Core Values: Servanthood
Servanthood: “We are committed to developing servants of Jesus Christ through our integral model of education.”
Millar’s vision is “to develop passionate, relevant servants of Jesus Christ who are shaped by the entire Scriptures.” In its simplest form, our vision is simply to “develop servants” – the rest of the statement fills in the details supporting these two words. This vision is echoed in our core value of servanthood. Yet if our vision is to “develop servants” and we value “servanthood,” what does it mean to be a servant? Asked another way, what is biblical servanthood?
The answer is not as obvious as we might assume. Many of us are used to thinking of servanthood in our church, family, or workplace as being busy with other-centered activity. We praise our busiest volunteers for their servants hearts, and probably rightly so. But is being busy the heart of biblical servanthood?
Not at all. In Luke chapter ten, Jesus’ conversation with Mary and Martha cautions us that just being busy serving others can not only miss the mark of being a “servant of Jesus Christ,” but can actually distract and lead us away from Christ himself. We read,
Mary… sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” 41 But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, 42 but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her” (Lk 10:39b—42 ESV).
Jesus identifies a key characteristic of faithless, Christless serving: it is the overflow of being “anxious and troubled about many things” (v. 42). We can easily fall into this false serving. The potential traps are everywhere, whether it is the false belief that God vitally depends on us, the moralistic idea that we must serve others to earn the favour of God or others, or the slow fade of worshipful Christian service that has lost sight of Christ and devolved into mere religious activity. Jesus warns us that not all serving is good, for we can serve and miss the point at the same time.
The family of Zebedee provides another exhortation for us on our path to biblical servanthood. James’ and John’s mother bowed at the Lord’s feet, but not in the way Mary did. Mary sought closeness with Christ; James and John wanted to use proximity to Christ as a path to their own greatness, sitting on his right and left hand in the kingdom. Jesus replied, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?” (Mt 20:22). Jesus challenged their assumption that sticking close to him was really a means to greatness. “Drinking the cup” was often a metaphor for judgment and suffering in the Old Testament prophets (e.g. Isa 51:17). Since Jesus’ mission was to suffer and die to atone for the sins of the world, sticking close to him would mean following him through humiliation, the cross, and the grave. Servants of Jesus do well when motivated by their love for him instead of their desire to be noticed and celebrated.
At this point in the account, Jesus pivoted the discussion directly to servanthood, providing clear teaching on exactly what kind of servanthood he calls us to develop. It is not self-seeking, nor is it distracted and anxious doing. Instead, it is at the same time more glorious and restful. He continues,
You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 26 It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, 28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many (Mt 20:25—28).
Here we find the kind of servants we want to be and develop: servants who do not serve because they are “anxious and troubled about many things,” or because they seek recognition and greatness. Real servants of Jesus know Christ as the Great Servant in the gospel, and then respond to his service with their own. Notice his commands to be a servant (v. 26) and even a slave (v. 27) are defined by a gospel comparison – “even as the Son of Man” (v. 28). Biblical servanthood overflows from our hearts because Jesus first served us and gave his life for us. Biblical service to others comes from our gratitude toward the Great Servant who, though truly great, lowered himself to “give his life as a ransom for many,” including – joy of all joys and relief upon relief – even you and me.
When the gospel causes us to serve because of gratitude instead of greatness and with awe instead of anxiety, this is true Christian servanthood. Thus, we do not have to choose between being busy serving others and worshiping at the feet of Jesus. Biblical servanthood that remembers and points to the finished work of the Great Servant unites the two. In short, the only biblical serving Christians do is that which responds to the gospel and mirrors it to others.
When we develop servants of Jesus Christ and uphold our core value of servanthood, our service accomplishes two things that will always outweigh a mere list of tasks. When Christians serve others, we are chiefly thanking God for his goodness in giving his Son in our place. We are saying “Thank-you” for his ultimate act of servanthood. Secondly, when we serve others, we are also modeling the gospel for them; our desire to serve is a signpost to how we have been served in the gospel.
“We do not have to choose between being busy serving others and worshiping at the feet of Jesus. Biblical servanthood that remembers and points to the finished work of the Great Servant unites the two.”
For staff and students on campus, this glorious truth shows itself in mundane ways: cleaning floors, taking out garbage, or doing dishes. It appears as volunteering for leadership roles, praying for and giving a word of encouragement to fellow students, displaying godly character on the court or field, getting assignments in on time, and setting aside our own agendas to serve as asked. With this in mind, classroom assignments at Millar are designed not only to increase knowledge, but to develop the whole person and send them as servant-missionaries back into their home context or around the globe as the Lord would lead. Real servants of Jesus Christ serve him and others on and off the court, in public and in private, when leading worship or unwinding at the end of a busy day. After all, true servanthood grows wherever our lives have been changed by the gospel.
Christ served us first, and all the essential work was finished by him. Our task is now to serve in such a way that this message resounds for the world to hear. What a restful and joyful servanthood indeed.
About the Author
This article in our Core Values series is written by Matt Woodmass, an instructor at our Winnipeg campus.