There’s something about being completely helpless that forces you to rely on others. I experienced that firsthand during a hike in the Grand Canyon with 16 other guys in October 2020. It was supposed to be a 27-mile hike, rim to rim, in a single day. Sounds doable, right? Wrong. By the time we reached the bottom, I was done. I still had 17 miles to go, but I had nothing left in the tank. That’s when my friend Sean Castillo, a former Army Ranger, stepped in and offered to carry my pack. He didn’t ask; he just took it. And for a while, he carried my load. When he had to help others, another friend stepped in and took it. Each of these guys carried my weight when I couldn’t, and that simple act of servanthood reminded me of the way Jesus carries our burdens.

In Matthew 12, we see Jesus carrying the burdens of others as well. After the Pharisees confronted Him about healing on the Sabbath, they began plotting to kill Him. So what does Jesus do? He withdraws, but He doesn’t stop serving. He continues to heal all who were sick. In this passage, Matthew points to a prophecy from Isaiah 42, where God speaks of His chosen servant—one who would bring justice to the nations, not through military force, but through meekness and servanthood.

The Israelites expected a powerful leader, someone who would overthrow the Romans and restore Israel’s glory. Instead, Jesus came as a servant, healing the sick and teaching about a kingdom that didn’t rely on political power but on love and sacrifice. And what’s more, He came not just for Israel, but for the whole world. This was radical. The Jewish people were waiting for a Messiah who would conquer their enemies, but Jesus came to save their enemies too. He fulfilled His mission by serving others, even those who didn’t deserve it.

We see this heart of servanthood throughout Jesus’ ministry. He didn’t just preach about loving others—He embodied it. Even when He healed, He told people not to spread the word about Him, because His goal wasn’t fame or recognition. He wasn’t trying to build a following based on miracles; He wanted people to know Him as the Messiah, the one who could heal not just their bodies, but their hearts.

This is where it hits home for us. Just as Jesus was a servant of God, we are called to be servants too. When we embrace the way of Jesus, we’re not just recipients of His grace—we become vessels of it. We’re called to serve others with the same selflessness that He showed. But let’s be honest: we don’t gravitate toward servanthood naturally. We gravitate toward selfishness. Serving others—especially those who are different from us—requires us to step outside of ourselves.

This is where the power of the Holy Spirit comes in. Just as Jesus was filled with the Spirit, we too are empowered by the Spirit to live out our calling. We can’t do it on our own. Jesus Himself said in John 15:5, “Apart from me, you can do nothing.” That’s a hard reality, but it’s also a freeing one. We don’t have to muster up the strength to serve out of our own effort. We simply need to stay connected to Jesus, allowing His Spirit to work through us.

In the same way that Jesus proclaimed justice to all nations, we are called to speak truth and live out the gospel in our world. But how we do this matters. Jesus didn’t shout people into the kingdom. He didn’t argue His way to victory. He embodied meekness, strength under control, and it was His love that drew people in. We’re called to the same kind of servanthood—a life that proclaims justice not just with words but with actions.

As we reflect on this passage, the question we need to ask ourselves is this: How are we serving those around us? Are we willing to carry the burdens of others, even when it’s uncomfortable? Jesus has shown us the way, and now it’s our turn to follow. Let’s embrace our calling to serve, knowing that in doing so, we are fulfilling the mission that Jesus has entrusted to us.