Paradox Helps Us to See

 Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. (Mark 10:43-45)

These paradoxes of Jesus come from the disparity between the kingdoms of this world and the kingdom of heaven.  “Greatness” as the world sees it is not really greatness at all.  Such greatness has these characteristics: “lording it over “ other people, exercising authority over  others, and being first.  Greatness in the kingdom of God comes with service and giving up one’s life.

Instead of being served by many, Jesus showed that greatness is shown by serving many.  Capacity to serve demonstrates greatness with God.  Greatness with God is not just a matter of some future reward, but to have the kind of influence that God has.  Jesus served not merely out of duty, but because it is the most effective way to love and change human hearts, human society, and creation as a whole.

As I remember how I was raised as a child, I believe the things that have remained with me the longest and seated themselves in my heart the deepest have been the ways in which my parents served.  My father’s work at home and his careful planning of our vacations as well as my mother’s deliberate affection and sharing her love of music and art were ways in which they taught me without being highly conscious of teaching me.  What they did had more effect than what they taught.  The depth of greatness is plumbed by how many hearts I affect rather than how many lives I direct.

So the moments of service become the times I choose not to hold over other people what authority I have.  I serve when I move away from exercising my authority as expert, supervisor, or father, but instead come alongside the people in my life as a resource to be used or ignored, a steward of what has been given to me, and a helper and encourager.  I serve when I choose to be last out of love.  Serving is, most notably, death to my self-life.

The paradox comes from the utter difference between God’s ways and the world’s ways.  Jesus’ contradiction and exaggeration come from his contrast between what I accept as “the way things are” and the truth of how things really are.  The heart of his teaching is “You have heard it was said” followed by “But I tell you.”

Lord, as much as I agree with you that service makes greatness, I inwardly rebel at the thought of service so often.  I feel imposed upon and inconvenienced in so many ways and my heart is often unresponsive to the needs of other people, my mind indifferent to what they ask for.  Please let your truth not remain paradox but come to be truth that I believe.  Amen.

I see how paradox can open my eyes if I open my ears to it.  Jesus is not merely saying, “Serve.”  He shows the try nature and purpose to service and how the very struggle to faith in him is the struggle to serve instead of lording it over others, exercising my authority, and determining to be first.  Without faith service does not make sense.  Without truly hearing the paradox, I think I hear his words when I do not really.  “He who has ears let him hear.”

“But as we took longer [to look at the Byzantine paintings,] we are struck by the sudden realization that the angles and postures are all perfectly natural and correct – or, at least, they would be if we were all dwelling in the world of the icon.  We are outsiders, looking in on the kingdom of heaven: it is our viewpoint that is distorted. . . .  [The Bible] is a thin place through which the presence of God breaks into this world and bursts with unpredictable consequences into our lives.”  (Chris Webb, The Fire of the Word, 31)