Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. (NIV)

If you have had more than one job or are a part of any organization, you have experienced different leadership styles. In this passage, Jesus describes two divergent types of leaders. First, he describes the self-seeking person in the world who uses might and power to ensure authority over others. Second, he describes a servant who is not self-seeking that becomes great by serving others. Today, we call this servant leadership.

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Jesus continually exemplified leading by serving others! Whether a need was physical like the blind man or spiritual like the woman at the well, Jesus recognized the need and met it. He empowered his disciples to go and serve others, humbled himself when he washed their feet, and showed compassion when he fed thousands of hungry people gathered to hear him speak. Jesus loved!  

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In our ACF community, many people are stepping up to be servant leaders as ACF Northeast (NE) campus is launched this weekend! Whether you are on a team at ACF NE, committing to attend ACF NE, or stepping into a role at ACF Eagle River, you are a part of loving and serving others! You are choosing to trust God in this new opportunity to serve and lead others in belief that, just as Jesus was sent to save, so we too are sent!

How did Jesus save us, though? The last verse in our passage tells us that Jesus’ gave his life as the ransom for many! The word ransom percolated in my heart this week as I thought about the demand, separation, and suffering that this word invokes! I had never contemplated Jesus’ death as a ransom. Since I have real life experiences with the deaths of those I love, I can better grasp Jesus dying for me, but I only have indirect experiences to understand ransom.  

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Currently, the news often reminds me of the hostages in the region of Jesus’ birthplace, Bethlehem, which is about six miles south of Jerusalem. On October 7, 2023, Israel and the surrounding areas became breaking world news when 1,195 people were killed and 251 hostages were taken in an attack by Hamas. These hostages are separated from their family and friends, and they are deeply suffering. Their loved ones have no power to demand a ransom to save them. If one of these hostages were your father, mother, son, or daughter, would you ransom yourself for their release?  

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God ransomed his only son for YOU and ME! Jesus ransomed his life for YOU and ME! Noticing and identifying the feelings that the word ransom invokes in me made his sacrifice more personal for me this week. I have no power to save myself from separation from God and that suffering. But Jesus ransomed his life for my sins that broke our relationship so I can be free from this hostage situation. I can live for eternity in restored relationship with God because the ransom has been paid!

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If you do not yet believe that Jesus paid the ransom for freedom from your sins, you can receive this gift paid for YOU! No sin is greater than the ransom Jesus paid. You can learn more about this at one of our Christmas Eve services coming up this week! And if you do know Jesus as your Savior, consider sharing the perfect gift of Jesus’ ransom with a family member or friend this season. Sharing Jesus is the ultimate act of serving you can give someone in your life, and truly why we are sent.  

Jesus, we praise you for modeling servant leadership and paying the ransom for us. You were sent as a baby born in Bethlehem to pay the ultimate ransom of your life for ours. I pray for peace and protection over all who are hostages right now. You showed us how to be great in your Kingdom by serving others. Open our hearts each day to an attitude of serving others to make a difference right now! We ask your blessing on the many servant hearts as ACF NE is launched this weekend. We love you, Jesus! Amen.