“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45 ESV).
When I sat down to write about Mark 10:45, I remembered a passage from a book I recently read by C.S. Lewis. In his book, Mere Christianity, Lewis writes, “He [Jesus] came to this world and became a man in order to spread to other men the kind of life He has – by what I call ‘good infection.’ Every Christian is to become a little Christ.” While we Lutherans believe that Jesus came first to save us, to bring us into a right relationship with the Father, I agree with Lewis’s assertion that we should all emulate Christ’s servanthood, demonstrated throughout His earthly life.
Even a new teacher like me can see there are certain truths about teaching children that are made clear within the first couple of days in a classroom. Especially in a science classroom, students learn best when they can see something happen, feel a change, or just do something hands-on. Lecture is great and reading is sometimes necessary, but most science teachers will tell you science is something you do. In seeing demonstrations and participating in labs, students learn how to “do” science.
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Christ, the ultimate teacher, “Came down not to be served but to serve.” Christ willingly went to the cross to win our salvation. His sacrifice frees us to serve our neighbors and students in our classroom. By emulating Him, by becoming “Little Christs,” we will be more fully able to serve those we see every day, our students. Much like a science classroom, students will learn what being a servant is when they see us serve. When they see their teachers demonstrating servanthood like Christ, they learn not by lecture, or through books, but by example. May the children in our schools see Christ through His servants, Christian teachers!
Amen.
