Treason and Ambition walking hand-in-hand ...

Two conversations happened at that last supper so long ago, one on the heels of the other.  They may have even overlapped each other and occurred at the same time.  Yet the contents of each of them should have been polar opposites.  The disciples had always harbored a vision of what the long-promised Messiah was supposed to do when He got here.  And even with all the warnings, and all the evidence Jesus had offered them that this vision of an earthly conqueror was misplaced and incorrect; they clung to it even now.  Nothing could disrupt it.  That vision of an earthly king brought power with it.  And each of the disciples wanted their “fair share” of that power for themselves.  After all they had been with Jesus the longest.  They had been following Him everywhere, and witnessed so many many miracles.  The disciples knew the people were longing to crown Jesus as their king.  The people had even tried to forcibly crown Him king on several occasions.  All Jesus need do was accept the crown, and it would happen.  Rome would be thrown out of Israel forever.  All the other nations would come bow at the feet of Jesus, and of course Jesus would need some help in administering His kingdom forevermore.  Who better to help Jesus than say … me (each of the disciples pondered this idea with what they though was well deserved logic).  If this had been the only conversation held it would have been at least predictable, as it had been held more than few times before.

But think of the contrast in the setting of this perhaps one final argument over which of them should be the greatest disciple and leader in the new Kingdom.  Jesus offered the symbols of the Lamb throughout the meal pointing directly to His own death.  And they somehow just ignored all of it.  Prior to sitting down to eat, Jesus took on a towel of a servant, wrapped it around His own waist, and then proceeded to wash the filthy feet of each of His own disciples in abject humility.  Each one of them dumbfounded that the Son of God would stoop so low and do the work of a servant.  None them thought to do this.  That would have been too humiliating for any of them.  But here is Jesus doing it.  The King of the Universe is doing the dirty work of cleaning the filth off of each of them.  It was unthinkable.  It was a picture of humility we stand in awe of even today.  And despite it, it did not prevent the next argument over which of them would be the greatest.  How could their minds go from that kind of example of humility to completely ignoring it?  None were immune to this.  But it gets worse.

Luke offers us an insight into the unconverted mind and heart of someone who thinks themselves a believer.  He picks up in his gospel letter in chapter 22 beginning in verse 21 saying … “But, behold, the hand of him that betrayeth me is with me on the table. [verse 22] And truly the Son of man goeth, as it was determined: but woe unto that man by whom he is betrayed! [verse 23] And they began to inquire among themselves, which of them it was that should do this thing.”  Jesus drops the bomb.  He has just performed washing of feet on everyone of His disciples.  Judas was in that number.  So was Peter, and John.  All of them should have been humbled by that act of service and love into silence.  Jesus then proceeds to offer us the symbolism of bread and wine as symbols of the sacrifice He is about to make for them as the Lamb of God, to take away the sins of the world.  Lambs die.  They don’t get a happy ending.  And now on top of all of this, Jesus is to be betrayed unto death, as all the prophecies have long foretold.  But how Jesus meets His end will be by the betrayal of one of His own disciples.  One of them.

And so where does the hearts and minds of His disciples immediately go?  Not in prayer.  But in argument with each other, as to which one of them was to be the betrayer of their master.  Can you imagine the face of Judas as this conversation begins.  Can you imagine the fear?  But then, can you imagine how Matthew must have felt as well?  Matthew was a tax collector.  He already had a history of betraying his people to the Romans, if he did it before he could do it again.  Imagine how many eyes looked his way.  These hearts could have reacted by praying first that it was not them, next for the heart of the guilty that whoever it was might still change his mind.  And not even just a “he”, Mary Magdeline had once been possessed by demons, in fact at least seven times, perhaps the demons were back in her.  Men had been betrayed by women many times in history, perhaps it was happening again.  Just ask Samson if that is possible.  And Jesus loved Mary like a daughter, but not like a wife, maybe that alone would be enough to push her into betrayal.  As the minds of the men stray back and forth across which one of them it could be they begin asking Jesus if it is them.  Hoping Jesus will prove their fidelity to the others.  But then the picture Luke paints goes to the unthinkable in this chaos.

Luke continues in verse 24 saying … “And there was also a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest.”  Can you imagine this?  In the middle of not knowing if perhaps you were to betray Jesus to the Romans, ambition rears its ugly head, and now comes the argument - not over whether you are the betrayer, but whether you deserve to be the number two in His Kingdom.  Polar extremes.  You could very well be the hand that betrays the Master to His death.  But instead of worrying about this very real possibility, after all, Jesus does not lie.  You are consumed with proving you should be the number two leader in a kingdom that is not even meant to be.  Treason and Ambition walking hand in hand at the very table where your feet were just cleaned by the God of the Universe who did not think it too humiliating to clean you up Himself.  The unconverted minds and hearts of the disciples had not been broken yet,  Their pride was still in tact.  And Satan leveraged the door held open for him in that very place at that very time.  Imagine how discouraging hearing this ambitious argument must have been for Jesus at this particular time.

But Jesus does not scream at them to shut up (probably what I would have done).  He does not storm out unable to take it anymore.  He does not throw the wine at them and tell them how particularly unworthy each of them truly is.  No.  That is not our Jesus.  He suffers it all.  And even in the moments of His hardest night, already beginning to feel that He will be separated from the presence of God He can feel coming, Jesus is still patient with each of them, with each of us, whether we are converted, or just men and women who claim to believe, while pride still firmly in place, humility no where to be found.  Luke continues in verse 25 saying … “And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. [verse 26] But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve. [verse 27] For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as he that serveth.”

Here is the answer of Jesus to greed and ambition.  If you want to be number one, or number two, then be the chief servant of all.  Jesus offers His own life and example to them as proof of this idea.  Jesus is the God of the Universe and His entire life has been one of humble service to those who did not deserve it, to those who did not believe, to those Romans who oppressed His people, to religious leaders who hate Him.  Jesus serves all without any hesitation,  Not just His disciples.  Not just when they were clean, but when they were very dirty.  The King of all, has been the servant of all.  So to the argument about who wants to be the greatest, here is your path to the top, or rather the bottom, hard to tell the difference based on the words of Jesus.  And all of the sudden they did shut up.  For this was NOT what their pride had in mind.  This was not about fancy robes, and rings of power.  This was about wearing servants towels wrapped around their waist, not just once, but for all, forever.  In that position, you find yourself closest to Christ.

And it works in many aspects of life.  You want a fantastic marriage?  Then give up all ideas about what you want out of it, and start putting on that servant’s towel, and find ways to serve your spouse from top to bottom.  Don’t look for them to serve you first, in fact don’t expect them to ever serve you at all.  Instead learn to find your joy in serving them in every way, whether big or small.  Let service become how you live and how you love and start at home with the one you are supposed to love the most.  But don’t let it end there.  You want a better relationship with your parents?  Then find a way to begin serving mom and dad as best you can in any way they need, not that they ask you for, but way beyond that to anything your service-built-heart can imagine.  You want a better relationship with your kids?  The same approach works as a path to it.  You looking to make a real impact at work, no matter what your job is.  Find a way to serve your co-workers, meet their needs, do anything you can for them.  Become that servant of all, not for the goal of becoming number one, but for the goal of learning to love to serve.  Let service come to change who you are, how you think.  Let humility open you up, to having Jesus change the core of you from the inside out.

Given this philosophy of total service, having authority in the Kingdom of heaven does not come with power and prizes for you, it comes with you taking on the burden of service to others.  And so Jesus tactfully grants them an unexpected answer to their prayers.  Luke picks back up in verse 28 saying … “Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations. [verse 29] And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me; [verse 30] That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”  Whether this was a future reference to serving in heaven, or a closer reference to serving in the new church Jesus was reforming and recreating;  judging or leading does not come with power over others, it comes with care, concern, redemption, and the service for others.  Notice the Kingdom Jesus grants His disciples did not mean they would ever rule the world.  In fact, they all died martyrs just like He did perhaps except John.  They never had power or authority over the world, but did have it in spiritual matters, performing miracles in the name of Jesus long after Jesus was out of our world.

And there is no reason why that kind of church could not return with us.  We need only embrace humility, and learn to love to serve, and find peace in joining the redemptive ministry of Jesus.  Where I might have screamed at the disciples to “shut up” and stop arguing, Jesus is patient, gives them new insights about becoming a servant of all.  Then our Jesus offers them more rewards they do not deserve, nor have they earned, but offers them these gifts because He loves them.  Just like He loves you and I.  No different.  Are we willing to embrace humility and find the recreation of our souls and hearts?  Or will we blind ourselves in pride, and reject anything that even resembles humility lest it embarrass us in front of whoever?  At that last supper of Jesus, a traitor sat right there and was given every opportunity to stop from his treason.  He did not.  Is that you?  Is that me?  Are we still clinging to ideas about what we think God should be doing and are unhappy He does not?  Perhaps looking to help Him get the job done like we think it should.  Or have we finally come to a point where we can lose the pride, hope it is not us, and ask Jesus if we are that traitor, and beg for help if it is us.  Whether treason or ambition, neither should have any place in the heart of a servant, in the heart of a disciple, or in your heart, or my heart.  It is time to let all that go, and just follow Jesus for a change.  Not trying to lead, but content to follow behind and minister as He presents the opportunities for us to serve.