Mark 10: 41-45 “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."
Has your boldness ever been offensive to anyone else? Verses 41-45 provide another insightful glimpse into the impact of our immaturity on one another. In the preceding verses James and John have boldly and presumptuously asked to be placed at the Lord’s right and left hand in eternity. With this request they have asked the Lord to elevate them above the other disciples. What follows in the reaction of the disciples is a clear picture of a common condition within the body of Christ; offense! How often the members of the body of Christ become offended when one among them begins to rise up in boldness and ask great things of God on a personal level. It is clear in the response of the disciples that they are all still struggling with the issue of forming their identity on a right foundation.
The offense of the disciples to the request of James and John exposes an underlying tension over the issues of prominence and position that existed within the hearts of many of the disciples. The request of James and John has created an undercurrent of indignation and division amongst the disciples and so Jesus calls them together to confront what has been exposed by this request. (Oh, how wonderful is the Lord’s ability to use our brokenness as His opportunity!)
Jesus begins to address the disciples by giving them an example of the negative within the context of leadership and unity. Jesus points to the leadership style of the Gentiles and their high officials as a model of bad behavior only to turn and say strongly “not so with you!” Once again demonstrating how He can address a multiplicity of issue from the context of one event Jesus now uses the request of the two as an opportunity to confront this root of competition and jealousy in the core of His leadership team.
Jesus effectively lays an entirely different foundation for the leadership style of His people. He completely shatters the paradigm for leadership and power that has been the foundation of the disciple’s lives and personal experience. “Do you want to be great, be the servant of all! Do you want to be first be a slave of everyone!” What a radical shift from what they had always seen and known. Serve one another in love!!!
Jesus has used one incident to confront multiple issues and much shaking is obviously working through the heart of His team as they face their wrong perspectives and the Holy Spirit convicts each one concerning their own need for change. As a capstone to this intense series of exchanges Jesus establishes the standard for them in a powerful way. Jesus points the disciples to the example of His own life and declares “even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." It is as if He is saying “watch me live it!” In this simple phrase Jesus establishes a new high watermark for the Christian life! Serve one another in love. Live sacrificially not selfishly! And with this one concept the world was changed!
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