35 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. "Teacher," they said, "we want you to do for us whatever we ask." 36 "What do you want me to do for you?" he asked. 37 They replied, "Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory." 38 "You don't know what you are asking," Jesus said. "Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?" 39 "We can," they answered. Jesus said to them, "You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, 40 but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared." 41 When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. 42 Jesus called them together and said, "You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 43 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. 45 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."
Last week we considered the rich man who came to Jesus asking what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus loved him by showing him what was most important to him. His possessions. At the 10 am service we identified that the rich man had broken at least two of the commands he claimed to revere. Exodus 20.3 "You shall have no other gods before me. 4 "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.
This week we have James and John letting their ambition become their God, their idol, what was most important to them. It was more important than what Jesus wanted. Teacher," they said, "we want you to do for us whatever we ask."
Their ambition was more important than their relationship with their fellow disciples. They wanted to sit alongside Jesus and didn't care about the other ten who were, understandably, indignant, verse 41. Perhaps they were indignant because they had not thought to ask!
They were following the way things were, and are done, in the world. Every man for himself. Gain your worth by dominating others.
But, Jesus said, verse 42, You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them.
Before this passage, and after the meeting with the rich young man, Mark recorded Jesus telling his disciples about his betrayal, rejection, death and resurrection. This was God's plan, not what people, especially the Jews of the time, expected. They wanted their Messiah to defeat the Romans and establish a prosperous, earthly kingdom. James, John and, indeed all the disciples, didn't understand how God's kingdom, his rule, would be established through and in Jesus.
God's kingdom would not be brought about by inflicting death upon the enemy. God's enemy would be defeated by the death of his own son. Jesus was wholeheartedly committed to following the rescue plan for everyone that God the Father had devised before time began. God's kingdom would be brought about and be typified by service, starting with Jesus and continuing with his followers.
43 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. 45 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."
When you think of the word great you may think of an Olympic gold medalist, someone considered a star in the entertainment world, an outstanding footballer. Thinking about this, I imagine any aspirations we might have had of ever being great have gone. However, do not despair. Do not give up. You can be great in the eyes of God and, in the long term, that is all that matters.
You are precious to God. 45 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. Substitute your name for "many". 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for John Smith"
Because we are all so precious to God and he has accepted us through Jesus we do not need to gain value or acceptance through any other means. We do not need to follow the way of James and John and be ambitious. We do not have to compromise our beliefs because what should most important is our relationship with God. Not what other people think of us. Not how much money or possessions we have. Not how much power or authority we have. Not how moral we think we are. Not our families. Not how happy we are. Not how many friends we think we have. Not what we think we look like. All of these things, and others, can be idols. Things that take the place that God should have, of being number one in our lives.
An idol does not have to be bad, in itself. They only become bad when they take the place of God.
The history of God's people is littered with idolatry. It features again and again in the Old Testament. It is something we need to be conscious of as Christians. Our home group considered this last Thursday as part of the "Gospel in Life, Grace changes everything" Course by Timothy Keller. He said, "at the root of all sin is a failure to take the gospel deep into the furthest reaches of your heart. Our ongoing disobedience, our failure to change, our lack of spiritual growth is always rooted in our unwillingness and our inability to believe and rejoice in our righteousness in Christ.
He outlined that the antidote to idolatry is to put to death the old, sinful way of life and then to look to Jesus. Rejoicing in what we have in Him, in what we are with Him, and what we are going to become in Him. This should be supported by private and corporate prayer, worship, and Bible study. The goal is for Jesus Christ to become the most important thing in our lives. As we reflect on who He is and all He has done for each one of us this should determine how we behave. So we are not like James and John, in it for what we can get out of it. We should be like Jesus, sacrificially in it for what others can get. 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."