20 Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something. 21And he said to her, "What do you want?" She said to him, "Say that these two sons of mine are to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom." 22Jesus answered, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?" They said to him, "We are able." 23He said to them, "You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father." 24And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers. 25But Jesus called them to him and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 26 It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 27and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, 28even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
Do you ever think that Jesus' disciples were "better Christians" that you? Or, if you're like me, you think that Moses, Abraham, David, and the like, were so much more holy that you at all times? See, this is what I LOVE about the Bible. The Bible doesn't portray the people in it the way our Sunday school teachers did -- they are not perfect people! Moses murdered someone, Abraham acted selfishly and deceitfully regarding his wife Sarah, and David had an affair and then had the woman's husband killed! Those certainly aren't something to just bat an eye about -- they are a big deal -- but they also aren't the main identities of these men in God's eyes! They are known as the faithful, righteous, and foundational men of our faith who have hearts that seek the Lord. Wow, that is just stunning to me!
But let us not be too quick to size ourselves up compared to them. For God does not ask us to live to the standard that David set. Rather, He commands us to live to the standard that Jesus set. We are only to compare ourselves to Jesus!
With that as a backdrop, I love that we get to see the real humanity of the disciples today.
"And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to him..." (Mark 10:35). I show you this verse to prove to you that the sons of Zebedee are two of Jesus' disciples, James and John. And in the above passage for today, they have come with their mother to request that they could be seated next to Jesus in His kingdom. Obviously, it doesn't take a genius to know that the places next to The King would be the second greatest places of honor. I am a bit boggled by the fact that they are asking to be given the most coveted seats in eternity! Perhaps they are just so in-love with Jesus that they want to be right next him? I don't know. And both accounts in Matthew and Mark don't tell us what happened right before this event specifically, but Jesus has just recounted for a third time that He is about to die. If someone told me they were about to die, I would want to be right by them, wouldn't you?
Jesus answered, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?" Where else do we hear Jesus refer to a cup? In the Garden of Gethsemane, right before He is crucified, Jesus prays, "And he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will'" (Mark 14:36). The cup is his death! He's asking them, Are you willing to die for this? To which, the two disciples say, "We are..." So, Jesus tells them that they will drink this cup, and they did -- John would be banished to the isle of Patmos for a time according to historical documents, and James would be beheaded for the sake of Christ. But here, Christ reminds them that the two places next to Him, are not His to grant (but will be granted by His Father).
Here's my favorite part: "And when the ten heard this, they were indignant with the two brothers." The other ten disciples remind me of myself here -- regular, ol' human beings. They were angry, annoyed, and resentful. I can imagine if it were me standing by while someone else was asking to be honored, it would be quite annoying! I can only hope that in the moment I could trust God enough to just let it go...
"But Jesus called them to him and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Jesus says, you wanna be great in my kingdom? Be a servant. Put others before yourself. Don't seek glory and fame. Let others get the praise and accolades. Give your life away to others out of your love for them. Dare I even use the word...submit to them! After all, this is what submission is. Submission is not the picture of an abused wife under the authority of her violent husband! Where did we get this picture in our heads? Submission is willingly giving up your own desires out of your love for another.
So I ask you...how can you practice His kingdom now. If you believe in who Jesus Christ is, you will be in Heaven, and His kingdom looks a lot different than this earth does. The greatest is the one who serves the most -- not out of obligation, but out of love and delight for another. Where are you going today? Work? School? Running errands? Staying home with your kids? Helping at church? How can you serve the people you will be with today? How can you willingly give up your own desires out of love for them? And may I warn you, it's addicting.
Do it. You WILL be blessed.
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