07/26/2026
How humble do we allow ourselves to be before God? Do we maintain our freedom of self at all cost, do we sell ourselves as a servant who works for a price, or, are we totally owned as a slave and kept by our master? How far are we willing to go into our servitude? How far will we allow our humility to take us as we humble ourselves at the feet of the Lord? Now let’s ask ourselves this... how completely are we prepared to humble ourselves before one another? Are we totally free and independent, a servant, or are we truly a slave to those around us.
“and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."”
Matthew 20:27-28 ESV
There are two Greek words at play here when we read scripture, the first is “diakonos” which means servant, and the other is “doulos” which means slave. We often read and quote these two verses from Matthew 27 because they give us a glimpse into the nature of Jesus as he is teaching us, but to get the full meaning of what is being said we need to read them complete with the preceding verse, listen...
“It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."”
Matthew 20:26-28 ESV
In other words, if you want to be great you should be your brother’s servant (diskonos), but if you want to be first amongst the great then you should be your brother’s slave (doulos). Jesus is not only teaching us a lesson in humility, but also demonstrating that there is a difference between humbling ourselves while still maintaining control... as a servant, and humbling ourselves to the point of total self-abandonment... as a slave.
The New Testament uses these two words a great deal, but for the most part they are both translated as servant. The truth is that slavery was something most translators detested, and so they used the word servant, or other less intense words, in the place of slave. Let’s read these same verses in the King James...
“But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.”
Matthew 20:26-28 KJV
So even in selecting our translation we must decide how far we are willing to commit ourselves to this notion of humility. Will we allow ourselves to be a servant or a minister to others, or, will we ultimately allow ourselves to be a slave? Where do we begin as we humble ourselves? Jesus said servant, then slave, with the greatest being slave.
Being humble is a lesson learned from the Bible, and we understand this, but isn’t it true that we still want to maintain control over it? We want to serve, but we also want our freedom of self. We want to be a servant, but not to relinquish total control. Making the decision to become a slave is more than difficult, but this is the lesson Jesus is teaching, and He is going further than to tell us we should enslave ourselves to God... He says we should become slaves to one another! It is one thing to humble ourselves before the creator of the universe, but what about the person next to you on the pew, or a homeless person you passed on your way to church?
It is one thing to humble ourselves physically as we do certain things in service to others, but we must also be humble in our faith. Do we sit with someone and explain the tenets of our faith without being condescending? Do we serve another in complete humility so that they can feel the love we have, and see the lesson of Christ’s humility at work in us? Can we rise in church leadership without losing our humility and slave status? Can we see a brother wallowing in sin and not lend him our hand to pull him out of the mire? Even in our faith, and perhaps especially in our faith, we should become slaves... even as Jesus became a slave for us and gave up His life so that we would be saved.
So, before we can look at our own humility and see the progress we have made in it, we have to begin answering these questions that I have posed today. Humility begins with a small gesture, and then grows within us; it is a lifelong journey that is not meant for the faint of heart. Humility requires a strength of character, and a confidence in one’s faith that allows us to remain humble in the most distasteful of situations. It requires that we defeat our pride, and give up many earthly desires that stand in our way. Are we on this journey? Are we on pilgrimage towards becoming a slave? Well, the first step is for us to hear the word “Slave”, and not wince, then to make it our life’s desire... we should make it a title that truly identifies us in our love for God, and our love for one another.
Prayer:
Father, thank you for your lessons in humility, and thank you for showing me that the greatest among us is most certainly the least, that our being a slave is far greater in your eyes than being a servant, and that becoming a servant is greater yet than catering to my own self-interests. Help me Gracious Father in my lack of humility, and teach me about the power that I receive by performing the most humble of faith’s actions. Use me as an example to others Lord as I portray the character of Christ in my own life, and demonstrate His humility to a world that feeds on selfishness, arrogance, and conceit. Lift me up Merciful Father when I fall into my own pride, and set me once more on the path to becoming a slave to you and others. Great are you my God, and greatly to be praised! You are Holy in your humility, and have loved us in it by sending your Son Jesus Christ to be a slave to all mankind as He humbly yielded Himself to the cross for us. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you who is the greatest in humility of all creatures, and creation, and we thank you for your Son Jesus who is your example to all who would desire to be great in their own humility.
“For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.”
Galatians 1:10 NASB
Rich Forbes