Yesterday, we began looking at some snippets from the last few hours of Jesus, before He went to the cross. All of these portray for us the type of service Jesus gave to others and He challenges us to embrace His spirit of service…
SERVICE INVOLVES PRAYER – 22:39-46:
Jesus prayed that in the middle of that awful pain that He would not curse God like so many other crucified criminals had done before throughout His lifetime. So He prayed. And those words of pain came out in a much more non-confrontational way: “My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?” Jesus prayed for His faith, that it would not fail.
Jesus also prayed for His disciples. He knew the OT prophecies said that one would betray Him. Judas did. But it was not yet too late for Judas. Judas had left Jesus in the upper room and had gone out to get the soldiers to arrest Jesus in the garden. It was not yet too late for Judas. Jesus prayed for him. Jesus prayed for Peter. Jesus knew – and He still knows – that the flesh is weak. So He prayed.
Do you pray for those you disagree with? Do you pray for your spouse to be strong and healthy and blessed? Do you pray for your children? That they’ll receive from God what they need? Service involves prayer.
SERVICE INVOLVES ‘TOUCHING THE EAR’ OF YOUR ENEMY – 22:47-51; 23:27-31:
Now let’s get to the point where the rubber meets the road. Service involves serving. It’s more than praying in the privacy of your closet. It’s more than giving lip service to blessing your enemy. It is doing something constructive for your enemy!
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We should “put our money where our mouth is” or, maybe I should say we need to “put our hands of service where our faith is,” and serve other people, including people who disagree with us. We get our feelings hurt by someone and because our pride is wounded, we go sulk in the corner and start singing “woe is me,” when Jesus put His faith into action and served others, including His enemies. That’s the hidden power of serving.
SERVICE INVOLVES FORGIVENESS – 23:33-34, 40-43, 54:
Finally, the hidden power of serving includes treating people as if they had never said anything wrong to us, as if they never did anything wrong to us. Jesus was meek. Jesus was humble. Jesus wasn’t concerned about His rights and He wasn’t concerned about His feelings. He was all about serving others and trying to help them honor God and get to heaven. That quiet, humble, hidden power of forgiveness had an impact on an unlikely observer to this whole procedure; verse 54: “Now when the centurion saw what had happened, he began praising God, saying, “Certainly this man was innocent.”
CONCLUSION:
“A gentle answer turns away wrath” (Prov. 15:1). The “hidden power of serving” is that power of humility that can turn an enemy into a friend. We see that here in the example of Jesus with the thief on the cross (23:39-43). We see a similar reaction in one of the centurions (23:47) and the crowds (23:48).
If we want to have good, wholesome, positive relationships with other people, including those who get on our nerves, those who disrespect us, those who are our enemies, then we must embrace this example of Jesus and live out in our lives the “hidden power of serving.”
Let’s commit our lives to serving others. The Lord’s Supper reminds us of the hidden power of service. We shouldn’t be concerned about credit, fame, or prestige. We need to encourage, pray, serve, and forgive. There will be great reward, in this life and in the life to come, in our service to others.
Paul Holland
