Mark 9:33-37 (NKJV)

Then He came to Capernaum. And when He was in the house He asked them, “What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road?” But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest. And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.” Then He took a little child and set him in the midst of them. And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them, “Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me.”

Mark 10:35-45 (NKJV)

Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Him, saying, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask.”

And He said to them, “What do you want Me to do for you?”

They said to Him, “Grant us that we may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left, in Your glory.”

But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?”

They said to Him, “We are able.”

So Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink the cup that I drink, and with the baptism I am baptized with you will be baptized; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared.”

And when the ten heard it, they began to be greatly displeased with James and John. But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

Poetry

“Washing Feet”
by Robert Fawcett

Being thorough, I remove a holey sock
to view a diabetic man’s filthy feet.
I use the time to complete our talk
of what drove him to live on the street
as I wonder how any of this can help.

While he tells me more of his medical past,
I run warm water into a stainless bowl.
I immerse both his feet and begin to ask
myself what good it does for this poor soul
to allow himself to undergo this ablution.

Silently I sluice the water between his toes
and soap the crusty callous at his heel.
I marvel at his arch and notice how closely
it fits my palm. I know he can feel
this proximity too. He shuts his eyes.

Months of useless layers peel away,
revealing layers useless weeks ago.
Removing the tough brown hide of yesterday
yields clean pink skin, but we both know
this ritual will be useless days from now.

Still, this moment may withstand time’s test,
teaching us each lessons unknown before.
I learn the medicine of selflessness.
He learns what medicine is really for–
the hope that basin, soap and touch can bear.

Christ's Teaching on Servanthood

Bible scholars often cite Mark 9:35 as the key verse of the Gospel of Mark: “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all”. This verse underscores Christ’s expectation that His followers adopt the posture of sacrificing their own wants and desires to help others flourish and grow.

To be rich, famous, and powerful is the way of the world. However, when Christ came, the role of the servant became elevated over wealth and influence. Servanthood became the defining posture of greatness in the Kingdom of God, reshaping how authority, leadership, and honor are understood. The Scripture reading for today illustrates the necessity of assuming a lowly position if one wants to hold an honored place in the Kingdom of God. Christ rebukes His disciples for discussing who would be greatest in Heaven. As quoted above, Christ admonishes: “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all” (Mark 9:35). Christ continues His teaching in Mark 10 when James and John are asking to sit on the right hand and the left hand of Christ when in His glory. Christ reiterates: “Whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all” (Mark 10:43-44). Christ’s teaching is clear: His Followers are to be servants.

Younsung Kim’s painting “Servant of All” depicts Christ as a kind, humble, and gentle servant. The artist draws attention to the gentleness of Jesus’s hands rather than the nail-marked hands often pictured. Jesus is tenderly holding the foot of one of His disciples as He performs the lowly task of washing His disciple’s feet.

Not only art but music honors the “Servant King.” Graham Kendrick’s lyrics remind his listeners that Christ came “not to be served but to serve.” Unlike Kim’s depiction of Jesus’s gentle hands, Kendric sings of Christ’s scarred hands and feet. Christ sacrificed His life so that His Followers might live. Michael Ryan, too, affirms the words of Jesus in his song “Servant of All”: “If you wanna be great in God’s Kingdom, learn to be servant of all.”

Finally, a contemporary example can help bring Christ’s teaching into ordinary life. An avid cyclist within the church community serves quietly in many ways, but his role in the church’s cycling group is especially instructive. Rather than riding at the front of the pack or pursuing his own competitive goals, he intentionally rides at the back. From there, he encourages those who struggle to keep pace, stops to repair flat tires, and offers help whenever it is needed. His purpose on these rides is not personal achievement but attentiveness to others. In this small, everyday setting, he reflects the posture Jesus commends—a willingness to relinquish advantage in order to serve.

Prayer

Father God, you have given your Word, music, and art to depict the practice of servanthood. You have even provided fellow Believers as models who put the needs of others before their own. May your Followers strive to serve others and never forget the epitome of true servanthood: your death on the cross so that they can have eternal life.

Dr. Christie Curtis
Associate Dean, Graduate Chair and Associate Professor
School of Education
Biola University

For more information about the artwork, music, and poetry selected for this day, we have provided resources under the “About” tab located next to the “Devotional” tab near the top of the page.