Slaves of His Kingdom

Becoming a citizen of God’s Kingdom requires a life of self-sacrificial service for the Gospel and others, not power over them – Mark 10:35-45.

Disciples of Jesus Christ become “priests” of his Kingdom and rule with him as his priestly representatives. This understanding raises the question. How does a believer participate in the sovereign rule of his Lord and exercise his authority on the Earth? Fortunately, the New Testament provides us with clear answers.

When James and John asked Jesus for high positions in his Kingdom, he responded: “You know not what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am drinking, and will you be baptized with the baptism with which I am being baptized?” – (Mark 10:35-40).

[Photo by kachaminda on Unsplash]

The image of the “cup” symbolizes something given by God, usually in the negative sense of judicial punishment. When Jesus “drank” from this cup, he endured the wrath of God on account of the sins of others. His metaphorical use of “baptism” in the passage coveys the same idea - (Psalm 11:6, 16:5, Isaiah 57:17-22, Jeremiah 25:15-28).

James and John claimed they were prepared to drink this bitter brew. By doing so, they demonstrated that they had no idea what any of this meant. In the meantime, the other disciples became indignant as the two brothers’ request for high positions in Christ’s kingdom, but Jesus used the opportunity to teach them what “greatness” means in his Priestly Kingdom:

• “Whoever would become great among you will be your servant, and whoever would be first among you will be slave of all, just as the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his soul as a ransom instead of many” - (Mark 10:41-45).

The English term “servant” in the preceding passage translates the Greek noun ‘diakonos’, a general term for one who serves. The Greek word translated as “slave” or ‘doulos’ means exactly that. Jesus illustrated this principle by declaring that he came to pour out his soul as a “ransom” for the benefit of others. Greatness is not achieved through power over friends or enemies, but by self-sacrificial service to one and all.

Unlike the political rulers of this sin-dominated world, Christ’s disciples must not become overlords and taskmasters. Reigning in his Kingdom means being the “slave of all” as Jesus did when he laid down his life to liberate his people from sin. His saying in Mark alludes to the ‘Suffering Servant of Yahweh’ found in the Book of Isaiah:

• “Yet Yahweh purposed to bruise him <…> Therefore, I will give him a portion among the great, and the strong shall he apportion as spoil because he poured out to death his soul, and with transgressors let himself be numbered, Yea, he the sin of Many carried, and for transgressors, he interceded” - (Isaiah 53:10-12).

The term “many” on Christ’s lips is a verbal link to the passage from Isaiah. The “many” are the “transgressors” for whom the “Servant” made atonement. Just as he “poured out his soul” for them, so the “Son of Man gave his soul” to ransom the “many.”

In Greco-Roman society, “ransom” money was paid to purchase the freedom of a slave. Christ’s statement was a declaration of his mission - To give his life as the ransom price for freeing others from slavery to sin and death, and he summoned his disciples to do likewise by spending their lives in service to his Kingdom and humanity.

Paul made a similar argument in the Letter to the Philippians, also by alluding to the passage from Isaiah about the “Servant of Yahweh,” by exhorting the Church to exercise the same “mind” that Christ did when he “counted others better than himself.”

Unlike Adam, Jesus did not consider the “being like God” as something to be seized. Instead, he “poured himself out, taking the form of a slave <…> and he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death.” For that reason, God exalted him to rule over all things – (Philippians 2:1-11).

Paul also provides us with two real-world examples of what he means. Firstly, Epaphroditus, his “fellow worker” and “servant to my need,” who became seriously ill, even “nigh unto death.” He “hazarded his life to supply” what was lacking in the Philippians’ service to the Apostle, thus Epaphroditus “poured himself out” for the sake of the congregation – (Philippians 2:25-30).

Secondly, himself. For the “excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus,” Paul experienced the “loss of all things” that he previously valued to serve Jesus and his People. Considering what he gained by pursuing Christ, he came to value his past achievements as little more than “refuse” in comparison. What the world viewed as loss, Paul saw as gain – (Philippians 3:4-11).

In the Book of Revelation, all men who are redeemed by the “blood of the Lamb” become “Priests” in his Kingdom, and they reign with him on the Earth. However, they do so in the same paradoxical manner that he did:

• “He that overcomes, I will give to him to take his seat with me on my throne, as I also overcame and sat down with my Father on his Throne” - (Revelation 1:4-6, 3:21, 5:10).

We are citizens of this Priestly Kingdom in the present tense, which means we participate in this new and radically different political order. Unlike the governmental institutions of this age, as followers of Jesus of Nazareth, we do not become tyrants, but “priests” who engage in service for others and Christ’s Gospel. This is also how we overcome the Devil:

• “And they overcame the Dragon by the blood of the Lamb, by the word of their testimony, and because they loved not their lives unto death” - (Revelation 12:11).

We reign on the Earth as his “priests” by bearing witness and mediating the light of Christ’s message to a very dark world, even if doing so means martyrdom. Or to change the imagery, anyone who wishes to become his disciple must first “deny himself, take up his cross,” and follow Jesus “wherever he goes,” even when doing so leads to very unpleasant places.

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SEE ALSO:

• "Leap for Joy!" - (Suffering persecution for Jesus is the highest honor bestowed on a disciple in his Kingdom)

• The Folly of the Cross - (The Kingdom of God will not be implemented through political and economic power, and certainly not military might)

• Power and Wisdom - (God's Power and Wisdom are revealed in the proclamation of Christ Crucified)

• Christ's Priestly Kingdom - (The disciples of Jesus reign with him as priestly kings who mediate His light and proclaim His Good News to the world)