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.

A deacon (2)

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

According to the system of Korean church, there are a deputy deacon (Seori Jibsa) and an ordained deacon (Ansu Jibsa) in the church. Though they are of the same position of deacon, a deputy deacon should be reappointed for another period of one year but an ordained deacon usually remains in his seat the till the end of his life unless and until he commits a serious mistake. So, post of an ordained deacon is called a lifelong duty.

I do not know the detail system of the ordination of a deacon in a church. In general point of view, looking at the ability of the deacon candidate whose capability ostensibly stands between a deputy deacon and an elder, is inducted in the office. The system might be settled because the ability of deacon candidate stands in the middle of a deputy deacon and an elder. Or the system has settled with an intention to fill the vacant post in the church for the number of elders keep rising almost equal to the number of baptized Christians. In this critical point of view, it might be a good idea to increase loyalty to the church through competition by making such order.

Of course such system could be made according to the necessity rises in the church. However, it is hard to understand to divide it into two, a deputy and an ordained, which has practically not much differentiation. From what I heard, it becomes an unwritten rule that someone should give a certain amount as an offering to be an ordained deacon. Outwardly it is taken voluntarily but practically it is done almost by force. Someone was selected as an ordained deacon but he resigned it because he was not pleased with the traditional custom.

Not only the pastors who utilize the system at the pastoral level but the church members who blindly follow the pastors are also responsible for utilizing the system as an ecclesiastical authority in the church. As an ordinary Christian, though I do not have any experience neither exactly know their feelings I wonder why Christians are excessively holding on to the church duty. The duty is nothing but the work of a waiter in a restaurant.

A deacon (1)

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

The phrase ‘Your servant’ is a translation from the Greek word “diakonos (διάκονος’) from which the English word ‘deacon’ is derived. A deacon does not mean a person who would exercise a certain power but a mere waiter at a table. The author of Mark might have a proper reason for using this particular term here.

Firstly, pay attention to ‘Not so with you’. The previous verse 42 mentioned about the rulers’ wielding of their power. The reader of Mark’s gospel might have experienced the power of Emperor Nero. They might know very well how much wielding of power would completely destroy the community for they had directly experienced the tyranny of the rulers. Here the phrase ‘Not so with you’ means that such thing could not be happened among the gospel community. Or there would be a certain possibility to happen such things in their community.

Among Christians there is no room for ecclesiastical authority. The reason is that the essence of faith itself does not have any relationship with the ecclesiastical authority. Precisely speaking, to give up one’s power is rightly the essence of faith. So the author of Mark could say, “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant.” How could a waiter at the table give order to a guest? He can only maintain his identity by serving the guests and providing whatever they want.

It is not easy to practice such a humble attitude. However, it is not the matter of impossibility. See young mothers. They are inexperienced in many part but very sensitive and perfect to serve their own child. The mother does not think of exercising her power over her baby. She finds her real essence of serving as she serves her child. A person doing such job in a church is exactly what we call diakonos, or a deacon.