
but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
The verse reads, “Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, ...”. Matthew began with the words, “even as” or “just as or exactly like” “the Son of man” which was “used by Christ himself, doubtless in order that he might intimate his Messiahship and also that he might designate himself as the head of the human family, the man, the one who both furnished the pattern of the perfect man and acted on behalf of all mankind” “came not” or “did not arise, appear, become know or find place of influence” “to be ministered unto” which means “to be served, waited upon and supplied with the necessities of life”. Matthew shared how Jesus declared that He did not come so people could “serve and wait upon” Him.
The verse goes on to say, “... but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” Matthew added the word, “but” or “nevertheless, moreover and” “to minister” which means “to serve, wait upon and supply the necessities of life”, “and to give” or “and to grant, bestow, furnish, supply and deliver” “his life” which refers to “Jesus' breath of life, living being and soul which is the seat of feelings, desires, affections and aversion” “a ransom” or “a price for redeeming slaves or captives to liberate them from misery and the penalty for their sins” “for many” which means “on behalf of large and massive groups of people”. Matthew wrote how Jesus declared His purpose on earth was to “serve” others in their necessities and “furnish” His “life” on behalf of others to pay the penalty for their sins.
When we think through Matthew's words in this verse, we see how Jesus did not come to the earth to be “served” by mankind. No, rather, Jesus came to attend to the “needs” of people and to “give His life” as the payment for their sins. The world promotes the idea of advancement, lording and preeminence over others, and yet, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords Jesus did just the opposite so people might come into a loving relationship with God. All who consider Jesus' ways should observe how He did not come to be “served”, but to “serve”, and those who are wise shall not only emulate Him, but do the same for others throughout the world.
Next time Matthew writes what happened, “as they departed from Jericho”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book
“Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the
marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the
Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms
Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County"
in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com
; http://www.barnesandnobles.com
; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
No comments:
Post a Comment