Mark - Lesson 10E

• Last week, we discovered the difficulty that the disciples faced in understanding the Kingdom value system regarding how one enters the Kingdom (eternal life).

  • It was the teaching of that day that the means of attaining eternal life was based upon one's wealth and status.

    • However, we saw that Jesus blew that notion out of the water.

    • It was not man's means or accomplishments that gave them access to eternal life, but rather salvation was a means of God's doing, alone.

  • You might remember, it was in Mark 10:27, that Jesus stated, the way to eternal life was impossible for man, but not impossible for God.

    • That it would require the complete abandonment of self and striving in one’s own strength and to transfer that trust from self to the savior.

  • It would be after realizing the path to salvation, that Jesus addresses the benefits of doing things God's way.

    • That as we surrender our will and seek to do the will of the Father that there are eternal rewards to be earned.

    • However, before we can come to that point, we must recognize that the way to receive the glory of reward in the Kingdom to come requires the believer to count the cost of following Jesus faithfully, now.

  • In other words, to attain what God has in store in the Kingdom to come, you must rid your hold on the pursuit of things here.

    • For if we settle for what we can gain and sustain in the here and now, we miss the benefit of eternal rewards in the coming Kingdom.

    • Therefore, we must keep in mind that because we have been saved that our service is to the King and His purpose.

    • Because as we discovered last week, only what you do for Christ will last.

  • Tonight, we press into a building moment in Jesus' journey to Jerusalem one last time.

    • It will be in this building moment of anticipation in which Jesus will, once again, foretell His coming death.

    • And, without fail, the response of His disciples will remain fixed upon personal agenda rather than Christ's purpose, for they still don't get it.

  • However, through Jesus' teaching of His disciples, He will reinforce the Kingdom value system.

    • For it will be them understanding the Kingdom Program and Jesus' Purpose that will pave the way for fruitful and impactful gospel ministry once He departs from them.

  • If I were to provide a flow of thought tonight, might I suggest that we will see 4 things:

    • 1. Jesus foretells His death a third time. (v. 32-34)

    • 2. An Ambitious Request (v. 35-37)

    • 3. A Frank Response (v. 38-40)

    • 4. A Revealing Explanation. (v. 41-45)

  • If I were to put a tag on tonight's text, it would be: “Service unto the King”.

    • With that being said, I invite you to open your bibles or device, and meet me at Mark 10:32-45.

Mark 10:32 They were on the road going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking on ahead of them; and they were amazed, and those who followed were fearful. And again He took the twelve aside and began to tell them what was going to happen to Him, 
Mark 10:33 saying, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and will hand Him over to the Gentiles. 
Mark 10:34 They will mock Him and spit on Him, and scourge Him and kill Him, and three days later He will rise again.”
Mark 10:35 James and John, the two sons of Zebedee, *came up to Jesus, saying, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask of You.” 
Mark 10:36 And He said to them, “What do you want Me to do for you?” 
Mark 10:37 They said to Him, “Grant that we may sit, one on Your right and one on Your left, in Your glory.” 
Mark 10:38 But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” 
Mark 10:39 They said to Him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you shall drink; and you shall be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized. 
Mark 10:40 But to sit on My right or on My left, this is not Mine to give; but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”
Mark 10:41 Hearing this, the ten began to feel indignant with James and John. 
Mark 10:42 Calling them to Himself, Jesus *said to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great men exercise authority over them. 
Mark 10:43 But it is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; 
Mark 10:44 and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all. 
Mark 10:45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

• Let’s Pray.

Mark 10:32 They were on the road going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking on ahead of them; and they were amazed, and those who followed were fearful. And again He took the twelve aside and began to tell them what was going to happen to Him, 
Mark 10:33 saying, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and will hand Him over to the Gentiles. 
Mark 10:34 They will mock Him and spit on Him, and scourge Him and kill Him, and three days later He will rise again.”

• As Mark continues building upon the anticipation of Jesus' missional purpose, he emphasizes it by grounding us geographically.

  • If you recall, this journey began in Capernaum and from Capernaum east of the Jordan River to an area called Perea.

    • This was the jurisdiction in which Herod Antipas was tetrarch.

  • And it is from Perea, that Jesus and His disciples now journey up towards Jerusalem.

    • It is on this journey upward that Mark notes that while Jesus is walking ahead of the group, which was custom for that day, that there was something different with Jesus’ sense of purpose/mission.

  • The text mentions that the disciples were amazed in conjunction with a fearful crowd that had made their way behind them to follow.

    • The question that should come to mind from seeing the disciples’ amazement and the crowd's fear is: "What is the cause of their response?”

  • One could assume that maybe something has been said.

    • But that wouldn't make sense because Jesus has already had a personal teaching moment with His disciples, prior.

    • His prior statement definitely drew amazement, but it would not garner the need of fear per se.

    • At this point, He has been teaching them how the value system of the Kingdom varies from the worlds’.

  • And prior to that, Jesus was discussing the importance of serving the little children and how the Kingdom belonged to such as these.

    • In that we are to approach entering the Kingdom such as a child's dependence upon the Father and not themselves.

  • And before that, Jesus taught a difficult yet straight forward teaching on divorce and how the Father has established His purposes and intent for marriage.

    • And in all of these instances, Jesus has faithfully informed His disciples, that He is headed to die.

    • Yet, the disciples seemed to be more fixated on their earthly opportunities of greatness than God's definition and system of measure by which greatness is weighed.

  • So, as they are getting closer to Jerusalem, the pressure of Jesus' purpose is mounting up.

    • It's pressing so much so that the movement and pace of Jesus is as if there is an appointment up ahead.

  • We can surmise that this is the amazement the disciples have and the fear the people are exhibiting.

    • As a matter of fact, the original language in verse 32 regarding the Greek words, amazed (thanbeo) and fearful (phobeo), expresses an interesting situation.

      • It's like seeing a person who is walking in a determined manner towards a particular direction.

      • And at the same time, the question comes to mind: "What's going on and where are they going with such haste?” – You don't want to get in the way.

  • If I were to put it plainly, there is a growing sense of pressure or impending doom in which the disciples and the crowd seem unaware of yet.

    • Notice, this is the first time that Jesus discloses that Jerusalem is His destination and that He will be turned over to the Gentiles to die.

  • This would have been the perfect time to ask Jesus what was going on and to inquire the haste in His steps.

    • Yet without fail, it would seem as if the disciples are still lacking in understanding Jesus' mission.

    • Check out what Luke writes regarding the disciples’ lack of understanding regarding Jesus’ coming death in Luke 18:34:

Luke 18:34  But the disciples understood none of these things, and the meaning of this statement was hidden from them, and they did not comprehend the things that were said.

• It becomes clear why the disciples did not understand what was coming for Jesus – the Father was withholding this understanding for they were not ready.

  • For this salvific setup would only make sense for them after Jesus was raised from the dead.

  • Therefore, it would be based on the Father's timetable as to when the disciples’ eyes would be opened.

  • Let’s check out verses 35-37.

Mark 10:35 James and John, the two sons of Zebedee, *came up to Jesus, saying, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask of You.” 
Mark 10:36 And He said to them, “What do you want Me to do for you?” 
Mark 10:37 They said to Him, “Grant that we may sit, one on Your right and one on Your left, in Your glory.”

• Mark tells us that as Jesus, the disciples, and the crowd are journeying towards Jerusalem, that an ambitious request is asked of James and John.

  • The request from James and John was that they wanted to be granted to sit on the left and right of Jesus in the Kingdom.

    • What makes this request even more untimely is the fact that Jesus had just finished talking about His coming death.

    • It is as if to say, "You’ve mentioned this several times Jesus, but really quickly, let’s talk opportunities.”

  • This neglectful and self-centered pivot truly revealed the selfish ambition at play.

    • But most importantly, it confirms the fact that they had yet to understand what Jesus was teaching them regarding His coming death.

  • Here’s an example of the three previous times Jesus foretold His death:

    • You might recall the first time Jesus mentioned His coming death, Peter rebuked Him. (Mark 8:31-33)

    • After that, the disciples were having a discussion around who would be the greatest in the kingdoms. (Mark 9:30-32)

    • And now Jesus tells of His death a third time and James and John are requesting VIP seating in the coming glory. (Mark 10:32-34)

    • Hopefully you are seeing the pattern.

  • One question that might be going through your mind is: “What even prompted them to make such a bold and ambitious request?”

    • Perhaps, their inquiry into “being on His left and right” came from Jesus' words regarding the twelve ruling and judging over the tribes of Israel in the Kingdom. (Matthew 19:28)

  • If this is in fact the case, then we can assume that the appeal/desire for this position (heart issue) outweighed the significance of Jesus' coming death.

    • Friends herein lies the problem: When our ambitions outweigh our prioritization of Christ we miss the picture – and the disciples are missing it in a big way.

    • And there is a lesson in this for us as well, because it shows us that our ambitions for significance and status, even in the church, can outweigh God's purpose and mission for us to pursue for His Glory.

  • Understand that James and John’s request was not to simply reign with Jesus, but they wanted to "sit at His right and left'' (significant position of authority)

    • To be placed at the right or left hand was a figure of speech which represented power and authority.

    • As a matter of fact, scripture tells us that Jesus sits at the right hand of the father.

    • So, in the case of this request, James and John were insisting that their proximity with Jesus (prior), and intimate association to Him, should be considered.

  • If you thought that was bad enough, Matthew's account tells us that the one who makes this request is the mother of James and John, Salome.

    • And it just so happens that she is the sister of Miriam who is the sister of Mary, Jesus’ mother, which made Jesus and the sons of Zebedee, first cousins.

  • So, rather than the disciples seeking to ask Jesus about His need to die, James and John seek to find a way to capitalize on their positions and proximity to Jesus as He moves towards the Passion moment. (Coming death)

    • Check out how Jesus responds to this ambitious request.

    • Not only does He hear them out, but He provides them with “A frank response".

    • Check out verses 38-40.

Mark 10:38 But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” 
Mark 10:39 They said to Him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you shall drink; and you shall be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized. 
Mark 10:40 But to sit on My right or on My left, this is not Mine to give; but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”

• Jesus tells James and John that they do not understand what they are asking.

  • Their request is hinged on glory, status, and authority, yet they do not realize the cost that comes with position in the Kingdom.

    • It’s as if they are seeking the glorious prize without carrying the cross necessary to attain it.

  • So, as Jesus speaks to their immature response for sharing in His glory, He mentions the cost necessary to attain this Kingdom honor.

    • He asks them, “If they are able to drink of the cup He will drink and be baptized in the baptism He will experience.”

  • The cup that Jesus is speaking to is the “cup of suffering” that will be poured out upon Him. (The Wrath of God)

    • And in the same way, the baptism that Jesus will experience will be the Baptism of fire.

    • Meaning that Jesus will take on the suffering and punishment of sin upon Himself as our vicarious substitute.

    • This is what the disciples failed to understand regarding Jesus' coming death at that time.

  • That this means of suffering and dying would be the process by which men and women would be saved – all according to the Father’s plan.

    • Were the disciples ready to truly take on that weight at that time – the short answer is no, not yet.

  • However, when Jesus asked the rhetorical question of “Are you able to drink from this cup…?” The brothers responded to it with a sense of confidence – Yes!

    • In other words, they said they would be more than willing to take of both the cup and baptism without fully knowing what was required.

  • It's in verse 39 that Jesus agrees with them that they will in fact partake in the cup and baptism, yet not in the way Jesus would or in the way they would anticipate.

    • For the disciples’ mission, upon the death and resurrection of Christ, would entail much sacrifice, service, and suffering for the sake of Christ.

    • Therefore, the disciples (apostles) as a whole, would be sharers in the coming sufferings.

    • And in the same way, we too share in His suffering, being in Christ Jesus.

  • Put differently, the means of serving Christ does not come with immediate convenience, but that we should anticipate trial, tribulation, and the like.

    • As a side note, may I caution us to not be fooled by the casual westernized Christianity that is often viewed on television today.

    • True Christianity is marked by a road of suffering, pain, and affliction.

  • The cost of discipleship is one to be considered, counted, and not entered into haphazardly.

    • There will come a cost to your earthly privilege, yet there is an enormous gain in the life to come. (Eternal rewards)

    • Here is a question for you to consider in your quiet time: Are there things/priorities in your life that are causing you to miss Jesus?

  • Notice in verse 40, after Jesus addresses their request, that He further presses into their true concern – position and authority.

    • In verse 40, Jesus says, “you will share with me in suffering, but where you will be seated in authority, that is not something I can give.”

      • It’s the Father’s doing (Matthew 20:23).

  • Here is a question to ask the text: How is it that Jesus can tell the disciples they will share in His suffering, yet He cannot guarantee them the reward requested?

    • Simply put, the requirement on receiving honor in the Kingdom is rooted in a heart of faithfulness that accepts and embraces the suffering to come regardless of the benefit in the end.

  • Friends, it becomes apparent that these men's hearts were not at a place to understand this point or receive it at that time.

    • However, the good news is, they would eventually move towards fully understanding it at the appointed time.

  • What we begin to see outworking from Jesus’ teaching here is that the means for earning rewards must be rooted in right motives.

    • We do not seek to serve as an effort to gain what I desire in the end as an outcome of our service.

    • But rather, we serve so that the purposes of God, accomplished through and in us, will bring glory to God!

  • In other words, our reward in the Kingdom is determined by what we do for Christ (how we serve, sacrifice, etc).

    • And in conjunction to that, our position of Authority in the Kingdom is determined by who we become in Christ. (Spiritual Maturity)

    • This is tied to understanding the why behind what we do for Christ.

    • That as we faithfully serve, we serve as Christ has sacrificially served – not in a sense to be served, but to serve His mission accordingly to the Glory of God – even if it requires great loss for us.

  • It is from here that in verse 41 Mark tells us that the remaining disciples, over hearing what James and John asked in secret, respond in anger towards them.

    • And what a perfect opportunity to address the issues of these men's hearts and to redirect their heart's intent and purpose as that of Jesus’ purpose.

    • Check out the last few verses; verses 41-45.

Mark 10:41 Hearing this, the ten began to feel indignant with James and John. 
Mark 10:42 Calling them to Himself, Jesus *said to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great men exercise authority over them. 
Mark 10:43 But it is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; 
Mark 10:44 and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all. 
Mark 10:45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

• As Jesus addressed the ugly elephant of selfishness among the twelve, He provides an illustration that speaks to yet another value system contrast.

  • Jesus begins with the negative contrasting example of how one leads in the world versus how one leads regarding Kingdom honor.

    • Jesus explains that Gentile rulers lord their positions of authority over others as a mean to flex their power.

    • This same mentality exists for every person of power within our society and culture today.

    • The more that they have or the larger platforms they gain the greater their influence, the greater their control.

  • Even within Jesus’ time the religious leaders lorded their “externalized” righteousness and relationship to God as something to be honored.

    • So what Jesus is describing to the disciples in this example is that the world’s value system regarding honor is rooted in selfish gain.

  • This example of leadership is completely opposite of the type of leaders Jesus is building up in His Apostles.

    • Consider the fact that with months to spare before Jesus dies, He has to equip and train these men for a role they were never expecting.

    • Their value systems and modus operandi must be restructured in a way that is all God-focused and reduced of selfish gain. (Sanctifying work)

  • As the future leaders of the Church, the Apostles would need to set the course for the main thing being the main thing – Jesus and Him crucified.

    • There can be no other message that the church proclaims but this message.

    • For the moment that the church digresses from the gospel and moves onto another message, it loses its focus.

  • This is why the apostles, especially Paul, was so committed to visiting the churches that he planted, because he wanted to make sure that they remained steadfast in the faith – in the proclamation of the Gospel.

    • It’s in verse 43 that Jesus says the way of honor in the Kingdom, the way of greatness in the kingdom, is rooted in an upside-down understanding of leadership.

    • That where the world says greed, the church says give.

    • Where the world says selfish, the church says selfless.

    • Where the world sees poverty as a need to neglect, the church finds the need and meets it.

  • Jesus is establishing the reality that great honor in the coming Kingdom is found in faithfully serving, now.

    • Service to others is rooted in a heart of submission to God as a slave of Christ for the edification of others.

  • A slave does not serve the Master so that they may choose what reward they so desire, but a slave serves to please his master no matter the hour.

    • When we consider the weight of this term, slave, we recognize that a slave’s life is no longer their own because they have been bought with a price.

  • Friends, our lives were purchased with a price and that price was paid in full on a cross and it was Christ who footed the bill!

    • So, if there be anything that is to be lorded over us, it would be the work that Christ has fulfilled and the service that He has called us to in ministry.

  • I say this all the time: When you got saved, you didn’t get saved to sit, you got saved to serve!

    • People may not applaud you as a greeter at church.

    • People may not see you as you serve the meek and the lowly.

    • People may not see you go on missions trips to third world countries in need of hearing the Gospel.

      • Friends, the point of your service is not to be seen for the sake of proving to yourself your need for position and attention.

  • All focus in service should be directed towards Jesus Christ.

    • Did you notice that Christ was not fixated on being seated in Glory by the Father, but solely that He could accomplish His Father’s will!

    • And in that same way, we as imitators of Christ should seek to serve the Father, because of what has been graciously done for us! (This is the Why!)

  • If anyone had the right to flaunt their position and status, it would have been Jesus, yet He responds not in grand announcement but in humble beginnings.

    • He does not seek to blow the horn of attention, but rather the drum of obedience – a consistent and faithful beat, to the point of death on a cross.

  • Finally, Jesus puts the nail in the coffin, with a scripture most of us have memorized.

    • He states, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give His life a ransom for many.”

  • It is in verse 45 that we see this important word which only shows up twice in the gospels and that is the word “ransom”.

    • This term appears here in Mark 10:45 and in Matthew 20:28. It is the Greek word, lytron.

  • This term refers to “the price of release” where a payment is made to relieve a person from the bondage that they are under and frees them from that captivity.

    • “It also includes the concept of substitution” (cf. Theological Dictionary of the New Testament) tdnt, s.v “lyō,” 4:328–35

    • So when we look at what Jesus is pointing to, He is showing that the ultimate example of service is found in Him!

    • That what He is headed to accomplish is the epitome of service demonstrated as an example of the most ultimate form of love.

  • If I were to put it differently, there is and can never be a way to “out serve” Jesus. However, He has set a beautiful example of what faithful service looks like.

    • That serving with a God-focused, God-centered heart may cost you everything, but its reach and benefit to others is what counts.

  • Friends, this is the core of discipleship. This is the core of faithful service.

    • That we serve to the purpose of the Father, to the exalting of the Son, and for the benefit of others to know Him.

    • Here is why service to others removes the focus off what you seek out of it: We have already fully received all that we will ever need in the Person of Jesus Christ.

  • Christ’s death transferred us from death to life, therefore our lives are no longer our own, but our lives belong to the Lord.

    • And because of that, whatever the King needs from me, His command is my pursuit.

  • The way to being lifted in honor begins with the descent to the bend of the knee.

    • Friend, are you humbly submitted in obedience to the Father, or are you more fixated on status and position?

  • We become more Christ-like in all that we do, in how we serve, in how we love, and in how we meet needs for others.

    • For it is through the process of service, that we become best qualified to rule in whatever capacity the Father sees fit for us in the Kingdom.

    • And the understanding of service to the King only comes through becoming more mature in Christ. (Spiritual Maturity)

  • Lastly, there is a caution we must adhere to and that is that we are not to seek rewards for the sake of desiring position, because that only reveals the heart’s intent.

    • Rather, as we serve because Christ has served and has demonstrated this service as an example for all believers, that we are to pattern that humility and obedience all the same.

    • This is what Paul wrote to the church at Philippi in Philippians 2:8-13

Philippians 2:8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 
Philippians 2:9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 
Philippians 2:10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 
Philippians 2:11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:12 So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; 
Philippians 2:13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

• May we not lose sight that Christ is and always will be the focal point of it all.

  • Let's Pray.

Citations:

• Fruchtenbaum, Arnold G. “128.” Yeshua, the Life of Messiah from a Messianic Jewish Perspective, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, TX, 2016, p. 201.

• James A. Brooks, Mark, vol. 23, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1991), 168.

• TLG 1484.001, 14.2.1–7; LCC 1:154*. The martyrs gave their lives as evidence of the willingness to drink the cup that the Lord himself drank. Polycarp delivered the definitive statement of this willingness.

• Thomas C. Oden and Christopher A. Hall, eds., Mark (Revised), Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1998), 142.

• TDNT, sub verbo tdnt “lyō,” 4:328–35

• John D. Grassmick, “Mark,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 154.