The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. – Matthew 20:28
Build sentences in the order of 5W1H
The statement above was made when the disciples were disputing among themselves about who was the greatest. Jesus taught, “Whoever wants to be first must be your slave – Matthew 20:27.”
This can be considered the archetype of the concept of servant leadership that is discussed today. The purpose of His coming to earth was not to be served but to serve, and ultimately, to sacrifice Himself for the sins of humanity. However, simply serving those around one does not constitute leadership. Effective leadership is based on two principles: presenting a vision for the future and motivating members to strive towards achieving that vision. In other words, leadership is ultimately about influencing everyone to move towards a vision, with motivation and behavior change being key elements.
In this sense, Jesus can be considered not just symbolically but practically the greatest CEO in history. Above all, He presented a clear vision and mission for the future and inspired countless disciples to transform themselves in pursuit of that hope. What could be more motivating than changing oneself to do a given task better? To this end, Jesus intensively trained the twelve disciples, building their confidence and capabilities.
“Anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these – John 14:12.”
He also led by example, rather than just words. Washing the disciples’ feet is one example of this. He wished for us to become such leaders too.
“Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet – John 13:14.”
The English Bible version NIV we have used so far reads, “The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” This sentence could be misinterpreted as “He did not come to be served, nor did he come to serve.” Therefore, after reviewing other English Bible versions (KJV, World English Bible, etc.), “did not come” was changed to “came” and expressed as “not to be served but to serve.” Isn’t a concise and clear sentence a better expression?
Now, let’s examine the expressions “So why?” or “But why?” from the above sentence structure. These expressions can utilize prepositions, infinitives, and adverbial clauses. While one method involves using adverbial clauses like “because” to explain the reason at length, which we will revisit in “When texts are interconnected,” let’s first outline the three methods mentioned.
- “Why?” expressed using the infinitive “to”
A simple way to express the question “Why?” following a subject + verb is to use “to.” If we break down the example into three sentences, it goes as follows:
The Son of Man came not to be served. The Son of Man came to serve.
The infinitive “to” can turn a verb into a noun, adjective, or adverb. When used as an adverb, grammar books typically teach that it denotes cause, reason, purpose, or result. However, English speakers may not categorize and use it in so many different ways in practice.
There are idiomatic expressions used before “to” to emphasize the purpose of a verb. From the perspective of us, who see English as a foreign language, idioms like “so as to,” “in order to,” and “so as not to” (for negation) can help make expressions clearer.
“We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure.” (Hebrews 6:11)
The message is to “be diligent and earnest to ensure your hope.” Although saying “to make your hope sure” works, using “in order to make” emphasizes the purpose of “to ensure.”
“I robbed other churches by receiving support from them so as to serve you.” (2 Corinthians 11:8)
- “Why?” expressed using prepositions
Like the method for expressing location, let’s examine the important prepositions “for” and “of” used for expressing “But why?” or “So why?”
Preposition “For” for “purpose”: “For” can be translated as “for the purpose of” when used with nouns, but this feeling is maintained even when used with verbs. Our dictionaries list several meanings for “for,” including “for the sake of,” “towards,” “about,” “during,” and “because of,” but these are ultimately just means of translation.
“I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” (Matthew 3:11)
To make the purpose clearer, one could use “for the purpose of” as an adverbial phrase, translating to “for the purpose of” or “to.”
Preposition “Of” for “belonging”: Of the prepositions, “of” is used very frequently, often translating to “of” in the sense of “belonging.” When “of” is used between two nouns, it often can be interpreted this way, earning it the nickname “the preposition of belonging.”
“Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs.” (Acts 2:22)
Now, let’s look at the use of “of” to explain the cause or reason.
“These men responsible for spreading the bad report about the land were struck down and died of a plague before the LORD.” (Numbers 14:37)
This states that the men who spread the bad report fell ill and eventually died. They died because of a disease, but it’s also possible to interpret it as “died of certain attributes associated with the disease.” “Of” is the preposition of belonging.
“On hearing this report, the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests were puzzled, wondering what would come of this.” (Acts 5:24)
This implies concern over what the outcome of the situation would be.
3. Expression of “Why” using Adverbial Phrases
From the perspective of those for whom English is not a native language, using adverbial phrases such as “due to” and “because of” is the most definitive way to clearly state specific reasons or purposes.
“They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. – Ephesians 4:18″
답글 남기기