Jesus Again Predicts His Death
32They were on their way up to Jerusalem, with Jesus leading the way, and the disciples were astonished, while those who followed were afraid. Again he took the Twelve aside and told them what was going to happen to him. 33"We are going up to Jerusalem," he said, "and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles, 34who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise."
The Request of James and John
35Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. "Teacher," they said, "we want you to do for us whatever we ask."
36"What do you want me to do for you?" he asked.
37They replied, "Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory."
38"You don't know what you are asking," Jesus said. "Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?"
39"We can," they answered. Jesus said to them, "You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, 40but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared."
41When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. 42Jesus called them together and said, "You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 43Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 44and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. 45For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
BACKGROUND READING:
Isaiah 51:17-23
Jeremiah 25:15-38
Dig Deeper
This is the third time now that Jesus has warned his disciples of his coming fate in Jerusalem. Whatever else his vocation may include, it is clear that Jesus fully realizes that his own death is part of it. In repeating Jesus’ warnings about his death, warnings that the disciples still don’t grasp because they think Jesus is speaking in code, Mark is doing at least three things that will become more and more clear as his gospel unfolds.
The first is Jesus’ firm belief that he is to become the suffering servant of Isaiah 40-55. His mission as Messiah will involve dying at the hands of his enemies in the city of Jerusalem, the very city that should be embracing him as king.
The second thing is that Jesus was determined to speak plainly and openly about his death, and continue to march straight towards it. This might shock us, but it is no more shocking than it was for his disciples. They were frightened and confused by what he was doing. A proper understanding of all this, however, should end the ministries of those who attempt to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ without making the Cross the central aspect of his mission. The point of Jesus’ ministry was not about healing, happiness, or fulfillment. The point was about the kingdom of God bursting into the present age, an event that could only happen because of Jesus’ brutal death, the very thing that many today would like to forget or ignore.
The third thing that Mark wants us to begin to see is the far-reaching implications of Jesus’ vocation. Many that do acknowledge the Cross, want to relegate it to a personal level, where it has deep meaning, but has virtually no effect on the rest of life. This is precisely the point that the next passage will address. James and John clearly see this trip to Jerusalem as a march to glory. All of this talk about death and suffering, they assume, must mean that things will be tough but they will come out on top. The Cross, though, is not a difficult thing that must be gotten through so that the happy ending can come. It is the point. It is precisely the way that God is dealing with the world’s power and authority and standing it on its head, turning it inside out.
One of Mark’s primary statements about the Cross is a political statement. It is isn’t just about God forgiving sins, although that is central to the Cross. This is the way that God is putting his fallen world to rights, and that means that it is a direct challenge to all rulers, authorities, and powers throughout the world. It challenges and undermines all human systems and governments that make claims to be able to set things to rights. The point that James and John missed is the same point that so many today still miss: The Cross and the kingdom repudiate all attempts at human pride and glory. They turn it upside down in a way that carries dangerous political meanings for those who would embrace them.
James and John have other visions of the kingdom in mind. When Jesus asks them, what do you want me to do for you, (a phrase that will be stressed in the next passage) they want to be glorified in his kingdom. When Jesus asks them about the cup, he is referring to the cup of God’s wrath that is about to be poured out on him. God’s wrath was what happened when he poured out his judgment on the wicked; Jesus would take the full brunt of that judgment. His reference to baptism here, probably refers to his coming death; going beneath the waters of death, but soon to be raised up. This is precisely how the early church saw their own baptism (Romans 6:1-4).
James and John wanted to sit at Jesus’ left and right when he came into his glory. What they didn’t understand was that those places had already been determined. Following Jesus didn’t mean glory, it meant that they would eventually drink from the cup and participate in the same baptism of death that Jesus did, but now right now. But what about his right and left? Was he referring to places in heaven? Absolutely not; the answer to the question lies in realizing when Jesus came into his glory. He did it on the cross and the places to his right and left had already been prepared for two other men. He was not going to come into glory in a manner that they had imagined.
Again, Jesus tries to stress to them that they need to change their thinking about the kingdom. It is not about status and glory. It is about turning all of those ideas upside down.
Devotional Thought
Following Jesus means turning all the world’s concepts of power and glory on their head. It means being a servant in the kingdom of God. Have you let go of the world’s values or do yo still cling to them? Is your life about serving others for God’s glory or about lifting yourself up and being comfortable whenever possible?
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