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SCRIPTURE READING

ISAIAH 49:1-7

1 CORINTHIANS 1:1-9

JOHN 1:29-34

SUNDAY REFLECTION

Behold the Servant of the Lord is the theme for our reflection. To behold is to look at something or someone in a remarkable or impressive nature. A servant is a person called or employed to perform duties for others. “Behold, the servant of the Lord” means we are to focus our attention on a particular servant who has been called or sent by God. Who is this servant and what is His mission or service to the Lord? Jesus is the chief servant of all the servants of the Lord. The focus of our reflection shall be on the mission of the servant of the Lord thus:

1. The servant of the Lord came to save the world.
2. The servant of the Lord came to call those who are saved into the mission of the Lord.

First, the servant of the Lord came to save the world. During Israel’s exile in Babylon, Isaiah delivered the message of hope and restoration to the Israelites and assured Israel that the Lord will appoint her as His servant and through her, He will save the world. Israel will become great and honoured among the nations through her call to serve the Lord. . “Thus says the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One, to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nation, the servant of rulers: “Kings shall see and arise; princes, and they shall prostrate themselves; because of the LORD, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.” (Isaiah 49:7). The prophecy and promise of God are graciously fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ who came to earth and was born an Israelite. It was for this reason, when John the Baptist saw Jesus he revealed that “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.” And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.” (John 1:29-34). Dear friend, God had appointed many servants in the past and continues to appoint many servants but the chief servant or the servant of all servants of the Lord is Jesus Christ because He came to serve God by taking away the sin of the world, truly, “…God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. (John 3:16-17) Through the call of Israel, Jesus was ultimately sent by God to take away the sins of the world including the redemption of Israel herself. It is, for this reason, Paul wrote to the Galatians that “Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith…There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise. (Galatians 3:7-9,28-29). Jesus, who is our Master, Lord and Saviour identified Himself as the servant of the Lord and calls us to follow His perfect example. He said to the disciples ” You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them (John 13:13-17) Jesus is the chief servant of the Lord and he has called us to humble ourselves and follow His example. How humble are you as a Christian? We cannot follow the Jesus our Savior and Servant of the Lord without becoming humble and bearing His perfect image. “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name” (Philippians 2:5-9)

Second, after Jesus had completed the most important work of salvation as the servant of God, He also called those who are saved to also become the servant of the Lord, it is for this reason, Paul in his letter to the Corinthians mentioned that “Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes, To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 1:1-3). Beloved in the Lord we have by the grace of God been saved and called to also become the servants of the Lord. We have been equipped to carry out the mission of spreading the Gospel and enriched in Christ in all speech and knowledge through the power of the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 1:4-6) Jesus commissioned us to be servants of the Lord when He said “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20). Are you serving the Lord with your life? Remember we are stewards or servant saved and called by grace and are required to serve so long as we have breath. Jesus admonishes us that “So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’”(Luke 17:10) All believers are servants of the Lord, therefore, must continually serve God in His mission of saving souls and support the mission of God through the Church as His dedicated servants even as we await the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. When we have served God diligently and faithfully, He will say to us “… ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ (Matthew 25:21)

In conclusion, we have meditated on the theme, “Behold the Servant of the Lord” In our reflection, we discovered two important facts. We discovered that Jesus Christ is the chief servant of the Lord who came to save the world and has called us to become servants of the Lord in continuing the mission of saving the world. May the Holy Spirit continue to strengthen us to render our service to the glory of the Lord. Amen.