"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, 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. They will mock Him and spit on Him, and scourge Him and kill Him, and three days later He will rise again."
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." And He said to them, "What do you want Me to do for you?" They said to Him, "Grant that we may sit, one on Your right and one on Your left, in Your glory." 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?" 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. 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."
Hearing this, the ten began to feel indignant with James and John. 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. But it is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; and whoever wishes to be first among you 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."
Good Morning my beloved,
It's interesting, that the sin that God hates most, happens to be the one that comes most naturally to us because of our fallen nature. Pride is the egregious sin upon which all other sins feed, the right to have what you want when you want it leads to all other sins, refusing to acknowledge God's sovereignty and recognizing His right to exercise control over the will of man. Pride not only puts ourselves first, it leaves God out of the equation.
It is such a tragedy that so many in the church today, consumed with pride, seem to have lost their enthusiasm for knowing everything that can be known about our Lord Jesus Christ, settling for a superficial understanding, the lack of enthusiasm can easily be seen by the diminishing personal desire to be changed into His image. That is why I am so passionate about the false teaching and sin that has deeply shamed our Lord. Compromising the Gospel by compromising with the world is unacceptable, even if the best intentions behind it are good. The Holy Spirit is given to us as a gift from God to convict us about what devastates the soul.
One of the dangers of false teaching is, there’s no need to discipline your heart and mind. The belief that God’s moral law no longer applies to Christians, in spite of the clear exhortations in Scripture to deny ungodliness and worldly desires, still plagues the church today. If your salvation is dominated by selfish desires and habitual ongoing sin, it’s worthless and your claims are meaningless. While you may appear outwardly godly, it's merely a facade, and will eventually collapse. Believing that God’s grace is a free pass for your sin, is the height of hypocrisy, and different from everything that Scripture teaches. Proverbs 16:18, "Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before stumbling."
John 14:16-17, "I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you." In order for a believer to become "unsaved," he would not have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in him, and is therefore, unregenerate.
Titus 2:11-14, "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds."
Galatians 2:19-20, "For through the Law I died to the Law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me."
Hebrews 5:11-14, "Concerning him we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil."
While it is not my attempt to divide the body of Christ, by minimizing the salvation of other Christians who feel
that they have been genuinely saved, I am certainly well aware of my
own imperfections, I am simply sharing with you what I believe Scripture
clearly teaches on the subject of biblical salvation, while pointing
out that grace does not allow us to casually shrug off the sin in a
believer’s life. Scripture does not teach that from the moment of your salvation, Jesus Christ is Savior and then you get to decide whether or not to make Him Lord. He is Lord! So, the real question is, who is the Lord you are serving, yourself or Jesus Christ?
Let us pray,
Heavenly Father,
Father, as always we are grateful for the way Your Word speaks to us with such authority, such profound clarity. Lord, we thank You for Your marvelous grace and the presence of the indwelling Holy Spirit, and the work of conviction that we might confess any sin in our lives and die to self and be controlled by the Spirit, one with Christ. Father, we pray for those who haven't recognized their spiritual poverty, work in their hearts, that they might call sin what it is and cry out for mercy and understand this great grace is a precious gift. May it be the desire of every believer to bear the fruit of repentance and turning away from sin, demonstrating a transformed life, all for Your glory and for Christ's sake.
In His name we ask and pray
Amen
Today's Message: Suffering, Servanthood, and Sacrifice
As we near the conclusion of our study of Mark chapter 10, it becomes more and more apparent to us that Jesus death was no surprise to Him, but that He knew exactly what was going to happen. Yet, there are still many today, who erroneously suggest that His crucifixion and the suffering associated with it, was not the part of God's ordained divine redemptive plan but the result of some badly miscalculated decisions that inadvertently delivered Him to the chief priests and the scribes, who condemned Him to death, then handed Him over to the Gentiles to kill Him. I believe that God not only planned it, I believe the Old Testament not only revealed it, and I believe that Jesus predicted it. Furthermore, I believe Jesus is alive today and living in me! People want visual proof that God exists. Can you imagine how many people would be converted to Christ if every professing Christian yielded to the power of the Holy Spirit, revealing they could be redeemed from their sins? That is not to say that the whole world would be saved but the churches certainly wouldn't be able hold the crowds of people that would show up. It would indeed be nothing short of miraculous.
I have learned there will always be some people who will be skeptics and try to discourage you from speaking the Truth. I believe that's part of our problem in the church today, we’ve allowed ourselves to become intimidated into silence. These days, it seems there are only a few of us who refuse to be quiet and are bold enough to proclaim the Truth, according to what Scripture teaches. Jesus says in Mark 8:38, "For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels."
Throughout his earthly ministry, John the Baptist testified that he was sent to be a voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as Isaiah the prophet said. That it is He who comes after me, the thong of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie. The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" Jesus knew that He was born to die as a final sacrifice for sin, before God's redemptive plan played itself out, long before the religious rulers knew anything about what they would do, before Judas knew anything about what he would do, and before the Romans knew anything about what they would do. Jesus knew He would come to accomplish God's plan for salvation. That's exactly what He did, because He is God incarnate. In spite of what some people claim, Satan didn't not want Jesus to go to the cross, that's why he tried to prevent it, taking Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory said to Him, "All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me."
Open your Bibles with me, if you will, to the tenth chapter of the Gospel of Mark. Mark 10:32-45. I would like to encourage you to follow along with me as I read to set the text in our minds. Let us open our hearts and minds, anticipating what the Spirit of God has to say to each of us today.
"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, 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. They will mock Him and spit on Him, and scourge Him and kill Him, and three days later He will rise again."
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." And He said to them, "What do you want Me to do for you?" They said to Him, "Grant that we may sit, one on Your right and one on Your left, in Your glory." 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?" 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. 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."
Hearing this, the ten began to feel indignant with James and John. 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. But it is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; and whoever wishes to be first among you 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."
Let's look at verse 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." It doesn't make any difference from which direction you approach
Jerusalem, it was always up hill. Here we can clearly see, that Jesus was never forced to go to Jerusalem against His own will, they were on the road going up to Jerusalem, He was walking on ahead of them on His own accord; and they
were amazed, and those who followed were fearful. Why is that important? Because this is to tell us He is the leading the way, and those who followed were fearful because He has told them twice before what is going to happen when He gets there. In Mark 8, immediately after Peter said to Him, "You are the Christ," Jesus began to teach them that
the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and
the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days
rise again. And, Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. And He rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind Me, Satan; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s." The reveals the cross was never part of Satan's plan, but God's divine plan.
They were amazed because He is leading the way to His own death. Then, notice the end of the verse, "And again He took the
twelve aside and began to tell them what was going to happen to Him." By the way, this is the third time recorded in Mark's Gospel that Jesus predicted what was going to happen to Him, adding more specific details each of the three times. No one knows exactly what is going to happen in the future except God. How did Jesus know what was going to happen? Because He is God. In order to help them mentally prepare, for what was going to happen to Him, He pulls them aside to tell them again with more detail.
Verse 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." Luke 18:31 says, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things which are written through the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished." Now that He has the disciples alone, He
makes this very important statement. Though our Lord couldn’t have spelled it out any clearer, it’s safe to say that they could not even begin to comprehend the extent of what He's telling them what's going to happen. Anyone who knows anything about Christianity knows the crucifixion and resurrection is the exclamation mark of the Christian faith. Jesus needed the disciples to understand that He would suffer and die to ransom others before being exalted in glory, they're still caught up in the messianic idea of Judaism. I'd hate to imagine the level of sheer horror they would have experienced if He hadn't told them. Even knowing, they were still confused and hid in fear. If they would have understood the Old Testament, they would have known that He would be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver, that He would be deserted by His friends, and that the Son of man would eventually be lifted up, it's all there. The whole sacrificial system pointed to the wages of sin is death, and God requires a sacrifice for sin, that He will accept a substitute, a perfect lamb without spot or blemish, in place of the sinner, all who put their trust in Him. In fact, Daniel chapter 9 even predicted the precise date that Jesus, the Messiah, would be "cut off." I'd like to believe that we’ve come a long way in understanding the Scriptures since then, but the truth is, many Christians are still just as naive, and know not know what the Scripture teaches about suffering and persecution for those who follow Christ. Anyone who knows the Scriptures would see that in John 15:18, Jesus says "If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you."
When that reality finally settled in Peter's heart, he wrote in 1 Peter 2:20-21, "For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God. For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps." Because of false teaching, many today see suffering and persecution as a form of punishment, rather than a normal part of being a Christian. How should Christians respond to suffering?
In Luke 10, Jesus says "..rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven." In Philippians 4, Paul tells us "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!" And, in 1 Peter 4, Peter tells us "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation." 2 Timothy 3:12, "Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." Obviously, we don't rejoice because of our suffering, we rejoice in spite of our suffering, because that we share the sufferings of Christ and that we belong to His kingdom. We rejoice because the coming of the Lord is near.
If you're not suffering persecution, you better examine yourself, it's safe to assume you're not living a godly life, at least in public anyway. Because aggression and persecution toward the people of God is increasing, it's separating the righteous from the religious. Only the faithful will bear whatever the world throws at us. If you're going to seriously follow Christ, it will
cost you! Few are willing to pay that price. You know, I believe the church today is really doing a great disservice by promoting God just wants to bless you, giving them the illusion that the Christian life will be
the end of suffering. When the reality is, it's anything but trouble-free, it's very, very difficult. By the way, not all suffering is Christian suffering, there are many people suffer as a natural consequence of their bad choices. Only the suffering that comes from of obedience to Christ qualifies as Christian suffering.
Verse 34, "They will mock Him and spit on Him, and scourge Him and kill Him, and three days later He will rise again." The Son of man will be mocked, spit on and scourged before they hand Him over to the Gentiles to be killed. And three days later He will rise again, that’s the plan. In Matthew 20:19, He said they would kill Him by crucifixion. He knew exactly how it would happen, even before the religious leaders were in a position to pull off the mock trial. Who else but God could know the future before it occurs and give all these specific, incredible details; betrayal, condemnation to death ,crucified, and on the third day, rise again. It is unbelievable that He would go through all of that knowing that He hadn’t done anything to deserve it. He did it for you and for me, that is really something to think about. Christ's suffering and death is not the end of the story, on the third day, He rose again and walked right out of that grave, exactly as He said He would, because of the power of God. And today, He is alive and seated at the right hand of God.
Verse 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." Even though the Lord said to them that He was going to be delivered, condemned to death, handed over to the Gentiles to be killed, it doesn’t seem to have penetrated them, Scripture doesn't tell us if they even responded to what He's just said. It is inconceivable that in spite of our Lord just predicting His death, James and John who show up thinking about themselves. Though not surprising, pride always dies hard, doesn't it? Yet, it's difficult to imagine, that over two thousands of years later, our society still struggles with the same basic narcissistic nature of selfishness and self-exaltation. You would think at some point, we would have eventually learned, but humility it is not an easy lesson to grasp. Pride is
an abomination and should never be pursued in the life of a Christian. I
believe that we all understand that biblically, however, I'm not sure many
of us understand it in terms of our personal experiences. The disciples were not alone in needing to learn this lesson, many of us today still do as well, I pray that we will.
Matthew tells us James and John weren't alone, their mother came with them, bowing down and making a request of Him. Most of us would be too humiliated to have our mother ask for something on our behalf. Apparently, James and John don't mind, but they are sure they deserve special privilege, being above the rest of the twelve, since their mother is the sister of Mary, Jesus’ mother. James and John were really brash because they wanted to be somebody
special in the kingdom of God, so they’re going to play the family card. That’s got to count for something, right? Thinking you deserve something you haven't earned because of who you are is about as immature as it gets. Notice they didn't state their request immediately, just they wanted Him to agree to do whatever they asked before playing their hand. I imagine the fear there is that if they told Him what they wanted first, there would be less of a chance of Him saying yes. Remember, they wanted this so badly, they are willing to pull rank. It is rather presumptive of them to think He would just say, "Sure, we're family. I’ll give you anything you want, just ask."
The worldly path to greatness is selfish entitlement and self-promotion, the godly path is humility and self denial. Self-promotion works in Satan’s kingdom,
but only self-denial works in God’s kingdom. I believe the important lesson here, is that the kingdom of heaven needs to be inherited, not handed over to those who think they deserve it. It’s still the same issue today, this seems to be the most entitled generation this nation has ever seen. People demand what they feel that they deserve without having to do anything to earn to it.
Verse 36, "And He said to them, "What do you want Me to do for you?" Notice Jesus doesn’t really answer the request. Instead, He asks a question of His own. He didn’t just give them an answer until He first knew what they were asking. I don’t know if your kids have ever done that, mine certainly have. Usually, trying to catch me at a moment when I was distracted, convinced I would unconsciously give them a "Yeah, OK sure" for an answer. Much like charismatic Christianity today, that says "Surely, God does not intend for us to suffer, He wants us to be healthy, wealthy, and happy. All we have to do is "Name it, and claim it!" And occasionally, remind Him of His promises to bless us, then He has to comply. Suffering and self-denial is not a popular message in the church today, people just don't want to hear anything that's negative. Like sin and repentance. Modern evangelism, has gotten the message all twisted.
Verse 37, "They said to Him, "Grant that we may sit, one on Your right and one on Your left, in Your glory." This is a collective request, mother and sons. I suppose we can commend them for not asking to be great in this world, for believing that Jesus is the Messiah and believing that He would reign in glory. My prayer for my sons is that they will not aim be great in the world, which is passing away. But seek to be great for His kingdom through humble service and making the Gospel known, that's the ultimate achievement. Even if that means they should also suffer and serve, just as Jesus did, Who came not to be served, but to serve and to give His life a ransom for many.
However, the real issue is pride, the spiritual condition of their hearts; they think they’re worthy of being seated beside Him. Have they not learned anything about what it requires to come to the kingdom? Much of His teaching seems to have escaped their notice, much like the church today. In His Sermon on the Mount, He began with "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Many haughty pastors have manipulated the Scripture to redefine God's love as tolerating and affirming that which God clearly does not tolerate or approve of. It requires only a cursory look to see how far we have strayed from the Truth of Scripture. A faithful Christian does not challenge God, if God says it, that settles. Period. The problem is when Satan comes along and says, "Did God say?"
The old cross condemns, so they've created a new cross, one that
condones. Are you kidding me? There's absolutely nothing in Scripture
that validates that God has changed His mind about sin. In fact, faithful Christians take great comfort in knowing that God never changes. Numbers 23:19 says, "God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent; Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not establish it?" God does not cleanse the hearts of unsaved people, those who have not been truly converted. When God cleanses the heart, He takes away the desire for ongoing sin. That's what purification from sin means. Listen, it is not a particularly enjoyable for me to have to discuss the corruption that is occurring in the church, but it is necessary when the church seeks to normalize ungodly behavior. It is a travesty to conclude that Jesus' words affirm any sexual relationship outside of biblical marriage.
In 2 Peter 2:17-19, Peter warned false teachers, in their greed they will exploit you with false words. "These are springs without water and mists driven by a storm, for whom the black darkness has been kept. For speaking out arrogant words of vanity, they entice by sensual lusts of the flesh, those who barely escape from the ones who conducted themselves in error, promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved.'" I believe the church must repent of her rebellious behavior, in propagating Satan's the lies and return to radical obedience to the Word of God.
Let's get back to Mark. Verse 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?" Jesus is talking about the cup of God's wrath that He was going to drink. It's an imagery that comes from Isaiah. Are you able to drink the cup, taking it all in, the suffering, the persecution, and ultimately martyrdom? Our society teaches "You have to love yourself at all cost." Jesus teaches that you must deny yourself, and take up your cross daily and follow Me, at any cost.
Verse 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." Notice, they didn’t ask Him any questions about the cup, He doesn’t correct them. He's talking about that cup is often associated with suffering, literally filled with God’s rage. Overconfidence is so typical of human pride, it assumes that it can accomplish anything. Of course, they couldn’t handle it. When the mock trial came, they all forsook Him and ran for their lives. Jesus tells us in John 15, "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing."
Though His words may appear gentile enough, they're actually prophetic, pointing out that they will drink His cup. They did participate in the fellowship of His sufferings, just not the fullness. James was the first to drink the cup of martyrdom, being beheaded, his suffering was quick compared to John, being the last who died, his was a slow agonizing death in exile on the island of Patmos. It looks almost as if God deliberately allowed them to be the bookends of all the apostles, who died for the sake of the Gospel. Matthew add Jesus said, "You do not know what you are asking." If you want the glory, you're going to have to first suffer the same suffering that I'm going to experience. The eternal weight of glory is predicated on suffering. They eventual learned, but it's safe to say they didn't understand it at the time. Humility is a very hard lesson to learn.
Then, in verse 40, He says "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." God will reward as He sees fit, He will reward whomever He wants to reward. This is right in line with Jesus' teaching in the parable of the laborers in the vineyard. Whether James and John, or even Peter, will be most the highly exalted, closest to the throne of Christ is anyone's guess on this side of the kingdom. We don't know how that's going to take place, but He is King. One thing we can be sure of, you don’t get it by asking for it! Jesus ends the verse by saying, "This is not Mine to give; but it is for those for whom it has been prepared." In His incarnation, He is embracing submission to His Father. If you are listening to me now and you still don’t believe Jesus is God, it's because Satan is supernaturally at work, trying to keep you in blindness, he doesn’t want you to see the Light of the glory of Jesus, to prevent you from confessing Jesus is Lord before you die.
Verse 41, "Hearing this, the ten began to feel indignant with James and John." This was not righteous indignation, because James and John got to Him before they did, cutting them out of the deal. In fact, they were always arguing as to which one of them was regarded to be greatest, remember the Last Supper? Luke 22:24-27, "And there arose also a dispute among them as to which one of them was regarded to be greatest. And He said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who have authority over them are called ‘Benefactors.’ But not so with you; rather the one who is the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like the servant. For who is greater, the one who reclines at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines? But I am among you as the one who serves."
Verse 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." This is a critical teaching moment, a lesson in humility, lowliness, sacrifice, selflessness and suffering.
That's the way it is in this world, isn't it? It's filled with people who want to big shots, always climbing over everybody else, clawing their way to the top, then they lord it over them, throwing their power around as if there are no limits to their authority. We've seen it in companies, even in governments with political leaders who seek more power, more prestige, more influence, using fear to intimidate, control and manipulate those under them, demanding people honor them and respect them. Sadly, I've seen it happen in the church too, pastors who throw their weight around and can't be told anything, claiming others are commanded serve them. Proverbs 12, says "Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, But he who hates reproof is senseless...he who pursues empty things lacks a heart of wisdom."That may work in the world, but that’s not the way it is in the kingdom of God, everything is reversed.
This aligns perfectly with John 18, when "Jesus answered, "My kingdom is
not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants
would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as
it is, My kingdom is not of this realm."
Verse 43-44, "But it is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all." This is the path of self-denial. There are many in contemporary Christianity, who pursue power and prominence, who esteem themselves to be great, doing it for all the wrong reasons; self-exaltation. Sadly, tolerance for ungodly rhetoric in the pulpit has undergone a monumental change, and not for the better, in which the pastor uses lewd speech and seductive strategies, so inappropriate, I wouldn't dare repeat them, with the argument being made, "You have to learn to reach people for Christ where there are in our community. You know, talk to them on their level." If that the case, why doesn't the secular news media use that approach? Could it be that none of their viewers are demanding for the news anchors to use profanity so they can understand what is being said? I've even heard of a female associate pastor dropping the f-bomb from the pulpit, in a heated discussion with the senior pastor. As long as the church strives to be like the world, the more ungodly behavior will continue to dominate the pulpits of self-centered, egotistical pastors wanting to cool in the eyes of the world.
But in the kingdom, you become great by being a humble, selfless servant, like Jesus. If being a pastor is your heart’s desire, make sure it's for the right reasons, if your motives are pure, it'll be God-honoring, Christ exalting. God knows the hearts of men, He knows the reasons why we do what we do, so be a servant. The word servant is the word "diákonos," meaning lowly service, one who executes the commands of another, the opposite of puffed up and proud. It eventually became a religious term to mean deacon, one who serves the physical needs of the church.
We not only get the opportunity to serve, notice the end of verse 44, "and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all." Notice that Jesus uses a word of even lesser status and nobility than the word diakonos, the word "doúlos," a slave, or bond-slave, meaning someone who is owned, having been purchased. Slaves are considered inferior to servants, servants are often paid for doing a job, where as slaves are owned, controlled by their master. Please understand that Jesus is saying everybody is a person to be served and consider everyone to be your master. By the way, our submission to Christ is not a voluntary matter of choice, obedience is required. This is stark contrast to the popular theology today, which implies an inherent notion of volunteerism, which further leads to the notion that obedience to Christ is voluntary rather than required. Jesus repeatedly stressed that submission and obedience are proof of true discipleship. In John 14:15, He says "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments."
That brings us to verse 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." This is a graphic illustration of how Christ leads us by example. We live in a society fixated on our freedom and
personal rights. However, Jesus frequently made the connection between slavery and true discipleship. In Matthew 6, He says "No one can serve two masters."
In Matthew 10, describing the meaning of discipleship, He says "A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master." In Matthew 25, in the Parable of the Talents, He says "Well
done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I
will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your
master.’" And in Philippians 2, Paul writes, "Doing nothing from selfish ambition or vain glory, but with humility of mind regarding one another as more important than yourselves, not merely looking out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." Rightly understood, Jesus gave His life in an act of humble selfless service to pay for our release from the kingdom of darkness and captivity of sin and therefore, becoming slaves of righteousness. We are all enslaved, the only question is your choice of master.
If we are to become great in God’s kingdom, we must do it by suffering, sacrificially loving and serving others. May we all seek to become great, by giving our lives to suffering for the sake of the Gospel, humble service and self-sacrificial love for others. To God be the glory!
May it be so..
And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
Copyright © 2019-2023 All Rights Reserved
And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
Copyright © 2019-2023 All Rights Reserved