Preparing the Way: Not to be Served, but to Serve Mark 10:35-45 1
SCRIPTURE- Mark 10:35-45
35 James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward 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 is it you want me
to do for you?” 37 And they said to him, “Appoint us to sit, one at your right hand and one at
your left, in your glory.” 38 But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are
you able to drink the cup that I drink or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” 39
They replied, “We are able.” Then 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 appoint, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”
41 When the ten heard this, they began to be angry with James and John. 42 So Jesus called
them and said to them, “You know that among the gentiles those whom they recognize as their
rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. 43 But it is not so among
you; instead, whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and
whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. 45 For the Son of Man came not to
be served but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many.”
This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
SERMON
This story took me back to elementary school in the cafeteria for lunch. All morning long, my
classmates and I would plan who we were going to have lunch with. Then we would get to the
cafeteria and find out 2 other children also wanted to sit by the same friend I planned to sit with
all morning, did they not know? There was arguing and sometimes tears when we didn’t get to
sit where we wanted. But as a child, this chance to sit by who you wanted to, was a big deal.
James and John’s behavior in this text reminds me a bit of that of a young child. Trying to find
their place, secure a seat next to the most popular person, and asking questions of an authority
figure that seems completely ridiculous. “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of
you.” This sounds like a question children have asked me before. Trying to get me to commit to
doing whatever they want without giving me all the information. Jesus doesn’t play this game
and asks them to be more specific in their request. Only to find out they want to sit on either
side of him in glory but they really don’t know what they are asking. They have a perceived
understanding of what it means: if we get to sit next to Jesus then we will also hold some power,
we will be seen by others, we won’t be forgotten, we will be safe.
Preparing the Way: Not to be Served, but to Serve Mark 10:35-45 2
The story about the sons of Zebedee comes just after Jesus’ third announcement to his
disciples in which he is predicting his death. In chapter 10 verse 32, it tells us that Jesus and his
disciples are on the road to Jerusalem and that the disciples were afraid. I wonder if after
hearing Jesus foretell of his dying that the future was becoming more uncertain and they were in
fact afraid. Maybe they weren’t just hungry for power but rather seeking security in the positions
of power they thought would protect them.
Perhaps their quest for power was masking their longing to feel secure. James and John are
worried about what their future will look like, especially if Jesus is no longer with them, they are
grasping at any opportunity, or in this case a person who can guarantee their future of success.
These disciples might not be too different from us. When we feel afraid, we too, seek to find
security. We often get caught up in a cycle of transferring our fear into goals we believe will
provide us with that feeling of security. We will feel secure when:
– We get that degree
– We meet the right person
– We get the dream job
– We have X number of dollars in our bank account
– We buy that house
– We move into the right community
But each time we achieve our goal, we discover we still feel insecure and begin to create
another goal in hopes that will be the one that gives us the security we seek. The world tells us
that money, power, and status will give us the security we seek. If we are in the highest level of
authority in our jobs, have a certain amount of money, and can control outcomes, we are set.
We have no need to fear the future because we can create our own future.
The reality is that things happen. Natural disasters hit. Terminal illness strikes. People lose their
jobs. Relationships end. There is nothing we can do to prepare or prevent these things from
happening to us or those we love. Not even being a Christian. Being a Christian does not
guarantee that our life will be free of pain or uncertainty. But being a Christian does give us
someone to put our hope and trust in that is far greater than anything we can find on earth.
Preparing the Way: Not to be Served, but to Serve Mark 10:35-45 3
Perhaps James and John sought power and position in places of honor next to Jesus because
they believed it would keep them safe. That same power will soon kill Jesus. Even though Jesus
told James and John as well as the other disciples what was coming, they weren’t hearing him.
James and John affirm that they can endure the suffering that Jesus will endure, without
understanding what they were committing to.
We, like James and John, want to believe that as followers of Jesus, we will choose the way of
Jesus over the ways of the world. But it’s often more complex than that. We are having to stand
against the powers of our time which can be isolating, embarrassing, challenging, and
sometimes dangerous.We pray for a quick intervention from God in times of need or
desperation, affirming the next time we will do things differently. Yet, when the next time comes,
we repeat the pattern from before. We want to have the fear or pain of that moment go away as
quickly as possible. We want to guarantee that the hurt will be removed and we can remain in
control.
Affirming to follow Jesus’ lifestyle is not easy, it’s not safe, or guaranteed to not have challenges,
but it doesn’t mean we let fear of what could happen keep us from sharing the vision of a new
world with others. Theologian and Activist Walter Wink wrote a book called Engaging the
Powers: Discernment and Resistance in a World of Domination. Wink coined the phrase
Domination System in which a leader or group of leaders hold power and control over others.
There is the superior and inferior, the dominating and dominated, where those on the top deny
those on the bottom of their needs. Interestingly enough, both groups are afraid of the other.
The dominated group is afraid of how the decisions of the dominating will impact their lives and
the dominating are afraid they will lose power or control especially when they see those below
them seeking power and control.
Wink says this: “In [Jesus’] extraordinary concern for the outcasts and marginalized, in his
wholly unconventional treatment of women (speaking to them in public, touching them, eating
with them, even with harlots, above all, teaching them), in the seriousness with which he took
children, in his rejection of the dogma that high-ranking men are the favorites of God, in his
subversive proclamation of a new order in which domination would give way to compassion and
communion, Jesus overturned the most rigidly upheld mores of his time.”
Preparing the Way: Not to be Served, but to Serve Mark 10:35-45 4
And perhaps our time too. Jesus points to the negative impact of the Gentile leaders which
doesn’t sound much different than today. We still live in a society where leaders believe they
need to be in power to prevent chaos and make decisions that are best for the whole without
actually understanding the needs of others.
Jesus tells all the disciples, not just James and John, that “whoever wishes to become great
among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of
all.” Loving others requires sacrifice. Sacrifice of power, control, time, energy, comfort. It
requires seeing outside ourselves to see the needs of others and doing what we can do to meet
those needs so that all of God’s children are experiencing wholeness.
I think we can read this verse and think about the service we give to others on a mission trip or
the few times of year we make donations or volunteer. These are very important things to be a
part of but I think Jesus is talking about being a servant daily. How are we lifting others up and
helping others at school, work, and home? How are we resisting any way of being that puts
others over or above another?
Perhaps it could look like:
– Sitting with the student who sits alone at lunch
– Lifting up the work of a co-worker who often gets overlooked
– Giving your attention to your family member as they share about their day
– Writing letters to government officials when you see that laws are harming a group of
people
Jesus’ final words in this section are, “For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve
and to give his life a ransom for many.” He is connecting the dots for his followers. His
impending death will model for them how they should live. He is about to die by the hands of
violent leadership who feel threatened by the way Jesus lived and led. Because they are afraid
of losing their power, they decide the best way to keep it is to use violence and kill Jesus so they
can continue their way of living.
Greatness among Jesus’ followers looks different. Jesus is not interested in who will be the
greatest or on the top of the hierarchy of society, instead he wants to know who will humbly
serve others and seek the best of all of God’s children, even if that means occasionally
Preparing the Way: Not to be Served, but to Serve Mark 10:35-45 5
experiencing oppression at the hands of those in power. Through Jesus’ death, God frees and
restores people to God’s beloved community. Let us join him in this mission here and now.
May it be so. Amen.