The Path to True Greatness

INTRODUCTION

D.L. Moody said, “The beginning of greatness is to be little; the increase of greatness is to be less; the perfection of greatness is to be nothing.”

That’s a good definition for us to remember because it humbles self instead of elevating it.

We’re learn more about this today as we look at a lesson Jesus gives His disciples about what is true greatness.

It’s found in Mark 10:35-45 and Matthew 20:20-28.

Listen as I read both accounts as one from John MacArthur’s book One Perfect Life. (Slides)

Most of us understand what it means to “climb a ladder.”

I am not talking about a physical ladder.

I am talking about this phrase that we use in the business world.

We “climb a ladder” at work to put us in a better position and pay.

We start at the bottom and work our way up.

We also climb ladders socially.

We want to have a lot of social media friends.

We want to be seen.

We want recognition.

We want influence.

We want power.

We want respect.

Unfortunately we do the same thing in the body of Christ.

Instead of seeing ourselves as “members of one another,” we see ourselves “climbing a ladder” in order to be seen as important, influential, powerful, and respected.

That’s where our story begins today.

It’s a story on greatness, status, recognition, influence, respect, and power.

And it’s also a story about pride and humility.

You can love Jesus but be confused about what true greatness is because all they could see was what Peter asked in verse 28, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You.”

In other words, “What’s in it for us?”

That describes the Twelve.

They were selfish, prideful, immature, ambitious and self-promoting.

The Bible has a lot to say about this kind of behavior identified as pride…

Proverbs 8:13 says, “The fear of Yahweh is to hate…pride…”

In Proverbs 16:5 it says, “Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to Yahweh…”

And Proverbs 21:4 says, “…a proud heart [is] sin.”

In the New Testament it says in Romans 1:30 that pride is an element of the reprobate mind.

1 Timothy 3:6 says pride comes from the devil.

1 John 2:16 says pride is characteristic of the world.

1 Timothy 6:3 says pride is a mark of false teachers.

And James 4:6 says pride alienates one from God because God resists the proud.

And on the other hand, James 4:6 says, “He gives grace to the humble.”

Humility is a virtue that God honors but yet is it “so rare because it is unnatural to man. Only a Christian who has the Spirit of God can learn genuine humility. The more we learn humility, the more our lives will change. Just as pride is the root of every evil, humility is the root of every virtue” (Stuart Scott, From Pride to Humility, p.15).

In Micah 6:8, it says, “He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does Yahweh require of you but to do justice, to love lovingkindness, And to walk humbly with your God?”

Psalm 138:6 says “For Yahweh is high, Yet He sees the lowly, But the one who exalts himself He knows from afar.”

Isaiah 66:2 says “…But to this one I will look, to him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word.”

So in both the OT & NT we are told to put on humility, to be clothed with humility, and to walk in humility.

Our story begins with two of Jesus’ disciples: James and John

Context: This scene comes right after Jesus has again told the disciples that suffering and death await Him in Jerusalem (Mark 10:33–34).

Jesus is walking toward a cross. The disciples are still imagining a throne-room.

So the question for this morning is not merely, “What did James and John do wrong?”

The deeper question is: How does Jesus redefine greatness for everyone who follows Him?

Are we climbing ladders or our we washing feet?

There are 4 movements to this passage.

There is…

A request for glory (vv.35-37)

A correction about suffering (vv.38-40)

An example of worldly leadership (vv.41-44)

The foundation: Jesus’ ransom (v.45)

As we consider these 4 movements, there is a statement that Jesus makes that we must consider in verse 43, Jesus said, “It is not this way among you.”

The first movement is in verses 35-37 and it comes from “James and John, the two sons of Zebedee.”

It’s…

I. A Request for Glory (vv.35-37)

James and John—two of the inner circle—come to Jesus.

Matthew 20:20 says they came with their mother.

The Gospel of Mark: An Expositional Commentary a. Request of James and John (vv. 35–40)

Whether she was the prime mover behind the endeavor, she had the full approval of her sons. (Hiebert)

Matthew calls her the mother of Zebedee.

Mark calls her Sal-o-me; so that was her name.

John calls her the sister of Jesus’ mother.

So their mother is Jesus’ aunt.

As you understand the family relation and the question James and John ask Jesus you learn quickly that…

This is now a family deal.

They’re going to play the family card here.

She bought into it.

She comes worshiping.

She comes bowing low.

Matthew says she’s desiring a certain thing of Jesus, and what she’s desiring is exactly what they asked.

This is not just personal ambition.

This is family ambition.

Everybody’s in on this deal.

They say, in effect, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask.”

They want a blank check.

This was a sure sign of pride and immaturity.

They wanted Jesus to say yes before they even told Him what they wanted.

That’s exactly what kids do.

That’s why it’s immature.

So collectively they come and Jesus says in verse 36, “What do you want Me to do for you?” (v.36)

They said, “Grant that we may sit, one on Your right and one on Your left, in Your glory.” (v.37)

They’re picturing a moment of triumph—Jesus elevated, the kingdom publicly established and Rome overthrown—and they want the most visible places.

In the ancient world, the right and left seats were places of honor.

So what’s the problem? Isn’t it good that they believe Jesus will have glory? Isn’t it good they want to be close to Him?

Yes—but here’s the issue: They want proximity to Jesus’ power more than conformity to Jesus’ character.

They want the outcome of the kingdom without the manner of the King.

They want the benefits of Messiah without the path the Messiah must take.

Let’s examine…

The Heart Behind the Request

Their request shows us something about the human heart: ambition can be loud, but it can also be polished. It can sound spiritual. It can use words like “glory,” “kingdom,” “calling,” “ministry.”

But underneath, it may still be saying, “Make me great.”

Scripture warns us about this kind of self-focused spirituality:

James 4:3 says some asking is driven by “wrong motives.”

Philippians 2:3 warns against “selfish ambition.”

1 John 2:16 speaks of “the boastful pride of life.”

The question is “What am I trying to get for myself, even through my relationship with Jesus?”

We’re supposed to have the attitude Paul had when he said in 1 Corinthians 15:31 “…I die daily.”

Remember that’s how we came into the kingdom and that’s how we’re to function.

Let’s do…

A Simple Diagnostic of the Heart

When you imagine the “best-case scenario” for your life in the next few years—with your family, with your job, with your ministry, with your reputation—where are you located in the picture?

Are you at the center?

Are you admired?

Are you protected from criticism?

Are you finally recognized?

Are you finally consulted?

Luke 16:15 says that God knows your heart.

Since He knows your heart, He knows what’s in it.

Matthew 15:18–19 says, “18 “But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man. 19 “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual immoralities, thefts, false witness, slanders.”

1 Corinthians 6:10 includes “covetous” in the list while Galatians 5:21 includes “envying.”

Or is Jesus at the center—and your joy is that He is honored, whether or not you are?

James and John want Jesus’ glory, but they want themselves displayed in it.

That is pride and God hates it.

Paul said in Philippians 2:3–4 “3 doing nothing from selfish ambition or vain glory, but with humility of mind regarding one another as more important than yourselves, 4 not merely looking out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.”

Stuart Scott defines pride this way.

He says it’s “the mindset of self (a master’s mindset rather than of a servant): a focus on self and the service of self, a pursuit of self-recognition and self-exaltation, and a desire to control and use all things for self” (From Pride to Humility, p.6)

Sometimes we build...

A Spiritual Resume

This is things we’ve done, sacrifices we’ve made, roles we’ve had—we don’t say it out loud, but we feel like that resume should translate into a certain seat in God’s kingdom.

We might not demand “right and left,” but we think:

“After all I’ve done, I shouldn’t be treated like this.”

“After all I’ve given, I should have a voice.”

“After all I’ve served, I shouldn’t have to do this unseen work anymore.”

James and John show us that you can be close to Jesus and still be negotiating for the seat.

So what should you do when you feel like this?

Bring your ambition to the light.

Don’t pretend you don’t want to be seen. Confess it. Put it before Jesus and repent of it. Because this is not the kind of greatness that He gives.

This is devilish. It’s demonic. And it’s deadly.

Listen as Jesus gives…

II. A Correction About Suffering (vv.38-40)

Jesus answers in verse 38 by saying, “You do not know what you are asking.”

That is one of the most merciful sentences in the Bible.

He doesn’t crush them; He corrects them. He doesn’t say, “How dare you.” He says, “You don’t understand.”

Then He uses two images: the cup and the baptism.

First…

The Cup (v.38)

In Scripture, “the cup” often refers to a portion someone must drink—an allotted experience, often suffering under God’s sovereign plan.

Here, it is the cup of God’s wrath that Jesus is about to bear.

In Luke 22:42, Jesus prayed for this cup to be removed from Him but then said “not My will, but Yours be done.”

Jesus was about to experience the fullness of God’s wrath.

So when He asks James and John, “Are you able to drink the cup that I drink?” That’s an OT idiom meaning to “fully absorb something, fully experiencing something, taking it all in.” (MacArthur).

And it’s the cup in Isaiah 31 of God’s fury.

Revelation 14:10;16:19 refers to it as “the cup of His wrath.”

Psalm 75:8 talks about the ungodly drinking the cup of wrath.

So the cup is associated with suffering and wrath and judgment.

He is asking: “Are you able to suffer like I am about to?

But because they didn’t understand what He had previously told them about His coming suffering as Messiah, and because of their pride, they said, “we’re able.”

The second image is…

The Baptism (vv.38-39)

“Baptism” here carries the idea of being plunged into something—being immersed in persecution and martyrdom.

The suffering is so great that Jesus said while in Gethsemane in Mark 14:34, “My soul is deeply grieved to the point of death…”

Luke 22:44 tells us, “And being in agony He was praying very fervently, and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground.”

“‘Are you really able to go all the way under and suffer, to be, as it were, drowned in persecution, and ultimately martyrdom?’

This is strong language.

‘Can you literally drink it all in and be submerged in it, because that’s what you’re really asking, because if you want the glory, the glory is the reward correspondent to the suffering.’” (MacArthur)

In Mark 10:39, He tells them they will share in suffering—though not in the same unique, atoning way Jesus will.

James will be killed for his testimony (Acts 12:1-2).

John will suffer and endure hardship for Christ (Revelation 1:9).

They will not get a cushioned path.

In fact that is true for all the disciples.

Fox’s Book of Martyrs tells us:

Peter was crucified upside down.

Andrew was crucified (after scourging and imprisonment).

James was beheaded.

John survived boiling oil, was exiled, and died naturally.

Philip was scourged, imprisoned, and crucified.

Bartholomew was beaten and then crucified.

Thomas was killed with a spear.

Matthew was killed with a halberd (pole‑axe).

James the Less was thrown from the temple, then stoned and clubbed to death.

Jude (Thaddaeus) was killed in Persia with clubs/halberds (pole-axes).

Simon the Zealot was martyred in Persia, often said to be sawn in half.

Matthias was stoned and then beheaded.

Paul was beheaded in Rome.

In verse 39 Jesus makes…

A Critical Clarification: Honor is Assigned, Not Seized (v.40)

Jesus says the seats they’re requesting are prepared for those who suffer for His glory.

It’s for those “for whom it has been prepared” by the Father.

This is consistent with the rest of Scripture:

Matthew 25:34 says, “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom, which has been prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”

James 4:6 says, “But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.””

Romans 9:16 emphasizes God’s mercy is not controlled by human willing or running.

1 Corinthians 12:18 says God arranges and assigns as He desires.

This section is where many of us need to take a deeper look.

We live in a world that tells us suffering is meaningless and should be avoided at all costs.

But Jesus teaches us that suffering is part of faithful discipleship.

Not all suffering is the same:

Some suffering is consequences of our sin—and we should repent.

Some suffering is simply living in a broken world.

Some suffering is directly connected to following Jesus—bearing witness, obeying Him, refusing sin, serving people who don’t appreciate it.

But Jesus is clear: the path to glory runs through the cross.

Many people are attracted to a version of Christianity that basically says: “If you follow Jesus, your life will go smoothly; your plans will work; your relationships will be easy; your heart will always feel strong.”

But in Mark 10, Jesus says the opposite. He says, in effect: “You want closeness to My glory? Then understand closeness to Me includes closeness to My sufferings.”

1 Peter 4:13 says we “share the sufferings of Christ,” so that we may rejoice at His revelation.

The pattern is consistent: suffering first, then glory.

This is God’s will.

Philippians 1:29–30 says, “29 For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, 30 having the same struggle which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me.”

Suffering Now?

If you are walking through hardship right now, do not assume God has abandoned you.

It may be that you are learning the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings—being shaped into His likeness.

And if you are tempted to measure your faith by your comfort, Jesus is calling you to measure your faith by your obedience.

James and John wanted a seat.

Jesus offered them a path: not a path of self-exaltation, but a path of costly faithfulness—a path to humility. That’s true greatness.

In verses 41-44, Jesus gives them a lesson on pride and humility…

He begins with…

III. An Example of Worldly Leadership (vv.41-44)

First we learn in verse 41…

When the other disciples hear about James and John’s request, they become indignant (v.41).

Why are they indignant?

Because they are pure? No.

They’re indignant because they wanted the same thing.

James and John simply got there first.

So Jesus gathers them and says, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them” (v.42).

He’s describing leadership as the world practices it: power that presses down, influence that protects self, authority that demands service.

Then Jesus says one of the most countercultural lines in the Gospels: “But it is not this way among you” (v.43).

Jesus Does Not Deny Leadership—He Transforms It (vv.43-44)

Jesus is not saying, “There should be no leaders.” He is saying: “Your leadership must not mirror the world’s leadership.”

In the world:

greatness = being served

greatness = controlling outcomes

greatness = protecting position

greatness = being above

In the kingdom:

greatness = serving

greatness = giving

greatness = lowering yourself

greatness = becoming “slave of all”

This is not weakness. This is spiritual strength under control for the good of others.

There are…

Two Levels: Servant and Slave (vv.43-44)

Jesus says:

Whoever wants to be great must be your servant.

Whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.

He moves from “servant” to “slave” to emphasize the depth of the posture.

It’s not occasional helpfulness; it’s a chosen identity of self-giving love.

The Church Has This Problem

Churches easily slip into worldly power patterns.

Not just pastors—everyone.

You can “lord it over” people with:

pressure

guilt tactics

aggressive comments

withholding affection

dominating conversations

using money as leverage

And Jesus says: “Not among you.”

If we claim to follow the Servant-King while using people, something is fundamentally out of alignment.

There Are Two kinds of leaders

There is…

The leader who enters a room and everyone feels smaller.

The room organizes around that person’s ego.

People serve them, protect them, manage their reactions.

And there is…

The leader who enters a room and people feel strengthened.

They get built up. They are seen. They are equipped. They want to grow.

Jesus is calling His disciples to the second kind of leadership—leadership that gives life rather than extracts it.

Listen to…

What Greatness Looks Like

Choosing the unseen task when the visible one would feed your pride.

Listening first rather than insisting on being understood.

Taking responsibility rather than deflecting blame.

Giving credit rather than collecting it.

Absorbing inconvenience instead of retaliating.

Using authority to protect the vulnerable, not to promote yourself.

And let’s be honest: this is not natural to us. We do not drift into this. We must be transformed into this.

Application

Ask yourself:

Where am I expecting to be served in my home, in my friendships, in my church?

Where do I feel offended because I’m not getting the seat I believe I deserve?

Where do I need to repent of subtle control, manipulation, or entitlement?

Then ask:

What would it look like this week to intentionally take the posture of a servant?

Whom can I build up, help, or relieve—quietly, without needing recognition?

That moves us to the final point…

IV. The Foundation (v.45)

Verse 45 is the foundation stone: “Even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”

Everything Jesus asks in verses 43–44 is grounded in what He is about to do in verse 45…

First He says…

“Even the Son of Man…”

“Son of Man” is a title with glory in it (see Daniel 7 imagery).

Jesus used this title in verse 33.

Jesus is saying: the One who truly deserves the seat of highest honor chose the lowest place.

If anyone could claim the right to be served, it is Jesus.

He is sinless, eternal, worthy.

And yet His mission is not to collect service but to give service.

Now He gives…

The Heart of the Gospel: Ransom

A ransom is a price paid to set someone free.

The MacArthur Study Bible Chapter 10

“Ransom” refers to the price paid to free a slave or a prisoner; “for” means “in place of.” Christ’s substitutionary death on behalf of those who would put their faith in Him is the most glorious, blessed truth in all of Scripture (cf.

That means:

We were not fine.

We were not merely “uninformed.”

We were in bondage—under sin, guilt, and judgment.

And we could not pay our way out.

Jesus did not come to improve your lifestyle. He came to redeem you—to purchase your freedom at the cost of Himself.

This is why passages like Isaiah 53:10–11 speak of the Servant giving Himself as a guilt offering and justifying many.

1 Peter 1:18–19 says we were redeemed not with perishable things but with precious blood.

1 Timothy 2:5–6 speaks of Christ giving Himself as a ransom.

Mark 10:45 is not merely about ethics—“be nicer.” It’s about atonement—Jesus’ substitutionary death.

The Cross Redefines Greatness Because It Reveals God

If the cross is how Jesus saves, then the cross is also how Jesus reveals what God is like.

God’s greatness is not like ours.

God’s greatness expresses itself in holy love—love that gives, love that serves, love that sacrifices.

So when Jesus says, “Become servant of all,” He is not asking you to do something foreign to God.

He is inviting you to mirror the very heart of God.

Ephesians 5:1–2 says “1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, 2 and walk in love, just as Christ also loved us and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.”

Here’s…

Why Service Must be Fueled by the Gospel

If you try to live Mark 10 by sheer willpower, you will burn out or become bitter.

You’ll serve, but you’ll keep score.

You’ll help, but you’ll resent.

You’ll sacrifice, but you’ll demand repayment through appreciation.

The only way to serve freely is to be satisfied—deeply—by Christ’s service to you.

When you know you are already fully loved, fully accepted, fully redeemed by the ransom of Christ, then you don’t need a seat to prove your worth.

Application

If you are not a Christian: the first call is not “go serve more.”

The first call is: Come to Jesus to be ransomed.

Turn from sin.

Trust the One who gave His life for sinners.

Receive forgiveness you cannot earn.

If you are a Christian: the call is to return to the cross.

CONCLUSION

So what does Jesus do in Mark 10?

He takes the disciples’ ladder and replaces it with a towel.

They ask for seats.

He talks about suffering.

They compete for rank.

He commands service.

They want glory.

He goes to a cross.

And then He says something that changes everything: the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.

That means He died for you!

He did that so you could be forgiven of all your sin.

So…

“The beginning of greatness is to be little; the increase of greatness is to be less; the perfection of greatness is to be nothing.” (Moody)

That’s The Path of True Greatness.

Let’s pray

Lord’s Supper.