Dogs, by nature, are pack animals. The pack follows the alpha dog. Each animal knows exactly where it falls within the hierarchy, and all of them take cues from the alpha dog. Many dog trainers establish themselves as the alpha dog at the start of puppy training; when a puppy recognizes the trainer as the alpha dog, the rest is easy. The trainer does this by meeting a puppy’s gaze and holding it until the puppy looks away, or by eating in front of a puppy (as the alpha dog would do) before feeding it.

It turns out humans aren’t all that different from dogs.

Walk into any office and you can quickly identify the alpha dog by observing who gets coffee for whom, who answers the phone, who wears the most expensive suit, and by the titles printed on the business cards. Likewise, rank displayed on military uniforms leaves no gray area in determining the alpha dog. In fact, virtually every facet of society has an alpha dog and is actually driven in large degree by this hierarchy.

Aspirations
In this passage James, John, and their mom conspire to get the corner office, the company car, and the keys to the executive washroom by asking for the places of honor in what they are sure will be the glorious reign of Jesus. The other disciples become upset at their power grab, probably because they didn’t think of it first. And with this as the backdrop, Jesus shares a revolutionary message with the disciples, and us, that should truly separate the church and the world.

And this is the lesson: our master, whom we are called to imitate, didn’t come to conquer and to create a kingdom through force, as Rome did; rather, Jesus came to serve.

Jesus asks James and John if they can drink the cup he drinks. The brothers say they can, without realizing this cup doesn’t contain the glory, prestige, and authority they are hoping for; instead it contains the humility of Christ. He is God who became flesh, walked among his creation, and eventually performed the greatest act of servanthood, sacrifice, and love through his death, burial, and resurrection.

An Army of Foot-washers
Occasionally, when someone achieves something great, he or she is invited to the White House to meet, and sometimes eat with, the president of the United States. Imagine, for a moment, you are invited to a presidential dinner. You sit down and take it all in: the presidential seal is on everything, everyone is well dressed, and the room is decorated lavishly. Your server approaches to ask your preference of salad dressing. As you begin to place your order, you realize your server is the president.

In John 13 the disciples experience something very similar to this. At the Passover meal—which reminds the Jewish people of how God used divine force to free his people from a pagan nation, Egypt—their Master and Lord gets up and begins to wash his disciples’ feet.

When you are eating the Passover with the Messiah whom you expect to overthrow a different pagan nation, the Roman Empire, with all the power of God himself, the last thing you expect is that he will take the position of the lowest servant. Yet Jesus does.

Jesus’ actions reflect his words to James and John: “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” The kingdom of God is very different from the kingdoms of this world. Earthly kingdoms are established and maintained through armies, but the kingdom of God is established by Christ and maintained through an army of foot-washers.

The Right Attitude
One day, as I was about to start a new job after a long layoff, the starter on my car died. I didn’t have enough money to pay a repairman to fix it. Thankfully, a church member replaced it for free, while I paid for the parts (which I could afford). I made it to work that first day!

There’s plenty of serving that needs to be done, and it begins by cultivating an attitude of servanthood. Whether you’re at home, the store, work—wherever you find yourself—there are opportunities to serve. The way of Jesus Christ is the way of a servant.

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* All Scripture quotations are from the New International Version, unless otherwise indicated.