Wonderful lesson. It connects well to the worship/teaching on James 4 we shared yesterday at Central. It also is a perfect segue into our next lesson/worship teaching...Jame 5:1-12 -- Three hurdles to a great life.
Read James 5:1-12.....see if you can identify the three hurdles we will be exploring and offering a way over or under or around....or something.
Until then....this is a lesson I thin k would be worth your time to read and consider.
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Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Him, saying…“Grant us that we may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left, in Your glory.” Mark 10:35-37
I think of the three synoptic gospels, Mark's highlights the twelve disciples, the more obvious their flaws become. For some reason this makes a connection....perhaps because I am as fickled and flawed myself. Mark describes how human and how they "just don't get it". That is the way I feel about study, life, faith, preaching....on many occassions.
Well....here we see one of their greatest character defects was their desire for stature and status once Jesus established His kingdom. We see evidence of that here as James and John try to get the inside track on being Christ’s “go-to guys” once everything was set up.
This is the best part. Don't quit reading yet.
Keep in mind, Jesus had already taught them His kingdom didn’t work that way. The way up was down, and those who wanted to be great would have to be least.
Doesn't that fit our lives so perfectly. We are 180 degrees out of sync. They hadn't listened welll...or maybe they were absent from class the day Jesus did this lecture. Sorry. They were there....and had heard this important principle over and over and over.
It is the point. It is the who, what, why, how and when.
Clearly, this lesson hadn’t taken hold in the disciple’s hearts, and when word of this request got out, they started to argue with each other. Jesus seized the moment to reinforce the reality that would shape the rest of their earthly lives:
“Whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” Mark 10:43-45
Christ reminds the disciples of the lesson He previously taught them, but then He takes it one step further by holding Himself up as the ultimate example. “You want to be great? You want power and authority? Look at Me…what do you see Me doing? My whole existence revolves around serving others. If you want to be great like me, serve like me.”
Light bulb goes on. Ah ha moment....
“To serve.” Those two words really summarize the whole Book of Mark. They capture the life of Christ as it’s portrayed in this gospel perfectly. And not only that, they also serve as the marching orders for every one of us who wants to follow in Christ’s footsteps.....
Instead of seeking stature or status, we should seek to serve.
After all, that’s what Jesus did.
Give it up to Him in reflection, study and your own exploration, and it's application in your life.
tHINK aBOUT tHESE tHINGS
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