To overcome conflict Jesus taught his disciples to practice and to teach “servanthood relationships” as epitomized by his washing the feet of his disciples¹. An examination of Jesus’ ministry among his disciples will reveal that many of his key characteristics were exhibited in the display of servanthood relationships. There were two dimensions within the pattern taught by Jesus, example and expectation. Jesus established this pattern for faith community relationships and the Apostles continued it in Acts² and the Epistles³. Philippians 2 is one example. There Paul introduced the incarnation in the middle of a discussion about conflict between believers.  He was using the attitudes and actions of Jesus in the incarnation to illustrate how believers were to live together in servanthood relationships. This great passage of scripture is best understood in light of John 13 where Jesus washed the feet of his disciples.

Example and Expectation

Jesus made it clear that his expectation was that his disciples would live in servanthood relationships to one another. Jesus used teachable moments to reinforce his expectation for all disciple relationships. At times it was his direct example; “Watch me and do what I do”⁴.  At other times it was by negative contrasts; “Watch them but avoid doing what they do” ⁵.  In John 13 the two elements of example and expectation were forcefully dramatized. Jesus methodically assumed the position of a slave by deliberately dressing like a slave⁶. Then he performed the duties of a slave ⁷, by proceeding to wash the disciples, feet including Judas⁸. When Jesus was done the dimension of example was completed and he moved on to the dimension of expectation, that they serve one another with loving humility⁹.

Who Is the Greatest?

According to the Synoptic Gospels –Matthew, Mark, and Luke- there was an enormous amount of friction, between the inner-circle of disciples whom Jesus had hand picked. The Synoptics portray the disciples as behaving like adversaries over the reoccurring question of “which of them was the greatest?” Whether or not these accounts are a combination of one incident or several, the reality is the same there was an atmosphere of conflict between the disciples. Marshall believes that “… the possibility that the same conflict arose more than once should be taken seriously.”¹⁰  In Matthew 18:1-6, they asked who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. In Mark 9:33-37, it is Jesus who asks the question but the disciples kept quiet. Then in Luke 9:46-48, an argument started among them over the same question. In all three texts the answer of Jesus was the same “be willing to become as humble as a child.” His expectation of them was servanthood relationships. If the conflict between the disciples was as serious as it appears to have been, and yet under their leadership the church thrived, then the multiethnic church today can be hopeful.

Pentecost and Potential Conflicts

The fear of multiethnic conflict is perhaps the most powerful deterrent to attempting multiethnic church ministry today.  But the potential for conflict posed a much greater challenge for the fledgling little church we find in the New Testament. In Acts 2 Luke highlights the monumental undertaking facing the Apostles on the day of Pentecost. In verse 5 he writes, “Now there were Jews living in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven.”  That is a sobering overview of the scope of multi-ethnicity. In verses 8-11, we find as many as four specific possibilities for cultural conflicts: (1) Language; an interesting question was asked about languages in verse 8: “And how is it that we each hear them in our own language to which we were born?” Then in verses 9-11we find (2) Ethnicity, (3) Geography, and (4) Nationality. These people and places completed the answer to the question asked in verse 8. To underscore these differences Luke adds that in attendance were Jews and “proselytes” meaning Gentiles.

Resolution To Conflicts

What special preparation did the Apostles possess for dealing with potential multiethnic conflicts? It was their servanthood relationship training. The pre-cross immaturity that characterized the disciples had disappeared post-resurrection. The impact of Jesus’ teaching was evident by their changed attitudes and behavior. An example was Peter’s assertion of leadership in Acts 2:14 where none of the disciples challenged him for acting as their spokesman.

Conclusion

The servanthood relationship modeled, taught, and expected by Jesus, demands a priority on the Gospel that is expressed by a humble willingness to be the servant of others. Leadership never happens in a vacuum; rather leadership always includes a context and an objective. According to John 17 the context of the multiethnic church is a community of faith on display before the lost world. The objective of the multiethnic church is not to repel outsiders, but by unselfish attitudes and actions to attract lost people into its faith community. The Holy Spirit continues to work through flawed and imperfect people who for the cause of the Gospel desire to do better; just as he did in the Gospels and in the first century church.

Some Suggested Starting Steps

Be clear about the priority of the Gospel. Jesus made the cross his central message with his disciples. Make the emphasis of the church less about diversity and more about reaching all lost people. Be clear about the reality of conflict. Jesus used conflict to train his disciples in how to live in servanthood relationships. Make modeling servanthood relationships the culture of the church. Be clear about the intentionality of servanthood relationships. Jesus was focused on servanthood relationships in both public and private settings. Make servanthood relationships a normal expectation in every area of church life.