Sons
of Thunder Speak – Mark 10:32-45
Intro:
Mark 10:32-34
Let
us place ourselves among the disciples for a moment to take in the
Lord's statements. The disciples have spent around three years
following their Lord everywhere and now He is talking about His life
being taken from Him. How is this good news? Let us see what lessons
we can learn together...
Seeking
Honor v.35-37
The
right and left hand positions of a king were the most honorable seats
in the kingdom. Only the king's closest friends or family members
occupied these places.
-
the good: James & John (the sons of
thunder) have full faith that Jesus will establish His kingdom. They
want to make sure they get front row seats to His coming to power.
-
the bad: They picked a horrible time to
ask such a selfish question. The irony of their request is that these
“seats” were occupied by two thieves as Jesus died on the cross.
-
the lesson: We must learn to have
patience and accept things as they come to us during God's timing
instead of forcing the issues too quickly.
Serious
Situation v.38-41
Both
images of the cup & baptism were symbols of enduring suffering
and is certainly how Jesus uses them here. The cup of God's wrath
appears in Isaiah 51:17 among other places.
-
the good: James & John are willing to
do whatever it takes to follow Jesus and help Him establish His
kingdom! Jesus never denied them their seats of honor... He just said
that those seats “...belong to those for whom they have been
prepared.” (v.40 NIV)
-
the bad: Jesus clearly tells them they
must endure suffering (cup & baptism). Their request for honor
undoubtedly caused tension among the 12 apostles (see v.41). The
other 10 find themselves in no better of a condition since they
become angry at James & John's request.
-
the lesson: Sometimes our future is laid
out for us already... we just have to keep the faith and follow God's
plan for our lives.
Service
of the Saints v.42-45
We
are now at the section where Jesus drives home the lesson of the day.
Jesus has a wonderful quality about Himself that even when placed in
a bad situation He finds a way to preach the good news.
-
the good: Christ's kingdom does not work
like the kingdom of the Gentiles. They often abuse their position of
power when ruling over people. Jesus assures us this is not how He
will rule His kingdom. His kingdom will be ruled by those willing to
serve. The greatest news in this passage is that the Son of Man
Himself came to serve & to give His life as a ransom!
-
the bad: The only “bad” from these
verses is the fact of this difficult task Jesus leaves His disciples
with.
-
the lesson: Jesus clearly states how
things work in His kingdom... so that means that we should be living
that way right now!
Conclusion:
Who
can you best relate with from this passage of Scripture... the sons
of thunder... the other 10... the gentile kingdoms... or Jesus' way?
All too often we find our natural desires get in the way of following
Christ (on His time). Let us live a life that will strive to serve
others instead of demanding others to serve us. In order to be great
in Christ's kingdom this type of lifestyle is not a polite suggestion
but is the only way.
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