40 Names of Jesus in 40 days of Lent — Day 12

And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, ³⁰ while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”

-o0o-

⁵ Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus ⁶ who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷ but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. ⁸ And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. ⁹ Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰ so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Acts 4:29-30, Philippians 2:5-11 ESVUK

Servant of God

Acts chapter 4. The disciples were in a pickle. They were under threat because Peter and John had cured a lame man in Jesus’ name. You would expect the people of God to have rejoiced, and they did, but the people who ran the Temple… Did I tell you this happened in the Temple in Jerusalem? Well, it did. Anyway, the people who ran the Temple did not like this, so they arrested Peter and John, kept them in jail overnight then interrogated them the next day. They were set free, but not without threats not to do this again.

The disciples gathered to pray. They referred to themselves as God’s servants, but also to Jesus as God’s Holy Servant. They realised that if Jesus served God then they were called to do the same, serve God.

Servant of humans

“Have this mind among yourselves.” Says Paul in the letter to the Philippians. He then gives a list of the attributes of Jesus:

• Did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped.
  • Have this mind among yourselves, high position and fame are not things to grasp for.
• But made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 
  • Have this mind among yourselves, make yourselves be nothing, a servant of others.
• And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
  • Have this mind among yourselves, your life does not belong to you, use it in the service of others.

When Jesus said the second great law was, “Love your neighbour as you love yourself,” he did not mean that it was optional. Service to other people is how Jesus lived and how he expects us to live.