In 1 Corinthians 4:1 the Apostle Paul says that he and his fellow workers should be seen as “...servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.” In fact, I believe all followers of Christ can be described as “servants,” which leads us to an important question. What does it mean to be a servant of Jesus Christ? Recently, while meditating on this question, my mind began to wander, (I admit it. Sometimes during my devotionals my mind wanders. Has that happened to you? Be honest!) and I found myself thinking about Alfred Pennyworth, better known simply as Alfred.
Alfred is, of course, Bruce Wayne’s (Batman’s) butler: a paid servant. Yet, in many ways Alfred is much more than just simply a servant. He is Bruce’s trusted confidant and advisor. He is also one of Bruce’s few and closest friends. Alfred is loyal, doing his best to help and support Bruce even while dealing with the trials that come with working for the Dark Knight. And as we watch (or read about) Alfred the audience embraces this humble servant as an important part of just about every Batman story.
Those who have received the gift of salvation have become servants of Jesus Christ. True, He says that He no longer calls His followers servants (John 15:15) but we cannot ignore this aspect of our relationship with Him, nor should we. Christians are called to be servants and like Alfred we have been entrusted with something very important: what Paul called the mysteries of God. We are invited into a close relationship with our Lord, one that is growing over time as we learn to see Him as He really is. We are to be loyal and to do our best to answer His call in support of the spreading of the Gospel. And like Alfred, we each are important to the story being crafted by our God. In fact, we are so important that Jesus died in order to make us a part of His story.
So what does it mean to be a servant of Jesus Christ? First and foremost it means I am saved by faith in Jesus Christ, having received the free gift of salvation offered by the grace of God. It then means that I try to live up to the high calling, responding as a good servant to the One who saved me. It means we are servants while at the same time enjoying our adoption as sons and daughters of the true and living God. Last, but certainly not least, being a servant of Jesus means I obey because He is Lord AND because I love Him.
