Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign
[00:00:04] Speaker B: welcome to Hope for Today, a weekly Bible teaching program that will bring you hope for every day.
It's an honor to be with you and study the Word of God together. Thank you for being there and listening to this program which is produced by Herald of UM Hope. We are a small media ministry from central Pennsylvania, and we believe the best answers to life's hardest questions are all found in the Bible.
Do you remember when ten disciples were mad at James and John for asking to sit on the right and left of Jesus today? That is the story we're learning from. And our title is the Path to True Greatness.
I mean, really, don't all of us have dreams of being great?
We may not all have the same dreams, but most of us want to be great in some way.
Listen carefully as J. Mark gives us three steps to true greatness.
[00:01:05] Speaker A: You know as well as I do that adversity is a fact of life. We can't control it. What we can control is how we respond to adversity.
I remember a doctor friend who once told me, people tend to think that an easy life is a good life, but that's not true.
Without hardship and suffering, we would have little joy in life.
As we resume our study in Mark's Gospel, we've come to chapter 10, verses 32 to 45.
I've titled my teaching the Path to True Greatness. And indeed no one is greater than Jesus. So he becomes the model for our pursuit of greatness.
Listen now as I read the Word of God to us from Mark, chapter 10, beginning with verse 32.
Now they were on the road going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was going before them. And they were amazed.
And as they followed, they were afraid.
Then he took the 12 aside and began to tell them the things that would happen to him.
Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him to the Gentiles. And they will mock him and scourge him and spit on him and kill him.
And the third day he will rise again.
Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him, saying, teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask.
And he said to them, what do you want me to do for you?
And they said to him, grant us, uh, that we may sit one on your right hand and the other on your left in your glory.
But Jesus said to them, you do not know what you ask.
Are you able to drink the cup that I Drink and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with.
They said to him, we are able.
So Jesus said to them, you will indeed drink the cup that I drink. And with the baptism I am baptized with, you will be baptized.
But to sit on my right hand and on my left is not mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared.
And when the 10 heard it, they began to be greatly displeased with James and John.
But Jesus called them to himself and said to them, you know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles, lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.
Yet it shall not be so among you. But whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all.
For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many.
Jesus interaction with his disciples defines the necessary steps on the path to true greatness.
The first step on the path to true greatness is ascending into suffering.
Now, to ascend means to go up, to rise, to increase to higher levels or values or degrees.
Think about that in the context of suffering, because we generally view suffering as negative, as a lowering, as a devaluing.
But our text says that Jesus is going up to to Jerusalem. He was traveling from Jericho, which is 825ft below sea level, to Jerusalem, 2,500ft above sea level.
He was going up physically, but he was also going up spiritually to face his imminent suffering and death.
As the crowd of pilgrims walked along the road, Jesus walked ahead of them and ahead of the 12. He was alone.
Perhaps this signified his determination to embrace what lay before him in Jerusalem, because he would have to face that alone.
If we were going to our death, most of us would be dragging our feet with every step, but not Jesus.
He was prepared to obey the Father.
And when the crowd saw Jesus resolve, they were in awe. They were amazed.
After a while, Jesus took the 12 away from the crowd. And for the final time, he told them what was waiting in Jerusalem.
He had told them several times before, but Luke 18:34 tells us they understood none of these things.
I want you to notice how specific Jesus was. He said, we're going to Jerusalem, where the Son of Man will be handed over to Israel's spiritual leaders.
They will condemn him to death and deliver him to the hands of the Gentiles to be crucified.
They will mock him, spit on him, flog him almost to the point of death. And then they will kill him.
However, after three days, he will rise again.
You know, that wasn't what Jesus disciples wanted to hear. And we are so much like them. We want to avoid suffering at any cost.
And so I ask, are you willing to ascend into suffering as the first step toward greatness?
Without suffering, there is no growth or progress on this path to true greatness.
The next step on the path is correcting misunderstanding.
Immediately after Jesus talked about his coming death, James and John approached him with a request. They said, lord, give us whatever we ask for.
They tried to get Jesus to commit to their desires before they told him what they actually wanted.
They were looking for a grand Jewish world empire that would usher in the Messiah's kingdom.
Their dream just brushed aside all talk of Jesus death and resurrection. That was too pessimistic.
And Jesus asked them, he said, what do you want from me?
They said, give us the privileged positions in your kingdom. One on the right hand and one on the left.
What they were really asking for was to be second and third highest in the kingdom, right there next to Jesus.
Now, what do you think crossed their minds when Jesus said this?
You don't know what you're asking for.
Can you drink the cup that I drink and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?
What cup did Jesus have to drink? And hadn't he been baptized by John the Baptist?
Well, we know what the cup was, because in Mark 14:36, Jesus prayed, Abba, Father, all things are possible for you.
Take this cup away from me.
Nevertheless, not what I will, but what you will.
What about the baptism?
Baptism is a symbol of entering into death.
Entering the water pictures our death to self, and coming out of the water symbolizes resurrection with the Lord Jesus.
Both of these things are connected with death.
And without hesitation, James and John both said, we are able.
I believe ambition blinded their eyes. They had no clue what they were asking for.
And so Jesus responded, you will indeed drink the cup that I drink. And with the baptism I am baptized with, you will be baptized.
In other words, there will be no glory without the cross of suffering.
Jesus reminded them he didn't have the authority to assign positions in the kingdom.
Those would be given according to the sovereign choice of the Heavenly Father.
As this conversation develops, the other 10 are angry.
They may have felt that James and John had taken advantage of their biological relationship with Jesus.
Can you identify with the 10?
When you and I feel like someone is stealing our recognition, our position, or our rewards, we get angry too. We do that because we care more about what we want than what is best for us or for others.
And Jesus needs to correct our misunderstandings, just like he did that for James and John and the other disciples.
And then there's a final step on the path to true greatness. It is descending into serving.
You know, conflict among people in an organization should be a catalyst for teaching, for learning, for growing together.
And so Jesus calls the 12 to Himself. Hey, fellas, let's talk about this.
One thing I want you to notice is that Jesus didn't condemn their desire for greatness.
Colossians 3:23 tells us to do everything with our best effort and with sincere motives. We should all strive to be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
And so Jesus appeals to them based on what they know.
He said, you know that those considered as rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them and their great ones exercise authority over them.
Gentile leaders force those under their authority to obey them. But Jesus said, my kingdom doesn't operate that way.
You don't achieve greatness in my kingdom by forcing your will on other people and acting like a tyrant instead. To be the greatest, you must become the one who serves.
And Jesus wasn't finished. He went on to say, whoever of you desires to be first shall be the slave of all.
A slave is so devoted to another person and their goals that they willingly disregard their own interests.
And then Jesus said, if you want an example, look at me. I didn't come to be served, but to serve and to give my life as a ransom for many.
You and I are called to have that mindset as we serve Jesus and others.
And I am convinced that we can never do this in our own strength. It is a supernatural work of God.
And then further, Jesus said he came to give his life as a ransom for many.
The word ransom is commonly used in ancient writings to refer to the price paid for a slave who was then set free by the person who had bought him.
Think about it. You and I are slaves to sin, and we are powerless to free ourselves from its devastating grip.
Jesus went, as it were, to the slave market and purchased our, uh, redemption.
He gave his life as the price of freedom for the slaves of sin.
Jesus here rises to the full consciousness of the significance of his death for men.
And if you and I aspire to greatness, this is the path we must take.
Instead of running away from suffering, we must face it head on.
We can't escape adversity. We can only choose how we respond.
So I ask, will you ascend into suffering.
Are you willing to let Jesus correct your misunderstandings about greatness?
Can you set aside your preconceived ideas about what is typical for one who follows Christ?
Are you and I willing to descend into greatness?
By the grace of God and the enabling of the Holy Spirit, we can empty ourselves of, uh, pride and selfish ambition and become so devoted to Christ that we willingly disregard our interests in order to fulfill His.
What a high and lofty calling.
Will you join me on the path to true greatness?
[00:12:57] Speaker B: Did J. Mark's description of true greatness line up with your idea of what it means to be great? Did any of us imagine being a servant as actually being great? Not usually. Yet this is what Jesus is teaching. Greatness is not for a select few leaders.
Any one of us can be great. We just have to see things the Jesus way.
Do Jesus teaching on greatness surprise you?
What can you and I do today to be great the Jesus way?
We'd love to hear your thoughts on true greatness. Our email address is hopeheraldsofhope.org and our website is heraldsofhope.org There you will find Contact us under the Partner tab on the top right. Click that to message us directly. No matter if it's little or long, we are encouraged to hear from our listeners and we'd love to hear from you.
Today's lesson is a paradox. To be great, we must serve.
As I'm sure you noticed, many of Jesus teaching are like this. At first glance it seems opposite. It seems like it can't work. Yet the more we think about it and put it into practice, the more we realize he's right. The teachings of Jesus are life changing and we benefit from doing what he says.
We wish you God's best as you put his teaching into practice.
