Serving is following

Just before this, Jesus spoke about the grain of wheat that falls into the earth. Now it becomes personal. If anyone wants to serve me, he must follow me. Here you don't serve from a distance. It means being with him, even where it gets hard. Where I am, he says, my servant will be too.

Then comes a promise that is easy to skip: the Father himself will honour that servant. Not the crowd, but God. Whoever follows Jesus to places where no one is watching is still seen there.