Regardless of whichever season of life you’re presently in, I believe it could be a healthy experience to force yourself to volunteer to serve others in recent ways. Serving others has the capability to stretch you, and it’s a healthy reminder that the world doesn’t revolve around you.
Believing this to be a healthy mindset to cultivate, my wife and I recently made the choice to volunteer every week of our time to serve with a camping ministry that a few of our youngsters also volunteer with. The camp is about 7 hours from our home, and while our youngsters have turn into known there, my wife and I were virtually unknown. We contacted the camp, expressed our desire to volunteer, went through their screening process, after which told them they might literally assign us to any job or any task. We desired to serve wherever they thought we might be most helpful.
After a couple of weeks, we were told that we could be helping with campus security. It could be our primary task to patrol all ends of the property from early morning to late evening, ensuring the campers were protected. At night we slept on bunk beds in a cabin that was quite warm with no easy method to cool it down. And as we served in our roles, there have been dozens of other adults who volunteered as well. For a whole week, all of us worked with minimal breaks, and so far as I can tell, although it was tiring, it gave the impression to be a joyful experience for everybody who was involved.
When my wife and I volunteered to assist, I assumed we were doing something unique. It seems, it wasn’t unique in any respect. We spent all the week surrounded by individuals who didn’t expect to be treated like kings and queens. They just desired to serve others and glorify Jesus.
The Humble Legacy of King David
I used to be impressed by this attitude, but I also find it particularly impressive when a literal king expresses that very same sort of heart. While still speaking within the temple area, Jesus quoted the words of King David from Psalm 110, words that demonstrated David’s submissive spirit and desire to honor Christ as Lord, even before Jesus got here to this earth within the flesh.
And as Jesus taught within the temple, he said, “How can the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David? David himself, within the Holy Spirit, declared,
“‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet.”’
David himself calls him Lord. So how is he his son?” And the good throng heard him gladly. – Mark 12:35-37
David reigned as king of Israel a couple of thousand years before Christ’s incarnation. During the time of Christ’s earthly ministry, David was revered by the Jewish people. He’s still revered today by Jews, Christians, and plenty of others. The biblical accounts of David’s youth, his willingness to trust the Lord within the midst of unimaginable odds, his divinely ordained rise to power, his musical and poetic gifts, and the incontrovertible fact that the Holy Spirit inspired David to put in writing the vast majority of the Psalms are highly impressive.
David was also a smart and powerful leader. His leadership decisions and the victories he was blessed with remain legendary to today. Many Jews considered him the head of human leadership they usually longed to be led by such a king again at some point.
At one point during David’s reign, the Lord revealed to Nathan the prophet that a descendent would come from David whose throne could be established ceaselessly. This was a prophetic reference to the Messiah, and ever because the days when this prophecy was given, the Jewish people have looked forward to the Messiah’s appearing.
“When your days are fulfilled and also you lie down together with your fathers, I’ll raise up your offspring after you, who shall come out of your body, and I’ll establish his kingdom. He shall construct a house for my name, and I’ll establish the throne of his kingdom ceaselessly.” – 2 Sam. 7:12-13
Understanding the Messiah as Both God and David’s Descendant
Even though they looked forward to the Messiah’s reign, most Jewish people didn’t understand that the Messiah could be greater than a human ruler. He would indeed be a person who was a descendant of David, but He could be greater than a person. The Messiah could be God who would tackle flesh, and live as the proper union of God and man.
The Holy Spirit revealed that mystery to David, and David revealed that truth within the Psalms, particularly in Psalm 110. That’s why Jesus, the achievement of the Messianic prophecies, quoted from that passage when chatting with the crowds in Mark 12. Jesus asked, “How can the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David? David himself calls him Lord. So how is he his son?”
Jesus was referring to the opening verse of Psalm 110 where David says…
“The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.” – Psalm 110:1
Both God the Father and Jesus Christ are referenced in that verse. To help illustrate what’s being shared in that passage, the Amplified Bible translates it like this…
The Lord (Father) says to my Lord (the Messiah, His Son), “Sit at My right hand Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet [subjugating them into complete submission].” – Ps. 110:1, AMP
This is what Jesus was attempting to show this group of individuals. He wanted them to know His real nature, the character of the long-promised Messiah. Jesus was showing them from a passage they were already acquainted with, spoken by a king they revered, that when the Messiah got here, He could be greater than only a physical descendent of David. The Messiah could be someone David would openly worship as Lord. The Messiah could be God in human flesh.
That was a tough concept for people to return to terms with because there is no such thing as a other example in human history of anything like that going down. It’s also a spiritual truth that may only truly be accepted or discerned when the Holy Spirit grants the spiritual discernment to know it. Just because it was the Holy Spirit who inspired David to put in writing it, so too must we depend on the Holy Spirit to understand that truth.
Additionally, there are multiple examples of humility on this teaching that we’d do well to watch. David, a person who lived much of his life as a strong king, was delighted to honor the Messiah as his Lord. Jesus, who has existed as one with the Father and the Spirit for all eternity was willing to humble himself to tackle flesh and turn into a person with a view to serve us and suffer for us.
This is the sort of heart attitude we’re being called to cultivate as followers of Christ. A heart that embraces humility and the need to serve another person even at great personal cost to yourself. *(Families hosting BBQs and other events)
Unfortunately, many individuals on this world don’t embrace humility or a desire to serve others. In fact, human history is suffering from examples of people that coveted power a lot that they didn’t care who they hurt of their efforts to acquire it. This continues to be the case in the current day. The world is full of individuals who would rush to sell their everlasting soul if in doing in order that they could obtain power for just a couple of short years.
The Call to True Servant Leadership
It’s one thing to see that lust for power on display amongst politicians or governmental officials, nevertheless it’s tragic to see that mindset creep into the lives and leadership practices of non secular leaders. Unfortunately, because the gospel accounts exhibit, the religious leadership throughout the time of Christ’s earthly ministry was highly corrupt.
“And in his teaching he said, ‘Beware of the scribes, who prefer to walk around in long robes and like greetings within the marketplaces and have the most effective seats within the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.’” – Mark 12:38-40
When you’re entrusted with a position of spiritual leadership, there could also be many individuals on this world who will probably be skeptical of you, but at the identical time, there may also be many who trust you implicitly. They will make necessary life decisions based on the instance you set and the words you teach. Do not treat that sort of influence flippantly and don’t benefit from those that have taken the chance to trust you.
By this point, the crowds had witnessed the hard time most of the religious leaders had given Jesus. It wasn’t a secret that they despised Him. They desired to trip Him up in what He said. They wanted to seek out some sort of accusation that may stick against Him and influence the crowds that were fascinated with Him to disperse. Jesus wanted the people to know the true character of those men although they were often considered pious.
Jesus told the people to look at out for many who prefer to draw unhealthy attention to themselves. Often they’ll do it in the way in which they dress, in the distinction they wish to be shown in public places, and within the seats they’ll select at whatever table they’re invited to. When they pray or speak, their primary concern won’t be honoring God, but fairly being honored by their audience. Essentially, they’ll try to receive the praise that ought to be pointed heavenward.
And if you happen to look really closely at their lives, you may even have the ability to seek out examples of them making the most of essentially the most downtrodden and disadvantaged. The scribes of that era weren’t paid in a conventional sense, in order that they often relied on financial gifts. There’s no intrinsic problem with that, but unfortunately, it was also common for widows to entrust their personal funds to those men, and as an alternative of helping them with pure motives, a lot of them took financial advantage of those women with the goal of enriching themselves.
This isn’t the one place in Scripture where we’re cautioned to look at out for individuals who abuse their roles in spiritual leadership.
“The word of the Lord got here to me: ‘Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy, and say to them, even to the shepherds, Thus says the Lord God: Ah, shepherds of Israel who’ve been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep? You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat ones, but you don’t feed the sheep. The weak you might have not strengthened, the sick you might have not healed, the injured you might have not certain up, the strayed you might have not brought back, the lost you might have not sought, and with force and harshness you might have ruled them…Thus says the Lord God, Behold, I’m against the shepherds, and I would require my sheep at their hand and put a stop to their feeding the sheep. No longer shall the shepherds feed themselves. I’ll rescue my sheep from their mouths, that they is probably not food for them.’” – Ezekiel 34:1-4, 10
What a contrast that is to the compassionate, shepherding leadership of Jesus. Jesus didn’t come to this earth to get something from us. He didn’t come to devour us or benefit from us. He got here to serve us, heal us, forgive us, and produce us back from our wandering.
He is Lord of all creation, yet He took the shape of a servant. He must have been treated like a king, yet we treated Him with contempt.
As David prophetically called Jesus his Lord, let’s join him in offering that very same sort of sincere and submissive praise. The goal of our lives should never be to be treated like kings. Rather, our goal ought to be to honor and glorify Jesus, the one who reigns as King ceaselessly.
© John Stange, 2024 Originally published on Bible Study Headquarters. Used with permission.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Thomas Barwick
John Stange is the Lead Pastor at Core Creek Community Church and a professor at Cairn University where he leads the Digital Media and Communication program. He also leads an internet community called Platform Launchers where he helps people construct message-based online platforms.
John has authored over 30 books and presently hosts several podcasts on the LifeAudio podcast network. His shows have been downloaded tens of millions of times by listeners throughout the world.
You can learn more about John’s ministry, books, and podcasts at BibleStudyHeadquarters.com.
