The mother of Zebedee’s sons asked Jesus to give her sons the positions at His left and His right in the kingdom of God. He said to them, “You will indeed drink My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared by My Father” (Matthew 20:23). Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant” (Matthew 20:25-26). And He Himself (Jesus) gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers (Ephesians 4:11). It is written that Jesus told us that He could not give us positions in the kingdom of Heaven, and that we were to be servants and not exercise authority over those in our care. The gifts Jesus gave as He ascended are not positions in the kingdom of God, and they do not give us the authority to be lords over others.

Within the body, referred to as the church, there are doctrines of leadership that came from men who exalted themselves. These men claimed the title of bishop and also claimed their position, and not the leading of the Holy Spirit, gave them authority. The claim is that a statement made by Jesus to Peter gave them their position. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18). That authority is to do battle with the gates of hell, and not to oppress the children of God as lords over them. That scripture does not give a position in the kingdom of God to Peter or those claiming some inherent right to His seat, to be our lords on this earth.

Jesus gave to us what He himself came to be, a servant. Mankind has such a mindset of what a king is that they hide the truth of what the King of kings came to be for mankind. The Son of God and the Son of Man came to serve. God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son to be served up as a sacrifice for the entire world. When a king comes into a foreign land, it is to take the land by force or to surrender and pay homage to the king of the land. Jesus came to do neither, but to serve the people of the earth as our whipping boy. The Lord of lords did not come to lord over us, but to serve. The ascension gifts given by Jesus for the edifying of the body of Christ are servant gifts; gifts given to servants to use to serve.

The act of serving someone does not make them your master. Jesus did not serve us because we purchased His service. We are not His master. We are not the master of the Head or of the body. What Jesus did He did as the Son of God, in obedience to the Father, and as a friend. Jesus did not rescue us from sin to take the place of sin as our master. Jesus said, “No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you” (John 15:15). In following Jesus we know that the servants of the body are no longer servants but friends – friends to the Head and to the body. We are friends serving one another out of friendship. “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another” (John 13:34).

© 2008, Tim D. Coulter Sr.