Mark 10:32-45

Have you ever said something along these lines to someone else or a grouping of people: How many times do I have to say this? Coaching a sports team? Kids? Significant other? Spouse?

Every year I want to say it to Charlie Brown. “Don’t try to kick the ball this year. The note still isn’t notarized. Don’t do it.” How many times do have to be told?

Yet, year after year, he tries to kick that ball. Will he ever learn?

Will we?

What Mark as written down was recorded so that we hear the message. And what he writes here, he has basically already written.

Look at this color coded verse of a set of verse just one chapter apart.

Mark 9:33–36 (ESV)

…they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. 35 And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.”

Mark 10:43–44 (ESV)

43 But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all.

The themes and motifs are repeated: Greatest / Great | first / first | servant of all / slave of all.

We already learned this one Mark. Stop wasting ink.

Well, this was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might who have a hard time applying a passage of Scripture after just one read might have hope to learn the lesson the second time around.

Anybody ever need to be told twice? 22 times? Are you, like me, quick to forget what has been clearly communicated in no uncertain terms? Ok we are in the same boat.

Either I am getting lazy at studying the text or Mark is doing a masterful job helping me realize how thickheaded I am!

So here it is, the main idea we surfaced a few weeks back when we looked at chapter 9, is the same teaching point of this passage.

The measure of personal greatness is determined by the amount of sacrificial service to others.

If you and I want to pursue being like Christ. The road we must walk on is called, “Self-sacrificial Service Street.” It’s “Lay down your Life Lane.” That is the road that we must walk in. It is living your life to bless and benefit other people.

Mark 10:32–45 (ESV)

32 And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. And they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. And taking the twelve again, he began to tell them what was to happen to him, 33 saying,

“See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles.

34 And they will mock him and spit on him, and flog him and kill him. And after three days he will rise.”

35 And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.”

36 And he said to them, “What do you want me to do for you?”

37 And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.”

38 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?” 39 And they said to him, “We are able.”

And Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized, 40 but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”

41 And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John.

42 And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.

43 But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all.

45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Pray

The measure of personal greatness is determined by the amount of sacrificial service to others.

Mark 10:32 (ESV)

32 And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. And they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid…

You have probably heard this before, but people in the Bible are always traveling “up” to Jerusalem, even if they were approaching from the north, because Jerusalem was an elevated city.

The destination of the journey was to celebrate the Passover in Jerusalem. The political capital of the nation was also the centerpiece of Jewish worship that housed the temple. If there was anywhere to start a revolt and overthrown those oppressive Romans, Jerusalem would be an ideal place to start that uprising.

So, Jesus is heading to Jerusalem with what I think are two sets of people in His wake.

Some, the 12 disciples are “amazed,” and other people who happen to be going to celebrate the Passover are “afraid.”

The astonishment of the disciples and the fear of the people is due to what they all suspect what will happen to Jesus and possibly to them once they get to Jerusalem. It is actually a dual threat. The Romans more than likely won’t be indifferent to Jesus marching in and presented as a King; and their is a really good chance the Jews there wouldn’t like what He was doing once He gets done doing what He does to the moneychangers in the temple.

We already know that the Jewish leaders were plotting how to destroy him. (Mark 3:6).

Jesus is a marked man in Jerusalem and that is where He is heading and people are amazed and afraid.

Mark 10:32–33 (ESV)

32 …And taking the twelve again, he began to tell them what was to happen to him, 33 saying, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and…

Cliffhanger! Why are we going to Jerusalem? To right every wrong? To usher in the Kingdom? To over thrown the Jewish Leaders? The Roman oppressors? Which enemies will be routed upon our arrival?

Finish the sentence.

Mark 10:33–34 (ESV)

33 …and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles. 34 And they will mock him and spit on him, and flog him and kill him. And after three days he will rise.”

No one thought that was the way the sentence would be finished even though Jesus had said something along these lines before with not as much detail.

This is now the third and final time Jesus instructs His disciples about his death. The number 3 in the bible communicates a sense of completeness. Mark is winking at us telling us that the death of Jesus is inevitable. If they travel to Jerusalem, there is no coming back and undoing what will be done there.

Confrontation with authorities will happen there is and it’s not pretty.

The authorities will, “condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles.”

The words “Condemned and delivered” have military motifs imbedded within their meaning. The stirring and momentum that has been rising will be stomped out and defeated.

Jesus will be defeated and handed over to the Gentiles, (i.e. - the Romans who practice this thing called “crucifixion.”

Being handed over in the Bible to Gentiles was always a sign of judgement in OT (Major prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel spoke of this often.

Jeremiah 12:7 (ESV)

7 “I have forsaken my house; I have abandoned my heritage; I have given the beloved of my soul into the hands of her enemies.

Ezekiel 21:31 (ESV)

31 And I will pour out my indignation upon you; I will blow upon you with the fire of my wrath, and I will deliver you into the hands of brutish men, skillful to destroy.

And here Jesus says,

Mark 10:33–34 (ESV)

33 … 34 And they will mock (me) him and spit on him (me) , and flog him (me) and kill him (me) . And after three days he will rise.”

He will be publically shamed and physically tormented.

The public shaming will not a casual time of roasting Jesus. There will be mocking and spitting followed by flogging, and killing.

He will be mocked. Mocking is ment to belittle people. It’s goal is to make them feel worthless by created a sense doubt in what they are doing.

“Ya maybe you all are right? Maybe I shouldn’t be doing this? Maybe I have missed my cue?”

This mocking will be done by the most prestigious people in the land and in front of all sort of prestiges people who will have traveled in for the Passover.

And it will take place in front of His own disciples who had “left everything to follow him.”

The mockery was designed to tear and His follower down and cause doubt to overwhelm them all.

Spitting. Spitting was a sign of disgrace. This is a way to show that you loathe something. They are filthy. An abomination. A disgrace. They are abhorrent to you.

Flogging. This is beating someone repeatedly with three-thronged scourge embedded with sharp bones and metal to pierce and penetrate the skin of those being struck.

Many times people didn’t survive the flogging session. Flogging was often lethal in and of itself.

And then Jesus tells it to them all straight when He says, “and kill Him.”

He is going to take it on the chin and bear our sin in His soul.

That is why we are going to Jerusalem! (Ya’ll ready for this? Still want to go with me?)

But then He finishes by saying.

“And after three days He will rise.” Which still didn’t make sense to them.

This is what is going to happen.

Now, we have said that the foolery of the disciples in Mark is astounding. Get ready to pick your jaw up off the floor. Jesus just said what He said with every intention to walk right into what awaited Him in Jersualem and then…

Mark 10:35 (ESV)

35 And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.”

What? For real? How insensitive can you get?

After failing repeatedly at what they were supposed to be doing for a few chapters now, they have the audacity to put demands on Jesus.

“We want you to do for us, whatever we ask of you.”

“Ya we hear what you said, but can you do something for us?”

For real? They aren't even buttering him up. They should have at least call Him “Good teacher” like the rich young ruler did, but they didn’t, they just call Him teacher.

And Jesus, ever so patient, plays the game with them,

Mark 10:36 (ESV)

36 And he said to them, “What do you want me to do for you?”

He is way better than me. He is so kind.

Mark 10:37 (ESV)

37 And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.”

Ok. At least they are acknowledging the Kingship of Jesus, but it does seem like they want more than just Him on the throne, they want to ride His coattails into positions of prestige and honor and power.

They seem to be using Him to gain access to what they really wanted.

Yikes! The insensitivity is so immense that it is mind-numbing.

Jesus is going to lay down His life and James and John want to get positions of power in order to preside over the other 10 disciples.

This, once again further emphasizes the blindness of these guys. Elder Gerrit will hit on that next week!

Jesus responds to them with a statement about their ignorance and follows that up with a cutting question.

Mark 10:38 (ESV)

38 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?”

I love it. Jesus loves these guys so much that He is willing to point out to them their ignorance. Yes it’s hard to hear, but it’s the truth. And then He questions them about their ability to drink what is coming to Him and be immersed in what He was about to be immersed in.

And in order to “get what they want from Jesus” they have to answer, “Yes” to the question even if they don’t know really what He means by the question.

So in order to possibly get from Jesus what they really want, they say,

Mark 10:39 (ESV)

39 And they said to him, “We are able.”

They don’t know what they are agreeing to, but maybe they will just figure it out as they go along.

“Ya. We can do whatever you do, just give us what we want.”

And Jesus says,

Mark 10:39–40 (ESV)

39 …And Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized, 40 but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”

The cup and baptism are two symbols of suffering and judgement. Jesus was going to drink down the wrath of God and be pushed under the judgement of God for our sin and Jesus says to these guys that they are going to experience hardships as well if they keep on following Him.

In the last passage Jesus just told them that if they follow Him they will undergo “persecutions.” People will not like what they are doing because it is the complete opposite of how the world in it’s fallen state, functions. If they follow Jesus, it won’t all be sunshine and lollipops, there will be suffering involved.

And look at how Jesus modeled for them how they should be thinking about power.

Jesus says, yes I have glory, but granting positions in the Kingdom is not my prerogative, that is up to my Father and I am okay with that. I do nothing on my own initiative.

Jesus modeled for them how to perfectly handle power. He meets them in this misguided moment and walks them through a minefield of potential growth.

and then Mark tells us…

Mark 10:41 (ESV)

41 And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John.

Now why are they indignant? Maybe they have learned a lesson about “servant leadership” and are trying to make progress down “Lay down your life lane.” Probably not, but maybe.

More than likely, they are frustrated for not asking the insensitive question first. Maybe they felt like they were beaten to the punch.

and now Jesus responds to all the turmoil and chaos…

Mark 10:42–44 (ESV)

42 And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 43 But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all.

He gathers the unruly disciples and says something to them that they need to hear.

He starts with something that they know and have seen practiced a thousand times before and then says, “Don’t do that!”

That is not how my kingdom works. It might sound upside down and inside out and backwards to everything you have ever observed in leadership, but “not so with you.”

In my kingdom greatness is measured by the amount of sacrificial service you give to others.

“Not so with you.”

- Phil Penner (NIV)

I want to apply this kingdom principle to the marriage relationship for just a moment.

Husband start laying your life down for your wife. Serve her. Nourish her. Use all that God given testosterone to put an end to the old way of doing things and use it in conjunction with the inHoly Spirit to walk in the newness of life that has been given to you so that you can care for the needs of your wife in hopes that one day you can present her to Christ as one without spot or wrinkle.

There is a good chance that if you start to initiate that type of love and care and servant leadership into the relationship, that over time, it may become more natural for her to respond to your promptings. But even if she doesn’t, that isn’t the end goal. Your goal is to please Christ and to be faithful to what He has called you to do; not to push all the right button to get her to respond the way you want.

Wife, find the smile of God to be your highest treasure as you fulfil your role as a companion and helper to your husband.

Your husband can have a lot of buddies and companions; but they can’t be for him what you have been uniquely created by God to be for him.

Remember what Adam said when he first saw Eve! Basically, it was this, she is what I need and she is what I want. I desire her help and companionship.

This is a public platform and often people say good things about what ends up coming out of my mouth. People tell me “Good job with the message.”

I am not saying it means nothing when I hear that from other people, but it is nothing in comparison to when my wife tells me that it was good.”

I need her and I want her. I value her above all you clown!

Guard against putting the kids, or the management of the house, or your hobbies or possibly even your career over the calling of being a companion to him. He really does need your companionship so that he is not alone. It is not good for Him to be alone. The ways you can help your husband are innumerable as you encourage and affirm the good things you see in him. If you can’t see any, ask God to show you some of them so that you can start to cheer him on.

The chances are, if you do your calling well, your husband will more naturally want to lay down his life for you. But even if he doesn’t respond to your support, respect and cheer giving, God is aware of every single one of your efforts and you are His beloved daughter and He is smiling at you.

If any of us want to be “great” and “first” in the Kingdom of our homes and/or in the Kingdom of Christ, we must start pouring ourselves out for other people because that is what the King of the Kingdom did.

Listen to these words of Jesus.

Mark 10:45 (ESV)

45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Here is the Mission Statement of Jesus. He came to serve and to give.

If we want to be like Him, we need to take good notes and notice what that service and giving looks like in the final 6 chapters of this book.

He will be shamed, scorned and scourged. He will be mistreated and humiliated. And He will be killed for the benefit of those who abandoned Him.

But all the suffering He is about to go through for our benefit will be redeemed in His resurrection as He pays the ransom price for our redemption.

There was a cost associated with us being held captive to the devil and to our old depraved way of living. Jesus paid that price. Jesus paid it all. Jesus came to serve and to give.

The measure of His personal greatness was determined by the amount of sacrificial service He gave to us.

And when His Father saw the entirety of that sacrificial service that began in Bethlehem and ended on a hill outside of Jerusalem, He rewarded Him with the Name above all names and called Him the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.

Pray:

Song: King of Kings (O Holy Child of Bethlehem)

Shane to close in Prayer

Discussion Questions:

Is the way you are living your life a blessing and benefit to others?

James and John wanted to ride Jesus coat tails in order to get something from Him that He was not authorized to give them. This is a profound statement that we should ponder. Are there things that we want from Jesus more than Jesus Himself? Take a few moments to meditate on the following quote.

“The critical question for our generation—and for every generation—is this: If you could have Heaven, with no sickness, and with all the friends you ever had on earth, and all the food you ever liked, and all the leisure activities you ever enjoyed, and all the natural beauties you ever saw, all the physical pleasures you ever tasted, and no human conflict or any natural disasters, could you be satisfied with Heaven, if Christ was not there?” – John Piper, “God Is the Gospel”

How can you serve the needs of each member of your family today?