Not So with You

Our passage from Mark 10 is stunning. The audacity of James and John (Matthew’s Gospel has their momma asking for this favor) to request being seated at the right and left hand in your (wink, wink) glory. They were after their OWN glory, not the glory of Jesus. We hear Jesus’ gentle rebuke, but I would have loved to have seen His expression (exasperation?) when they popped the question. It didn’t go over well when the other disciples heard of the request (“indignant,” is the word). They were probably upset because they hadn’t thought of it first. They all wanted to run their own play and call their own number. Jesus had to get His team back together. His punchline is that He didn’t come to be served but to give His life away. Our natural bias is to organize life so we can be comfortable. We like to come first. We prefer the kingdom of self. Jesus ushered in a new kingdom—the kingdom of God. Let’s not throw rocks: We are all building our own kingdoms until we turn to the kingdom of God. Jesus spoke more about the kingdom of God then he did about anything else (money was his second favorite topic). Some of us are more scripted into service and helping than others. Some of us are givers and some are takers. Regardless of our natural disposition, we are all called to serve and to do it in the spirit of Jesus. He served with confident humility.

- Pastor Tom Harrison