Jesus as God’s Servant
In the beginning, before the first creative pronouncement, there was God; and as we have seen, this means more than geology or tradition suggest. In the single wonderful word Elohim, is described Jesus, playing a distinct creative role with the Father, a distinctly submissive role. It was through Jesus that the Father created everything. Given God’s sovereignty and omnipotence, this may not appear strictly necessary to us. However, it demonstrates the relationship that defined Jesus’ earthly ministry, and is continuing today, even unto eternity. Jesus described this relationship himself when He told the following parable:
A certain man had a fig tree which had been planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it, and did not find any. And he said to the vineyard-keeper, ‘Behold, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree without finding any. Cut it down! Why does it even use up the ground?’ And he answered and said to him, ‘Let it alone, sir, for this year, too, until I dig around it and put in fertilizer; and if it bears fruit next year, fine; but if not, cut it down.’(Luke 13:6-9)
The owner of the fig tree is God the Father. The vineyard-keeper is Jesus. Notice the complexity of their relationship. Jesus is the creator and the nurturer; God the Father is the owner and the overseer. Jesus plants; the Father identifies the waste. Jesus is our advocate; the Father is our judge. While this only scratches the surface of the relationship lived out during Jesus’ earthly ministry, this same relationship is illustrated in Creation. In fact, it is illustrated throughout scripture from Genesis to Revelation.
Let us start with Jesus’ earthly ministry 2000 years ago. It illustrates a constant yielding to His Father’s authority and will, starting with Jesus’ baptism. When Jesus approached John the Baptist in Matthew 3:13, asking to be baptized, John said, “I need to be baptized by You, and You are coming to me?”
But Jesus answered and said to him, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him. When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:15-17)
Thus Jesus started His ministry by modeling the relationship we are to have with God. It was a show of submission on His part, both for the Father’s pleasure and for our benefit, and that submission is in everything Jesus does.
Tempted in the desert by Satan, Jesus yielded to the Father not once, but all three times. Extremely hungry and tempted to use His powers over creation to make bread from stones, Jesus recited scripture, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4) Tempted later to jump off the temple, just to show He was important enough for the Father to appoint angels as His bodyguards Jesus quotes, “You shall not tempt the LORD your God.” (Matthew 4:7) Then finally, tempted one more time, to serve Satan and to start a kingdom on earth without having to die for it, Jesus rebuked the devil one more time. “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD, your God, and Him only you shall serve.’“ (Matthew 4:10) The amazing thing is that within every temptation was the temptation for Jesus to serve Himself; and in every case Jesus chose to serve God the Father, even while being God Himself.
Years after Jesus’ death and resurrection, Paul wanted the church in Philippi to grasp the submissive nature of Jesus, that they might emulate Him “who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.” (Philippians 2:6-7) In other words, Jesus managed to be God and submit to God, without diminishing the status and greatness of God. Even as a child, Jesus showed He could do nothing less. (Luke 2:49) Submission to the Father is His role. Serving is His love language. And Jesus has been serving His Father since the dawn of Creation.