What was it that made Jesus the perfect servant, and what does this mean to us as his own?
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.
What makes a servant a servant? What do servants not have that masters possess and exercise themselves in? The answer is simple. Masters have their will and the authority to exercise it. Servants have neither. Instead, they are divested of authority and their will is subjugated to their master. Period. This is the meaning of Philippians 2:5-6.
God is the Master of all masters. The Lord emptied himself of his authority, laying it aside, and subjugated his will to the will of his father by way of the Spirit of God in him. This is what Paul is saying to the Philippian church. He is pointing out that not only did Jesus fully lay aside his authority and subjugate his will to the father, but did so as a perfectly obedient servant all the way to the cross and its pain and humility, including death. Jesus fulfilled his mission and mission parameters perfectly as a servant. You and I are likewise called.
All through the scripture we see the evidences of Jesus operating this way. Nowhere is this more on display than in the book of John. Over and over, Jesus overtly announces that he is not operating in his own authority or by his own will, but within the authority delegated to him by the father, speaking and doing the father's words and will. Jesus is the conduit through which the father flows to us by the Spirit that indwells him. This is our calling as well. We are commanded to be a servant in the same way the he was. This is non-optional.
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. I am not speaking of all of you; I know whom I have chosen. But the Scripture will be fulfilled, ‘He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.’ I am telling you this now, before it takes place, that when it does take place you may believe that I am he. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.”
The one who failed was Judas. His failure was that he operated by his own will and the authority of others that he sought, the venomous Pharisees and Sadducees, and the host of devils and demons behind them. While the other disciples were merely fearful, and then scattered, Judas defied his master, Jesus, and took matters into his own hands. What this reveals is that somewhere along the way, Judas had a change of heart towards following Jesus as master, and the father within him by the Spirit. The example, for you and I, is transparently clear!
Calling yourself a Christian doesn't mean that you have laid down your own authority, nor that of Satan, fallen angels, demons, and the people who follow after them as well as your own flesh and its authority over you. Just because you name the name of Christ as Lord and Savior doesn't mean that you have subjected your will to him, and his by the Spirit in you, and his empowerment of you to do so. In this way, it is easy to fake being a Christian.
You decide. Are you a self-willed rebel Judas, or are you an obedient disciple of Christ, your Lord and Master? Do you mouth words towards the Lord in an effort to convince yourself and others that you are of Christ? Do you have the mind of Christ in you, that is, do you have the mind and purpose of being an obedient servant of the Lord, empowered by the Spirit to this end?
In Revelation 3, we find Jesus laying it out this way.
“And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's creation. “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”
Fold the message, of hot and cold, into the core of what Jesus is asking for. He is asking for people, who are sold out to him to be like him, following him, in his obedient servant model. The lukewarm part is us trying to mix in some kind of middle-ground, where we can operate as an obedient servant of Christ at some points, and operate in our own will, under the authority of our flesh, and others in this world, both humans and non-human spirits, from the unseen realms.
Jesus is clear. He is not happy with people who try to operate this way. In fact, he would rather you be devoted to them fully than to try and mix him and them. Therefore, operating in a mix is what Jesus will reject by spitting us out of his mouth if we try.
Again—what form of follower of Christ are you?
Addenda
Fellow Servants
Servanthood is not just about us. We are all his servants and called to walk and live cooperatively with each other, serving one another, holding each other as more important, and lowering ourselves to the lowest point in the food-chain of servanthood to each other and Christ. Here are some scriptural examples:
FELLOW SERVANTS
Matthew 18:28-33: This is part of the parable of the unmerciful servant. After being forgiven a great debt by his master, the servant goes out and finds a fellow servant who owes him a much smaller amount. He treats this fellow servant harshly, which angers the master when he finds out.
Matthew 24:49: In this verse, Jesus is talking about a wicked servant who mistreats his fellow servants.
Colossians 1:7: Paul refers to Epaphras as a "faithful minister of Christ" and a "fellow servant."
Colossians 4:7: Paul refers to Tychicus as a "beloved brother" and a "faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord."
Revelation 6:11: In John's vision, white robes were given to each of the martyrs, and they were told to rest a little longer until the number of their fellow servants and brothers should be complete.
Revelation 19:10: The apostle John falls at the feet of an angel to worship him, but the angel tells him not to do so, saying "I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus."