Mark 10:41-45 When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, 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.”
This week we continue to study the results of James and John asking Jesus if He would let them sit at his right and his left when He was in his glory. When the rest of the disciples heard what their comrades had done, they became upset with such a request, perhaps because their brethren were trying to put themselves in the forefront. Knowing James and John did not understand what they asked, Jesus has already told them if they want to be close to him, they must drink the cup that he drinks and be baptized with his baptism. Of course, they immediately answered, they could go where He went and do what He would do. Jesus tells them they will drink this cup of suffering, but He knows they are not ready to embrace what lies ahead for them. Now He calls the disciples together and stops their dissension by pointing their attention to the Gentile rulers who harshly hold authority over those under their control. Not so with you, He says. If they want to be great in his realm, if they want to show forth his attributes to the world, they must serve as a 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. Jesus is not talking about who will sit beside him in glory, for that is not his concern. He tells his closest companions, if you follow me, you will walk where I am walking even now as I head toward Jerusalem: you will give your lives to meet the needs of a hurting and lost world. You will minister to the bruised, the broken, the outcast, and the sick among you, for the Son of Man came not for the healthy because it is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. (Luke 5:31)
Jesus knew that it was the way of the flesh to want to rule and to reign, to have a place of authority or a position of importance. He knew that James and John's desire to sit beside him in his glory did not arise from pure hearts and a desire to serve others. They were not looking to advance the kingdom of God and his righteousness but their own position. They were thinking of how they would look, seated beside the Lord. And what of the indignation of the other disciples? Were they concerned for the spiritual welfare of James and John or were they afraid that James and John were trying to move ahead of them in their relationship with Jesus? Were their motives pure or was jealousy behind their frustration? We do not know, but we do know that Jesus chose this moment to teach all of them about serving others, so He must have looked upon his chosen ones and decided they were lacking in this area. They were not making appropriate requests. Sometimes Christians find themselves in a similar situation. We present the Lord with petitions that are not in line with his will for our lives. The Bible describes our situation well: You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. (James 4:2-3) People sometimes say they stopped praying or stopped believing because God did not answer their prayers. God is not a machine where we put in the right request, and He gives us back what we desire. He is our heavenly Father: He is the beginning and the ending. We must put my faith in him with everything, saying as Job did when all is chaos, Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him. (Job 13:15)
This is the faith and trust Jesus was seeking from his disciples when He told them if they wanted to be great, they must follow his example. He was trying once again to prepare them for his death. He says, I did not come here to set up a kingdom. I did not come here to prepare you to rule over people, as you sit at my right or my left. I am going to give my life as a ransom for all, and I have called you to work in that harvest field. I have made you my disciples. He wants them to think back to when they were first called, to when they left everything to follow him. He wants them to remember when they put down their fishing nets, their tax collection records and left their families and their friends to follow him wherever He would lead. If they will remember the call that burned in their hearts, they will continue to follow him to Jerusalem. They will keep their eyes on him. They will wait until the Holy Spirit comes. Paul wrote: But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ — the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. (Philippians 2:7-11) Paul knew nothing held any value except his relationship with Jesus Christ his Lord. Knowing and serving Christ is the greatest thing we will ever do on this earth. Today, may each of you
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and
Love your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew 22:37 & 39) 
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