The suffering servant pre-figured in Isaiah 53 is the model of Christian existence and the epitome of Christian greatness. The mysterious Suffering Servant of Yahweh was accused of a crime he did not commit. He was condemned and punished unjustly, but he willingly undertook to suffer for the sins of his people and the reward of his suffering was the salvation and justification of all who believe. This strange prophecy was fulfilled in Christ. The glory of Christ is not as much in the multiplication of loaves, as in the agony in the garden. His glory is not as much in his walking on the waters as in his journey to Golgotha. His glory is not as much in his casting out of demons with the word of mouth, as in his cry of distress on the cross of calvary. Indeed, the glory of Christ is not in the miraculous deeds he performed, but in the cross.
Christ's greatness is not in the spectacular or the fantastic events of his life, but in the humble service he rendered through suffering persecution, rejection, condemnation and death on the cross so that men and women may be saved. On three occasions Jesus had told his disciples of his upcoming suffering and death, but they did not understand the logic of a suffering messiah. Jesus has tried to introduce to them the way of radical discipleship. He has tried to show them that to follow him will cost not less than everything; that there was no other way of following him than the abandonment of self, including ambitions for power and privilege and status. The greatest in his kingdom shall be those who have the privilege to serve.
The disciples however had difficulties grasping this extraordinary message. Their idea of a messiah is one of great power and influence who would liberate them from their political subjugation and economic distress. For them, Jesus was soon going to inaugurate a political dispensation where enormous power and privilege will be available. Those who would be close to Jesus, they thought, would themselves possess the power to control and dominate. They would occupy a place of high status and privilege.
That is why the sons of Zebedee, James and John - the brothers who were among the first disciples to be called, and who were specially loved by Jesus along with Peter came up to make the request to sit, one the right and the other at the left by his throne in the kingdom. What their question implies is that they want Jesus to do their own will, to fulfil their own inordinate ambition for power and prestige and privilege. Jesus makes them see that these are desires of the flesh. He did not promise them what they asked for. Instead he takes them to a higher level, and speaks of drinking a cup (of suffering) and of going through a baptism (of death). They readily accepted Jesus' offer even if they did not understand clearly what he meant.
And when the sons of Zebedee made this request, the other disciples became indignant, because they thought they were being too smart, and that if they were not called to order, the two brothers may actually smuggle their way to the highest places in the kingdom of Christ, and consequently enjoy the highest privileges and dominate the rest of them. Jesus uses this opportunity to teach at length the lesson on the suffering servant model of leadership. For Christ, authority does not reside in power and force. Authority is not a matter of status and privilege. True authority is to be found in sacrificial love and humble service; true greatness is to be found in being simply concerned about the needs of others, and suffering at great length to see that those needs are met.
Jesus points to his own life of service as the example for us to follow. He is not like the Pharisees who make people carry burdens that they themselves would not lift a finger to carry. Today he points to his own life of service unto death as the model. So he says the son of Man came not to be served. Those to be considered the greatest in the kingdom of God are the ones who have outdone others in this kind of service. The authentic leader is one who sacrifices his own pleasures and comforts for the sake of his sheep. The true king is sometimes challenged to sacrifice his very life for the security, health, comfort and peace of his people. The biblical reflections of the Lenten season and the Passion week, remind all men and women and particularly Christians that leadership is about love and compassion, care and nurture and a passionate commitment to the pursuit of justice, progress, peace and ultimate fulfilment among those who are led.
The glory of Christ is one that is attained through suffering. The kingship of Christ is one that comes after enormous sacrifice. The dominion of Christ came after he denied himself of his rightful place, and assumed the status of a slave. His Royal Crown came after he went through humiliation and the agony of the cross. Jesus presents for us a radically different and perhaps contradictory model of leadership than we are today familiar in the world, and particularly in the continent of Africa, plagued as it is by seat-tight dictators like the late Mobutu Sese Seko Kuku Ngbendu Wa za Banga of the former Zaire, ravaged by callous scavengers like Idi Amin Dada of Uganda, looted by such mercenaries as Emperor Bokassa of the Central African Republic, and traumatized, paralysed and rendered desolate by autochthonous conquerors such as we have in our own land, a land which is otherwise flowing with milk and honey.
Jesus is the leader who is meek and humble of heart, whose yoke is easy, and whose burden is light. He invites believers to come to him and learn from him that he is meek and humble in heart, and there, in his humble heart, they shall find rest for their souls. Jesus is the leader who takes pity on his suffering people. He is one, who was moved with compassion at the sight of a people who were hungry, broken and dejected, like sheep without shepherd. Jesus is a leader whose compassion for the poor, the weak and the distressed moved him to perform miracles for healing the sick and for feeding the multitude. In Mark 6 we see that Jesus's love and compassion made it difficult for him to find time to rest or to eat. His leadership means service. He did not come to be served, but to serve. To be a Christian is to live as Jesus lived, to love as he loved and to serve as he served. A Christian is to be marked out by how he reaches out to serve others. The Christian leader is to be clearly distinguished from his or her pagan counterpart who have never heard or who does not wish to hear the ways of God revealed in Christ.
He told his disciples that among the pagans the rulers lord it over them, and their great men make their authority felt. He warned that this should not happen among them. Instead he said that anyone who wants to be great must assume the status of a servant, and anyone who wants to be first must make himself a slave of all, just as he himself came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. Before he embraced the cross of calvary, he taught his disciples a lesson in leadership that will continue to challenge leaders in the world for all times. He stooped down to wash the feet of his disciples, and told them to follow his example (John 13:1-11).
In the midst of what we call the rat race in our day, when men and women are constantly striving to outdo one another in the acquisition of wealth, power and privilege, here we are with Jesus recommending to us the greatness that comes through self-abnegation. As men and women are struggling to overpower others, to lead others, but not to be led; when men and women are competing to dominate, and control others, here we are with Christ recommending self-effacement as the way to greatness. As men and women in our day are striving to shine and not to be overshadowed, when everyone wants his or her praises sung to the skies, when some leaders want their followers to carry around badges bearing their images, and when sycophancy has become the most profitable business, here we are with Christ recommending humility and self-sacrifice as the way to true greatness. As Philippians 2:6-11 says, he was equal with God, but did not assume that equality; instead he took the form of a slave and accepted to die the shameful death on the cross, as a result of which God raised him up and gave him a name that is greater than every other name.
Jesus presents a radically different way of looking at life, power, fulfilment and success. His message of salvation as we find summarized in the beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12) is wrapped in paradoxes. Contrary to the logic of this world, it is the poor in spirit who shall have the kingdom, it is those who hunger and thirst for justice who will have the kingdom. The irony is that many of those who truly hunger and thirst for justice in our land are today either languishing in jail, or they are on exile, banished indefinitely from their own motherland. Yet contrary to our human expectations, it is the meek and the humble, the pure of heart and the peace maker who shall inherit the earth. The logic of the kingdom is one of innocence, humility, purity of heart, poverty of spirit, forgiveness and generosity towards enemies, mercy, compassion, self-effacement, self-abnegation, and self-sacrifice. As Isaiah says, "God's ways are not our ways."
