Luke 22

After three years of an unbelievable ministry full of miraculous healings, silencing his opponents strongest arguments, speaking transformational truths and often with masses of people following after him, Jesus concludes his ministry before the crucifixion with something I find shocking. These last words he speaks to his disciples are profoundly simple. Anyone can do them, the problem is, no one wants to do them. Jesus tells his disciples to serve and to pray.

Serve
V 26-27 "let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves."

Jesus says, if you want to be great, serve. If you want to be a great leader, serve. There are absolutely no excuses and anyone can do it, except for maybe very small children or the very sick. Even my three year old child has the ability to serve. I have even witnessed the incapacitated deathly ill serving through encouragement, evangelism, listening, and prayer. Jesus does not say wait until you are less busy, until retirement, or until things get better, he says serve. In my experience, if we wait to serve, when the opportunity presents itself we will not serve. But if we serve when it is inconvenient we will be prepared to serve more effectively when things get better or when we have more time. Opportunities to serve are absolutely everywhere. All we need to do is do something for someone in need. It can be as simple as listening to someone or spending time in prayer.

Pray
V 39 and again in 46 “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.”

Prayer again is an amazingly simple act that absolutely anyone can do. I personally believe it is the most simple and profound way anybody can serve others. I know that Jesus' words twice repeated, "Pray that you may not enter into temptation" still applies to us at all times today. This is a prayer out of need, and in our constant weakness we are in constant need of prayer.

The problem with the simple acts of serving and prayer is they require us to be humble. The only real reason anyone can give for not serving or not praying is that we are not humble. The disciples in verse 24 were arguing over who among them was the greatest. Jesus' response was that the humble servant was the greatest. Peter claimed, "Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death.” Shortly after Jesus twice said, "Pray that you may not enter into temptation." In other words, humble yourself. We are neither as great or as faithful as we think and we need to see ourselves how Jesus does. When we humble ourselves before Christ, then we will serve and pray. The amazing thing is, humbling ourselves can be as simple as serving and praying right now where ever we find ourselves.