Service in the New Testament (part 1)

In Galatians 5:13-14, Paul admonishes us to “serve one another in love,” and reasserts what had been repeated from Moses to Christ, the whole law is love. Truly loving service often doesn’t even feel like service. The person receiving the service may express deep gratitude to the person giving it, and the giver may say in surprise, “I didn’t do anything!” Or “I only did what anyone would have done.” Or, best of all, “I only did it because I love you.”

2 Corinthians 9 and 10 provide a clear picture of how loving liberality is linked to greater joy, and even, according to verses 10 and 11, growing righteousness! Those in need, in this instance, were brothers and sisters who were afflicted by famine, and possibly persecution as well. There is a strong sense in these chapters that this could happen to anyone, and the giver might next be the one who needs.

To get the very best picture possible of what loving service is all about, of course we turn to Jesus’ life. From the moment He arose (if He hadn’t spent the night praying) to the moment He lay down to sleep (ditto), His dual wish was to serve His Father and to serve those around Him. How did He do this? Let’s look at three stories. You could choose any story in the gospels, almost at random!

Matthew 8:1-4—There are at least three principles at work in this passage. Perhaps you see more.

1. Jesus was led by the expressed needs of this man. He didn’t seek out the leper and ask him if he wanted to be cleansed. He let the leper come to Him and ask. However, He had made no secret of His ministry, so people who needed Him knew where to find Him and had heard rumors, at least, about what He could do. How often have we put a burden on people by pressuring them to receive something (even the gospel) that they don’t think they need? On the other hand, are we clear about the ministries our churches, or groups, or we as individuals provide, and are there clear and self-respecting methods for accessing them, when someone

does feel a need?

A young woman sat in a church one day and listened to an angry rant from another member about how “there should be no welfare state—the church should take care of its own!” She kept her gaze lowered and said nothing, but she was wondering, “Does the church know who is in need? Am I supposed to stand up and raise my hand and say, ‘I don’t know what I’m going to feed my children tomorrow?’ As embarrassing as welfare is, at least there’s a method in place for access to help.” If there had been an active Community Services program, offering cheerful and non-belittling help, things might have been different. Or, even if the man had not sounded so angry.

2. Jesus met more than the expressed need. He heard the request for cleansing, but He knew enough about leprosy in His day, and looked closely and lovingly enough into the man’s eyes to know another, perhaps even deeper need that was felt but not expressed—the need for touch. No one touched a leper. It wasn’t just dangerous—it was against the law. This man had taken his safety into his hands even to approach Jesus. His courage was rewarded not only by the miracle of healing, but by the miracle, accessible to us all, of human touch. We can’t hand out miraculous healings. But our loving touch will amaze us with how often it is miraculously healing.

Perhaps the young woman in our example above should have been willing to ask for help. It was a small church, and not all can have an official community service program. If that had been a church where personal relationships were built and made a priority so that she could have talked to someone privately, she might have been willing to do so. Instead, she left and didn’t come back. In her next church there was a couple who kept their eyes open, encouraged confidences, and were quietly instrumental in getting that family back on their feet. Their friendship meant more than the extra food. Either, without the other, would have been useless, as James makes so clear in James 2:14-20.

3. Jesus did follow local custom and protocols. He told the man to go to the priest and make the prescribed offering “as a testimony.” This had at least three effects. It gave the local priest a chance to be involved, (and perhaps turn to Jesus himself.) It gave honor to the law, which, after all, Jesus Himself had originally given. It also gave the healed man something to do on his own behalf, which may have helped his self-confidence.