Luke 22; John 13

Usually when I read the account of the Last Supper I focus on the communion aspect.  But there was more to that meeting in the Upper Room than first met my eye.

⁵ Jesus told them, “In this world the kings and great men lord it over their people, yet they are called ‘friends of the people.’ ²⁶ But among you it will be different. Those who are the greatest among you should take the lowest rank, and the leader should be like a servant. ²⁷ Who is more important, the one who sits at the table or the one who serves? The one who sits at the table, of course. But not here! For I am among you as one who serves.

Serving others is paramount to showing love, isn’t it?  Jesus loved his disciples, so he served them even though he was the King.  Notice what he said at first…”among you it will be different” in terms of who is greatest.  Jesus wants us to willingly take the lowest rank.

What does that mean in real life?  It means serving my family with joy and not resentment…doing laundry with a grateful heart…gladly putting meals on the table…finding ways, big and small, to serve those around me.  This is a hard concept to truly embrace, because who among us wants to be the server if we are given the choice between being served and being the server?  Serving is hard work!

But it is also Jesus’ way.  He showed us with his example of dying for us what extreme servanthood looks like.