How do you live in a world where everyone wants to rule and no one wants to listen, and how do you become like Jesus in such a world? The sermon takes us onto the road to Jerusalem, where Jesus speaks of the cross while his disciples are asking about the best seats in the kingdom (Matthew 20). The answer is startling: whoever wants to be great must become a servant, and the place where that posture is learned day by day is an ordinary congregation and ordinary involvement. The story of the Roman aqueduct in Segovia shows what happens to whatever stops serving. Listen and see whether the way down might in fact lead upward.
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- In Matthew 20:20-28 Jesus foretells His suffering and death, and the mother of Zebedee's sons asks for seats at His right and left. What does this contrast reveal about how the disciples understood His kingdom?
- James and John confidently say they can drink Jesus' cup. What did that cup mean, and how did Jesus' words come true in their lives?
- The speaker describes an all inclusive lifestyle: at work, at home and at church we wait for someone else to do things. Where do you most easily act like a guest rather than a servant?
- Why does our culture associate serving with humiliation and weakness, and how do the words about the Son of Man who came to serve change that view?
- According to the sermon, getting involved in the community is above all a blessing for the one who serves, as in the story of the older man setting out chairs. How does serving change your heart?
- The aqueduct in Segovia began to crumble once it stopped serving. In what specific place, at home, at work or in church, can you start serving others this week?
