Scripture Mark
10:41-45
Mark 10:33-34
Jesus said, "We are going
up to Jerusalem, 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, who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three
days later he will rise."
Mark 10:35-40
Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee,
came to him and said, "Teacher, we want you to
do for us whatever we ask." "What do
you want me to do for you?" "Let
one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory."
"You don't know what you are asking, can you drink
the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?"
"We can!" "You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the
baptism I am baptized with, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to
grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared."
Those who want to get to the top
at all cost – no matter who’s shoulders they step on – often do get to the top
– but it is short lived.
Eugene O’Neill in The
Emperor Jones says “For de little stealin’ dey gets
you in jail soon or late. For de big stealin’ de makes you emperor and puts you
in the Hall o’ fame when you croaks. If dey’s one thing I learns in ten years
on de Pullman cars listenin’ to de white quality talk, it’s dat same fact.”
Mark 10:41-45
When the ten heard about this, they became
indignant with James and John. Jesus 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. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be
your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even
the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as
a ransom for many."
Demosthenes cites the
law that the one who was ransomed became the property of the one who freed him.
Paul assumes this principle in his admonition to the Corinthians: 1 Cor
6:19b-20a You are not your own; you were
bought at a price.
Mark 10:46-52
Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his
disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man,
Bartimaeus (that is, the Son of Timaeus), was sitting by the roadside begging.
When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" Many
rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" Jesus
stopped and said, "Call him." So they
called to the blind man, "Cheer up! On your
feet! He's calling you." Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his
feet and came to Jesus. "What do you want me to do
for you?" Jesus asked him. The blind man said, "Rabbi, I want to see." "Go, your faith has healed you." Immediately he
received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.
Asking a blind man what he wants
Jesus to do for him night seem stupid – however consider when others were
asked: The Pharisees wanted to outsmart and trap him, the rich man wanted
eternal security at minimal cost, James and John wanted to be top dogs in the
new kingdom – A blind beggar may want money – but Batimaeus just wants to see
again.
God asks us this important
question all the time and we usually answer poorly. Biblical examples: Herod
asks his step daughter what she wants for dancing for him? She says the head of
JTB on a platter. Pilate asks the crowd: Barrabas or Jesus – they say Barrabas
– Crucify Jesus!
When you ask for the right
things look what good can happen: Batimaeus was sitting on the road side
begging – until Jesus gave him sight – then he got up and followed Jesus –
follow doesn’t mean just walk behind him – it means to walk like him or to love
like him which means to serve like him!
Has your blindness been healed? Here is the test – are you following
Jesus or sitting on the roadside? Are you serving in ministry for the sake of
His Kingdom?
Far too many of us believe we don’t have the qualifications
to serve in and through the church.
Martin Luther King Jr. said: “You don’t have to have a college
degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve.
You don’t have to know Plato and Aristotle. You don’t have to know Einstein’s
theory of relativity. You don’t have to know the second theory of
thermodynamics in physics. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul
generated by love.” “LOVE LIKE JESUS!
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