“Serve wholeheartedly as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does . . . –Ephesians 6:7-8A  (NIV)

Before the war, they were playing sandlot baseball in Brooklyn, working in the family grocery store in Illinois, running a traveling blacksmith shop in Texas, and then suddenly—in a day—everything changed.  Pearl Harbor was attacked, and some enlisted immediately while others got caught up in the draft that followed.  Others traded in their housekeeping duties for grueling factory work.

These days we know them as ‘the greatest generation.”  But what is it that made them so great?

The simple answer is: They all became servants in a cause that was greater than their own lives.  Though many, no doubt, complained at the hardship and were scared to death by what they were asked to do, they did it anyway.  As far as they were concerned, the world was in trouble and somebody had to do something.  Like it or not, they were called.  What makes so many of our fathers, mothers, grandfathers, and grandmothers so great is that they showed up and did what had to be done.  They pulled together to face unbeatable odds and—through solidarity, sacrifice, and struggle—they beat those odds.  Whatever your political persuasion, it’s hard not to admire their willingness to step up and serve—especially when you consider that most of them will say they did it for us.

A Hidden Treasure

Jesus said, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field.  In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field” (Matthew 13:44).

Though it may sound a little odd to the ears of modern readers, the New Testament Greek word translated as “treasure” in this verse is thesaurus, like Roget’s Thesaurus.  That big fat book on your shelf is called a thesaurus because it’s a treasure house of words.  Maybe it doesn’t seem particularly relevant, but we’re going through all this etymology to help you realize that the treasure hidden in the farmer’s field wasn’t a precious coin or even a big pirate chest filled with precious coins—it was a lot more significant than that.  Dave [Ping] likes to imagine it was something similar to the huge, subterranean treasury shown in the movie National Treasure.  If you haven’t seen it, this 2004 film shows nearly endless galleries heaped so full of gold, jewels, and priceless artwork that it would make the richest Pharaoh drool with excitement.

So what does the man do?  That’s right; he carefully hides the secret entrance to the amazing storehouse he’s discovered.  Then as quickly and quietly as possible, he sells his house, horse, plow, and everything else he can think of in order to buy that field—the whole time knowing he’s getting the best bargain in the history of the world!  After all, what’s an old house, or an old plow, or anything he ever dreamed of having compared to the secret he’s stumbled on?

That’s what the kingdom of heaven is like!  The question is, what are we willing to let go of in order to become spiritual gazillionaires?  Jesus doesn’t pretend there’s no cost or that it won’t be difficult to sell all we have.  In fact, he paints a very graphic picture saying, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me.  If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it.  But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it” (Luke 9:23-24). In other words: You can have more than you ever dreamed and all it will cost is following me in my sacrifice.  But the joy ahead of you will make the sacrifice worth it.  To use the words of the famous missionary and martyr Jim Elliot, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

We want to serve God both as a loving response to all he’s given to us and because we’ve glimpsed the staggering richness that comes from being with him in this world and the next.  As I John 4:19 says, “We love because he first loved us” (NIV).  We don’t serve in order to be accepted; we serve because we are accepted—it’s a natural outflow of our relationship with God. God loves us whether we serve or not, but our relationship with him—our treasure—is so much richer if we serve him.  It’s just one more layer of our relationship—one more aspect that makes our intimacy deeper.  We listen to God.  We love God.  We share with God.  We serve God.  None of those alone is the key to a perfect relationship.  And when any one is missing, then the relationship will be lacking.  The treasure is not complete.  But, together, they create an intimacy and a unity that is beyond any earthly fortune.

God doesn’t demand that you serve in order to earn his love, but God wants you to serve in order to experience the joys of a more complete relationship.  Just as the relationship with your friends or spouse is enriched when you serve one another, so it is with God.  And the closer you get to God, the more you’ll desire to serve him.  Perhaps this is why Jesus took some of his last few precious hours on earth to wash the feet of his disciples.  Here’s how the Apostle John described it:

“Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God.  So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, and poured water into a basin.  Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him” (John 13:3-6).

As we mentioned back in Reading 5, in those status-conscious days foot washing was a task reserved for only the youngest and lowliest household servants.  That’s undoubtedly why Peter forcefully protests by saying, “No . . . you will never ever wash my feet! (John 3:8a).  After all, Jesus was Peter’s master, not some foot-washing flunky!  But Jesus silenced him, saying, “Unless I wash you, you won’t belong to me” (John 13:8b).  Once Peter and the rest of the disciples experienced the shock of having their feet washed and dried by their master and Messiah, Jesus asks them, “Do you understand what I was doing?” (John 13:12b).  Imagine their stunned silence as he went on to explain his purpose in serving them: “You call me, ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am.  And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet.  I have given you an example to follow.  Do as I have done to you” (John 13:13-15).

Though it’s popular these days to talk about servant leadership; Jesus wasn’t just talking.  He was a servant first and foremost.  And Jesus was calling his disciples to take up their basins and towels and to follow him.  Jesus’ kingdom won’t be like the ones we know so well—where the strongest, smartest, and most ruthless get what they want by focusing on their own ambitions.  His would be a kingdom where love, faithfulness, and service would get you everywhere.  Jesus described it, saying “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them.  But among you it will be different.  Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave.  For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:25b-28).

Jesus concluded the foot-washing experience by telling his disciples, “Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them” (John 13:17, emphasis added).  Jesus was saying that if we humble ourselves and take on his servant lifestyle, he’ll pour out even more of his favor on us and through us.  And as we serve we’ll experience power and favor from his inexhaustible love flowing through us.

Dave [Ping] recently attended the funeral of an 84-year-old friend named Bob—a friend whom Dave had seen almost every single Tuesday for over a decade.  Every week Bob would faithfully show up and volunteer to assemble training materials and help out around Dave’s ministry office.  Dave always looked forward to Tuesdays for Bob wasn’t just a faithful volunteer; he was also a continuous source of encouragement and support to Dave and the ministry.  Of course that’s not where Bob’s story begins . . .

Bob had been one of the officers present when the Japanese signed the surrender at the end of World War II on board the battleship Missouri.  After that Bob had moved up the ranks of corporate America and became a top executive in one of the nation’s largest insurance companies.  Though these were great accomplishments, they weren’t Bob’s greatest treasure.  Bob’s greatest treasure was his friendship with Jesus.  And Bob’s greatest joy came from serving people in Christ’s name.

Bob served his wife, Lillian, his family and his church in thousands of little ways.  He secretly helped people in financial trouble so they could get back on their feet again.  Hundreds of children coming to Sunday school all knew “Grandpa Bob.”  He’d been there rain or shine—as long as they could remember—to give him a big hug on their way in the doors.  Children he’d greeted years before still stopped to get their hugs as they dropped their own children off for Sunday school.

Serving wasn’t a burden to Bob because it was an essential part of a growing friendship with Jesus.  He had struggles and problems like everybody else, but the joyful Spirit of God was so present in Bob that it went wherever he went.  In serving, Bob had grown closer and closer to God, and everyone around him rejoiced because of it.

A Pearl of Great Price

Jesus continued on with his description of the kingdom of heaven with a second illustration.  He said:  “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls.  When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it!” (Matthew 13:45-46).  This pearl is not just one-in-a-million.  It’s much more extraordinary than that.  It’s the ultimate pearl—the only one of its kind.  Until now the merchant has only dreamed such a treasure might even exist.  If the biblical merchant were a modern fisherman, finding that pearl would be hooking the legendary “Big Red.”  Though the names may vary from location to location, we’re talking about the huge, crafty catfish thousands of fishermen have been dreaming of and trying to catch all their lives.  If you hang around many fishermen, you’ll hear outrageous stories about a catfish that has lived for 50 years, 100 years, and . . . gulp, 150 years—a fish that has just kept growing and growing.  They’ll tell you about a catfish that’s bigger than an NFL player.  And once in a blue moon, somebody actually catches a fish like Big Red.  Pictures of these fish—and the triumphant anglers who hauled them in—stagger the imaginations of veteran fishermen everywhere and make them hunger all the more to catch their local version of “Big Red.”

You don’t stumble across a wily old fish like “Big Red” or, for that matter, a prize pearl like Jesus is talking about.  You have to seek it out and diligently pursue it morning, noon, and night.  Jesus is quite clear that, unlike the man who accidentally came by the treasure house hidden in the field, the merchant was purposely focused on his job of finding fine pearls the day he found his once-in-a-lifetime pearl.  The merchant didn’t have to ponder, “Should I or shouldn’t I go for it.”  As a wise and experienced merchant, he recognized immediately that this particular pearl was worth everything he had.  He didn’t hesitate; he didn’t call his accountant to ask him what he could afford to invest.  No—he rushed away and sold it all without even thinking twice.

Most of us have been trained to think that this kind of behavior is for reckless, irresponsible, crazy people.  But Jesus was ushering in a new kind of kingdom with a different kind of mindset.  In fact, we think the story Jesus is telling about the merchant who gave up everything he had for one pearl is autobiographical.  He is the merchant and—though it’s incredibly hard to take this in—you are his pearl of great price.

Let that sink in.  Jesus knew exactly what he was doing when he bet everything he had on you.  He did it with passion.  He did it with joy.  He did it with the wild hope that you would someday understand just how precious you are to him.  Jesus wants you to know that he’s the treasure house that’s always been just underneath the fields where you’ve been toiling.  Jesus has been longing to guide you through the entrance of his treasure trove and to open room after room overflowing with life like you’ve never imagined it.  Like Dave’s friend Bob, you can start experiencing this treasure right here on earth by walking with Jesus now.

The key to all of it is serving.  Serving is what walking with Jesus is all about.  Everything Jesus says and does is out of deep love for his Father and us.  Read Jesus’ words as he poured out his heart in the garden of Gethsemane, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me.  Yet I want your will to be done, not mine” (Matthew 26:39b).  Instead of focusing on himself, Jesus served his Father, knowing it was the only way to bring you and all of us eternal life.

It’s Not About Guilt!

We’re not trying to guilt or bribe you into anything—true service flows from a loving relationship and not from a sense of obligation.  Of course there will be many days when you don’t feel like serving God or anybody else.  We’ve all been there—and we’ll talk about that a lot in upcoming readings.  We’ve look at the sacrifices and service of friends like Bob from the World War II generation; we’ve seen how they changed the world with their bravery and love.  In the next reading we’ll continue the outward journey with some courageous steps of our own.  We’ll learn to let our faith and love flow outward in ways that refresh and encourage our friends and family—and draw them closer to God.

Getting Your Feet Wet  (feel free to comment here or on the Reflection Pool questions)

Take a look at your calendar and pick out an evening or a morning this week that you could set aside for serving God in some way.

Block out a couple of hours.  Then think of some little act of service that might bring a smile to God’s face.  It could be around your house or around your neighborhood.  For example, you might give your spouse a foot massage, or you might go to a self-service gas station and offer to wash windows or pump gas for free.

If anyone asks what you’re doing, just say you’re trying to learn how to serve like Jesus.

The Reflection Pool

• When you think of the rewards of a relationship with Jesus, what comes to mind?
• What is your motivation for serving God—or people—right now?  How might a shift in motives change the way you view service?