Do You Want To Be Great? Serve.
A Bible Study on Mark 10:35-45
Everybody wants to become a good leader. In fact, not just good, but G.O.A.T. (Greatest Of All Time). The disciples were no different. They too wanted to become great! Especially, James and John, who wanted to sit at Jesus’ right hand and His left. Was this request good? bad? Before we jump to any conclusion, let’s analyze the text.
The Request
In Mark 10:37, we see the sons of Zebedee making a not-so strange request: “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.”
At first, this request seems odd. They can sit anywhere around Jesus. Why would they need to request it? Common sense would tell us that it is not about sitting next to Jesus. So, then what would it be? If we keep reading the next few verses, we know that it is about ruling and not sitting.
It seems quite rational to make such request. After all, they had seen Jesus perform miracles, exorcisms, heal many sick (Mark 1:21-34), and raise the dead (Mark 5:21-43). They had seen the transfiguration of Jesus (Mark 9:2-12). They had seen how Jesus calmed the nature (Mark 4:35-41). Not to mention the countless times that He had defeated his opposition in logical arguments. It would seem only rational to become the right hand of such a person. What great power would they have possessed if they became his secretaries! However, Jesus denied their request.
Why would James and John out of nowhere suddenly make a request? We are not told about that. However, it might be that they wanted to make this request for so long, but they did not find a suitable time to make it. But if we look at what happened earlier, we’ll know that it was not at all a good time; in fact, the time was even worse.
The Context
If you read the preceding verses, this request would seem quite inappropriate. Maybe even insensitive. Why do I say that? Let’s read Mark 10:33-34.
“We are going up to Jerusalem,” he [Jesus] said, “and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles, who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise.”
Here, we see that Jesus is predicting His own death. And this is not the first time; this is the third and final prediction of His death. The disciples should be mourning for Jesus. Instead, immediately after His prediction, two of His disciples are talking about sitting at his right hand and his left. How insensitive! Maybe only the sons of Zebedee were like this. Surely the others were not as insensitive as the two.
It would surprise you to know that the others were no different. Mark 10:41 reads, “When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John.” This shows that the other ten of His disciples were having similar thoughts as well. It was just that their thoughts were not translated into words yet.
The Idea of Becoming ‘Great’
I want you to think about this:
How would you define ‘Great’ or ‘Greatness’?
What is ‘Greatness’ like, according to you?
We all would define ‘Great’ in terms of power, would we not? I would too. The one who has more power is greater. To be great is to be powerful.
However, that is a ‘gentile’ understanding. “…those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them” (Mark 10:42). That is not how Jesus would define someone being ‘Great’.
According to Jesus, “Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all” (Mark 10:43-44). Notice how Jesus flips the (gentile) idea of being ‘great’ on its head? So, if you want to become great, become a servant; serve. And if you want to be first, become a slave; again, serve!
“Notice that Jesus did not rebuke the disciples for wanting to be great in the kingdom. This ambition is good. He corrected them for focusing on self-centered goals rather than on altruistic goals, and He clarified the method for obtaining greatness.”1
This shows that becoming great is more about responsibility than about power. Perhaps, we need to change how we perceive ‘greatness’.
Jesus As The Model
Jesus would never ask us to do anything which He Himself has not done. Jesus first and foremost came into this world to serve. Mark 10:45 reads, “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 came to serve and so should we!
May the Lord help us to serve God and our neighbors!
See you next time!
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https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/dcc/mark-10.html