5. THE SERVANT OF THE LORD
Harry Foster
ALL the great men of the Old Testament were proud to be called God's servants. None of them, however, fully fitted into the character of the suffering Servant of Jehovah so vividly described by Isaiah. This prophetic role belonged exclusively to the Lord Jesus. He alone provided in perfection that service which Israel was called to do and which the spiritual Israel within the nation partly performed. In accordance with the prophecies, the great service of Christ reached its climax when He gave His life on the cross (Isaiah 53:11).
After the resurrection, the Spirit-filled apostles defined Jesus Christ as God's servant (Acts 3:26) and also as His 'holy' servant (Acts 4:27), employing the same simple word which provided the Greek rendering of Isaiah's title (Matthew 12:28). With more usual words they afterwards began to call themselves servants of God, too, but they did so only as they sought humbly to follow the footsteps of the great Servant (1 Peter 2:21).
The heart of the matter is that the Lord Jesus not only bore the title, but was always activated by the servant spirit, as was proved by His behaviour among His disciples (Luke 22 26). He served because He wanted to do so, and not because of any compulsion or prospect of reward; indeed John is careful to point out that even while He stooped to wash His disciples' feet He was well aware that the highest position in the universe already belonged to Him (John 13:3).
We gather that He frequently gave practical help to others, but it appears that His action with the girded towel was especially to be noted. Why did He take it? Partly, no doubt, to shame their feeble false dignity, but more to give them -- and us -- an example of the true dignity of service (John 13:17). Even more than this, though, He spontaneously expressed His very nature for, in a startlingly unexpected passage, He promised that at His second coming He will again gird Himself, this time to wait on His faithful servants (Luke 12:37). It was a striking feature of one of His resurrection appearances that He Himself both prepared and served a breakfast to seven of His hungry and weary apostles (John 21:13).
The highest form of human activity is the humble serving of others. It is not without significance that a common phrase in modern life is 'Self Service'. Ever since Satan arrogantly refused to be a servant and aspired to be a lord, men have brought trouble to themselves and misery to others by imagining that there is something ignoble in the idea of being a servant. In this way pride has corrupted our society. There would have been no hope at all for the human race if God had not started anew with the Son of man who came not to be served but to be a servant (Matthew 20:28).
Perfect love in sublime humility has founded a new kingdom in which the highest dignity is given to the servant. Earth is full of would-be bosses -- hence its unhappiness. Heaven gives centrality and supremacy to the one who gladly consented to be the Servant, and therefore it is the sphere of true bliss. Indeed it may well be that when we assemble in the resurrection glory, we shall discover that among the many glittering titles accorded to Christ, the noblest of them all may be The Servant of the Lord.
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