32 They were on their way up to Jerusalem, with Jesus leading the way, and the disciples were astonished, while those who followed were afraid. Again he took the Twelve aside and told them what was going to happen to him. 33 “We are going up to Jerusalem,” he said, “and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles, 34 who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise.”
35 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.”
36 “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.
37 They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.”
38 “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said. “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?”
39 “We can,” they answered.
Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, 40 but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.”
41 When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. 42 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 43 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Question 1
Why do you think Jesus told the disciples so many times what was going to happen to him?
Question 2
What kinds of things do you ask Jesus about?
Every Christian has had the experience of falling into the same temptation more than once. In these verses we see two of the disciples make a mistake very similar to the one they made in Mark 9:30-37, which is to misunderstand what makes Jesus’ followers important.
Traveling to Jerusalem with his disciples, Jesus knew that a key phase of his work was drawing near. So again, he’s trying to prepare them for what’s going to happen. He explains how he will have to be rejected by his own people before being annihilated and killed by the Romans – and after three days come back alive. But the disciples still don’t understand! They still think the kingdom of King Jesus is similar to the kingdoms of the world. So the two brothers, James and John, come to Jesus and ask something big from him. When Jesus is in control, can they sit on either side of him, in the best places? They still care who the most important disciples are! They even believe that they deserve these places and that they could face what Jesus is going to face. But while they are going to suffer and be killed like Jesus, God the Father is up to who will sit beside Jesus in heaven.
The rest of the disciples are very sorry that the brothers have asked such a thing (perhaps because they haven’t thought to do it themselves!). Therefore, Jesus must once again emphasize to them that that is not the way the kingdom of God works. God’s people aren’t supposed to compete with each other to try to be the most important, most recognizable, most impressive – that’s the way the world thinks. No, just as Jesus Christ, the King himself, came to serve others rather than himself, his followers are expected to think more about others than about themselves. The Christian’s life is one of serving others, and trying to do what is best for them.
Question 3
How should this passage influence the things we ask God for?
Question 4
What does it mean to behave like a servant?
Pray
that God will keep you from falling into the same thinking, and for strength to do what is good in his sight by serving others.
