The Servant's Motto: I Am Third
My 10th grade Sunday School “shepherds” were Jeff and Sharon Maner. If any of us were absent from class, sick, or not doing well, Jeff and Sharon would check on us to make sure everything was okay.
One weekend our class took a beach trip. We were all having a good time. There were a few guys out swimming. Some others of us were on the shore. But as time passed, the guys who were swimming went out deeper and deeper. After a bit we could only see the tops of their heads. A few minutes later we couldn’t see them at all. That’s when Jeff, our class shepherd, decided it was time to act.
He was a cross-country runner in good shape, but he was still getting over a bout with mono. The story I heard from one of the young men later at the hospital was that Jeff had grasped onto his arm but then was pushed under by a wave. The three young men made it, but Jeff didn’t. In trying to save the young men, Jeff lost his own life. He was willing to give his life for the lives of these young men.
What makes this story even more compelling is what was on Jeff Maner’s specialized license plate. It read in all capital letters with no spaces, “IAMTHIRD.” God was first. Others were second. Jeff was third. This is the motto of the servant. This is the motto of one who places others before himself. This is the motto of those who follow Jesus Christ.
“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mt. 20:25-28)
