Selfless Service

NOTE: I have mentioned before that I was a pastor and missionary for a little over 20 years. While I no longer serve the Church in that “professional” capacity, my Christian faith is still a central and core component of my life. I simply say all that up front because much of the following post arises from that key element of my makeup…

In Mark 2:1-12 we find the story of a unique healing that took place in the early days of Jesus’ public ministry. For the sake of this post, I will avoid a detailed explanation and/or exposition of the story (you can find it via the link above). Rather, I want to focus on one singular part of the story that has both fascinated and inspired me for years. No matter how many times I read or meditate on this specific NT passage, I always come away with the same distinct question… What manner of faith did these four possess that enabled them to place the need of another so readily before their own? That’s it. Nothing necessarily profound. But something incredibly practical. Nothing particularly phenomenal. But something essentially foundational. This group of entirely anonymous participants willingly set aside their own needs to proactively prioritize the need of someone else. Again. That’s it. And yet, that’s everything in my estimation.

Selfless, sacrificial service for the benefit of someone else. Granted, we talk about that quite a bit in our Christian circles. It is a popular topic. But living it out on a daily basis can be another matter. I know because I have struggled with it most of my life. Speaking for myself, it is so easy to sing the praises of a sacrificial Savior while all the while desperately clinging to my own personal need. How often (or how seldom, to be more painfully honest) have I been as quick as these four to abandon my own need solely in favor of helping others? Surely, these four had needs of their own. Some sickness that needed healing? Some crisis that needed a resolution? Some question that needed an answer? Some situation that demanded satisfaction? But the story tells us nothing about their own considerations because their only concern was the need of another. They went to extravagant lengths to make sure that someone besides themselves was moved to the front of the line.

As I close in on six decades here on planet earth, I find myself increasingly considering my service. Am I truly serving others? And to what degree is it selfless (much less sacrificial)? One version of this account reads as follows: “When Jesus saw their faith…” Their faith. Hmmm… When I was younger, I used to imagine “their faith” as some sort of intangible, spiritual essence. But as I have grown older and hopefully matured, I wonder if “their faith” was something much simpler, i.e., a concrete action that was clearly evidenced by their selfless service. Regardless of whether they acted in complete confidence or just some sort of hopeful expectation, they knew that the need demanded action. Not deliberation. Not consideration. And certainly not procrastination. The math was simple in their minds. They could either leave the sick one behind and pursue their own agenda or they could set everything aside and work together to help someone less fortunate. They could give up their own need so someone else could get their need met.

Most days I think to myself that we make this thing called “Christianity” way too difficult. Amidst all of the denominations, translations, and interpretations, there are two things that seem readily clear to everyone: Love God and love people. And in this one simple story, I am reminded that to do the first requires that I do the second. By serving others, I ultimately serve God. And in the economy of the Kingdom, there might be no better way to do that than to put their needs before my own.

Philippians2:3, “…in humility value others above yourselves…”