Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Matthew 20:27
And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:
Verse 27. Your servant] the lowest secular office, as deacon was the lowest ecclesiastical office: is often put for slave.
From these directions of our Lord, we may easily discern what sort of a spirit his ministers should be of.
1. A minister of Christ is not to consider himself a lord over Christ’s flock.
2. He is not to conduct the concerns of the Church with an imperious spirit.
3. He is to reform the weak, after Christ’s example, more by loving instruction than by reproof or censure.
4. He should consider that true apostolic greatness consists in serving the followers of Christ with all the powers and talents he possesses.
5. That he should be ready, if required, to give up his life unto death, to promote the salvation of men.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
And whosoever will be chief among you,…. Or first, or have the pre-eminence, the first place in the kingdom of the Messiah,
let him be your servant; or, as in Mark, shall be servant of all: not only a minister, but a servant; not a servant of some only, but of all. This was verified in the Apostle Paul, who became a servant to all men, though he was free, that he might gain some to Christ; and by so doing was the chief, though he reckoned himself the least of the apostles, yea, less than the least of all saints. The Jews have a saying somewhat like this, that h
“everyone that makes himself , as a servant, for the words of the law in this world, shall be made free in the world to come.”
h T. Bab. Bava Metzia, fol. 35. 2.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(27) Whosoever will be chief.Better, first, as continuing the thought of Mat. 20:16. The servant (better, slave) implies a lower and more menial service than that of the minister of the preceding verse, just as the chief or first involves a higher position than the greatness there spoken of. We introduce a false antithesis if we assign the service to this life, and the greatness as its reward to the life after death. The true teaching of the words is that the greatness is the service.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
27. Will be chief The only superiority here to be sought is superiority in labours and sufferings for the common good. If any would be great let him be the greatest servant.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Mat 20:27. Let him be your servant There is a gradation here not commonly observed: the original word in the former verse, which, for want of a better word, we rendered minister, is a name which might be given to any who occasionally attended others,or were statedly employed to render them any particular kind of service; but , servant, signifies one, whose whole business it is to serve, and who is indeed the property of another. Our Lord appears to mean, that he who presides over others, ought to consider his station, not so much a noble and high post, as a charge and office, which indispensably obliges him to be always ready to defend and assist his subjects. This may be an allusion to what is said, Deu 17:20 that the heart of the king of Israel ought not to be lifted up above his brethren; and generally, indeed, true greatness consists in a man’s humbling himself, and condescending to the meanest and lowest offices, if hereby he can at all advance the true happiness of his fellow-creatures.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
27 And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:
Ver. 27. Let him be your servant ] This is the ready way to rise. Neither may any think himself too good to serve the saints, to wash their feet, to minister to their necessities. Christ came out of the bosom of his Father to fetch them to heaven. The Holy Ghost disdains not to dwell in their hearts. Angels are desirous to do them any good office. Prophets think not much to minister to them, 1Pe 1:12 . Paul, and Apollos, and Cephas are theirs, public servants to the Church; accounting it a far greater matter prodesse quam praeesse, to seek men’s salvation than to exercise dominion.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Mat 20:27 . may be a synonym for = (De W.) and for ; or in both cases increased emphasis may be intended, pointing to a higher place of dignity, to a lower depth of servitude. Burton (M. and T. in N.T., 68) finds in the two in Mat 20:26-27 probable instances of the third person future used imperatively.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
chief = first.
servant = bond-servant (in relation to servitude).
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Mat 20:27. , chief.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
whosoever: Mat 18:4, Mar 9:33-35, Luk 22:26, Act 20:34, Act 20:35, Rom 1:14, 1Co 9:19-23, 2Co 4:5, 2Co 11:5, 2Co 11:23-27, 2Co 12:15
Reciprocal: Jos 1:1 – Moses’ minister Psa 85:13 – shall set Mat 23:11 – General Mar 10:43 – whosoever
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
0:27
Servant is from a different word than minister in the preceding verse. It is a stronger term and is compared to a slave. Such a word was used because the apostles were so much in the dark as to the character of the coming kingdom that it took unusual language to get them to see the point.