By Myrna Brito
Throughout the gospels we see Jesus serving people. He was the son of God and could have easily and rightfully come with a “serve me mentality”, but he did not. There are three specific things about how Jesus served that model for us how we should serve and what the disposition of our heart should be when it comes to serving.
Serving like Jesus means we must allow our schedules to be interrupted, we must be willing to take the difficult assignment, and we must serve with authority expecting God to show up.
Jesus allowed his agenda to be interrupted.
Jesus’ time on earth was short. The maximum impact would have been to go to where the crowds were in order to reach the maximum number of people. Jesus ministered to the large crowds, but on many occasions stopped to serve the needs of individuals.
In Mark 5:21-42 we see the story begin with Jesus speaking to a group of people and a man named Jairus coming and begging for Jesus to come pray for his daughter, for she is very ill. Jesus gets up and goes with Jairus. On the way, with the crowd pressing in, a woman that had been bleeding for twelve years, touched Jesus’ cloak in faith knowing that doing so would heal her. Jesus stopped and looked around the crowd to find the person that had touched him. It must have been a sight with all the people pressed in on Jesus and hearing them say “Well it may have been me that touched him. It is kinda hard to tell with everyone pressing in”. Keep in mind that in that culture any ailment having to do with blood caused the person that was suffering to become an outcast, separated from society. Jesus wanted to make eye contact with the woman. He wanted her to know that he saw her and that she had dignity and was worth him stopping to engage with her. It’s profound the way Jesus not only healed her physically but also addressed her brokenness. After this interruption, Jesus continued with his original mission to go heal Jairus’s daughter.
Jesus had a packed itinerary. He had helpers that could have scheduled visits to those in need, but Jesus did not allow his schedule to take priority. He knew that serving the needs of the people was the most important thing.
We have people all around us that need to hear about Jesus. And we need to give our agenda to God and allow it to be interrupted to serve others. In the course of our day we are so busy and focused on our agenda that we do not allow our to-do list to be interrupted to serve others. Here is a thought: What if we leave time open in our schedule for God to move, for our agenda to be interrupted? A good place to start is simple; stop and engage people, look into their eyes and give them dignity as human beings and share kindness with them.
Jesus DID NOT pick the easy assignments
Many of the circumstances that Jesus found himself in were unpleasant. The people that Jesus served were “not right” in every sense of the word. Their behavior and appearance were not right.
In Luke 8:26-33 Jesus is in a boat that lands in a spot where there is a man that is demon possessed. We could with all certainty call him the town crazy. The bible tells us that this demon-possessed man often did not have clothes on. The townspeople would shackle him in an attempt to tame him, but he would break the chains. That description alone caused me to wonder why Jesus would pick that landing spot. Jesus knew that the man had a desperate need and that the man was dirty and difficult to deal with. He took the assignment anyway.
In our service to the Lord, do we ask for the easy assignments? Are we willing to take the job that no one else will do or approach the people that are not the most pleasant? The circumstances around serving are not always going to be ideal and the people that God wants us to serve are not always going to be easy and presentable. Regardless, let’s be bold and ask God to use us to serve.
Jesus served with authority
Jesus served knowing that he had been sent by God. HE moved with authority. Now you may say, “Now Myrna, Jesus had all authority, he was the son of God.” You would be right. But Jesus wanted the disciples to experience the supernatural so that they would know the authority that they had been given. Therefore, he modeled full dependence on God.
The account in Luke 10:1-19 tells us about how Jesus was preparing his disciples and followers to continue ministry after he would leave the earth. Jesus divides a group of seventy-two into pairs. He instructs them that they are to minister to people, heal the sick, cast out demons. He provides them with some ministry guidance letting them know that not everyone would accept them; and he lets them know that there may be times where they would need to dust off their feet and move on. Verse 17-19 shows us what happens when they returned.
17 The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!”18 And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.
The seventy-two were so excited about what had happened, and Jesus reminded them that they have been given authority. It is critical to stand fully aware of what God can do. He has given us what we need, and we must move in faith. He has provided the gifts AND he has given us authority.
When we serve like Jesus we allow our schedule to be interrupted, we don’t look for the easy assignments and we serve with authority expecting God to show up.
Jesus provided us with the most perfect example of how to serve. Jesus stopped doing the important things to do the most important things. The easy assignments are not the ones Jesus went after. As we continue to serve let’s be willing to serve those that we now see as the “least of these”, those that society has thrown away. The Holy Spirit has given us gifts and Jesus has given us authority. Let us walk in boldness knowing that God will meet the needs as we extend our hands to serve. Together let’s expect God to show up in a big way.
