“It shall not be so among you. But whoever would become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever would be first among you shall be your slave.”
But it is to be very different among the Apostles. That is why this seeking after positions is so unseemly. For the one who would be great among them must seek rather how they can serve, and the one who would be first among them (sitting at His right hand or His left) must recognise that it involves acting like a slave. This is what ‘sitting on a throne' involves under the Kingly Rule of Heaven. And this attitude of heart, unnoticed by them, has been, and will continue to be, His constant theme (Matthew 20:1-15 - where they are common labourers; Luke 12:37 - where Jesus Himself serves at table for those who have humbly served Him as house servants; Luke 17:8-10 - where the servants acknowledge their unworthiness; Luke 22:27 - where they are to emulate His humble service).
It is evidence of the sinfulness of men's hearts that religious people who want to emulate the Gentiles take such terms as ‘servant' (diakonos) and turn them into titles of honour, and eagerly court them that they might be had in honour. But that is not Jesus intent here. The idea of Jesus is of genuine service, lowliness and humility (Matthew 11:28-30). The man who seeks to be a minister or a deacon so as to be had in honour, is not worthy of the position. And the one who thinks himself to be something when he is such simply demonstrates his unsuitability for ministry. For those who truly serve Him see themselves as the slaves of Christ and the slaves of others (Matthew 20:27). They have no sense of superiority at all.