What does the Bible say about being a servant / servanthood?

How easy it was, and is, for the disciples of Jesus to accept and adopt the standards and customs of the world that surrounds them, to take for granted that, because everybody seems to be doing it, it is the right thing to do. Again and again our Lord would say to us, "But so shall it not be among you." The nations have their great men, who exercise their authority in a lordly way. Amongst disciples of the Lord greatness is manifested in an entirely different way. There true greatness is displayed in taking the lowly place of service to others — serving the Lord in serving them.

The Son of Man Himself is the shining example of service of this kind. Who so great as He in His original estate? Then "thousand thousands ministered to Him" (Dan. 7:10). Who took so lowly a place, ministering to others? Who carried service to such a length as "to give His life a ransom for many"? For this reason alone, apart from other considerations, the place of pre-eminence must be His. They, who follow Him most closely in lowly service in this day, will be chiefest in that day.

But this was not to be so among the followers of the Lord Jesus. If one would be great, he must take the lowly place of ministering, not of ruling. The one who would be first would be servant of all. They had seen this in the Lord Jesus Himself, though they had not really taken it to heart. He, the Son of Man (showing His relationship to all mankind) had come, not to receive service and honor from others, but to minister to them and to give His life a ransom for many. Marvellous service indeed What an example to subdue every believing heart in desire to follow Him in a path of self-sacrificing service to His glory and for the blessing of others

True greatness consists in being servant of all, the power for which is in the Lord Jesus Himself, who as in all else was the perfect example of it in a life of service to others. "Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, but it shall not be so among you, but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your servant. Even as the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto but to minister, to give His life a ransom for many," Matthew 20:25-28.

The mistake the disputing disciples had made was to think of His Kingdom, like the kingdoms of the nations. He dispels this conception; it would be the very opposite from what it is in the kingdoms of the nations. The greatest in His Kingdom are those who are servants and the bondman is the first. He Himself, the Son of Man, came to serve. Blessed words are these indeed, lowering all that is of self, dethroning pride and ambition, teaching us to let this mind be in us which was in Christ Jesus.

271 In the world this kind of greatness was doubtless met with everywhere; but this was not Christianity. He who seeks to be great, and to take the lead among Christians, has entirely falsified the Christian character. He will be the last of all; and the true way of having the highest place is to serve, considering oneself as the slave of the wants of other disciples. It was so that Jesus had done; He was not come to be ministered to in this world but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many. A lesson simple and clear indeed, but of all importance! The seeking for personal exaltation is only the selfishness of the flesh, the spirit of the world which is enmity against God. Love delights to serve - this is what Christ did; pride and selfishness love to be served, and to take precedence of others.

(V. 35). With infinite patience, the Lord instructs His disciples. In the presence of their heartlessness that sought their own greatness at the very moment when He had reminded them that He was about to be killed, He does not rise up with indignation and leave them, but "He sat down, and called the twelve" around Him, and gently instructs them in the path of true greatness. If any one desires to be first in the Kingdom, let them be last in the path that leads to glory — let them become the "servant of all." We might be prepared at times to serve some great person, or some devoted saint, and exalt ourselves by so doing; but are we prepared to be the "servant of all?" It has been truly said, that "Love is the most powerful of all things, and loves to minister, not to be ministered to," and again, "He who is smallest in his own eyes is the greatest" (J.N.D.).

What a contrast to turn from all this to the spirit of our blessed Lord, who said when here on earth, “I am among you as He that serves” (Luke 22:27); who declared, “I am meek and lowly in heart” (Matt. 11:29); who stooped in lowly grace to wash the feet of His disciples (John 13:3-10). When the disciples of our Lord quarrelled among themselves as to who should be the greatest, our Lord rebuked them, and showed them where true greatness was to be found. “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 to, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Matt. 20:26-28). The Scriptural way to be divinely great is to be little in one’s own eyes, and to have the grace of humility. “Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 18:4).

"But Jesus called them unto Him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them; and they that are great exercise authority upon them" (ver. 25). He put His finger upon that very love of greatness in themselves. They were loud in condemning it in James and John; but their feeling betrayed the same thing in their own hearts. "It shall not be so among you," says the Lord, "but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; and whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant." There is a difference between the two words. The word translated "minister" means a servant. But in verse 27 it is a bondman or slave. Do you want to be really great according to the principles of My kingdom? Go down as low as you can. Do you want to be the greatest? Go down the lowest of all. Whoever has least of self is greatest in the Lord's eyes. For "the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many" (ver. 28). He took the lowest place of all, and gave His life a ransom for many. Blessed for ever be His name!

"When the ten heard it, they began to be much displeased with James and John." Now the Lord calls them all to Himself and says unto them, "Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them." Just of course what our proud hearts would want to do. That is what obtains in the world. To that little company the Lord says "But so shall it not be among you. But whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister." We gather from this that the great men in the kingdom are those who are simply, humbly, earnestly and devotedly doing all they can to help the saints of God in their pathway through this world. It may not always be in spiritual matters; it may be in material matters. The opening of Luke's gospel speaks of men and women who did not seem to have much of material things, they seem to have been the poor of the flock. But their hearts were devoted, and when the right moment came for ministry in relation to the Lord and in relation to His people, they were ready and willing to seize the opportunity of serving the saints of God.

True Greatness. — Meanwhile other thoughts had occupied the rest, evidenced by a strife among them at the table as to which of them should be accounted the greatest. What a time for such a contest! Self in a sordid way was working in Judas. Self too occupied the rest. The Lord then, knowing what was passing, took occasion to instruct them in the lesson of true greatness, as well as in the favour in the kingdom in store for them all. True greatness would be shown in serving. And the Lord Himself exemplified this "I am among you as he that serves." What a rebuke! Had not He been serving throughout? What more could they say? Ashamed they must have felt of that unseemly strife. "He that is greatest among you," the Lord went on to say, "let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve." What, too, must they have felt when they saw Him rise from the table, gird Himself, and begin to wash the feet of each one of them (John 13)! for it was when at the supper that the Lord stooped to that lowly service. What an illustration of His words, "I am among you as he that serves," when He who had come from God, and was going to God, ministered in that way to the Apostles!