So You Think Your Important

The art of importance. What causes you to look at someone and say, “Oh they are important.” I think of people like the Queen, the Prime Minister, celebrities. I remember as a child being in the gym of a school and for the first time I can recall I saw the play Anne of Green Gables performed. I fell in love with the art of telling a story in that moment. I really loved everything about the stage. The one thing that stuck out to me in each play I was a part of, the main character was the important role. The one with the most lines, the most stage time, the most solo songs etc. Everything centered around these one or two people. They said things most wouldn’t say but maybe some of us wanted to.

Stories connect us, ignite us etc. But ultimitly it is the Lords story. Take my sign, It is God’s Story so Let Him write it. I don’t know about you but sometimes I need this reminder too.

Today in our scripture we get a glimpse of a conversation and look in to the heart of a couple of the disciples and how Jesus dealt with it.

Read the scripture, Mark 10:35-45

When I read this passage I get this image in my mind of James and John just ever so nonchalontly walk up to Jesus, “Hey Teacher, we want you to do us a favor. Look at the response of Jesus, What is your request? Why is this important? We need to understand the difference between a favor and a request.

What is the difference between favor and request - favor is to look upon fondly; to prefer while request is to express the need or desire for. James and John were looking at Jesus and saying Hey Teacher come on do us a favor, or in other words, “Come on Teacher, look we deserve special attention, look at us as the preferred men you want to be with. It is important for us to know the difference between the asking Jesus to give us favor and expecting that favor. This is the kind of you rub my back and I will rub your back type of favor they were seeking. I wonder how many of us can identify in some way. Let me explain what I mean, God if you do this for me then I will do this for you. or I do this for you so surely you should do this for me. This kind of thinking can lead us down a path of thinking we need to earn our salvation. We don’t. I can not express this enough we can not earn our salvation. There is nothing you can do right now to make God love you more and in the same token there is also nothing you could stop doing to make God love you more.

The request of the brothers one to sit at the right and one to sit at the left, places of honor right next to Jesus. I can almost hear their thought process, so we have been serving you for 3 years. We have the inside scoop on things about you so you should do this for us. And even to take it one step further, I wonder if there was any kind of sibling rivaly going on. I am sure if Jesus were to indulge their request the next question would be, “Okay so which one of us will sit at your right side?” Do you see what is happening on the inside, puffed up pride.

Jesus responds with truth in love, “You don’t know what you are asking! Are you able to drink from the bitter cup of suffering I am about to drink? Are you able to be baptizied with the baptism of suffering I must be batized with? Jesus knew what lay ahead for him. He knew his suffering would take place. He knew what he would endure.

Oh yes we are able. Don’t we like to be that confident. Oh we know what we are getting into to...

Jesus was so gracious to confirm that yes indeed you will drink from his bitter cup and be baptized with a baptism of suffering. This almost seems like a holy right of passage. This idea of holy suffering. The holy suffering can be one of the most transformational times in your life. I know it is in the periods of suffering that I learn valuable nuggets of truth that carry me through and become a building block for the next step. But Jesus had no right to choose who would sit next to him. Those places were for the the Father to decide and at the appropiate time Jesus would learn who they were.

Vs. 41 we begin to hear the other disciples heard what the brothers had done and became indignant with them. This word indignant means feeling or showing anger or annoyance at what is perceived as unfair treatment. The other 10 disciples became indignant with the brothers over their perceived unfair treatment or ask of Jesus. I think alot of brothers and sisters walk with a sense of indignant. There is a spirit of offense that is sweeping in the church and lets look at how Jesus addresses it,

Read verses 42 -45

Jesus puts something very real into perspective here, he shares a world perspective. He shares how some leaders do things in the world. How some have been known to hold their position over others and use their position to intimidate others. Then he gives them His perspective of things,

He says, but you will be different....

If you want to be first then you must be last.

expand on Jesus coming to seek and to serve the lost and then he went to the cross for our salvation. Even in his life Jesus taught about serving. Each day Jesus served the people he was with. He was living his life and he served the people as he lived his life. Some may call these events chance encounters but really these are divine appointments for God to receive the glory.

When Jesus says that we must become last, he is not saying that our value decreases or that we are not important. Whether first in line or last in line our value is the same and our importance doesn’t dimenish because of our place in that line. I see far to many people think their value must decrease in order to have that servant heart to elevate others. It is not about decreasing at all, it is about elevating others so they feel just as important as they are.

Mark 10:35-45