GREATNESS IN SERVING
Text: Mark 10:35-45
Introduction
1. Jesus spent most of his final days leading to his crucifixion taking care of two objectives: 1) to prepare his disciples for his own death and resurrection, and 2) to prepare the disciples for life together without his physical presence.
2. In our text today, we see James and John, the Sons of Zebedee, or as Jesus called them, “the Sons of Thunder,” come to Jesus and ask them for a special place of authority in his Kingdom.
3. As usual, these disciples completely missed Jesus’ point about his Kingdom. In the Kingdom of God greatness is defined and illustrated by Jesus’ words and life, finding its clearest expression in service.
4. Read Mark 10:35-45
Transition: Jesus asks us two questions today. The first is…
I. Are You Prepared to Follow (35-41).
A. Are You Able
1. As our text begins, Mark tells us in vv. 35-36, “Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came over and spoke to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do us a favor.” 36 “What is your request?” he asked.”
a. Two of Jesus’ disciples, James, and John, who were brothers, along with Peter made up the “inner circle.”
b. During Jesus time on earth his disciples formed three circles.
1) The farthest circle was the 72 disciples.
2) The middle circle encompassed the 12 disciples.
3) The inner circle was Peter, James, and John.
c. So, these two came to Jesus with a request. Now, Tina hates it when I want to ask her to do something for me by asking, “Will you do a favor for me?” First, Tina is a get to the point kind of person. Second, asking for a favor is really buttering someone up for a request you’re afraid of asking.
d. And in my mind, that’s what is going on here. These two were asking something big, and they were a little afraid of asking for it.
e. So, Jesus responded by saying, “What is your request?”
f. I’m thinking Jesus was saying, “oh, get to the point will you!”
g. This kind of reminds me of Archie Bunker, “Get to the point Edith, get to the point!”
2. So, they get to the point in v. 37, “They replied, “When you sit on your glorious throne, we want to sit in places of honor next to you, one on your right and the other on your left.”
a. Now, these two, like most of the Jews back then, had a wrong conception of the Messiah’s Kingdom as predicted by the OT prophets.
b. They thought Jesus was going to establish his Kingdom on earth, overthrow the Romans, and restore the earthly glory of Kind David.
c. As they got closer to Jerusalem with Jesus, they could sense something big was about to happen; they hoped Jesus would begin his Kingdom on earth.
d. So, these two got bold, and wanted Jesus to give them the place on the right and left of his throne.
e. You see, in ancient royal courts, those chosen to sit on the right and left of the king were the most powerful people in the Kingdom.
f. These two brothers were asking for that kind of authority.
g. In other words, they were looking to be top dogs in the Kingdom.
h. However, what they didn’t understand was that Jesus’s Kingdom was not that type of Kingdom; his Kingdom was not of this world, and was not centered in palaces and thrones, but in the hearts of his disciples.
i. In fact, none of his disciples would understand this until after the resurrection.
3. Now look at vv., 38-40, “But Jesus said to them, “You don’t know what you are asking! Are you able to drink from the bitter cup of suffering I am about to drink? Are you able to be baptized with the baptism of suffering I must be baptized with?” 39 “Oh yes,” they replied, “we are able!” Then Jesus told them, “You will indeed drink from my bitter cup and be baptized with my baptism of suffering. 40 But I have no right to say who will sit on my right or my left. God has prepared those places for the ones he has chosen.”
a. Remember when I told you that Jesus carried around with him a stone tablet with a bull’s eye on it that said, “Bang head here?” Well, this was one of those times he needed that bull’s eye!
b. Jesus replied to James and John’s question by telling them they didn’t know what they were asking.
c. To request positions of highest honor in Jesus’ Kingdom meant to asking for deep suffering, because they couldn’t have one without the other.
d. So, he asked them, “Are you able to drink from the bitter cup that I am about to drink? Are you able to be baptized with the baptism of suffering I must be baptized with?”
e. Now to show how clueless these two were, they said to Jesus, “Sure we are, uhhuh!”
f. Their response reminds me of the old Aamco commercial, where the guy comes into get his transmission fixed, and the guy in the background that looks like Gomer Pyle says, “Let me try boss, I always wanted to try and fix a transmission!” They were absolutely clueless!
g. The “cup” is talking about the suffering that Jesus would have to drink. The reference to “baptism” picks up on an OT metaphor for a person being overwhelmed by suffering.
h. So, the “cup” and “baptism” refer to what Jesus would face on the cross. In both questions, Jesus was asking them if they were ready to suffer greatly for the Kingdom.
i. So, Jesus tells them they were going to get what they asked for, and history tells us they did.
1) James died as a martyr (Acts 12:2), and John lived through many years of persecution before being exiled to live on the Island of Patmos.
2) The reason he went to Patmos was Caesar couldn’t kill him. He tried to have John boiled in oil, but it didn’t even phase him! So, Caesar had him exiled to Patmos.
3) As a result, Jesus gave him the Revelation. God moves in mysterious ways!
B. I Want to Suffer
1. Illustration: There is a certain kind of maturity that can be attained only through the discipline of suffering. - D. A. Carson
2. We begin to grow exponentially spiritually when we suffer for Christ.
a. “I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, 11 so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!” (Phil. 3:10-11).
b. Whoever told you that when you gave your life to Christ that your problems ended, lied to you!
c. Before we come to Christ, the devil leaves us alone because we belong to him.
d. But after we come to Christ, he tries everything he can to make us miserable.
e. However, the thing that matters is that when we suffer for Christ we grow.
f. That’s why Paul says, “I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death…”
g. Just as suffering made Christ more powerful, so it also makes us grow in the Spirit.
h. Too often, we think that difficulties mean God is punishing us. But the opposite is true; he is blessing us through difficulty.
i. When we wallow in our suffering, we miss the blessing God is trying to give us.
j. Don’t complain about suffering, rather ask God what he is trying to teach you.
Transition: The next question Jesus has for us is…
II. Are You Prepared to Serve (41-45).
A. Leader Must Be a Servant
1. So, how did the other disciples respond to James and John’s request? We find that answer in vv. 41-42, “When the ten other disciples heard what James and John had asked, they were indignant. 42 So Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them.”
a. Well, the other ten got really upset, probably because all the disciples desired honor in the Kingdom.
b. Jesus explained to them the difference between his Kingdom and earthly Kingdom’s, which they had not yet experienced.
c. The Kingdom’s of the world are run by tyrants and people in high places who lord it over people, exercising their authority and demanding that people yield to them.
2. Now, Jesus continues and tells them in vv. 43-45, “But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. 45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
a. Jesus’ Kingdom had already begun right there among them, but it was not set up where they could lord it over someone.
b. On the other hand, the greatest person in Jesus’ Kingdom was to be a servant of all.
c. You see, a real leader is a servant leader, who willingly looks to the best interest of others.
d. Servant leaders want to do what’s best for others. They’re not jealous of someone else’s gifts but are more than happy to serve with their own gifts.
e. This was the kind of attitude that the disciples had to have if they were really going to be leaders in Jesus’ Kingdom.
f. Only by having this kind of attitude could they fulfill their mission to take the Gospel of all the world.
g. Then Jesus uses himself as an example to follow. He tells them, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
h. In other words, if they were going to be his disciples, they had to be willing to die so that others could live.
i. As history tells us, they were willing to do that, because out of the 12 disciples, 10 of them died as martyrs.
j. The only ones who didn’t were Judas, who betrayed Jesus, and John whom they couldn’t kill.
B. The Mind of Christ
1. Illustration: Kate Wilkinson said: May the mind of Christ my Savior, Live in me from day to day, By His love and pow’r controlling All I do and say.
2. We need to have the mind of Christ in serving others.
a. “You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. 6 Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. 7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form,” (Phil. 2:5-7).
b. Jesus came not to be served, but to serve.
c. In a recent survey, people were asked what is the purpose of the church? An overwhelming 80% said it was to give a place for Christians to fellowship. In other words, the church is all about me!
d. That is the exact opposite of what Jesus said we were supposed to be about.
e. Jesus said we are here for others, and we should look at what they need instead of what we need.
f. He said if we want to be a leader, we must learn how to serve.
g. To answer the question on the purpose of the church, the appropriate answer should be to serve, because that’s what Jesus was all about.
Conclusion
1. In our text this morning, Jesus’ asks us two questions…
a. Are we prepared to follow?
b. Are we prepared to serve?
2. What’s the point preacher? If we want to be the kind of church Jesus wants us to be, we need to put others first.
