Serving The Least Deserving Will Make Your Service Great

Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.” — Mark 9:35 (NIV)

I had no reason to be grumpy. Yet from the moment I woke up I found myself grumbling over every little annoyance. The coffee wasn’t ready on time. The shirt I planned to wear had a stain. The fuel gauge in my car warned me I needed to stop at the gas station. As I headed to my first appointment, I wondered: Why am I so irritable today? 

Different plausible reasons came to mind. A new month had begun ~ and this particular month marked the painful loss of loved ones. Unexpected changes to my schedule resulted in back-to-back appointments for the day ~ a situation which inevitably creates stress. My final appointment for the day involved serving someone I love, but lately our relationship had become difficult and tense. 

Suddenly I felt the prompting of the Holy Spirit as this thought formed in my mind:

This is your opportunity to be the very last, and the servant of all.

Just that morning I read this verse in the gospel of Mark:

Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.” (Mark 9:35 NIV)

Jesus shared these words with His disciples because they had been arguing over which one of them was the greatest (Mark 9:33-34). Jesus wanted them, and us, to understand that He defines greatness very differently than we would. To prove His point, Jesus used the example of a small child, “‘Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me’” (Mark 9:37 NIV).

Unlike our culture, children in Jesus’ time were not esteemed for their innocence and purity. Instead, they were seen as insignificant and without social status. If you served a child, you would get nothing back because they had nothing to offer in return. 

And this was the crux of my problem. I didn’t want to serve this person because I felt she didn’t deserve it. In the past she has hurt me and and has taken advantage of me. She often feels entitled and unappreciative. The issues in our relationship have forced me to set healthy boundaries with her. But even though serving her that evening fell within those limits, I didn’t want to do it. 

And so I wrestled with Jesus’ words. He didn’t say serve only those who are deserving. He said to serve all ~ even when the person served offers nothing in return. Because when we do that, we are actually serving Jesus. And when we serve Jesus, we serve the Father. And they definitely deserve our service.

Once my heart accepted these truths, the evening went better than expected. The person I served accepted my efforts with more appreciation than normal. And while our relationship has not completely healed, it has grown stronger.

Lord Jesus, thank You for defining what greatness looks like in Your Kingdom. We know You set the perfect example of serving all when You went to the cross. May we follow Your example and serve others, whether we find them to be deserving or not. In this way, may we serve You and the Father. We pray this in Your name. Amen.