In the movie Raiders of the Lost Ark Indiana Jones has to choose which cup would have belonged to Jesus and been used at the Last Supper. There are dozens upon dozens to choose from and each seems more lavish than the next. He chooses the one which is the most simple and would most likely reflect the lifestyle of a simple carpenter. It is the correct choice. While there may be some problems with using this movie as a theology guide at this point it is right on. Jesus is the humble one who came to serve and not to be served.

In this gospel lesson we have a teaching from Jesus on the kind of attitude we need to assume as followers of the Christ. Jesus used a very simple story about a man who had come into his house after a hard day’s work. Jesus offered a very humorous suggestion asking if we, as the master of the house, would have our slaves sit down while we fed them. The crowd listening to Jesus would have known the answer right away not because they owned slaves but because they were poor and served others and perhaps were even slaves themselves. No master is going to serve the slaves. He is going to expect them to take care of him and his needs and he isn’t going to gush over their wonderful service and leave a large tip. They can expect nothing, not even a thank you.

Jesus says that this is the way we should look on our service that we render up to God. We should consider ourselves no more than slaves who are called to be obedient. When we do what we are suppose to do we should not pat ourselves on the back or expect God to pat us on the head and tell us how wonderful we are. We should, instead, respond, “We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done” (v. 10). There is no talk of stars in our crowns or of the huge palace we will have in heaven. There is just the acknowledgment that we have done no more than was expected of us.

This is a difficult concept for most of us in the church to understand. In the Roman Catholic church there are many who have trouble with the behavior of Pope Francis. He is the only pope to take the name of Saint Francis of Assisi who lived such a humble life of poverty. He does not live in the fanciest part of Vatican City. He eats with others and eats the same food as they do. He seems to take seriously his title: chief servant of the people of God.

We often think that we are something special because we are Jesus’ disciples. We do what is good and right so we must be better than others, right? Not according to Jesus. We have been called to love God with our entire being, our heart, soul, strength, and mind. Nothing less than this will do. Most of us feel how awesome the task set before us is and we know that we have not achieved this kind of devotion to our God. And yet, even if we do achieve it, we have done nothing extraordinary. No, we have only done what has been asked of us.

In the same way, we are asked to love others as we love ourselves. We are told to give the same careful consideration to the needs of others that we give to our own needs. Most of us are pretty clear that we have not attained this kind of holiness even before Jesus reminds us that he isn’t talking about just our family and friends but about strangers and those we would consider our enemies. And if we should somehow manage to achieve such a goal, the angels of heaven may be surprised but they won’t be falling down in awe and wonder of us. We have only done what has been asked of us and nothing more. We are just worthless slaves.

Some may conclude that God is a heartless, cruel master who doesn’t deserve to be obeyed if this is the way things are. But we have to be careful here. Jesus does not say a word about the master’s attitude. Jesus couches the conversation in terms of what we would do if we were the master and what we would expect of our slaves. The lesson Jesus gives us is about our attitude as servants of the most high and is not a theological treatise on God’s nature. No matter how good we think we may be, we are to be humble and unassuming.

Reflect on Jesus’ teaching about greatness in God’s economy. It does not come from being the one who is served but by offering oneself as the servant of all. There is a quiet humility in Jesus and his teachings that is very powerful for it does not ask us to debase ourselves but, rather, to lift up the other person. The humility of Jesus has nothing to do with wearing hair shirts or inflicting pain upon our bodies. It consists in lifting up the lowly and not expecting any praise or reward for it. It is a humility based on compassion.

Humility is living in the truth of who we are and all of us are wonderfully gifted and terribly flawed. We are God’s image and yet we are mired in the clay of the earth. From Saint Paul’s declaration that he is the worst of sinners to John Wesley denying his achieving of perfection in this life (though he taught it could be achieved) to the confessions of Mother Teresa, we have examples of those who knew the truth of how to serve God in the way of Jesus. We are not above others. We are only servants who, at best, have done only what we were told to do.

When we can serve God and God’s creatures with this kind of Christ Spirit, then we begin to participate in the joy of Jesus. In this humble attitude we are removed from trying to prove ourselves and to make ourselves worthy of God’s love. In this attitude we can serve joyously knowing we are side-by-side with the Christ.