In the Gospel for today, Mark presents us with a glimpse of persons whom we can recognize as “more than ordinary servants”, but the spotlight is on ONE, Jesus Christ the Son of God, the Beloved Son of God, declared as such by God the Father, who had also made the same declaration at the Baptism of His Son.  But how can the mere label of “more than an ordinary servant” fittingly describe the Eternal Word of God, the Co-Creator and the Sustainer of the universe, the exact Representation of the Father? (See Colossians1:15-17; Hebrews 1:2-3a).

Ah, but here we have a powerful irony: This Unique Son of God left behind the glorious, majestic splendour of His Heavenly Home to become LESS than an ordinary servant—a slave, in fact, washing the feet of His disciples and, lower than that, to be pronounced guilty and suffer the ignominious, cruel death of crucifixion, a penalty reserved for the vilest of criminals.  Yet the irony gathers more strength, for it is this awful death that is the high point of His mortal life in that it expresses most poignantly His Great love for us all, for by it He surpassed His Own definition of “No Greater Love” as that possessed by one who dies for a friend, for “while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8).

What does that mean for us? In light of His Sacrificial Unconditional love, can any of us ever be a ‘more than ordinary servant’?

Let’s pause to look at the people in the company of Jesus.  We see Moses and Elijah—powerful men of God, weren’t they? But were they always so? When God called him, Moses made five excuses before he eventually obeyed God.  Elijah, after the amazing miracle God performed on Mt Carmel in answer to his prayer to send down fire to consume the sacrifice, proving to all that the LORD, and not Baal, was God, was found in a frightened and depressive state.  Yet both of these were men of faith who cultivated great intimacy with God and were honoured by Him in setting up this encounter with the transfigured Jesus.  We see also in the company of Jesus, Peter who would later deny him and James and John who wanted to call down fire on the Samaritans and who were so ‘nuff’ as to request places of special honour with Jesus in His Kingdom.  These men, empowered by the Spirit of God, as

were Moses and Elijah, became ‘more than ordinary servants’ of the Lord. We have no excuse.  Jesus calls us today to follow Him, empowering us to become ‘more than ordinary servants’, loving one another as He loves us and, taking up our cross, die to our selfish desires. Let us heed the words the Father pronounced at the Transfiguration of our Lord Jesus:

“This is my dearly loved Son. Listen to him.”

His servant

Jean