Citygate Church

About this series:

Throughout 2023 all our teaching series will be looking at The Kingdom Of God. The essential goal is to help people understand the Bible’s teaching on the kingdom of God and raise confidence in God’s plans for his kingdom’s expansion / multiplication.

Our first series on the kingdom starts with an introduction to the king and his kingdom and then develops that biblical theme from the establishing of God's kingdom in creation to his choosing of a special people who would be set apart for him, how God's kingdom clashes with that of the world and the choices we therefore have to make, how we're to be a blessing while we live in the world but not of it, the promise of a coming anointed king bringing to reality the rule of God in / through the life of his people, the coming of the kingdom in a new way in Jesus as promised in the OT, what Jesus expected life in the kingdom of God to look like, what Jesus taught about the kingdom in parables, how the church relates to the kingdom and the future kingdom.

Preaching about The Kingdom Of God is a great way to address life as a church community - this is how life together under God’s reign should look like. And to address our lives in the world - demonstrating to those in our sphere of influence the reality of God and what life looks like when God is your king.

About this talk:

Scripture: Genesis 1&2

While much in the early chapters of Genesis is debated, certain things are agreed: that God is creator; that his acts in creation were intentional and ordered; that mankind is the pinnacle of his creation; that the world inhabited by Adam and Eve was beautiful and untouched by sin and that they had the perfect opportunity to enjoy unhindered fellowship with God, with each other and nature.

Adam and Eve were also mandated with the task of ruling the physical creation for God. There is a clear connection in Genesis 1:26 between being made in God’s image and ruling over creation, which the NIV translation brings out: “Then God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over…’”

In regard to our rule over creation on God’s behalf, John Stott helpfully says, ‘We are only tenants; God himself remains...the “landlord.”’ And though that mandate to rule for God and witness to the King has been tainted and spoiled by sin, it has never been withdrawn, our ‘tenant’ responsibilities remain:

- After the flood, God reiterates his commission to, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth” (Genesis 9:1), establishing his covenant, “between me and you (Noah) and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come” (Genesis 9:12).

- Through Abraham God would bless all nations (Genesis 12:2-3).

- This promise and covenant is repeated again in Genesis (15:4-5; 22:17-18; 26:3-5).

But the mandate is more than to rule for God, it’s to express his rule through mankind. Adam and Eve were called to rule for him like him and in that way to enjoy the blessings of his rule and to show to all the world the greatness of God. This mandate affected every single area of life where God had delegated responsibility to Adam and Eve - ruling over the created world for him like him.

Application ideas:

- What might life in the Garden of Eden have been like in terms of enjoying the presence / reign of God?

- What are some of the limits of the kingdom mandate and what aspects of it do we retain to this day?

- What does some of this look like for you in your time and place?

About this series:

Throughout 2023 all our teaching series will be looking at The Kingdom Of God. The essential goal is to help people understand the Bible’s teaching on the kingdom of God and raise confidence in God’s plans for his kingdom’s expansion / multiplication.

Our first series on the kingdom starts with an introduction to the king and his kingdom and then develops that biblical theme from the establishing of God's kingdom in creation to his choosing of a special people who would be set apart for him, how God's kingdom clashes with that of the world and the choices we therefore have to make, how we're to be a blessing while we live in the world but not of it, the promise of a coming anointed king bringing to reality the rule of God in / through the life of his people, the coming of the kingdom in a new way in Jesus as promised in the OT, what Jesus expected life in the kingdom of God to look like, what Jesus taught about the kingdom in parables, how the church relates to the kingdom and the future kingdom.

Preaching about The Kingdom Of God is a great way to address life as a church community - this is how life together under God’s reign should look like. And to address our lives in the world - demonstrating to those in our sphere of influence the reality of God and what life looks like when God is your king.

About this talk:

Matthew 4:23

There has been much debate about whether the Bible has a single, unifying theme. Vaughan Roberts argues that the kingdom of God is that theme: ‘Any unifying theme that is used to help us to see how the Bible fits together must arise out of Scripture itself, rather than being imposed upon it; and it must be broad enough to allow each part to make its own distinct contribution. The theme of the kingdom of God satisfies both requirements.’

Graham Goldsworthy agrees: ‘the Bible speaks of the reality of the kingdom as its central issue. Other perspectives are simply that: other perspectives on the kingdom of God…The kingdom, then, functions as a hermeneutical grid for the whole of Scripture.’

It can be argued then, that the Bible’s message finds its focus in the kingdom of God - both as a present reality and a future prospect. God is king, he is actively reigning and he is redeeming a people from all nations who recognise his kingship in preparation for the day when everything will be perfectly submitted to him.

The Old Testament repeatedly makes it clear that God is king: “The Lord is King for ever and ever” (Psalm 10:16), “For the Lord Most High is awesome, the great King over all the earth” (Psalm 47:2), “Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations” (Psalm 145:13).

He calls his people to live under his reign, according to his word and as a witness to the nations. This is good news to all who are called to belong to him. Jesus then comes announcing, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near,” and Matthew then records that Jesus, “went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and illness among the people” (Matthew 4:17, 23).

The announcement of good news is that Jesus has come to bring what was promised into being. To be in God’s kingdom is to acknowledge his divine rule, to submit to his rule and to enjoy the blessings of his rule. This is the salvation Jesus came to bring. Salvation is often defined too narrowly, as the forgiveness of sins so we can go to heaven. Rather, the NT uses a range of terms to describe what God has done for us in Jesus, all of which is to bring us into his kingdom, enjoying his reign.

With all the competing agendas and concerns of life, it is this we are to seek above all else. As Jesus said, “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33).

Application:

- We show how this good news announcement of the kingdom is the central message of the Bible?

- We warn against a too narrow view of salvation, but one that encompasses the idea of being saved into the kingdom of God.

- What would it look like for God to reign in every area of our lives and our church?

About this talk:

This year we want to cultivate more of a kingdom mentality to ‘making disciples’ and impacting our community. God’s kingdom at heart is about the enlargement, spread and multiplication of God’s rule and reign (Luke 13:18-21). We are at the point where we need to multiply every aspect of church life in order to be able to hold the mighty harvest we are believing God is leading us into. 

This means creating and having a multiplication mindset so that we can multiply elders, leaders, disciples, life groups, ministries and congregations! Equipping and releasing will become the norm as an entire army of disciples rise up and step into the challenge, with the gifts he has given us being utilised to the full - all for his glory!

Of course a vital component to seeing God’s kingdom multiply, and us to playing our part, is continuing to abide in the king of this kingdom. Being with Jesus, hearing him, being obedient to him and helping others to do the same are all essential! Personal and corporate prayer are keys to this to underpin and fuel our desire to see his kingdom come, every day across the bay.

About this series:

The plan for Christmas 2022 is to look at the famous passage in Isaiah 9 where the prophet speaks of the child who will be born as a result of God’s promise. Through the gift of this son, the people who are in darkness will experience the dawning of light (vs 1-5), will have God himself manifest among them (v 6), and will begin to enjoy his reign (v 7).

About this talk:

Isaiah 9:1-7

250 children are born every minute! Each one is special in the eyes of their parents. So what was it that made this one extra special?

This is Jesus. He came into the world at the first Christmas. He came as a counsellor for the broken, a father for the fatherless and peace for the anxious. He was born to die for every generation. He came to save us from judgement and to offer life and love with God forever.

To us a child was born. He continues to live - and so can we.

About this series:

The plan for Christmas 2022 is to look at the famous passage in Isaiah 9 where the prophet speaks of the child who will be born as a result of God’s promise. Through the gift of this son, the people who are in darkness will experience the dawning of light (vs 1-5), will have God himself manifest among them (v 6), and will begin to enjoy his reign (v 7).

About this talk:

Isaiah 9:1-5

“Nevertheless” (v 1), connects what he’s about to say with what has just been saying. So, after mention of, “darkness and fearful gloom” in 8 v 22, Isaiah announces, “Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress” and then proceeds to explain what that will look like. He describes a light that will dawn upon them (v 2) and the joy and victory that will be theirs (vs 3-5). All of which are themes the New Testament picks up in reference to Jesus.

About this series:

In this 10-part series we look to show how counter-cultural Jesus is, and to give confidence that he will help those who follow him to do likewise.

Jesus was God-in-flesh. He was (and is) the purest, most loving and truth-filled human being the world has ever known. And yet what he taught, how he lived and the kingdom he inaugurated directly confronted the human culture in which he spent his years on earth. He was truly counter-cultural. And he is no less counter-cultural in every part of the world today.

To follow Jesus is to embark on a lifelong journey of counter-cultural transformation in which we can expect that being a disciple will lead us towards challenge, temptation and costly decisions at every turn. It’s to this that he calls every single person who follows him. 

It’s a lifestyle:

- That requires obedience to him above all else.

- That will lead us into conflict with the world, the flesh and the devil.

- That witnesses to the world of his greatness.

The goal of the first series this year - Just Jesus - was to spend time specifically focussed on the person and work of Jesus. And the goal this time is again to look at Jesus - how he was (and is) counter-cultural. So we’ll be speaking about Jesus - showing how his teaching and actions were counter-cultural in his day and then applying it to our day. We’ll be asking how we submit to his words and live like him in a world where his values are so dramatically opposed to the values of our culture.

About this talk:

Matthew 8:1-4, 5-13, 28-34

Matthew 8 immediately follows the Sermon on the mount along with Jesus highlighting the cost of following him. This chapter shows Jesus having authority over sickness, over nature and over demonic powers. Chapter 7 finished with, “the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law” and now he is seen to have wide ranging authority in his actions of power too. All three of these actions are things Jews knew only God could perform, so Jesus is doing more than performing miracles - he’s also disclosing who he is as the Son of God.

Central to these miraculous actions in chapter 8 is his compassion for those who are suffering. Jesus is often recorded by the gospel writers as having compassion. For example in Matthew’s gospel:

- 9:36: “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”

- 14:14: “When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed those who were ill.”

- 20:34: “Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.”

In each case the word translated “compassion” means ‘to be moved in the inward parts,’ just as we might say today, ‘his heart goes out to her.’ And in each case, Jesus not only feels for people, he does something for them. As we see frequently in the gospels, and here in Matthew 8, Jesus seems to especially have compassion for those who were outcast, marginalised. So here we see Jesus:

- vs 1-4: healing a man with a disease that made him a social and religious outcast, touching him in the process.

- vs 5-13: healing the servant of a Gentile, an officer in the occupying force.

- vs 28-34: healing two demon-possessed men, who were living in tombs, where others had tried to chain them many times (see the parallel passage in Mark 5:1-17).

In Jesus’ day:

Church historian Philip Schaff says, ‘The old Roman world was a world without charity.’ And William Lecky, an Irish politician and writer, in the 19th century commented: ‘The active, habitual, and detailed charity of private persons, which is such a conspicuous feature in all Christian societies, was scarcely known in antiquity.’ Compassion wasn’t much known in the ancient world. 

Judaism certainly held the concept of compassion to be a good one, as it reflected what the Scriptures taught about God. Because he was compassionate toward people, they should be too. However, that didn’t extend into practice too widely - the outcasts were still left out, the unclean were still kept at a distance and Gentiles were to be avoided.

In our day:

There is a sense in which compassion has gained some credibility in our day. From crowdfunding platforms to regular appeals for those who are suffering, including for example, in the UK, the annual Red Nose Day, raising money for good causes has become a positive part of modern life. And yet compassion is lacking in so many other areas: how the homeless are regarded and treated; how people express criticism and judgement in online platforms; how little care is given to neighbours in our individualistic society; how the unborn and elderly are often regarded.

Because every person is created in the image of God and because of God’s compassionate love for us, the challenge is to reflect this in our daily interactions with both friends and strangers.

About this series:

In this 10-part series we look to show how counter-cultural Jesus is, and to give confidence that he will help those who follow him to do likewise.

Jesus was God-in-flesh. He was (and is) the purest, most loving and truth-filled human being the world has ever known. And yet what he taught, how he lived and the kingdom he inaugurated directly confronted the human culture in which he spent his years on earth. He was truly counter-cultural. And he is no less counter-cultural in every part of the world today.

To follow Jesus is to embark on a lifelong journey of counter-cultural transformation in which we can expect that being a disciple will lead us towards challenge, temptation and costly decisions at every turn. It’s to this that he calls every single person who follows him. 

It’s a lifestyle:

- That requires obedience to him above all else.

- That will lead us into conflict with the world, the flesh and the devil.

- That witnesses to the world of his greatness.

The goal of the first series this year - Just Jesus - was to spend time specifically focussed on the person and work of Jesus. And the goal this time is again to look at Jesus - how he was (and is) counter-cultural. So we’ll be speaking about Jesus - showing how his teaching and actions were counter-cultural in his day and then applying it to our day. We’ll be asking how we submit to his words and live like him in a world where his values are so dramatically opposed to the values of our culture.

About this talk:

Matthew 7:24-29; cf Matt 16:13-17

The Jews were monotheists - they believed there was only one God. Christianity, arising from Jewish roots, is also a monotheistic faith. Which means that in both Jesus’ day and our day, what he stood for and taught clashed head-on with much of the surrounding culture. 

At so many points Jesus was unequivocal on the matter of his identity, that he was the full and final revelation from God and that faith in him alone was required. For example, just in Matthew’s gospel: 

- Matthew 7: it is only by building our lives on his teaching that we will stand.

- Matthew 9:2-8: he forgives sins, something everyone knew only God could do.

- Matthew 12:2-8: he is Lord of the Sabbath, equating himself with God who established the Sabbath.

- Matthew 8:23-27 & 14:22-32: acts that Jews would associate with God who alone is in control of the wind and waves. 

- Matthew 24:30 & 26:64: quoting a familiar Messianic passage and attributing it to himself. 

The challenge of this to every culture in every time is that exclusivity is not a popular message. For anyone to claim the truth, rather than just a part of the truth or a version of the truth is deeply uncomfortable. The more tolerant, palatable version of these things is often pictured as a mountain or an elephant:

- Mountain: different belief systems are the various routes up a mountain, all of which reach the same goal, the summit.

- Elephant: each faith is represented by a blind man, all of whom are interpreting the part of the elephant they can feel. 

The inconsistencies of such views are obvious, as is their own exclusivity (their view of things is said to be the truth). Yet they represent the way the majority of the world has seen - and sees - things. 

In Jesus’ day

There were no atheists in the ancient world. In the Old Testament, Abraham was called out from a polytheistic world and monotheistic Israel lived as neighbours of many polytheistic nations. In the New Testament the Romans and Greeks had many gods, each responsible for different aspects of life and the natural world. While Caesar claimed primary allegiance, any number of gods could be worshipped and sacrificed to as well. 

Into this world Jesus’ message of primacy and exclusivity was very jarring - both to the Jews, most of whom could not believe he was God-in-flesh, and to the pagans, for whom his call was to give up their other gods.

In our day

Today, exclusive beliefs are seen as bigotted, narrow-minded and arrogant. And yet, every belief system is by necessity exclusive - even those who claim to be completely inclusive, such as the Bahai’i faith, exclude anyone who doesn’t accept their position. So, given that Jesus was so clear about his identity and that trust in him alone is the way to salvation, the big question is whether the Bible’s record of his life and teaching is credible - which is a whole other subject. 

While tolerance is the order of the modern day, Christians can show a confidence in their beliefs that is clothed with humility and compassion. It is entirely possible to listen openly, to respectfully disagree and to befriend people of other faiths without any hint of arrogance or judgmentalism. Sadly, the world has not seen enough of that in the church.

About this series:

In this 10-part series we look to show how counter-cultural Jesus is, and to give confidence that he will help those who follow him to do likewise.

Jesus was God-in-flesh. He was (and is) the purest, most loving and truth-filled human being the world has ever known. And yet what he taught, how he lived and the kingdom he inaugurated directly confronted the human culture in which he spent his years on earth. He was truly counter-cultural. And he is no less counter-cultural in every part of the world today.

To follow Jesus is to embark on a lifelong journey of counter-cultural transformation in which we can expect that being a disciple will lead us towards challenge, temptation and costly decisions at every turn. It’s to this that he calls every single person who follows him. 

It’s a lifestyle:

- That requires obedience to him above all else.

- That will lead us into conflict with the world, the flesh and the devil.

- That witnesses to the world of his greatness.

The goal of the first series this year - Just Jesus - was to spend time specifically focussed on the person and work of Jesus. And the goal this time is again to look at Jesus - how he was (and is) counter-cultural. So we’ll be speaking about Jesus - showing how his teaching and actions were counter-cultural in his day and then applying it to our day. We’ll be asking how we submit to his words and live like him in a world where his values are so dramatically opposed to the values of our culture.

About this talk:

Matthew 6:1-18

Craig Blomberg: ‘The vast majority of Jews in Israel were not aligned with any special group…The special groups probably comprise no more than five percent of the population.’ But that five percent - the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the Essenes and the Zealots - feature disproportionately in the gospels because it was they who were the religious authorities with whom Jesus clashed.

So when he calls out these hypocrites in Matthew 6 he is quite likely referring to the religious elites, especially as it was they who set the religious tone of that day. And what he highlights is their motive for performing these three acts - “to be honoured by others”; “to be seen by others”; and “to show others”. Well, they’ve chosen their audience and their only reward will be from that audience. It is interesting that rather than dismissing the abused practices of Matthew 6:1-18 he reinforces a right use of them. Jesus says that your Father will reward you when you give, pray and fast without announcement but with humility and faith.

In addition, the religious leaders in Judaism invented all manner of minor commands to ensure people didn’t come close to breaking the major commands. And here Jesus tackles those who abuse good, God-commanded practices - giving to the needy, prayer and fasting - to promote their self-image and standing in the religious community. This is what hypocrites - those who present a false impression of who they really are - commonly do. And Jesus will have none of it, instead frequently commending those who come to God humbly and who know their need for mercy.

While the New Testament uses the term ‘religion’ positively, what is meant in this title - Jesus on Religion - are those man-made practices that attempt to control people’s way of relating with God that has nothing to do with the heart of his commands.

In Jesus’ day

Many of the Jews Jesus clashed with were, in many ways, pious, God-fearing and seeking to be obedient. But their approach to God descended into a performance-based religion. Obeying laws while missing the intent of them; obeying the minor laws at the expense of the greater ones; maintaining purity while lacking love and compassion for the unclean; being one thing externally but another internally.

In our day

The instinct to trust our own work rather than Jesus’ work is alive and well today in the many religions of the world. Every other belief system is based, one way or another, on reassuring the person that their ‘good works’ will bring them favour. And sadly, such thinking is not uncommon in the church too. The counter-cultural way of Jesus, in stark contrast, says that the only way to receive his favour is to humbly admit our poverty, nakedness and utter lack of credentials.

The church is at her best and shines most brightly in an instinctively religious world, when she remembers that Jesus offers grace to those who recognise their need of him rather than in their ability to please him. ‘Christianity is the unreligion. It turns all our religious instincts on their head’ (Dane Ortlund).

About this series:

In this 10-part series we look to show how counter-cultural Jesus is, and to give confidence that he will help those who follow him to do likewise.

Jesus was God-in-flesh. He was (and is) the purest, most loving and truth-filled human being the world has ever known. And yet what he taught, how he lived and the kingdom he inaugurated directly confronted the human culture in which he spent his years on earth. He was truly counter-cultural. And he is no less counter-cultural in every part of the world today.

To follow Jesus is to embark on a lifelong journey of counter-cultural transformation in which we can expect that being a disciple will lead us towards challenge, temptation and costly decisions at every turn. It’s to this that he calls every single person who follows him. 

It’s a lifestyle:

- That requires obedience to him above all else.

- That will lead us into conflict with the world, the flesh and the devil.

- That witnesses to the world of his greatness.

The goal of the first series this year - Just Jesus - was to spend time specifically focussed on the person and work of Jesus. And the goal this time is again to look at Jesus - how he was (and is) counter-cultural. So we’ll be speaking about Jesus - showing how his teaching and actions were counter-cultural in his day and then applying it to our day. We’ll be asking how we submit to his words and live like him in a world where his values are so dramatically opposed to the values of our culture.

About this talk:

Matthew 5:38-48; cf. Luke 6:27-36

Jesus turns so many expectations upside down. In his kingdom that even extends to how we relate to those who cause us people tremendous trouble. In v 38 he quotes the Old Testament command, “Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth,” which was given to ensure proportionate, rather than indiscriminate, punishment - in other words, a punishment should fit the crime, not exceed it through anger and vengeance. Jesus upends that principle with a call to his disciples to allow the person who mistreats them to make further requests and even dish out further mistreatment - it doesn’t get much more counter-cultural than that!

In v 43 he quotes another Old Testament command - “Love your neighbour” - and adds something commonly believed but not based in Scripture - “hate your enemy.” Instead, he calls his disciples to, “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

But how difficult it is to have such an attitude! Our natural response is to want to get equal, to seek pay back for the offender - “eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.” All of which tells us that to love our enemies will only be possible if there is a super-natural power available to us - which is part of the wider message of the Sermon on the Mount, along with the fact that because we are incapable of being all that Jesus taught, we need one (Jesus) who has lived for us the righteous life that God requires.

 

The reasons Jesus gives for this counter-cultural attitude of love instead of hate are:

i) v 45: “that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” If your Father treats all people with grace, so should you. Hence, he adds, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

ii) vs 46-47: “If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?” His kingdom is a sacrificial, gracious one and his people must therefore do more than simply love those who love them.

iii) Plus the implicit example of Jesus himself who loved his enemies (see Romans 5:10; Colossians 1:21). 

 

In Jesus’ day:

Keeping a distance from those who were not like you was a basic part of life for the privileged. The famous prayer of a pious Jew - “Blessed are you O God, King of the Universe, who has not made me a Gentile, a slave or a woman” - highlights the contempt with which male Jews viewed others in God’s creation. 

In our day:

We live in a very judgmental age. For all the talk of tolerance, critical attitudes seem to be more abundant than ever, especially through the channel of social media. Every detail of the lives of public figures are scrutinised in great detail; popular news reports about politicians, sports stars and celebrities are filled with gossip; the average person feels increasingly emboldened to publish their judgements from the distance of their online accounts. 

So what a contrast the counter-cultural people of God can be. To love instead of hate; to welcome those who are not like us and who disagree with us; to “be merciful, just as your Father is merciful” seeking, by the power of the Spirit, to respond graciously even when we are criticised and mistreated.

About this series:

In this 10-part series we look to show how counter-cultural Jesus is, and to give confidence that he will help those who follow him to do likewise.

Jesus was God-in-flesh. He was (and is) the purest, most loving and truth-filled human being the world has ever known. And yet what he taught, how he lived and the kingdom he inaugurated directly confronted the human culture in which he spent his years on earth. He was truly counter-cultural. And he is no less counter-cultural in every part of the world today.

To follow Jesus is to embark on a lifelong journey of counter-cultural transformation in which we can expect that being a disciple will lead us towards challenge, temptation and costly decisions at every turn. It’s to this that he calls every single person who follows him. 

It’s a lifestyle:

- That requires obedience to him above all else.

- That will lead us into conflict with the world, the flesh and the devil.

- That witnesses to the world of his greatness.

The goal of the first series this year - Just Jesus - was to spend time specifically focussed on the person and work of Jesus. And the goal this time is again to look at Jesus - how he was (and is) counter-cultural. So we’ll be speaking about Jesus - showing how his teaching and actions were counter-cultural in his day and then applying it to our day. We’ll be asking how we submit to his words and live like him in a world where his values are so dramatically opposed to the values of our culture.

About this talk:

Matthew 20:20-28

While there are some remarkable exceptions, there’s something in the human condition that wants to be served, appreciated, recognised. Having just said to his disciples that he would be “delivered over,” “condemn[ed] to death,” “mocked and flogged and crucified”, James and John come to Jesus with their mother who asks an audacious and ill-thought-out question because she wants them to be served, appreciated and recognised: “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.” 

In one sense, they could be praised for the faith they have in him - they clearly believe that Jesus was going to be a king of some sort. In their thinking presumably that would be a renewed kingdom of Israel, based in Jerusalem (cf. Acts 1:6). But they’ve completely misunderstood the nature of Jesus the king and of the kingdom Jesus is inaugurating. His reply - “You don’t know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?” - is met with more confidence, “Yes we can,” which simply serves to underline their lack of understanding.

Not surprisingly, the other disciples are indignant with James and John, but that only betrays the fact that they were not so dissimilar. Jesus uses this as the perfect teaching opportunity: “You’ve seen how the Gentile rulers and high officials make the most of their position; well, I do it differently. I measure greatness through service; things are reversed in this kingdom. And you know that has to be the way, because that’s how I, the king in this kingdom, live and die.” 

In Jesus’ day:

Status, power and a good reputation were of great importance to the religious elites of Jesus’ day. It wasn’t only the rulers of the Gentiles and their high officials who loved to exercise their positions of influence for selfish reasons; the Jewish leaders were guilty of the same and Jesus had strong words for them too.

In the background were many Old Testament instances of power being misused and abused. One might think of David using his position to seduce Bathsheeba, Solomon breaking God’s command and gaining 700 wives and 300 concubines or the many kings of Israel and Judah who led the people astray, using their power for their own shortsighted benefit.

In our day:

‘Power corrupts; and absolute power corrupts absolutely.’ It remains as difficult today as it ever has to use power with humility, to use position and influence for the benefit of others. Whether it’s politicians, business leaders, church leaders or any other person of influence, the challenge to serve rather than be served continues. Power may be a dangerous thing, but Jesus shows a way of using it selflessly, setting the pattern for us, as is clear from his words in Matthew 20. 

To a world who sees everyone, including the church, being out to get something for their own benefit, our challenge is to use our wealth, possessions, time and talents for the benefit of others. If we could practise what Peter instructs - to “use whatever gift you have received to serve others” - it would have an immense impact on the people around us and demonstrate that the counter-cultural life in God’s kingdom is one of using our advantages to benefit others and where greatness is redefined as servanthood.