Principles of Greatness
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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 baptised with the baptism I am baptised with?”39 “We can,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink and be baptised with the baptism I am baptised 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.
When I used to attend mandatory business training meetings for accountants. Often at Coffee before and at the intervals of meetings, Institute of Chartered Accountants businessmen were jostling for positions of importance in ICAEW. I was in the background wearing my £49 Burton suit and a £5 watch.
I was low down in the Pecking order.
In our Gospel reading for today we read about two disciples who are trying to get ahead in the ‘pecking order’ but they soon find out that the kingdom where they want to be left & right-hand men to the Lord is a ministry where the first are last, where the leaders serve, where flourishing involves suffering and being broken. That is not the kind of kingdom James and John had in mind. They had ambitions of greatness in Jesus’ kingdom. They weren’t following, they wanted Jesus to follow them. They were not thinking of God’s glory but their own glory, they were not interested in serving but in being served. In this reading, we find 3 principles of greatness that you will never find in self-help, self-improvement books - Habits of Effective People. These principles are the pathway to greatness in the kingdom of God.
Principles of: Following, Glorifying and Serving
1. Following
2. Glorifying
3. Serving
Following
Mk10:35 “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.”
Here we have two disciples, followers of Jesus saying to Jesus ‘Do whatever we ask!’ Their question was based on self-interest, and self-aggrandisement. They wanted to be directors, not followers, want the best seats. No thoughts about obedience or God’s will or denying self.
John Stott says this is the most selfish prayer in the bible. ‘Do whatever we ask.’
Jesus gives guidance about how to be great in his Kingdom. Privilege is what the world does - not so with you. You are my followers. Not followers of a religion, a cause or a fashion you are followers of a person. A person we call Lord. Matt 16:24 nails it "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me."
After James & John ask can we sit on your right hand and on the Left Hand in your kingdom. Jesus replied –‘you don't know what you are asking’ (Mark 10:38).
Then Jesus asked them a question, 10:39 ‘Are you able to drink of the cup and baptism that I will drink from?’ They still didn't understand because to follow where Jesus was speaking of the suffering he was facing. They said ‘Yes, no problem.’ Jesus wanted them to weigh up the cost, not a knee-jerk reaction. They didn't take Jesus seriously. The only people J&J we're serious about was themselves. Jesus was asking about the very thing lacking in them - self-denial, self-sacrifice. J&J didn’t get it.
They wanted to be ‘Cabinet ministers’ Left Hand and Right Hand of Jesus. Like UK PM Kier Starmer PM’s main men.
Next the other ten disciples get involved. It's not fair, they tried to get ahead of us. These are the disciples, the future church, discussing who would be great in God’s kingdom.
Jesus answers in Mk10:43,44 ‘Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.’
Followers of the Lord Jesus must bear the title (not of grandeur, but) ‘slave’ where obedience is the order of the day. It doesn’t sound so appealing does it, but it is the pathway to greatness in God’s kingdom. Following is a way of self-denial and often suffering. In Mk 10:34 Jesus foretold that he would be mocked, spat on, flogged and killed.
Jesus asks us to count the cost, ‘Can you drink the cup and be baptised with the baptism I am baptised with?’ Following Jesus is about self-denial and suffering for the kingdom of God.
Ernie Blandy was a Salvation Army officer, we don’t know when he was born or when he died, we don’t know his life story except for this; he wrote a hymn in 1890 when he was choosing between a comfortable post as a minister in a church in UK or to work in a New York slum called Hell’s Kitchen. He chose Hell's Kitchen and wrote in 1890
‘I can hear my Savior calling,
"Take thy cross and follow, follow Me"
Chorus….
Where He leads me I will follow
Where He leads me I will follow
Where He leads me I will follow
I'll go with Him, with Him all the way all the way.
Principle 1 on the pathway to greatness in the kingdom of God – is following. Where he leads me I will follow….
2. Glorifying
Jesus gives the 2nd principle for greatness in God’s kingdom. Glorifying him. Jesus must be the centre of it all. The whole of the scriptures from Genesis to Revelation put Jesus at the centre. In his famous ‘Last Supper’ prayer Jesus said, ‘Father glorify your son that I may glorify you’ (John 17:1). Our chief purpose is to glorify God and enjoy him forever (the Westminster Confession). ANiE Bishop Lines “My principal desire is to see Christ glorified. That is done through people coming to know him through the scriptures, and that requires local churches where he is faithfully proclaimed…."
CS Lewis was disturbed by the very thought of God as a glory seeker as he pondered Psalm 50:23 ‘Whoever offers praise glorifies me.’ But CS Lewis realised that glorifying God is not for God’s benefit but for ours. Glorifying does something in us, draws us near, heals, restores, values and affirms us – brings us joy, it completes us and we want to share it with others.
Last week we were at the Christening of our Granddaughter Layla-T. In the words of Stevie Wonder we wanted to say ‘Isn’t she lovely, isn’t she wonderful.’ He wrote that about his daughter Aisha. Notice he didn’t write ‘she is wonderful,’ but ‘isn’t she wonderful!’ He wants to share it with us. When we glorify and delight in God our worship raises Jesus up, he is the centre – our Lord.
John Wimber was an accomplished musician and former member of the Righteous Brothers. He wrote in glorifying Jesus -
’Isn’t he wonderful, wonderful, isn’t he? Isn’t he? Isn’t he? Isn’t he?
We are not just singing facts about Jesus we are glorifying him and it does something in us, heals us, and completes us.
When James & John badger Jesus with their question. They have shown their cards. Self is at the centre. They want to use Jesus. He is the means to their end, their dream is their own glory. Matthew 20:21 indicates that their mother was behind this request. How often do parents get involved in promoting and being ambitious for their children? James & John want to sit at Jesus’ RH & LH. Self is at the centre, often we too are ambitious even using God to do it - to achieve our ends.
Glorifying God is a key principle for greatness in God’s kingdom. He must have pre-eminence in all things (Colossians 1:18). James and John’s problem was that they wanted to make Jesus the route to their glory rather than glorifying Jesus. They were self-centred rather than Christ-centred.
Greatness, fame and glory are obsessions today (even in church). How can we apply this to ourselves, to myself - Examine my pride, my self-esteem, status and things that I do ‘for God.’ How do I want to be seen? Significance, cleverness, and have status and in the heart of it all. Who am I glorifying?
If you are tempted to think I can't believe James & John did this - then look again at Mark 10:34-44. When I look at Mark 10:34-44 - I find it is like a mirror – to my glory-seeking self. Let Jesus be the centre of it all. God shares his glory with no one.
3. Serving
Jesus gives a 3rd principle for greatness in God’s kingdom - Serving. We read in Mark 10:45 ‘Whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all v45 Even the son of man didn't come to be served but to serve and gave his life as a ransom for many.’
This is like a crescendo of this passage. Jesus compares Godly greatness with worldly greatness. Mark 10:42 ‘Rulers lord it over people and exercise authority (v43) not so with you.’ There's a worldly way of ambition, fulfilment, and achievement and Jesus says - not so with you.
Our lives in Christ should demonstrate not achievement or advancement but serving. This is the way to Godly greatness. You were ransomed; meaning freed from captivity. Freed from self-service to serving Jesus.
The world's greatness lords over and exercises authority over people so that I can achieve and others serve me. Mk 10:45 JC said ‘son of man did not come to be served but to serve and not to gain but to give his life as a ransom for many.’ Our calling is to serve. MK 10:35 Jesus sat down and called the twelve ‘Anyone who wants to be first must be last and servant of all.’ Serving is the way that true greatness is to be found.
Pushing to the front to be prominent has been an issue in the church for 2000 years it is still an issue today. Media presence has a lot to answer for today influencing & hits & likes& loves& emojis - if you have no idea what that means PTL.
Mark 10:43 Not so with you, whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant. I am God's slave when I am serving others.
Jesus was showing his disciples (and us) a vision of a church where everyone is serving others. I find that vision of church community exciting. In this church we have examples of that community at work, serving teas, kids work, shoe box, welcome, music, IT, small groups, flowers, visiting... I could go on……it’s exciting. And we can’t get to the top because we're aiming for the bottom!
If you are in a room full of people – then ask God how can you serve the rest, if you're in a group people are jostling for position, ask God how you can serve. If you are driving, if you are eating, cleaning, if you are just doing normal things in life ask God to show you how you can serve. And you'll see it builds the kingdom of God around you.
In the American Civil War a man called George in civilian clothes rode on horseback past soldiers repairing a barricade. Their Corporal was shouting instructions. The horseman asked why didn’t he help as well. "I am a corporal!" he answered. George got off his horse and helped the exhausted soldiers. The job done, George turned to the officer and said, "Corporal, next time you have a job like this and not enough men to do it, come to the commander-in-chief, the name's George Washington and I will come and help you again." With that, George got back on horse and rode off. George Washington had learned the truth in these words of Jesus: Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant. The young corporal had these words modelled to him from the man at the top.
The disciples, likewise, received from their leader this picture of servanthood. In time they began to imitate and follow their leader. Glorifying him in all things.
The good news is James and John got a chance to put this right. James was the first disciple tobee martyred for following, glorifying and serving Jesus. He was beheaded on the order of Herod Antipas (Acts 12:2)and John was exiled alone on Patmos. We follow that same Jesus, with us and in us, and we glorify him in worship and in serving others. Jesus must be the centre of it all. Amen
