I want to share today from Mark.

Ive been studying Mark with my small group on Tuesday nights and I love it. Ive learned a lot about how to study a gospel. Lets look at Mark 10:35-45. Id like to especially focus on 43-45. Lets read it together. [35] And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up 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 do you want me to do for you? [37] And they said to him, Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory. [38] Jesus said to them, You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized? [39] And they said to him, We are able. And 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 grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared. [41] And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John. [42] And Jesus called them to him and said to them, You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. [43] But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, [44] and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. [45] For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. (Mark 10:35-45 ESV) Pray Today I would like to do three things for you. First, I would like to help you add to your Bible reading skills. I want to give you a few tools for your tool belt as you read the gospels. Second, Id like you to see first and foremost Jesus as the focus and aim of this message. Id like you to find rest in all that he has accomplished for you. Third, Id like to attempt to provide some application in light of this section of Scripture. Having read Mark 10:35-45 I want to show you a few things that are important to think about when reading a Gospel (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John). There are four helpful tools that I would like to mention. First, we need to know the authors purpose and intentions in writing. Sometimes we treat the Gospels as a window into the life of Jesus. That is helpful, but not entirely true. If youve spent time in your Bibles, youve probably noticed that Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are all unique.

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That is, though they all speak of Jesus, they do it in very different ways. It would be better to describe the Gospels as a stained-glass window. When we look through it we see Jesus through the perspective of the Gospel writer. Often times things get adjusted, quotes (which in the times of the New Testament werent so much about word for word accuracy, as they were about getting the main idea) dont always say the same exact thing. The authors are Gods inspired interpreters of history. Your goal shouldnt be to make them say the same thing, but to let each author speak in their unique way. If youve read the book of Mark, you may have noticed Mark doesnt write in chronological order. Sure he starts with Jesus baptism and ends with His resurrection, but in between the events are ordered based on Marks specific writing goals. For example, in Mark 4:355:43 Jesus calms a storm, heals a man with many demons, and heals a woman from bleeding which Mark sandwiches in the middle of an account of a girl being raised from the dead. Mark isnt putting these stories right next to each other because they all happened in order; wouldnt that be a crazy week? No, instead Mark is putting them there so that we would see that Jesus is the Son of God. That means when we read Mark, we need to be able to fill in the following statement, I, Mark have told you this account because ________. That brings me to the second tool for reading the Gospels wisely; each author of their gospel has an intended goal and purpose in writing. Mark, for example, tells us his; The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God (1:1). Mark wants us to know that he is writing about the good news of Jesus Christ, who is the Son of God. From beginning to end it is about Jesus, the Son of God. At his baptism in 1:11, God says, This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased. When Jesus reveals that He is God on the Mount of Transfiguration, a voice from heaven says, This is my beloved Son, listen to Him. Lastly, at the end of the book the Roman centurion says, Surely this man was the Son of God. From beginning to end, Mark is telling us about Jesus, the Son of God. So, if we head back to the stories found in Mark 4:35-5:43 we find out that Mark 2|Page

included those stories so we would see that Jesus, the Son of God, has power over nature, demons, sickness and even death. Knowing the authors main writing intention helps us to stay focused on the main point of Mark. I can remember an instance where my small group failed to do this. We were studying Mark 4 and there began a real discussion about whether the boat mentioned in 4:35 was the same boat from 3:9. I cant help but want to sayWho cares? Mark didnt make it a main point; this is not a book about the great nautical switch of the first century! We shouldnt get distracted by it. And yet, I too easily do the same thing. I get bogged down on side details and miss what Mark is primarily focused on. We need to know the authors purpose in writing. Third, we need to get to know the writers special characteristics. Each writer writes in ways that are unique to their personality. Mark, for example, likes to use irony, repetition, patterns of three, stories within stories, paradoxes (two things that seem contradictory but are not) and the word euthys (immediately). Again, it is a reminder that we are looking through a stained-glass window. We dont learn everything about Jesus, only what we need to know, in a way that suits the authors writing intentions. We want to let Mark tell us from his perspective, in his way. Lastly, we need to remember that we know the whole story. We need to put whatever section that we are reading in line with the storyline of the Bible. Mainly, we need to understand how the text fits with Gods gracious saving work in the life, death and resurrection of Christ. It is in the Gospels that we get a view of Jesus accomplishing Gods saving work and bringing the Kingdom of God. Sometimes we read the gospels hearing about Jesus, and yet we forget that Jesus has fulfilled all righteousness for us. We treat the Sermon on the Mount and Jesus teachings as some sort of manual on how to live a good life and be a good person. As good, Bible readers we want first and foremost to connect the section we are reading to the finished work of Christ.

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Now, lets look at Mark 10:35-45. Lets not forget, Marks main goal is to teach us about Jesus the Son of God. In the previous section (10:32-34) Jesus has explained to the disciples that he will go to Jerusalem to be crucified. This is the third time (remember, Mark likes sets of three) that Jesus has predicted his own death. After each one, there is a story about the disciples pride and spiritual immaturity. Notice again that Mark has structured it with purpose to help teach his readers. As we pick up here, the reader can begin to anticipate what will happen next. Mark has organized this so that we would say to ourselves, here we go again. James and John come running up to Jesus and they ask a question that weve all asked to someone at one time or another. They want Jesus to do whatever they ask of him. Essentially, theyre asking Jesus for a blank check without revealing their question (v.35). We do this all the time when we dont think someone will say yes to our request. Maybe even more sneaky is when we ask someone, What are you doing on a particular day. Were trying to trap them into admitting they have nothing, so that they will do what we request. Were all guilty of this, and know others have done it to us too. Jesus, refusing to give into their ridiculous request asks them what their question is, and they reveal their desire, Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory. They want to sit in seats of honor as Jesus reigns as King in Jerusalem. James and John, like Peter, have grasped that Jesus is the Messiah but have failed to grasp that the Messiah has not come to establish his Kingdom in Jerusalem. Instead, he has come to redeem his people and establish an eternal kingdom. They only have a partial understanding of who Jesus really is. Jesus responds by telling them that they do not understand what they are asking. You see, Jesus glory is the cross. It is here that his glory is hidden to unbelievers, but most clearly displayed to those in the kingdom of God. It is in Mark 15:39 as Jesus dies that the first human

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pronounces that Jesus is the Son of God. It is here that Jesus glory is seen. For James and John to ask to be on his right and left in glory is irony (another Markan writing trait). For those who know the end of the story, these two are asking to be crucified with Jesus. They want to be on his right and left in power, but to be on his right and left is to be crucified with him. Jesus responds by asking them if they are able to drink the cup that he drinks. Jesus will drink a cup of suffering, which is the cross according to Mark 14:36. The disciples will also share in suffering, though it is not the same suffering. The other disciples find themselves indignant that James and John would ask for such positions of power (v. 41). We see here that it is not just James and John who are selfish. The other ten disciples are concerned that they might lose out on a place of prominence. Jesus uses this opportunity to teach a paradox about true authority and power. (Show Observations) You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. The rulers of the ancient world were considered great because of their ability to conquer and dominate others. Thats what Jesus says in verse 42. Notice, though, how Jesus quickly contrasts the kingdoms of the world with the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God operates differently than the world. It shall not be so among you. Jesus compares being great with servanthood and being first with slavery. Hes increasing the intensity. Not just servant, but slave. Not just slave, but slave of all! In fact, in Mark 8:35 Jesus had already stated that to save your life you had to lose it and in Mark 9:35 Jesus had previously 5|Page

said that if anyone would be first, he must be last and a servant of all. These are examples of paradoxes. A paradox is something that appears to be self-contradicting or absurd. Notice that is exactly what Mark is doing. Doesnt this sound more normal: To truly live and be great you must be the ruler of all. A sign that you are the best is that others serve you. That is the exact opposite of what Jesus is saying. To be first and great you should be last and a slave to all. To truly live, you must die. What a wild concept. It is here that I could give you a really moralistic command. I could say things likewell, you better really work hard to be last. Next time you are in the lunch line, give up your place to the back. You better really serve. If you dont bring Mr. Thompson coffee in the morning, youre probably not being a very good Christian. You need to really make sure that you are a servant of all. Thats what a real believer would do. Now dont get me wrong, done rightly, those are good things (especially bringing me coffee). But you need to see the right motivation and point of the passage before I jump to personal application. Now I want to quickly remind you again. Mark writes primarily to help us to learn about Jesus, the Son of God. What does this section tell us? Using what we learned earlier; Mark wrote this so that we would know that Jesus, the Son of God is great because he became last. Jesus is the greatest of all because he was the greatest servant of all. Look at verse 45. For (the for indicates that this is the explanation that makes sense of the rest of the passage) even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. Why in the world would you ever consider being a servant of others? How could you ever find the motivation to not be first? If youre like me, you love to be first and the best. Its unnatural to want to be last. This is why you need to realize that this text is first and foremost fulfilled in Jesus. We need to see how this text fits in with the big picture of the Bible. It is only Jesus who was truly first, and yet 6|Page

willingly became last. It is only Jesus, though truly great became a servant of all in his life, death, and resurrection. And, amazingly, by faith in him we get his perfect performance. In fact, that is what verse 45 hints at. Look again; For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. This is substitution language. In his death, Jesus pays the price to set us free. He ransoms us by trading places with us. All that Jesus has done to be the perfect servant is ours when we trust Christ. Reminding ourselves of this gospel truth is where servant motivation begins. Not a call to do more, but a call of it is finished. The overwhelming joy and energy that comes from knowing that your servant ability doesnt determine your acceptance is one of the most freeing things that you can know. Only after that can you and I begin to feel free to serve others and not seek our own statuses. We are now free to serve and can rest in all those times that we fail to be servants, not because were doing enough on our own. Not even because were doing more than before. Only because Jesus has already done it all for us. Paul the apostle says it this way in Philippians 2:4-11: [4] Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. (How do we do this Paul?) [5] Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, [6] who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, [7] but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. [8] And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. [9] Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, [10] so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, [11] and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

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Paul wants you and me to clearly see that the desire to serve only comes after seeing Jesus as the true servant on our behalf. Furthermore, because Jesus was the truly obedient servant, He will be seen as greatest of all. Every knee will bow and tongue confess that Jesus is Lord. Only when we see that Jesus, the Son of God, became a servant for us so that he might give himself as a ransom for us; only then will we ever consider becoming less and serving others. Having all our status in Christ frees us to no longer seek our own personal gains, because we already have everything. Now we can, for the first time, humbly serve others. So then, what is the application? Here are four possible applications. 1. Mark wants us to know that the Son of God is great because he came to serve in the greatest way, by giving his life as a ransom for many (10:45). The first application for us is a reminder that we daily fail at serving others. We dont serve well enough. Speaking for myself; I am often lazy, Im self seeking, and I miss out on opportunities regularly to serve. Is this true of you too? If so, there is good news for you Heritage, Jesus has done all things well (7:37). Praise God that Jesus the Son of God has served perfectly in our place. 2. Freedom. You dont have to do everything. In fact, you dont have do anything. Can I really say that? Absolutely. The more gripped you are by how radical grace is, the more youll find your heart desirous of serving out of genuine appreciation. Grace is radical and sounds too good to be true. The Lord has been fully satisfied in Jesus. As a result, the Lord no longer requires that you meet the demands of perfection; He is pleased with whatever ways you honorably serve. 3. Rest. You dont have to fear failure. In your attempts to serve others, when it doesnt work as planned or turn out perfect you can remind yourself that your hope is not in your

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performance, but Jesus performance for you. Your identity isnt based on how well you serve, but on Jesus the true servant. 4. Excitement. Rest and excitement together? Maybe this is a paradox too! As you find rest in all that Jesus has done you will find yourself with more and more energy to do good. Dwell on all the Jesus has done, and then go and serve others in many different ways. Help meet others needs whether it be in schoolwork, athletics, social life, or wherever you are. Get involved at church, help around your house more and with your family, or maybe get involved with a ministry and go out and serve others that you dont even know. Be identified as servants, because Christ, the greatest servant has already fulfilled true servanthood for you! As you continue to read your Bibles, I hope these tools help. Most importantly, do not forget to first and foremost connect whatever you read back to the finished work of Christ. Only then can you find true, gospel obedience. Thank you.

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