Not Like the World
TRANSLATION
(32) And they were on their way to Jerusalem with Jesus going ahead of them. And they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. Again, taking the twelve aside, he began to tell them about the things that would happen to him (33) saying, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the Law, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles. (34) And they will mock him, spit on him, flog him, and kill him. And three days later he will rise.”
(35) And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, approached him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask.” (36) And he said to them, “What do you want me to do for you?” (37) And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left hand in your glory.” (38) Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I must drink or to be baptized with the baptism with which I must be baptized?” (39) And they said to him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink and with the baptism that I am baptized you will be baptized. (40) However, to sit on my right hand or on my left hand is not mine to grant but is for those for whom it has been prepared.”
(41) And when the ten heard about it, they became indignant with James and John. (42) And Jesus called them together and said to them, “You know that those who rule over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. (43) But it must not be so among you. Whoever wants to be great among you will be your servant (44) and whoever wants to be first among you will be servant of all. (45) For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many.”
OBSERVATIONS
This segment, following almost immediately after Jesus’ previous instruction about greatness (Mk. 9:30-37), helps us realize how resistant the disciples were to Jesus’ calls to humility and how slow they were to grasp what he wanted them to learn about servanthood. This passage followed the same pattern established in the previous passage (9:30-37). Jesus began both segments with clear warnings regarding the opposition he would face once they reached Jerusalem, the name of the city mentioned twice for emphasis (vss. 32 & 33). He would be delivered over to the authorities and be condemned to a shameful death. In both segments, he predicted his resurrection. Although he repeatedly tried to prepare them, the disciples failed to grasp what he was saying either because they were simply not listening to his warnings or because they were incapable of understanding what he was telling them because they were preoccupied with their own expectations of the coming Kingdom.
In the previous chapter, they had argued about who was the greatest (9:30-37). In this segment, James and John approached him, asking for the best seats in his Kingdom (10:35-40). Matthew noted that it was their mother who came to Jesus with this request (Mt. 20:28). Jesus never corrected their words regarding his eventual reign as a king. Understandably, the other disciples were angered with James and John for having made this request before anyone else had thought to do so (10:41). Repetitions in this segment included “Jerusalem” (vss. 32 & 33), “ask/asking” (vss. 35 & 38), “grant” and “left hand/right hand” (vss. 37 & 40), “drink,” “cup,” and “baptize/baptism” (vss. 38 & 39), and “servant/serve/served” (vss. 43-45).
OUTLINE
I. Jesus warned the disciples regarding what they would face once they reached Jerusalem. (32-34)
II. Jesus used the inappropriate request of James and John to teach his men about servanthood. (35-45)
IDEA STATEMENT
Only when we realize that servanthood should be our greatest ambition will we be ready to walk in close fellowship with Jesus as his disciples.
APPLICATION
Jesus constantly endeavored to train his disciples to think and act counterculturally. This was especially true when it came to two crucial areas: ambition and power. Jesus never intended for his disciples to replace ambition with apathy. However, he did seek to change what they were ambitious to achieve. Instead of self-promotion and self-fulfillment, he called for them and all his followers to be ambitious for God and doing God’s will as seen in the following command: “But seek first his Kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Mt. 6:33).
Regarding power, his disciples must learn to recognize that the world’s version of power, that is, striving for greatness and seeking to control our destinies, is simply not acceptable for those who belong to him. We are to become servants, recognizing that God’s strength is made perfect in our weakness all the while submitting our ambitions to his will. We must yield him the control of our lives and recognize that only as we trust our sovereign God will we see him work in every circumstance for good. It’s when we learn to think and act differently from the world that we will reflect the character of Christ and shine as lights in the darkness.