My Missing Piece

I’m working on a puzzle that I received as a Christmas gift from my sister. It’s a great diversion from binge watching shows on Hulu, which I have tendency of doing during these long winter evenings.

For me, it’s the thrill of the hunt when working a puzzle. I will pick up a piece and hold it in my hand as I scan the table looking for a likely spot where it will fit. I may have several failed attempts until “Eureka,” and a rush of pleasure washes over me as the piece locks into place.

Oddly enough, I had this same sensation in church recently. You see, we are studying Philippians in Sunday school and our lesson focused on chapter two, which scholars believe was possibly a hymn sung by the early Christian church:

Who, being in very nature God,

    did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own

        advantage;

 rather, he made himself nothing

    by taking the very nature of a servant,

    being made in human likeness.

And being found in appearance as a man,

    he humbled himself

    by becoming obedient to death—

        even death on a cross!

 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place

    and gave him the name that is above every name,

that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,

    to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:6-11)

In his commentary on Philippians, William Barclay expressed his belief that this is perhaps the greatest and most moving passage Paul ever wrote about Jesus, and I have to agree with him. I turn to this passage frequently because I feel there is no other passage in the New Testament which so movingly sets out the reality of what the godhead and the manhood of Jesus looked like. In these verses, we clearly see the sacrifice that Jesus chose to make when he laid aside his divinity and took on the form of his creation.

I have, indeed, held this piece of scripture in my hand for many years, and I thought I understood it until this past Sunday when we read verse five; the verse immediately preceding the passage. Here Paul wrote: “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus.”

And once again, I said “What!”

How could I have missed that! All this time, I have only been looking at this passage in what it tells me about Jesus, which of course is vital, but I missed the all-important segway into the hymn. In dealing with others, we are to have the same mindset as Christ! Hear how Eugene Peterson translated this passage in The Message:

Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion.

And that is how we are to live. We are to think like Jesus when dealing with others, and the more I have thought about this, I mentality began to pick up other pieces of scripture. Was this what Jesus had in mind when he taught:

“When a servant comes in from plowing or taking care of sheep, does his master say, ‘Come in and eat with me’? No, he says, ‘Prepare my meal, put on your apron, and serve me while I eat. Then you can eat later.’ And does the master thank the servant for doing what he was told to do? Of course not. In the same way, when you obey me you should say, ‘We are unworthy servants who have simply done our duty.’” (Luke 17:7-10)

I’ve always found this passage uncomfortable, because, frankly, I want a pat on the back, along with a “Well done,” when I do any act of service. Oh yes, I like a little praise for my hard work; however, Jesus is telling us that a faithful servant should not expect any special reward since he did only what he was told to do. He was just doing his job the way he was supposed. If I get upset because I’m not getting the thanks or recognition that I think I deserves, I need to ask myself why I’m serving. Am I serving only to get recognition and a reward?

This train of thought then took me to parable of the Lost Son (Luke 15:11-32). While the elder son stayed home and was obedient, he was miserable and my guess, not particularly fun to be around. He could only focus on what his father hadn’t done for him. In fact, he had become so bitter that he couldn’t even be happy when his lost brother came home. The father even goes to him and tells him that everything he has will be his one day, but he needs to come in and join the celebration. Yet, we are left wondering what decision he made, which should make us question our own hearts. Who do we love more: ourself or God?   

And we can’t forget the night Jesus washed his disciples’ feet:

And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. I tell you the truth, slaves are not greater than their master. Nor is the messenger more important than the one who sends the message. Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them. (John 13:14-17)

Over the three years the disciples had been following Jesus, he had taught them so many lessons about humility and service, and on their last night together, he gave them one last demonstration: “This is what it means to be servant. This is what I am calling you to do.”

As they each had their dirty feet washed by their Teacher, did they remember his answer when they asked who was the greatest in heaven (Matthew 18:1-6)? Did James and John cringe that they let their mother ask if they could sit at his right and left hand when Jesus came into his kingdom (Matthew 20:20-21)? I can hear again the words of Jesus, “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:28)

More pieces are starting to fall into place for me now; by becoming a servant, Jesus humbled himself to do the will of his father. He took on our debt - a debt we could not pay - and redeemed us! This is why we he told us to love our neighbors as ourselves (Mark 12:31), pray for those who persecute us (Matthew 5:44), and give to the needy without fanfare (Matthew 6:3-4) because through these actions we are showing the same love Christ had for us.

Yes, in everything we do, we are to have his mindset.

And what is that?

A servant does the will of his Master.

You may be thinking, “Duh!” who doesn’t know that, and you’re right. However, a servant’s heart doesn’t always come naturally to me, and I think the Holy Spirit sent me gentle a reminder on why I’m here. I’m a servant of the living God, and in everything I do, it should be for his glory and not my own.

Lord, thank you for giving me the piece I was missing.

For the glory of God!  Lisa

Discussion Questions

How does Jesus' willingness to serve and give His life as a ransom influence our understanding of sacrifice and love?

What are some practical ways to value others above yourself in your community or workplace?

Does Jesus teaching about the dutiful servant challenge your understanding of service? If so, how?