A deacon (3)

Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, (Mark 10:43)

I earlier have explained several times that diakonos is a waiter in a restaurant. It is not a mere religious rhetorical device to a church’s duty but a very practical statement. Let us find out the reason.

It is the most important fact that a diakonos should not command attention. Suppose you enter into an excellent restaurant. There is a waiter helping the guests. If the waiter tries to do his best to reveal his serving technique, then the restaurant will be immediately closed down. The workers of the church should also similarly try to minimize themselves in order to help church members concentrate on worship service.

Diakonos also is human being and he also may have a desire to be recognized. However, real recognition is granted by Jesus only. Same is the case that a waiter is recognized by his master if he is sincere to his duty. If someone is not ready to be satisfied with the relationship with Jesus, then he should not be a diakonos.

The need of a ‘diakonos to concentrate on the relationship with Jesus is the necessity to be engrossed in the spirituality of serving. In order to enter into the ontological level of serving, self or self-achievement should be reduced to nothingness. Jesus’ popular teaching which says, “He must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” is a fitting statement to this.

Of course, it is not a simple one. We can never escape from our desire to show ourselves till the last breath. So we should not entrust such matter to personal spirituality only and a reasonable system has to support it. However, the important thing is the personal spirituality through which only we can minimize and hide ourselves and have the freedom.