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In chapter three of his book, C.J. Mahaney shows how Jesus redefines greatness by being a servant to all, and in chapter four, he continues to show how Jesus demonstrates true greatness in giving Himself sacrificially as a ransom and Redeemer for sinners. The primary text which reveals the redefining and demonstration of true greatness is Mark 10:42-45 which says:
And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 43 But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Verses 43-45a reveal the redefinition; 45b reveals the demonstration. The latter is a prerequisite for any of us to be delivered from the worldly definition of greatness and experience it’s true nature in our lives. Mahaney writes,
“[O]ur own service to others is always both an effect of His unique sacrifice and the evidence of it. His sacrifice alone makes it possible for us to achieve and experience true greatness in God’s eyes” (48).
Jesus’ death on the cross was the ransom which paid the price required for our deliverance from bondage, captivity, and condemnation, and Jesus’ resurrection from the grace vindicated His life as Savior and Redeemer of all those who put their trust in Him. The reality that we need to be ransomed is, as Mahaney explains, a fresh reminder of how affected we are by own serious and sorry state, our miserable lostness, and wretched bondage to sin (52).
And yet the Savior died as a ransom. We who have been rescued glory in our Redeemer. Those who have been forgiven and transformed understand that “a fundamental and radical change has occured” in us so that “you have the desire to serve others and see God glorified. We know the inner call to lay down our lives for one another because He laid down His life for us” (58). Mahaney concludes,
“True greatness is attained only by emulating the Savior’s example–and made possible only by the Savior’s sacrifice” (58).
When it comes to the planting and establishment of a church, we must understand it is not about who gets the credit. We will be asked to serve in ways we may have never imagined, doing things we are not gifted or passionate about. If we lose sight of the fact that we have been rescued by our Redeemer who came not to be served but to serve, then we will find ourselves exhibiting an attitude and demonstrating a life contrary to Him who died for us. May God keep us near the cross and cause us to serve one another that Christ may be glorified in all that we do, whether noticed or not.
Growing up, I remember singing the song, “Zacchaeus was a wee little man, and a wee little man was he . . .”. While I recall the enthusiasm in which I sang that song, I did not understand the point of this account in the narrative of Jesus’ life. More than being a “wee little man,” Zacchaeus was a sinner (or to be more specific, a tax collector), and although he received Jesus joyfully, those looking on did not appreciate it. In Luke 19:7, Scripture says,
And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.”
The point of this passage is emphatically underscored when Jesus concluded, saying, that “the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
Jesus came for a certain group of people–sinners. Consider these verses which speak of His coming:
* Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Matthew 9:13)
* The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.” (Matthew 11:19)
* The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. (1 Timothy 1:15)
Why did Jesus come into the world?
1. To seek and save the lost
2. To call sinners to repentance
3. To befriend sinners and tax collectors
4. To save sinners
But notice how Jesus did this. He did not parachute into the world to land on a cross, nor did he fly the banner in the sky that “Jesus Saves.” No. He came to their homes, welcome sinners into His life, and enjoyed the most intimate of settings around dinner tables. He clothed Himself in humanity, and in His incarnation, became like them yet without sin. At the beginning of Luke 15, Scripture tells us the charge against Jesus:
Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. 2 And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” (Luke 15:1-2)
These same people grumbled when Jesus came to the house of Zacchaeus to bring salvation, the same people who grumbled when Jesus enjoyed dinner with Matthew and his tax collecting friends. Matthew retells the event in his gospel account:
10 And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” (Matthew 9:10-11)
When two men went up to the Temple to pray, it was the sinner who knew only to beat his breast and cry out, “God be merciful to be, a sinner!” that Jesus said went home justified in the eyes of God, not the self-righteous Pharisee. That same sinner who beat his breast in full acknowledgment of his sin is the very sinner who would find the embrace of a compassionate Savior.
This man welcomes (receives) sinners!
Don’t let that statement pass you by. If there was every a person totally unlike another, it was the sinless Son of God embracing the sinfulness of those who came to Him. He identified with them. He was intimate with them. He invited them to come for salvation. He instructed them in the way of righteousness. He was able to do this because He was the Incarnate Son of God who for sinners became the Son of Man who would die for those condemnation was just and whose punishment was eternal.
Jesus did not see a tax collector; He saw a sinner. He did not see a prostitute; He saw a sinner. He did not see a thief on the cross; He saw a sinner.
In the day in which we live, we do not need to ask, “What Would Jesus Do?” Rather, we need to ask, “What Did Jesus Do?” One thing is for sure–Jesus welcomed sinners and died for them. What does this mean for us who bear His name and have His Spirit dwelling in us?
This means that we cannot live a secluded life from “sinners”–especially those not like us. Loving sinners, welcoming them into our lives, and inviting them to know Jesus is messy work. People will make accusations against you. Nevertheless, the call to follow Christ is a call to love like Christ. It is a call to live incarnationally where sinners feel welcome and are received in our lives. It is impossible to love a Savior who sought out and saved the lost and at the same time hunker down and hide away in order to avoid the lost. If we are not careful, we could cultivate the grumbling spirit of a Pharisee and not the compassionate heart of a sinner-embracing Savior.
I mean, could it be possible that one of the reasons why unbelievers are not being won to Christ is because they do not feel welcome among His followers? Cultivating community contacts means that we cultivate a warm invitation to cold, hardened hearts that says, “You’re welcome here.” When, on the cross with His spread wide, that’s what Jesus said. Let us learn to live, love, and leave invitations for sinners in our world to come to Jesus who will never cast them out.
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