The Humble Savior (Mark 10:35-45)
THE HUMBLE SAVIOR
INTRODUCTION:
Jesus was always seen as a servant, a humble servant and teacher to the masses, healing their sick and diseased, the blind, deaf, and mute. Cleansing the lepers and raising the dead. Serving the people with humility and grace. When Jesus took His disciples aside as they were on their way to Jerusalem, He told them again what would happen to Him. He was going determinedly to lay down His life for His people, His greatest act of humility. We can never doubt the humility of our Savior.
The opposite of humility is pride. If one had to pick a sin that defines humanity it would be pride. Not only is it the defining sin, but the source of all other sins. Think about when you are tempted to sin, the temptation is based on self-gratification, which is an expression of pride and self-love. We will see pride raise its ugly head again. We have seen it before when the disciples were arguing as to who was the greatest among them. Even though the disciples were redeemed, and the Holy Spirit was with them, and they loved Jesus and believed in His kingdom, they still struggled with pride. Remember that all of these men were just common men from humble backgrounds. The thought of being elevated to a position of honor that was far beyond anything they or anyone else in the nation of Israel had achieved was very exciting for them. Their privileged understanding of truth did not, unfortunately, result in humility. As we will see in our passage this morning the debate over who was the greatest was not over, and two of the disciples assumed they were the great ones and acted accordingly. Let’s pray and get into our passage for this morning.
--PRAY--
SCRIPTURE:
Turn in your Bibles again this morning to Mark 10. We will be looking at verses 35-45. Please if you are able, stand in honor of the reading of God’s Word and follow along as I read.
Mark 10:35-45,
“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.’ ” (Mark 10:35–45, NASB95)[1]
THE REQUEST (Mark 10:35-37)
Jesus had just finished for the third time His theology of the cross, by explaining again that the provision of salvation required His suffering and death. He had barely finished speaking the words and possibly started again to make His way to Jerusalem when two of His most trusted disciples came to Him with a request based on their theology of glory. This passage shows us that the disciples were not getting Jesus’ message; they were still hoping that Jesus would assert the fact that He was the Messiah, begin His Messianic reign and bring in the kingdom of God with all its glory so that they not only might take part in it but have high positions in it.
James and John, the sons of Zebedee approached Jesus, that they would approach Him with their request right after He told them He was going to die blows my mind. The audacity and the brashness this required. Along with another set of brothers, Peter and Andrew, James and John made up the innermost circle of Jesus’ disciples. Peter, James, and John alone had the privilege of being with Jesus during some the most important events in Jesus’ ministry. They alone were with Him when He was transfigured, they alone were with Him in the room when He raised Jairus’ daughter from the dead. The fact that they had witnessed these events when the others had not caused James and John to view themselves as superior to the other disciples, even though Peter had been with them during those events.
These two for some reason believed they had a personal advantage over the rest of the disciples in their pursuit for honor and glory. In the parallel passage to this one in Matthew, we are told that James and John were accompanied by their mother when they approached Jesus. Comparing Matthew’s, Mark’s, and John’s gospels and their account of the crucifixion, reveals that there are four women who are specifically mentioned: First is Mary, the mother of Jesus, second is Mary the wife of Clopas (and mother of James the son of Alphaeus and his brother Joseph (Matthew 27:56; Mark 15:40). Third is Mary Magdalene, whom Jesus had cast seven demons out of, and the fourth is described only as “His mother’s sister” (John 19:25). By a process of elimination, she must have been Salome (Mark 15:40) the wife of Zebedee and the mother of James and John and sister of Mary the mother of Jesus making her the aunt of Jesus. James and John boldly played the family card by bringing her along (Matthew 20:20), thinking this might strengthen the request they were about to make. She did not ask anything for herself, she would find fulfillment through her sons and the honor they would bring to the family.
James and John along with their mother came to Jesus and even before making their request they said to Him, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask of You.” (Mark 10:35b, NASB95)[2] This is just like a child trying to manipulate a parent, they asked Jesus to grant their request before they told Him what it was. Jesus refused to grant their request before they made it, and asked what they wanted Him to do for them? “They said to Him, ‘Grant that we may sit, one on Your right and one on Your left, in Your glory.’ ” (Mark 10:37, NASB95)[3] Their request, as brash and audacious as it was, reflected the common practice of ancient rulers to elevate those who they wished to honor, it could be family, associates, close friends to a place of honor on either side of them.
This prideful request shows that all the time these two had been with Jesus, they had not learned humility. You would think that being with Jesus and observing His own humble attitude, that they would have learned to follow His flawless example. In this request, James and John depreciated the other disciples as being beneath them and unworthy of the honor they felt they deserved. This request showed that they still had much to learn and there was still sin that needed to be rooted out of their heart. They had forgotten Jesus words about cutting off and throwing away that which causes you to sin. Some spiritual surgery still needed to happen.
THE REPLY (Mark 10:38-40)
Jesus does not harshly rebuke them, instead He warns them of the magnitude and folly of their request. “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 10:38, NASB95)[4] Jesus’ question is whether they are able to endure the same suffering that He is about to endure. To “drink the cup” is an Old Testament reference to fully experiencing something, in this case it refers to God’s wrath against sin. Jesus would later pray in the garden just before His arrest, “Abba! Father! All things are possible for You; remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what You will.” (Mark 14:36, NASB95)[5] Then after Peter drew his sword and cut off the ear of slave of the high priest, trying to protect Jesus, we read in Luke 18:11, “So Jesus said to Peter, ‘Put the sword into the sheath; the cup which the Father has given Me, shall I not drink it?’ ” (John 18:11, NASB95)[6] To be baptized with His baptism is another way in which Jesus describes His suffering. In Luke 12:50 He said, “But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished!” (Luke 12:50, NASB95)[7]
James and John show us the same overconfidence that Peter would later display when he insists that he would not deny the Lord Jesus. With that same overconfidence, James and John insisted, “We are able.” (Mark 10:39a, NASB95)[8] This answer shows us that they did not understand what they were asking. Later we will see that when the moment of crisis comes, their overconfidence was exposed and they fled with the rest of the disciples. Jesus replies to their overconfident answers by telling 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.” (Mark 10:39–40, NASB95)[9] James would be the first apostle to be martyred, he was executed by Herod Agrippa I (Acts 12:2). John would be the last of the apostles to die, near the end of the first century during the reign of the Roman Emperor Trajan after being persecuted and exiled to the penal Island of Patmos. They would suffer for the Savior, but the Father will sovereignly decide the places of honor in the kingdom. When Jesus stated, it “is not Mine to give,” He was affirming His submission to the Father during the incarnation.
THE RANSOM (Mark 10:41-45)
The other disciples heard what James and John had done, and we are told that the ten began to feel indignant with them. The other ten disciples were upset and angry, not because James’ and John’s blatant display of pride offended their spiritual understanding but because James and John approached Jesus first. This selfish prideful competitiveness survived and kept surfacing until the very end. Even on the solemn occasion of the Last Supper, Luke tells us in Luke 22:24, “And there arose also a dispute among them as to which one of them was regarded to be greatest.” (Luke 22:24, NASB95)[10]
Jesus saw what was happening, and seizing on this sinful attitude, Jesus called the twelve together and sought again to teach them about humility, about regarding one another as more important than themselves. It does not say that He pulled them aside again, but He slowed down enough for them to gather around Him and hear what He had to say. “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 10:42, NASB95)[11] The disciples were influenced by the leadership style of the world. They knew firsthand how the rulers of the Gentiles lorded their exalted positions over their subjects. Rulers then and even still today are ambitious, self-promoting, confident, arrogant, prideful, and can be dictatorial, and domineering. Think about your own work experience, everyone at sometime has that one boss that views himself as superior to everyone else and makes sure everyone knows it.
The world has always had its fill of those who are ambitious, overconfident, competitive self-promoters, who know no limits to their ambitions to reach the top and they don’t care who they step on as they climb the ladder of success. Many of them reach high positions with a lot of power, but often to get there their drive has corrupted their hearts, their search for power has been at the expense of others. Jesus makes clear that this is the world that we live in, but it does not and must not be our model.
Jesus did not stop here, but He continued His instruction contrasting the worldly, self-promoting path to greatness with true greatness in God’s kingdom. He told the Twelve, ““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.” (Mark 10:43–44, NASB95)[12] In contrast to the world, Jesus said the path to greatness in the kingdom lies in humble self-denial; in being a servant and a slave of all.
The desire to be honored in the kingdom is a noble desire but we must understand that honor comes only through humility. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:9, “Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:9, NASB95)[13] This should be our ambition, our desire at all times. Paul had earlier told the Corinthians in 1st Corinthians 9:27, “but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.” (1 Corinthians 9:27, NASB95)[14] Why did he do this? Because his ambition always was to be pleasing to the Savior. Nearing the end of his life he wrote in 2nd Timothy 4:7-8, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:7–8, NASB95)[15]
Paul understood what Jesus had said about greatness in the kingdom, and he lived it out in his life. The road to greatness in the kingdom lies in selfless service. Jesus used two terms to describe those who want to be great or first in the kingdom. First, He used the Greek term Diakonos (translated servant) this term literally refers to those who waited on tables. The second Greek term is Doulos, which unfortunately is frequently translated in English Bibles as “servant,” the term actually means “slave.” The point Jesus was making is that believers who want to be great or first, whose ambition is to please the Lord, are to consider everyone their master, and themselves slaves to serve all.
The most perfect example of such humble service is the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus summed up this instruction to His disciples by saying, “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 10:45, NASB95)[16] Unlike the world’s leaders, Jesus did not come to be served, but to serve; He did not come to merely be Lord and Master but also to be a slave to His Father and do His Father’s will. Not only did He serve His Father, but He also came to serve sinners by the sacrifice of Himself. The most profound illustration of Christ’s humble service and obedience to the Father is His death, when He gave His life as a ransom for many. Having made the greatest sacrifice, Jesus Christ received the greatest honor. Paul writes of this in Philippians 2:9-11, “For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9–11, NASB95)[17]
Before I close this morning I think it is important that we understand what Jesus means when He says that He gave His life as a ransom for many. A ransom is the price paid for the release of a slave. This truth has been distorted by some, and I want to make clear to you to whom this ransom was paid. One of the terrible distortions of the work of Christ was the ransom theory of the atonement, which declared that when Jesus was crucified, He made a payment to the Devil, just as we might pay a ransom payment to a kidnapper. The idea was that the Devil or Satan is the prince of this world and that he held all humanity in captivity, so Jesus paid the ransom to the Devil to set us free. Let me be clear, the Bible never says anything like this. Jesus Christ did not pay a ransom to Satan. He crushed Satan’s head. The ransom was paid to the Father. Jesus Christ gave Himself to satisfy the demands of God’s justice, so He purchased our freedom from the just wrath of God. This is why Paul later declares, “You were bought with a price...” (1 Corinthians 7:23a, NASB95)[18] The result for us who were hopelessly in debt to God because of our sin is that we are not required to pay. The debt has been paid for us by our humble Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ.
CONCLUSION:
This passage teaches us that to be great or to be first in the kingdom of God means that we must be the servant and the slave of all. Paul describes it this way for us in Philippians 2:3-8, “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look 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.” (Philippians 2:3–8, NASB95)[19] Jesus Christ humbly became the substitute in His death on behalf of sinners, He gave His life to pay to God in full the price of sin for all people who would ever be saved throughout history, past, present, and future. Christ’s death propitiated or satisfied God’s wrath and completely fulfilled the demands of God’s justice for all who would be redeemed. Because of what Christ did for us, our ambition, whether at home or absent, is to be pleasing to Him. We please Him by being a servant or a slave of all.
[1]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[2]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[3]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[4]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[5]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[6]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[7]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[8]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[9]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[10]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[11]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[12]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[13]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[14]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[15]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[16]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[17]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[18]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[19]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.