GOSPEL OF MARK: GOD'S SERVANT IN ACTION
GREATNESS COMES FROM SERVING
A. Mark 10:43b-45- “…whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. 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.”
ILLUSTRATION:
As a mother was preparing PANCAKES for her two young sons, Kevin and Ryan, they began to ARGUE over who would get the FIRST one. Not wanting to miss a TEACHABLE MOMENT, the
mom said: “Boys, what would Jesus do? Let’s pretend for a moment that one of you is Jesus.”
The brothers then started ARGUING over which one of them was going to be Jesus: “I’m Jesus!” “No, no, I’m Jesus.” In exasperation, trying to calm the boys down, the mother said, “All right! All
right! …If Jesus were sitting here, He would say, ‘Let my brother have the first pancake.’”
Upon listening to what his mother had to say, Kevin turned to his little brother and said, “OK, Ryan . . . You be Jesus!”
B. Being LIKE Jesus is not EASY.
1. The problem is, our DEFAULT setting is SELFISHNESS not SELFLESSNESS—being other-centered.
a. We have a tendency to look out for number ONE—and, sadly, that’s US.
b. We are not the only ones who have a problem with SELFISHNESS.
2. The twelve chosen APOSTLES of Christ also had a PROBLEM with putting themselves FIRST.
a. Weeks earlier at the end of their MINISTRY in Galilee, “the Disciples were ARGUING among themselves as to which one was the GREATEST, and Jesus had to sit them down and teach that
the LAST shall be FIRST and the GREATEST among them is the SERVANT”- Mark 9:33-35
b. Now, in our text, on their way to Jerusalem the DISCIPLES, once again, are wanting to be FIRST, and Jesus has to TEACH them all over again that “the last shall be first, and the greatest is the
servant.”
c. And, believe it or not, this won’t be LAST TIME they have this ARGUMENT. “Right after eating the LAST SUPPER with Jesus, the disciples will, once again, ARGUE over who is the greatest”-
Luke 22:24-27.
C. In our lesson today, we will see a clear CONTRAST between Jesus, who is indeed the GREATEST, and
the DISCIPLES who want to be GREATEST!
MESSAGE:
I. JESUS TELLS OF HIS IMPENDING SACRIFICE- Mark 10:32-34 (READ)
A. Jesus is not allowing anything to DETER Him from His destination to Jerusalem to be God’s sacrifice
for the SINS of the WORLD.
1. The disciples sense an URGENCY in Jesus that has produced some ANXIETY within them.
a. Mark said that the disciples were “ASTONISHED” or BEWILDERED, while the other
FOLLOWERS were “AFRAID.”
b. Each new announcement of His DEATH only added to their CONCERN and CONFUSION.
COMMENT:
Their view of the Messiah is that He will CONQUER the Roman Empire and REIN as the SOVEREIGN King of Israel. Yet, what they are HEARING from Jesus just doesn’t make SENSE.
2. This is the THIRD time that Jesus told His DISCIPLES that He was going to SUFFER and DIE.
a. The first time: “Peter rebuked Him”- Mark 8:31-32.
b. The second time: “The disciples were too afraid to ask for clarification”- Mark 9:30-32.
c. And now here, for the third time, Jesus speaks PLAINLY to them about what is waiting for Him
in Jerusalem.
COMMENT:
Actually, this is the fourth time that “Peter, James, and John heard Jesus speak of His death and resurrection, having made reference to it as they were coming down the mountain after His
transfiguration”- Mark 9:9-10.
B. This time they LEARN more about the impending SACRIFICE and SUFFERING of Jesus.
1. “Jesus tells them that it will happen in Jerusalem.”
a. That’s where they are HEADED now.
b. Don’t you think one of the disciples might be wondering, “Ugh, Jesus? If this is going to
happen in Jerusalem . . . shouldn’t we just TURN AROUND and GO somewhere else!”
ILLUSTRATION:
If we were headed to WALMART in Beech Grove and heard on the RADIO that there was a BOMB THREAT at that store, I don’t think that we would still GO there to BUY a bag of Doritos
and a carton of Rocky Road Ice Cream. I’d be heading to Kroger’s.
c. Although knowing that He is going to SUFFER and DIE, Jesus resolutely heads to Jerusalem right into the HANDS of those who are going to have Him CRUCIFIED, just so people like YOU and ME can go to HEAVEN.
2. “Jesus is going to be BETRAYED.”
COMMENT:
Betrayal occurs only by someone you KNOW, and usually TRUST. A complete STRANGER cannot BETRAY you, but a FRIEND can. Don’t you think the DISCIPLES are asking themselves,
“Who’s going to BETRAY Jesus? Could it be someone we KNOW? Could it be one of US?”
“We know that during the LAST SUPPER the devil will prompt Judas to BETRAY Jesus” (John 13:2), but what do you think went through Judas’ mind when he heard Jesus say, “The Son of Man will be BETRAYED…”? Does he KNOW that Jesus is talking about him?
3. “Chief Priests and Teachers of the Law will turn Jesus over to the Gentiles—to the Romans.”
a. The very RELIGIOUS LEADERS whom have been TEACHING from the PROPHETS about the MESSIAH and PREPARING the people for His coming, are the ONES who are going to
have the MESSIAH—the Son of God—put to DEATH.
b. Furthermore, they are going to TURN Him over to the ENEMY—the Roman Empire.
COMMENT:
This information only adds to the CONFUSION of the Disciples. In their THINKING and THEOLOGY, the MESSIAH—the CHRIST—was coming to DESTROY the ROMANS not be
KILLED by them.
And, yet, when they get to Jerusalem, the Jewish Leaders are going to hand Jesus, the One that the disciples have been faithfully FOLLOWING for 3 years, over to the Romans who will then
TORTURE Him and HUMILIATE Him and finally CRUCIFY Him on a CROSS.
C. Could Jesus stop it? YES! So, why does He go through with it? Because He LOVED the WORLD!
II. THE DISCIPLES SEEK POSITIONS OF GREATNESS- Mark 10:35-45 (READ)
A. The way that both Mark and Matthew RECORD this incident appears that the QUESTION posed to Jesus happened just shortly, if not immediately, after Jesus spoke of His impending SACRIFICE
awaiting Him in Jerusalem.
1. This is a prime example of SELFISHNESS vs SELFLESSNESS.
a. Jesus had just DESCRIBED the most SELFLESS ACT in human history—the Son of God
DYING on a CROSS for his ENEMIES—UNGODLY SINNERS.
b. And the next thing we READ is two brothers (“along with their Mother”, Matthew tells us) who have the audacity to ASK Jesus to give them the TOP POSITIONS in His Kingdom.
2. Notice how they go about it: “Teacher, we want you to DO for us whatever we ask”- v. 35.
a. If you are a PARENT, you heard that one before, haven’t you?
ILLUSTRATION:
They are trying the old “get-a-commitment-before-we-tell-what-we-want” TRICK. “Mom and Dad, before I ask you, just say ‘Yes’.”
b. Although Jesus is not their PARENT, many scholars do believe that they are COUSINS.
COMMENT:
So, James and John, along with their MOM, Jesus’s Aunt Salome, may be trying to take
ADVANTAGE of their RELATIONSHIP with Jesus. But Jesus doesn’t fall for it.
3. Jesus asked them in the next verse, “What do you want me to do for you?”
a. “They replied, ‘Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.’”
b. I don’t believe that James and John are referring to sitting at the RIGHT and LEFT hand of Jesus
in HEAVEN.
COMMENT:
They, along with the other APOSTLES, still believe, even after what they were told for the FOURTH TIME is waiting for Jesus in Jerusalem, that He is going to sit on David’s LITERAL
THRONE in Jerusalem and be the SOVEREIGN KING of Israel.
And when that HAPPENS, James and John want their COUSIN to give them the two TOP POSITIONS in His Kingdom. They want GREATNESS, but have no idea for what they are asking.
B. Jesus, “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?”- v. 38.
1. Like kids they immediately answer, “We can!” But do they understand to what Jesus is referring?
a. This is not a TEA PARTY at a BAPTISMAL SERVICE.
b. The CUP and BAPTISM refers to the TORTURE and DEATH that is awaiting Jesus in
Jerusalem.
COMMENT:
This is the CUP of WRATH and the IMMERSION of SUFFERING the Jesus is going to
ENDURE so that we SINNERS can have HOPE of ETERNAL LIFE.
Don’t think for one moment that heading to Jerusalem to be TORTURED and HUMILIATED and CRUCIFIED was EASY for Jesus. In fact, the night He was BETRAYED Jesus asked the Father “to take the cup from Him.” But added, “Not my will, but your will be done”- Mark 14:36.
c. Whatever it took to SAVE the World, Jesus was GOING to do it.
2. Are James and John really ready for that?
a. They are not asking for SUFFERING; they are asking for GREATNESS.
b. They are not READY for the SELFLESS SACRIFICE that Jesus is going to MAKE. But they
will BE.
COMMENT:
“James became the first APOSTLE to be MARTYRED for Christ, having been put to death
by a SWORD at the command of King Herod Agrippa”- Acts 12.
And “John suffered much for his FAITH in Christ, having to spend the remaining years of his life EXILED and REJECTED on the Island of Patmos, an ISLAND that the Romans used for the BANISHMENT of CRIMINALS”- Revelation 1:9-11. This is where John wrote the book of Revelation.
C. “When the other disciples heard James’ and John’s request of Jesus, they become INDIGNANT
toward them”- v. 41.
1. Now, don’t think for one moment that they are UPSET because of the SELFISHNESS that James
and John displayed.
a. They are ANGRY with them because they WANT those POSITIONS of GREATNESS for
themselves.
b. They’ve already been ARGUING about who’s the GREATEST among them, and now James and John have taken it a STEP FURTHER in trying to secure the two TOP positions in Christ’s
Kingdom.
COMMENT:
Again, doesn’t this SOUND a lot like CHILDREN.
2. But then Jesus, the One who is indeed the GREATEST of all, calls the twelve together and tells them, “…whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever want to
be first must be slave of all”- vv. 43-44.
a. Prominent POSITIONS are not what makes us GREAT in the eyes of God, but our willingness
to SERVE people.
b. The DISCIPLES just don’t seem to GET IT.
COMMENT:
This is the SECOND time that Jesus taught them that “GREATNESS comes through SERVING”, and there will be a THIRD time at the LAST SUPPER.
3. Jesus is not telling His disciples to DO SOMETHING that He’s unwilling to DO.
a. He said, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be SERVED, but to SERVE and GIVE His
LIFE a ransom for many”- v. 45.
b. Jesus didn’t just PREACH IT, he LIVED IT. He EXEMPLIFIED the life of a SERVANT.
COMMENT:
Wherever He went He was CONFRONTED by HURTING people, SICK people, SINFUL people, FORGOTTEN people . . . people who had nowhere else to TURN, people who had been SHUNNED by SOCIETY and OVERLOOKED by RELIGIONISTS.
Yet, it was to these PEOPLE—these OUTCASTS—that Jesus came to SERVE. If Jesus, the Son of God, didn’t think He was too GOOD to roll up His sleeves to SERVE others, then certainly His DISCIPLES, including YOU and ME, have no EXCUSE.
CONCLUSION:
A. Matthew 5:16- “Let your light shine in such a way that men will see your GOOD WORKS, and glorify
your Father who is in heaven.”
1. By unselfishly SERVING others and the church, we LIFT UP Jesus—we REFLECT His LIGHT by
letting our LIGHTS SHINE.
ILLUSTRATION:
Have you ever wondered what is the GREATEST LIGHT in your house? Is it the 500-WATT HALOGEN SPOTLIGHTS that BRIGHTEN up your front and backyards—you know, the ones that are often mistaken for an AIRSTRIP by passing PLANES? Could it be the five-bulb CHANDELIER that hangs ELEGANTLY over your DINING ROOM table? Maybe it’s the LAVA LAMP you HIDE
in the BEDROOM—a RELIC from a different time in your life.
When you think about it, the most important LIGHTS aren’t the ones that SHINE the BRIGHTEST in your home, nor are they the ones that generate the most ATTENTION when they’re on. To me the most important LIGHTS in my house, with the EXCEPTION of the one in the
REFRIGERATOR, are the NIGHT-LIGHTS strategically placed in different rooms.
Why? The ONE in the LIVING ROOM comes on automatically when the LIGHTS are turned off to help you MANEUVER around the COFFEE TABLE, the OTTOMANS, and whatever COATS or HOODIES that might be laying on the FLOOR so you won’t get your FEET tangled in them causing
you to TRIP and BREAK your SHOULDER. The NIGHT-LIGHTS placed in the BATHROOMS are there to help you NAVIGATE around the SHOES, the BATHROOM SCALES, the LAUNDRY BASKET, and other LAND MINES that sometimes lie in wait between our BEDROOMS and those urgent late-night PIT STOPS. And over the years, the NIGHT-LIGHTS in our CHILDREN’S rooms when they were SMALL and later when our GRANDCHILDREN had their SLEEP-OVERS, were MOST IMPORTANT to LOOK IN on them to make sure they were ALL RIGHT and SLEEPING SOUNDLY.
2. It is the steadfast NIGHT LIGHTS of SERVICE—the SMALL MINISTRIES that often make the
GREATEST DIFFERENCE.
COMMENT:
Many feel that they have to be the 500-WATT HALOGENS to make a DIFFERENCE in the church or to IMPACT a community for Christ. The truth is, it is the NIGHT-LIGHTS of FAITHFUL SERVICE that keep the church from STUBBING its toe and helps people to see the BEAUTY of Jesus.
B. The NIGHT-LIGHTS in the church are those who aren’t looking for the LIMELIGHT, they just want to
SERVE. THEY ARE THE PEOPLE WHO . . .
1. . . . send out get-well cards to the sick.
2. . . . help with the food pantry by stocking canned goods and putting together food baskets.
3. . . . visit a fellow-Christian or a neighbor in the hospital.
4. . . . call-up and encourage a new brother or sister in Christ who’s been lax in attendance.
5. . . . chaperone a youth trip.
6. . . . prepare food for a family who lost a loved one.
7. . . . offer to babysit for a young couple who just need time alone to themselves.
8. . . . wash the towels after a baptism.
9. . . . prepare the communion trays for a month.
10. . . . go around making sure the doors are locked and the lights are off after worship.
WHERE ARE YOU SERVING?
