"...the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve,
and to give His life a ransom for many." -Matthew 20:28
One result of the human condition is that we are incredibly slow to "get it." When God is trying to break through our preconceptions, our culture, our backgrounds, our assumptions - in short, our "stuff" - we can be pretty thick-headed.
It's a relief to know that Jesus didn't choose for His apostles the 12 people on the planet who had managed to avoid this limitation of our flesh. Instead, He spent time with them breaking down their ideas of who Messiah would be and what He would do. Even after they believed in Him, Scripture indicates that they persisted in the common assumption of the day that Messiah would bring political transformation and an earthly kingdom.
The context of today's verse is Jesus teaching His chosen 12 that servanthood, not power, is the heart of the ministry He modeled, the ministry He called them to. Jesus' teaching turned their thinking upside down. Other passages make clear that He is coming again and His righteous judgment will bring political transformation. He will reign on earth. But our focus is bringing glimpses of His kingdom to bear on earth, as it is in heaven. Jesus wants us to know that we do that not by power and authority, but by serving.
As Jesus lay in the manger, the King of the world, God looked down and saw His Servant, His chosen one in whom He delighted. The One who most deserved to be served, would instead become a servant - a servant who would suffer in order to save.
One of my favorite Christmas albums is "Like Christmas All Year Round" by Dennis Jernigan. If you haven't heard it I highly recommend it; it ties the birth of Christ with His suffering and Lordship in such a wonderful way. One of the songs speaks to this aspect of Jesus' purpose. I've posted a video of a church doing this song, and the words are below. May God speak to you through this music.
http://youtu.be/T89a6X7lWLQ
Little Child in a Manger Lay
Little Child in a manger lay
Born a Lamb to die
Born to take all our sins away
Born to be crucified
Heaven gave us a Son that day
Hear His Father cry
Sent to bear both the cross and the grave
The sinner's perfect supply
Jesus my Savior
My Lord and my King
Born but to suffer my shame
Blessing and honor and glory I bring
Worthy the Lamb who was slain!
Man of sorrows, this little child
Lord of all the earth
Innocent, yet He was defiled
Born to bring second birth.
What gift can I lay before my King
For ending my heart's strife?
I give to You all I have to bring
I lay before You my life
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