NOT THIS WAY AMONG YOU

Not This Way Among You

Mark 10 35-45 NET.

³⁵ Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him and said, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask.” ³⁶ He said to them, “What do you want me to do for you?” ³⁷ They said to him, “Permit one of us to sit at your right hand and the other at your left in your glory.” ³⁸ But Jesus said to them, “You don’t know what you are asking! Are you able to drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I experience?” ³⁹ They said to him, “We are able.” Then Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink, and you will be baptized with the baptism I experience, ⁴⁰ but to sit at my right or at my left is not mine to give. It is for those for whom it has been prepared.” ⁴¹ Now when the other ten heard this, they became angry with James and John. ⁴² Jesus called them and said to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those in high positions use their authority over them. ⁴³ But it is not this way among you. Instead whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, ⁴⁴ and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of all. ⁴⁵ 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 and his disciples were on the road going up to Jerusalem. He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them what would happen to him. He said they were going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man would be handed over to the chief priests and experts in the law. They will condemn him to death and will turn him over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, spit on him, flog him severely, and kill him. Yet after three days, he will rise again.

Jesus explained that his suffering cup was coming soon, and he would have to drink it because he came to provide his life as a ransom payment for many. He thought of others before himself, even though he was the only one who deserved to be put first.

Meanwhile, the disciples were betrayed by their grand ambitions. James and John had filtered out everything Jesus said except the title he used for himself. The Son of Man was the title of the Messiah that Daniel used when he saw the Messiah coming down from the sky in a vision. He would be coming down to set up his kingdom on earth to rule over God’s creation. James and John wanted top billing in the coming sky kingdom, and (according to Matthew’s version of this account) they dared to get their mother to request it. She asked that her two boys get the seats of honor in the coming kingdom, one with a throne to the right of Jesus and the other to the left. James and John agreed to her request. This is what they want.

But Jesus asks them if they can take his cup. Jesus understood what that cup was all about. He knew that God was going to pour out his cup of wrath on all humanity, but before he did that, he was going to pour out his cup of suffering and wrath on his only Son, who would serve as a ransom for many.  For many to be saved, the Son must take the cup and die in their place. The cup was a symbol of death.

Jesus also asked if they could undergo the baptism that he would. The baptism was also a symbol of his coming death. The Greek word βαπτίζω was sometimes synonymous with “destroy” because it could refer to death by drowning or the sinking of a ship. The Apostle Paul would later remind the Roman believers that “as many as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death” (Romans 6:3).

James and John quickly answered Jesus that they could take his cup and his baptism, but it was evident that they did not understand what he was talking about. They might have thought that the cup symbolized his kingship and that he was asking them if they would agree to be his cupbearers. This was a position of great honor in the kingdoms in ancient times, as we learn about in the book of Nehemiah. If they did, they didn’t stop to think further that in those kingdoms, if someone wanted to poison the king, the cupbearer would die in his place. They might also have thought of baptism as the undergoing of suffering and persecution, but they didn’t think much about that. Their minds were on their plans for glory.

The other disciples were angry – probably because the sons of Zebedee asked for this favor first – beating them to the punch. None of the twelve understood what Jesus had been saying although this was the third time he predicted his coming trial and crucifixion.

Jesus defines leading (43).

Jesus takes this opportunity to teach his disciples about the nature of sky kingdom leadership. Leadership is a sacrificial investment in the lives of others. It is all about serving others and meeting their needs. Jesus tells his disciples that whoever wants to be great among them must be their servant. The kingdom as it exists today in its initial existence before the arrival of the King at the second coming of Christ is not a hierarchy.

Let me be honest with you. The church has failed to obey this command. Regardless of what generation you look at, which denomination you choose to examine, or which nation you want to put under the microscope where the body of Christ is represented, we have universally failed to live up to Jesus’ instructions here.

Our denominations are very good at pointing the finger at others and explaining why we don’t lead the way they do. We go to great lengths to explain why our doctrines of pastoral theology are correct, and the others are wrong. But in the end, our leaders still look more like the leaders of the Gentiles. We are adept at replacing one hierarchy with another, and when we do that, we are convinced that we have it right. But, before long, our leaders reveal the same lordship we were trying to eliminate.

The Gentiles are a terrible example (42).

The Gentile leaders’ example of exploitation of subordinates is the antithesis of sky kingdom leadership. They kept drawing their umbrella diagrams and insisting that if the people wanted to be blessed, they would have to submit to the leaders’ authority and get under their protection. Jesus called them and said to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those in high positions use their authority over them.” Those on top exploited their authority over those below them.

People would seek some status level so they also had someone they could exploit. It was okay to bow to the emperor if you had others who would bow to you. Everything was based on one’s position on the totem pole. You could tolerate being in the middle if you were not on the bottom. At the bottom of the ladder were the slaves. But even the slaves had their status levels. It was better to be the slave of a prominent family than a poor day laborer. At least you ate better.

Jesus explains how to lead (43-44).

There is a way to become a great leader, but that is through self-sacrifice and investment in the well-being and salvation of others. To be great in God’s present kingdom is not a matter of status but service. The “how” of leadership is service.

Now, in early church history, a funny thing happened. People began to take on titles that reflected how they were serving others. The apostles were called that because they took the gospel to other places and people. The word ἀπόστολοι means people who are sent. The elders were called that because they represented a more extensive group; they were responsible for serving. These were the πρεσβύτεροι. Those responsible for overseeing a congregation or group of congregations were called overseers or ἐπισκόποι. Those assisting them were the ministers (the διάκονοι). Those serving by prophesying were the προφῆται. Those who served by preaching the gospel were evangelists or εὐαγγελισται. Those who served by watching over an individual congregation (a local flock of sheep) were called shepherds or pastors (ποιμένες). Those who served by teaching were, of course, called teachers (διδάσκαλοι).

The status of these people in a hierarchy was never supposed to be the issue. Their titles reflected how they served in the kingdom. But it didn’t take long before each title was assigned a place on the totem pole. The church fell into the heresy of hierarchy, and we have never really addressed that apostasy.

Jesus explains who appoints leaders (40).

In the end, the sovereign God determines who the leaders are. That is why Jesus told James and John that to sit at his right or left is not his to give. It is for those for whom the Father has prepared it. God appoints leaders. Some of the people he allows to lead in this are horrible at leading and bring disgrace to the church. But God has reasons for placing each of his servants where they are to serve.

Jesus is the example of proper leading (45).

Jesus is the ultimate example of leadership in the sky kingdom. He gave his life for the lost. He did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. God does not call all of us to die on a cross literally, but he does call all of us to live by his example. His example was self-sacrifice. He told the rich young man to sacrifice his wealth. He told the four fishermen to sacrifice their boats and nets. He told Matthew to sacrifice his booth. Paul was a leader of many, but Jesus told him he would become a servant of all.

There was an inner circle among the disciples. It consisted of three men: Peter, James, and John.  These three were expected to rise to the top. But interestingly, the Bible records these three men being rebuked explicitly by Jesus for failing to acknowledge and submit to God’s plan. These three men eventually repented, and they took the cup and experienced the baptism of suffering. Two of them were beheaded. One was exiled. They learned to be slaves of all. May we all learn that lesson because the kingdom needs leaders who serve.

LORD, our eyes are fixed on the prize of your coming sky kingdom. Help us not to get sidetracked by grand ambitions. Please help us to invest sacrificially in others, as you did. Amen.

God bless y’all. Have a great day.

For further study:

Byrne Brendan. A Costly Freedom: A Theological Reading of Mark’s Gospel. Liturgical Press 2008. pp. 166-169.

Cole R. A. Mark: An Introduction and Commentary. 2nd ed. Inter-Varsity Press; Intervarsity Press 2008. pp. 245-248.

Collins Adela Yarbro and Harold W Attridge. Mark: A Commentary. Fortress Press 2007. pp. 493-504.

Donahue John R and Daniel J Harrington. The Gospel of Mark. Liturgical Press 2002. pp. 309-316.

Dowd Sharyn Echols. Reading Mark: A Literary and Theological Commentary on the Second Gospel. Smyth & Helwys 2000. pp. 110-115.

France R. T. The Gospel of Mark: A Commentary on the Greek Text. W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press 2002. pp. 409-421.

Garrett Greg and Matthew Paul Turner. The Voice of Mark: Let Them Listen; the Gospel of Mark Retold. Thomas Nelson 2008. pp. 66-68.