To Share in His Cup

Introduction

“We know not what we ask, when we ask for the glory of wearing the crown, and ask not for grace to bear the cross in our way to it” - Matthew Henry.

Have you ever asked for something and didn’t really understand the implications of what you asked for? Children often do this, asking for things in ignorance of what it entails. A child may ask for all the candy they can eat without realizing that they are also asking for a stomach ache and perhaps diabetes someday. They may ask if they can drive the car, or stay up all night, or get their own job, and have no idea what these things actually mean. They simply look at the appearance and ask without understanding.

How often we ask for things from the Lord in ignorance. How often Christ answering our prayers with no is done out of love, though we cannot see it. Here, two disciples ask for two thrones beside the glorified Christ, but remain ignorant of the way of the cross through which such glory is attained. Once again, as you have read these two events you may have missed the connection between them, but the gospel authors are not random in the way they tell us the story of Jesus. They give us specific events at specific times to elevate a point. Since chapter 18, Matthew has been centering around the theme of the Kingdom of Heaven while others, including the disciples, seem to be unable to grasp the essential concept of it. Even here, in the third of Jesus’ predictions of his death on the cross, the sons of Zebedee, James and John, are still seeking visible, earthy glory through their mother. Jesus’ response coupled with his third and final prediction of death once again poses the question to us, are we able to drink the cup of Christ.

In this passage, the cup of Christ is presented as having two parts, and they form the two legs upon which a profession of faith in Christ stands. Two weeks ago we looked at the rich man’s lack of faith, last week we looked at the nature of salvation by faith vs. salvation by works of the law, and here we have it more clearly pictured what the way of faith looks like. If you will profess Christ as Lord and God, if you will go into the waters of baptism, if you will take of his body and blood, if you dare call yourself a Christian, you must devote yourself to drink from the two cups of Christ. The first is the cup of suffering, and the second is the cup of service.

A Cup of Suffering

The cup of suffering has already been alluded to several times since Peter’s confession of Christ back in chapter 16. After this confession of who Jesus was, Jesus revealed to him and the rest of the disciples that his destiny was to go to Jerusalem and die at the hands of the Jewish leaders. Peter rebukes Jesus, and Jesus rebukes Peter’s rebuke as Satanic. Right after this, Jesus challenges his disciples; that if any would follow him they must first deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow him. The direct connection is unmistakably made. The disciples know that Jesus is the Christ, now Jesus makes it clear where he intends to go and the necessity of all of his followers to go there too.

In verses 17-19 of our text, Jesus gives more details than he did before. He mentions being delivered to the Gentiles for the first time, and also makes it clear that his death will be by crucifixion. As always, the hope of the resurrection waits at the end, but the emphasis is on the very specific and gruesome nature of the death that awaits him.

While before this the disciples had reacted badly, here no response is mentioned from them. For them, Jesus’ words about suffering and death hardly fit into their idea of the Kingdom of God, and so they seem to go on with the debate the began among them at the beginning of chapter 18; namely, who would be the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. James and John, perhaps because of Jesus’ words to Peter about being a foundational rock in the Kingdom, have their mother entreat Christ for the top two positions in the Kingdom. To be on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes doesn’t seem to be enough, they must have the highest of those twelve thrones. While this isn’t a bad thing to desire, it reveals their continued ignorance and worldly thinking about the nature of the Kingdom.

Jesus’ answer to the two brothers and their mother in verse 22 is simple and humbling. They have no idea what they are talking about. He demonstrates this by asking if they are able to drink the cup that he is to drink, this referring clearly to the sufferings mentioned before. The two brothers answer in affirmation without serious thought to consideration. This is not unlike Peter’s words in Matt 26:35 when he is told that he will deny Christ:

Matthew 26:35 ESV

Peter said to him, “Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!” And all the disciples said the same.

And yet, all the disciples would flee in only a few hours, and Peter would deny any association with Jesus three times. DA Carson believes that these men took Jesus’ words to be hyperbole and are in tern responding with hyperbole, and that may be true. But it is also true that fear changes us, and it is difficult to predict how we will act in a dangerous or fearful situation; how firmly would we stand?

The fact is that the disciples, though quick to speak as the steadfast and loyal followers they see themselves to be, have not seriously considered what this means. Jesus, in telling them his painful way to the cross, is also telling them about their way. “The way of the cross leads home” is not just some happy hymn we sing, it is a very serious and somber truth. The only way home is the way of the cross. That is something that should prod us to search ourselves and see what we are willing to risk, to give, to lose, and to endure for what we say we believe in.

Now these two brothers speak, but they do not know what it is they are talking about. The metaphor of a cup in the OT usually referred to the cup of God’s wrath or punishment. This is not to say that suffering Christians are the objects of God’s wrath like Christ was in our place. Instead, it points to the shared sufferings they will be called to with Jesus as he takes on God’s wrath for the sins of the world. They underestimate exactly what their call is. They do not foresee a literal cross. They maybe understand there may be some resistance and difficulty, but nothing like what will happen. James will be the first of the twelve to be martyred. John would live a long life filled with persecution and suffering. Both would someday find out what that cup contained. But now, since they do not understand the contents of the cup, neither can they possibly understand what they are asking for. If I walk into a jewelry store and ask them for their most expensive diamond, they may ask if I have the money to pay for it. I say confidently that I do as I pad a $100 bill in my pocket. The reality is that not only do I not realize just how much that diamond will cost, but I do not really understand what that diamond is worth. I would not know what I am asking for. So it is that in their ignorance of the cup of suffering which they will share with Christ in persecution, they are also ignorant of the value of what they ask for.

So what is it that they ask for? They ask for a comfort that comes only by suffering. They ask for an honour that comes only through humiliation. They ask for eternal joy that comes only through temporary grief. Indeed, to sit at Christ’s side in glory means first to be crucified beside him. Was there ever a more glorious place than that which the thief next to Jesus occupied? You see, this is the point that Jesus has been getting at, the Kingdom of God is not like what we expect Kingdoms to look like. It is exactly what humanity needs, but not at all what it wants. A Kingdom where glory is achieved through humility and selflessness. A Kingdom where those who desire power and bereft of it, and those who desire to serve Christ at all costs are given it. To sit beside Christ in his Kingdom is not something that can be earned, but is given by the gracious hand of God. Christ does not claim authority to even give this honour, as it is the election of the Father that fills those seats. All that Jesus has been teaching about the nature of the Kingdom leads us to see that all power, authority, and glory in this Kingdom is not earned or fought for, but given as grace by God to those willing to follow Christ into suffering.

A Cup of Service

But there is another aspect of this reality, what we could call the second cup which Christ drinks, or perhaps think of it as another side of the same cup. We see this aspect of obtaining glory in the Kingdom in what happens next.

After the two brothers and their mother had made their request, verse 24 tells us about the grumbling of the other 10 disciples. They were indignant, or angry, seemingly because they had gone to Jesus in this way to secure a greater glory for themselves, above what the others may receive. This shows for us that, although only these two disciples made this request, all of them are still failing to understand the ways of the Kingdom of Heaven. This is because they act the same way someone in the world would act if a political rival tried to pull ahead of them or gain an advantage over them. They all still think of Heavenly politics in the context of earthly politics.

So in verse 25, Jesus calls them to himself and corrects them all on how Kingdom politics work. He talks about the rulers of the Gentiles, which contrasts the Kingdom of God, which had always been associated with Israel, and the Kingdom of the world. What he’s showing them is that the Kingdom of Heaven is not going to be the Messiah taking the literal throne of David in Jerusalem and ordering his armies to cut down the gentiles. These were OT images for what is spiritually true. The kingdoms of the gentiles, of the world which included the rulers of Israel, lord it over them. That is, the politics of the world operate with those in authority wielding that authority for outcomes that benefit themselves. We see this all the time, and we complain about how evil politicians are, but they are no worse than the general population. Greedy, evil hearts use others as tools to master each other. We love to bend others to our will so that they may serve us.

This is why slavery was universally accepted until 200 years ago, and in many parts of the world it still exists. Many of the things we buy from China are made by slaves. I once met a Christian girl from China who had been arrested for attending a house church and in prison she was forced to make Christmas lights, and was often tortured at the same time. Even though we in the West have long denied the practice, our nature continues to desire that others submit to our demands for our benefit. Isn’t that the heart of a slaver?

This is how power in the world works, its all a big game of king of the hill, and the king gets served by everyone.

But the Kingdom of Heaven is not like this. Instead, verses 26-28 tell us that “the great among you must be your servant and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

In the Kingdom of Heaven, things are turned the right side up. The purpose of power and authority was never the dominion of other men. The purpose of men having authority in the marriage and in church eldership is not so that men may twist the women’s arms into serving us. It is the exact opposite. When we affirm that the husband is the head of the wife, what we mean is that the husband is to be the one who serves the most in the marriage. His authority is to be used to submit himself to her needs above his own. The elders are to be those who should serve the most in the church. This idea is even hinted at in Canadian politics. We don’t have a president, which means to sit in authority over something, we have a Prime Minister, literally the chief servant. Its why we call pastoral work ministry. The Kingdom of God is a Kingdom of servants and authority is given to those who would be the most devoted servants of them all. Power is meant for the good of others in this Kingdom, and the disciples don’t seem to have realized that.

Jesus of course uses himself as the prime demonstration of this. He did not come, as the disciples seem to think, in order to enter Jerusalem so that all people may serve at his feet, with his beloved disciples around him being likewise served. This is how a worldly kingdom works, but not a heavenly one. Instead, Jesus will enter Jerusalem, be given over by the priests who should be worshiping him to the Romans who will nail his body to a cross in agony and humiliation. While this will look like defeat to the world, that is because they still regard successful power as the ability to control and dominate others for your own purposes. Jesus, on the other hand, will suffer so as to give his life as a ransom for our souls. The Kingdom of Heaven advances when the King dies for his enemies. In that act of love and service, the power of evil is broken. What Kingdom of earth can stand against this? The Roman empire would summon wave after wave of cruel persecution, burning Christians to death, feeding them to wild beasts, boiling them in hot oil, and crucifying them. The more they fought against the Kingdom of Heaven, the more Christianity grew until even the emperor was a Christian.

That is the power of the Kingdom of God. That is the service we who would be great in the church must pursue. Again, the two brothers did not know what they were asking for. They thought they were asking for power to subject others to themselves, when really to sit at Christ’s right and left is to be the greatest servants of others in the church. It means to serve and give our lives for one another in service to Christ, even to suffer personal loss in this service. This is why the Kingdom of Heaven is for the child-like, because it is not a race to the top, it is resting in Christ and serving in his power and life.

Conclusion: The Call to Be a Suffering Servant (vs 28)

In John 13, Jesus dresses himself like a servant and washes the disciples feet. In John 13:12-17 he explains why he did this:

John 13:12–17 ESV

When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.

The Kingdom of Heaven is made for suffering servants. It is for those who have been redeemed, who have been served by Christ. How can we not go ahead and serve others? How can we not go into the world and preach the good news and suffer for it? If we are in Christ, we must understand that this is what that means.

Seek heavenly rewards, but understand what that means in Christ’s Kingdom.

Find the joy of serving Christ who died to ransom you but serving in his name. Remember Matthew 10:42

Matthew 10:42 ESV

And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.”

Do you want to be near Christ? Then serve with him. Get down on your knees and wash feet with him. Take up your cross and die to yourself with him. In these things is the promise of eternal life, and through this humble service comes the glory of heaven.

In a world full of corrupt politicians, manipulative relationships, and the power struggle to dominate one another, let us in the Church stand as witnesses of a greater Kingdom and examples of the policies of our King Jesus Christ. The church does not advance like the world because unlike earthly Kingdom it does not fade.

This is the application of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, who died for our sins so that we may have eternal life. As God vindicated his service in the resurrection and ascension, he will vindicate us as well. It is a walk of faith, for we cannot see that glory yet and only experience the lowliness of our station here. Persevere in the faith that God will raise you up to glory as you serve the way Jesus did, as you drink his cup with hope.