Jesus’ Cup
Scripture
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.” (Mark 10:35-45).
Reflection
Have you ever underestimated the difficulty of a task you gave yourself? Maybe you signed up to bake a tall layer cake for someone’s birthday party at your church. It seemed like an easy enough task—quite literally, a piece of cake. But as the chocolate icing started to melt, you had trouble balancing the different layers and you realized this was harder than you thought. Or perhaps someone needed a hand at an outdoor event, and you volunteered to set up all the chairs, thinking to yourself, how hard can that be? But in the hot and humid summer weather, each row seemed to take longer and longer to set up. You came to see that you hadn’t really known what you signed up for.
Jesus had spoken of establishing God’s kingdom; despite all of his teaching, the disciples still thought he was speaking of a political empire, and James and John thought that they should have a position of status there, by Jesus’ side. They asked Jesus to grant their request. They had no idea what they were asking for—and when Jesus responded, asking if they could drink the cup he was drinking and be baptized with his baptism, their response showed that they also had no idea what they were promising either.
There was no rebuke in Jesus’ response to James and John, neither was there for the other ten disciples who were offended that James and John would conspire for places of honor. Instead, he called them together to teach them once more. He reminded them that, in the world, those in authority assume their prerogatives, but in God’s kingdom the higher one’s position, the greater their service should be, the more they should be looking to meet the needs of others. He would show them by example in his martyrdom; his death would serve as payment for the sins of many.
How quick are we to judge the disciples’ stupidity and arrogance? Are we never tempted by grand titles, by looking at the numbers in our church rather than its ministries to those in need? Are our prayers often concerned more about what we think we need rather than looking to God for what he is asking of us?
Prayer
King Jesus, thank you for the many ways that you modeled service and sacrifice. Please forgive me for the times I’ve pursued the desire to be served rather than to serve. Help me to walk in obedience and, in serving others, serve you well. Amen
2024 Lenten Journey
Adrian Brown