Editorial April 3, 1937 Issue

"He that serveth"

Duncan Sinclair

"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" (Luke 22:27). In this saying Jesus first of all presents the world's attitude towards service: those who are waited upon are greater than those who serve them! But immediately thereafter he states the nature of the service which he himself gives, correcting the disciples' thought regarding true service and true greatness.

Obviously, the Master was desirous of showing that the highest type of service is indicative of, is indeed the result of, spiritualized thought. The worldly-minded might think that those who are served, merely because they are waited upon, are greater than those who serve them. He wished to point out the misleading nature of this belief by directing attention to his own life of genuine service, allowing it to disprove the erroneous worldly concept of greatness.

What, then, was the nature of the service Jesus gave? It is perfectly described in a saying of his in John's Gospel (10:11), "I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep." The essence of Jesus' service was love. Unselfed love was the mainspring of his compassion and helpfulness, his self-abnegation and self-sacrifice. It inspired, animated, directed all his efforts on behalf of humanity.

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