The way up is down*
Reading for Friday April 7
Bible Section: Mark 10: Lu
James and John still can’t imagine a nation other than a geographical nation in time. Therefore they are still eager for their own advancement. Jesus had disclosed to them that he would be arrested, sentenced, flogged and killed. Unable to understand or pay attention, James and John are planning to sit on either side of Jesus in his glory.
They are quite sure that whatever Jesus is going to experience they can experience it with him. Except that they don’t begin to understand what is going to happen in the next few days.
It probably caused a rift between the 12 disciples. Ten of them were indignant, with two of them. Jesus calls them all together and makes it clear that people who believe him are to be different to the people who don’t. Jesus reminds them about the leaders of the Roman empire who dominate people in the authority of the Caesars. “It is not to be that way with you.” He tells them. Instead the people who want to be great must become servants. James and John must have been very dismayed.
“I am among you as one who serves.” Says Jesus without any loss of dignity. In a few days he was going to demonstrate this dramatically by washing the feet of the men who worked with him.
So this is the nature of the Heavenly Kingdom of God. All God’s people serving all other people in the name of the Lord God. Because God invites, and does not compel, people to become his servants, they enjoy freedom and exercise their intelligence in deciding how best to benefit the people they serve. Serving someone does not make you that person’s servant. You serve because you are God’s servant and he would have you attend to the needs of people. We, the people who have given allegiance to God in the name of Jesus, are the the servants of the Most High God, and in his name we extend to our fellow human beings all the help and encouragement that they will receive.
This is what the kingdom of heaven is. Not a geographic kingdom, nor a place in time and space. The kingdom of heaven is to willingly subscribe to the desires and intentions of our Loving Father in heaven. To make his good will our will and to co-operate with him intelligently and eagerly to bring his blessings to all humanity
Even after his death, Jesus would demonstrate servanthood again, when he met the disciples by the lake after his resurrection. Ours is an up-side down kingdom where the first becomes last, the servant of all becomes the greatest, and the simple trusting approach of a child serves as a model for the all citizens.
*Campbell Morgan
Bible Section: Mark 10: Lu
James and John still can’t imagine a nation other than a geographical nation in time. Therefore they are still eager for their own advancement. Jesus had disclosed to them that he would be arrested, sentenced, flogged and killed. Unable to understand or pay attention, James and John are planning to sit on either side of Jesus in his glory.
They are quite sure that whatever Jesus is going to experience they can experience it with him. Except that they don’t begin to understand what is going to happen in the next few days.
It probably caused a rift between the 12 disciples. Ten of them were indignant, with two of them. Jesus calls them all together and makes it clear that people who believe him are to be different to the people who don’t. Jesus reminds them about the leaders of the Roman empire who dominate people in the authority of the Caesars. “It is not to be that way with you.” He tells them. Instead the people who want to be great must become servants. James and John must have been very dismayed.
“I am among you as one who serves.” Says Jesus without any loss of dignity. In a few days he was going to demonstrate this dramatically by washing the feet of the men who worked with him.
So this is the nature of the Heavenly Kingdom of God. All God’s people serving all other people in the name of the Lord God. Because God invites, and does not compel, people to become his servants, they enjoy freedom and exercise their intelligence in deciding how best to benefit the people they serve. Serving someone does not make you that person’s servant. You serve because you are God’s servant and he would have you attend to the needs of people. We, the people who have given allegiance to God in the name of Jesus, are the the servants of the Most High God, and in his name we extend to our fellow human beings all the help and encouragement that they will receive.
This is what the kingdom of heaven is. Not a geographic kingdom, nor a place in time and space. The kingdom of heaven is to willingly subscribe to the desires and intentions of our Loving Father in heaven. To make his good will our will and to co-operate with him intelligently and eagerly to bring his blessings to all humanity
Even after his death, Jesus would demonstrate servanthood again, when he met the disciples by the lake after his resurrection. Ours is an up-side down kingdom where the first becomes last, the servant of all becomes the greatest, and the simple trusting approach of a child serves as a model for the all citizens.
*Campbell Morgan
posted by Jessie Coates at 11:36 PM
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