Bottoms Up!

Yet, Christ does not mention his own servitude as merely an example to follow. As far as greatness was concerned, Jesus followed his own ‘Bottom’s up’ attitude. The great man is the one who is willing to be on the bottom. Though Jesus really deserves the service of all mankind, to be waited on hand and foot, “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mat. 20:28). When we are pushing and shoving in this life to get recognition and build up our earthly treasures, Jesus chose to be on the bottom. He didn’t schmooz with tax collectors, so that he could get some of their wealth, but first to give them life, and then lead them to help the poor. He didn’t have to outrun the crowd, so that he could have the privilege of getting the middle cross before anyone else. Whatever he did or said publicly, he did for the glory of the Father, and to create faith. He wasn’t on a glory trip. “Bottom’s up!” To raise the world up to heaven, he needed to be on the bottom, under the garbage pile of our sin… to pay the ransom for all of our glory-seeking, so that we will see what real glory is like one day.

II. Christian Suffering

Don’t get me wrong about James and John. They were ready to serve their Lord. When Jesus asked them, “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?” (Matthew 20:22), they didn’t even have to think of the answer: “We can!” Ignorance is bliss, isn’t it? They had no idea what they were claiming. When they had the opportunity to prove themselves in the Garden of Gethsemane, they ran right along with everyone else. They were ready for some tough work, but betrayal? chains? persecution? Didn’t they know what cup Jesus was speaking about? He had just told them: “The Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified” (Mat 20:18,19).

In response to their readiness to suffer for him, Jesus said, ‘Bottoms up!’ “You will indeed drink my cup” (Mat. 20:20 – Note that the NIV translates: “from my cup,” but the Greek says they will drink the actual cup of Jesus – suffering for the glory of God’s kingdom). Of course, it wasn’t the same extent of suffering as Christ’s. No normal man could bear that. But as disciples of Christ, these two men would drink from the cup of suffering. James was the first martyr, put to the sword by King Herod. John’s suffering would be prolonged. He was beaten at the order of the Sanhedrin (cf. Acts 5:18-42). And after a life of service, he was exiled to the island of Patmos (cf. Rev. 1:9).

Time and time again, Scripture describes discipleship as a cross, a path of suffering. When Jesus told his disciples: “Anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me” (Mat. 10:38), he was saying to all of us, ‘when the path of faith calls for drinking from the cup of suffering, denying oneself, accepting admonition for sin, opening oneself to ridicule for Jesus’ sake, “Bottoms up!” Drink that cup of suffering. Don’t take the faithless, easy route. Don’t run, like James and John had done. Whatever cup God gives us, it will be for our benefit, no matter how bitter and distasteful it may be. Suffering can kill the germs of pride, the sinful misconception of self-sufficiency, and loving some things more than God. If suffering can improve my faith, why would I want to shirk from it? Unless, I have the wrong attitude that the Zebedee brothers had: that it would bring us to a place of glory.