Servant

             Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.” (Mark 9:35)

Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. (Romans 13:8)

“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ (Matthew 25:21)

This is the sort of passage that some people will put in a bold font with a font size at least 20 (as above). They will gladly put it on signs with an even bigger font and shove it in the face of anyone they decide isn’t obeying it. Doing so is specifically not practicing the sort of servanthood they demand from their opponent. And before we announce that “we would never do that!” we should keep in mind that we treat other verses the same way.

But “servant” in a Jewish context didn’t necessarily mean what it means today. They might call the person who manages a major business for its own a servant. An apprentice would be treated as a servant.

 A foreigner purchased as a slave was a servant. In the Law, if a person was in debt, they could sell themselves to another Jew and be a servant for a maximum of six years (in the seventh year, they went free). As we look at this verse, then, we may see it as saying that the one who wants to be first must be the abject slave, serving in absolute humiliation and obedience, with no will of their own. It can also be seen as meaning that the one who wants to be first must take action to pay his debts to everyone, whether those debts are financial or social.

In the verse from Romans quoted above, Paul notes that we can and should pay off every debt except the debt of love, which can never be completely paid off. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t work on it. The point is that the person paying off his/her debt takes the initiative to eliminate it. The servant is learning skills. The servant is learning (one hopes) how to benefit by providing benefits to others by being a good person, etc.

Someone who has learned how to be a good servant becomes more valuable to others. This is the idea behind Jesus’ words from Matthew 25 above. Many love the idea of receiving this sort of commendation from God – and this expansion of responsibilities. Being a servant, then, isn’t seen as rolling around in the dirt and letting a master walk on you. The servant is someone who makes a positive difference.