Luke 22:27 Commentary and Bible Study

Which is greater, Christ asks, the one who sits at the table and is served, or the one who brings food to the one who is seated? The question is about roles and stations, not about intrinsic worth, for then it would be impossible to answer the question, and the question requires an answer. It might well be that the one serving has greater intelligence, greater skill, greater physique, but the question is about which one has the greater status in society when he assumes such a position, and the answer is obvious: ‘Is it not he that sitteth at meat?’But then comes the extraordinary unexpected truth: ‘But I am among you as he that serveth.’ This is the will of God and no accident; it is his carefully worked out purpose. Does it not risk confusion? Is there not a danger that Christ will demean himself by taking this lowly position? Yes, it is true that the world passes him by, and takes advantage of his lowly estate to despise him. But they were inclined to do that anyway, and he has made it easier for them to express their unbelief. But not in the eyes of those who love him and believe in him. They admire him the more for it, and they wonder what great cause there was for him to do such a remarkable thing. Should the King of glory shed his glory and risk being mistaken for some lesser being? Why did he have to do this? Because only as a servant could he redeem us. That work demands that he do for us the lowliest of services imaginable: the removal of our sins, and the taking of our punishment. To do that he had to become associated with the most shameful aspects of our lives, and do for us what no high authority over us would ever dream of doing. He had to become our servant. Because Christ has chosen sinners to become his subjects, he must deal with the problem of our sin before we can be given a place in his kingdom. He came to do more for us than we can ever do for him, and he did it before we realised he needed to do it, and before we asked him to do it, and before we wanted him to do it. He did it while we still hated him, and rejected him, and were his enemies. He had to come among us as one who serves. But what might appear to demean him is in fact to his greater glory. He has magnified those aspects of his being that would have remained hidden and unknown. Under what circumstances would the King of heaven have humbled himself to wash the feet of his disciples? Though he might claim to be willing to do such a thing, who would have been able to picture him doing it? His elevated status would have made it impossible for us to imagine it. But Christ has not just said he is willing to do this, he has actually come and done it so that we may all see it. And he has not just washed our feet, he has washed our sins away, and he has done so by personally associating with us in the closest possible way. You might have a friend who you want to help, who you know has done something terrible, but you stay clear of his worst deeds. You will try to support him without getting involved in his murky conduct. But Christ could not save us without being united with us in our sin, that we could be united with him in his righteousness.