A Blossom Bible Podcast
A Blossom Bible Podcast
Mark 10:32-45 Journey to Greatness: Embracing Servanthood
We'd love to hear from you. Message us here.
What does it truly mean to be great? As we unpack Mark 10, we take a reflective journey alongside Jesus and His disciples on their path to Jerusalem. This episode delves deep into the poignant teachings of Jesus as He prepares for His final moments, directly addressing themes central to the Christian faith: servanthood, ambition, and sacrifice. We witness the tension between the disciples' desires for power versus Jesus' radical redefinition of what it means to lead.
From the moment Jesus forewarns His disciples about His betrayal, we discern the baffling disconnect between His impending suffering and the disciples’ preoccupations with glory. Their request—an appeal for positions of authority in the coming kingdom—highlights a universal struggle we all face: the temptation to prioritize status over service.
Jesus’ response flips traditional notions of leadership upside down, inviting listeners to reconsider their understanding of greatness. He emphasizes that true greatness is found not in authority, but in humility and service to others. This transformative message rings especially relevant today, encouraging each of us to reflect on the ways we seek power and control in our lives.
Throughout this episode, we explore how Jesus walks this talk, illustrating the life of a servant through His ultimate act of love—laying down His life for many. This powerful teaching embodies the heart of the Christian narrative and empowers us to embrace our roles as servants in our everyday lives.
Join us in this transformative discussion as we challenge ourselves to redefine greatness through the lens of servanthood, inviting deeper reflections on our journeys and the ways we can embody Jesus' teachings in our communities. Don't forget to subscribe and share your thoughts with us—we'd love to hear how you're embracing the call to servanthood in your own life!
Mark 10, verse 32. Let's read why don't we just read the whole passage for today and let me know where we're going Mark 10, verse 32. Going Mark 10, verse 32. Now, as they were on the road going up to Jerusalem, jesus was going before them and they were amazed, and as they followed, they were afraid. Then he took the 12 aside and began to tell them, or again began to tell them, the things that would happen to him. Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem and the Son of man will be betrayed to the chief priests, to the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him to the Gentiles, and they will mock him and scourge him, and scourge him and spit on him and kill him, and the third day he will rise again. Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him saying teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask. And he said to them what do you want me to do for you? And he said to them what do you want me to do for you? They said to him grant us that we may sit on your right hand and the other on your left in your glory. But Jesus said to them you don't know what you ask Are you able to drink the cup that I drink and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? And they said to him we are able. So Jesus said to them you will indeed drink that cup that I drink and with the baptism I am baptized with, you will be baptized. But to sit on my right hand and on my left is not mine to give, but it's for those of whom it is prepared. And when the ten heard it, they began to be greatly displeased with James and John because they hadn't thought of the same thing. Oh, anyways, verse 42. But Jesus called them to himself and said to them you know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them and their great ones exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you. But whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever desires to be first shall be slave of all. For even the son of man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many. So that's a big passage there, but we'll try to look at it today.
Speaker 1:Going back back there to verse 32, we see that they're on the road. You remember this all started a few chapters back as they came down from the Mount of Transfiguration. Jesus is glorified, seen as glorified, there on the mountain, and then they begin to go down. As they're going down, they're moving towards Jerusalem. Luke tells us in Luke 9, 51 that as the time came for Jesus to be received up, he steadfastly set his face to Jerusalem. So this is a picture we're getting here with Jesus. He is determined to go to Jerusalem. He has this plan and the cross is in view. So with that the mood has sort of changed a bit as well. As Jesus is locked in and just determined to go to the cross, to go to Jerusalem. His disciples feel it and we see this here in verse 32. As they're going up, his disciples were amazed. They just feel this little sense of awe. He's determined to go to Jerusalem. Well, we know that the religious leaders already had determined to kill Jesus and so, with that in mind, his disciples go that's crazy, you want to go to Jerusalem, they want to kill you there. We're amazed, notice, they're afraid. As they followed they were afraid. So, along with this amazement and just how tough and how determined Jesus was, they're also feeling this kind of dread.
Speaker 1:Now Jesus then makes a serious statement there in verse 33. The third time that he mentions the cross, his death and his resurrection. There in verse 33, we are going up to Jerusalem and the Son of man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the scribes. They will condemn him to death and deliver him to the Gentiles. So Jesus tells them straightforwardly I'm going to be betrayed, and we can feel that right Betrayed to the chief priests and the scribes, and they would condemn him notice in verse 33, condemn him to death and deliver him to the Gentiles.
Speaker 1:Now the Jews had their own counsel. The Jews had their own counsel, but they could not deliver a person to death. They they couldn't execute anyone. To do that, the Romans had to get involved. So the Jews would deliver Jesus to the Romans and the Romans then would execute him and and we get a rundown here Jesus knows in verse 34, this is how the Gentiles are going to do it. They're going to mock him, they're going to scourge him. You know, as close to death as they could get a person. They would a person, they would scourge and beat their prisoners and then they're going to spit on him total disgrace and kill him. So this Jesus knows is coming. The Romans would be a part of it. The Jews would deliver him up. He was going to die. So this is the third time that Jesus has mentioned his death straightforwardly and his resurrection.
Speaker 1:But the disciples didn't get it. Right Now they're feeling it because they're afraid, and they're feeling this dread over going to Jerusalem, but they just didn't get it. How do we know that they didn't get it? It's what comes next in verse 35. Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came saying Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask. Right Now they have on their mind here to be top dogs in the kingdom. Right, that's what James and John want, and they just don't get it right.
Speaker 1:So a few years ago you know it's kind of. You know it's that thing of when you just are oblivious to what's going on in life. You ever feel that way. A few years ago, what normal day, normal day. And I got a call from a good friend hey, you want to go catch some lunch? I am always I'll put it out there I'm always up to going out for lunch. Any of you guys want to ever go out for lunch? I still do that really well, lunching. And so I got this call from a friend hey, you want to quick go get some lunch? I said, yeah, yeah, yeah, let me let me just ask. Lila was sitting next to me, let me just ask if that's okay. And so I said, hey, you know, bud wants May 24th, my wife's birthday, and all the dread.
Speaker 1:Just you know, when you can be oblivious to something, jesus is just sharing his heart. They're going to betray me. You're going to betray me. They're going to mock me and scourge me and kill me. I will rise again. And here these guys are just oblivious. Man, when you can be in your own world so strongly that you don't even realize what's going on, they had it in their minds to interview for a job. Really, that's kind of what they're doing here.
Speaker 1:They say, jesus, when you come into your kingdom, you're going to Jerusalem. I assume you're gonna present yourself as the Messiah, the King. Well, when you come into your glory, can we be on your right and on your left? I think it's Luke mentions it. They actually sent their mom to ask this question to Jesus, right, and have their mom come asking for this position of power in the kingdom. And so, here they are, grant us whatever we would like. And he says what is it? It's to sit on your right and on your left. Now, jesus set some straight. You don't know what you're asking. When would he be coming into his kingdom? Well, it would be when he was on the cross To be on his right and on his left. Well, there were two, one on the right and one on the cross to be on his right and on his left. Well, there were two on, one on the right and one on the left. It was two thieves when he was crucified.
Speaker 1:And he says you don't know what you're asking for. Guys, are you able to endure what I'm going to endure? And I said, of course we are. And Jesus says well, you will endure that, but this place of being on my right and on my left endure that. But this place of being on my right and on my left, it's not for me, it's for my father. But they're desiring power and position.
Speaker 1:And we notice here in verse 41, kind of skipping down. Well, we notice verse 41, the 10 heard it and they began to be greatly displeased with James and John right. So picture it as they come asking for this place in the kingdom, the other 10 go whoa, how dare you, how dare you be so self-seeking? I should have asked that. Why were they displeased? Well, because they didn't think to be that bold and to go right to Jesus and ask. But their desire was for power, a place, position in the kingdom. And they said what everybody else was thinking. Well, obviously, this is life in the kingdom of this world. We look for power and place and position. But notice what Jesus does here, teaching opportunity. He says this in verse 42. He said to them you know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them and their great ones exercise authority over them. So this is the way it is in the world, right, guys, my disciples? Jesus says this is the way it is amongst the Gentiles.
Speaker 1:Now we understand there are two people in the biblical sense Jews, descendants of Abraham, isaac and Jacob, and everybody else, and most of us fall into that. Everybody else but this word Gentiles, the. Everybody else, and most of us fall into that. Everybody else but this word Gentiles, the. Everybody else could also be the nations. The nations is what Jesus is saying. The nations without God, a few.
Speaker 1:Well, many years ago now, at the beginning, when we first got married, we went to Israel and we were there over the Passover and got to experience a Passover feast with just common, everyday Israeli people. At one point during the feast they were to get up and take a glass of wine and take it to the window. Strange part of the feast take a glass of wine and take it to the window and throw it out the window. Just toss the glass of wine out the window. And I said, well, what does that mean? Well, this is God's wrath on the goyim. What are the goyim? The Gentiles, everyone else. We celebrate that one day God's wrath is going to be on the nations, poured out the window, and God will do it justly.
Speaker 1:But here Jesus says you know the Gentiles, the goyim, the nations, those out there outside of God, this is how they act and notice. He says this is life in the real world. Right, the rulers lord it over them, great ones exercise authority over them. This is the way it is. Gentiles exercise dominion over each other. It's the haves and the have-nots, the higher-ups and the lower-downs. Right, and this is the haves and the have-nots, the higher ups and the lower downs right, and this is the politics of life and we know it and we all hate it, right, the politics of life at work, at school, maybe even in your family from time to time it's this lording it over, this dominion, kind of thing. No-transcript.
Speaker 1:But look at verse 43. Yet it shall not be so among you. Whoever desires to become great shall be your servant. Whoever desires to be first shall be slave of all. So Jesus shares with his disciples. Look, james, john, the 10 who are displeased. You're getting it all wrong. You think that life will be found being on the top. Well, it's not that way in the kingdom. Now let's look at these words really quickly here, because they say a lot. Whoever desires to be great in verse 43, shall be your servant. That word servant is where we get the idea of a deacon. You guys that have grown up in the church you realize in the church there are elders and there are deacons. That word deacon is right here. A deacon, it means servant. In the book of Acts they had some practical needs where they were feeding the poor and taking care of food distribution, and they said we need some people to take care of these practical needs. And so they appointed some to be deacons, servants, waiters, right Now, think about that word, think about the idea of a waiter, somebody who serves tables.
Speaker 1:For the girls' birthday, we went to a very nice restaurant, what was that? Texas Roadhouse. We went all out and had some steak, right. But those servers, some of them do a good job and some of them don't. But, man, if they really want a tip, they do their best and I feel guilty in some ways. Honestly, sometimes I'm like I can get my water. It's cool, I'm not, you know, I'm not beyond that. You know they go. Well, can I take some of these plates out of the way? This one really gets me and you like, try to turn the plate so that, like your mashed potatoes aren't where their fingers are going. You know what I mean. But then they just pile it up and a good servile will pile it up and say I'm so sorry, I am so sorry. They're like, you're fine, I hope you give me a $10 tip, $20 tip, whatever you know, and you go.
Speaker 1:Man, it takes a lot to be a server, a servant, right, and Jesus here says this is the way of the kingdom Be a servant, be someone who waits on others. Notice he goes further in verse 44. It says whoever desires to be first shall be slave of all. Now the word slave is a little embarrassing to most of us. We think of slavery a dark point in history. But slaves were a real thing in those days. And this word here, slave, though, is different. It's a bondservant. If you've been around the Bible, you know that word, bondservant. Paul says about himself I'm the bondservant of Christ. It means slave, but it means a slave by choice, and for that we could go to Exodus, chapter 21. You're always welcome to turn there, exodus 21, verse 5, talking about this bondservant thing here.
Speaker 1:If a person just to kind of get us up to speed if a person was in slavery because of debt or war, whatever it was, and they earned their way out, they paid what they needed to pay to get out of slavery. They had an option, and we see it here in chapter 21, exodus 21, verse 5. If the servant plainly says I love my master, my wife and my children. I will not go out free, then his master shall bring him to the judges. He shall also bring him to the door or to the doorpost, and his master shall pierce his ear with an awl like a spiky thing right, and he shall serve him forever. Now, this is pretty colorful, right.
Speaker 1:If a person had earned their way out of slavery, their freedom was there. They had the opportunity to stick around and stay with the master. If they said this I love my master, I don't want to leave, I want to stay with him forever, they could. And this whole ceremony goes down right. You know, at the door of the house the master would take an awl you know the spiky thing. You hit with a hammer to like punch things through. They would take their ear and nail it to the doorpost. Now I assume they take it off then and put an earring in, or something like that, but they would nail their ear to the house. All to say, I will serve this master forever. Now check it out.
Speaker 1:If a slave realized, man, my master is so good, there were good masters, right, my master is so good, I just want to serve him forever Out of love and commitment, that servant could stick around and be a slave for life, and people did it. Now, this is the idea that Jesus is getting at here in verse 44. Whoever desires to be first shall be slave of all, a bondservant serving out of love forever. And this is what Jesus is saying If you want to be great, great, be a servant. If you want to be first, be slave of all. And Jesus puts this in here for his disciples and says it's not like the world thinks. That's kind of what we've been learning all along rich, young, ruler, all these things.
Speaker 1:Life in the kingdom is completely the opposite of life in the world. It's backwards in a sense. And that makes sense when you is completely the opposite of life in the world. It's backwards in a sense. And that makes sense when you get to the book of Acts right, the book of Acts, chapter 17, I believe it is the church is getting in trouble with the authorities again and they bring the Christians, the early church, to the governors and they say these people have turned the world upside down. And you look at that and you go. That's the way the world should see us. You guys are so backward. Your morals, they're so backward from what we think is right and wrong. Your way of dealing with people in situations. You deal in love when man, we would just turn and smack the guy you know. You're so backwards. We should look at it in the Christian life and say you know what I'm not like the world. That's really what we're getting at here.
Speaker 1:The Gentiles lorded over each other, but you become a servant, you become a slave. And he tells his disciples that this is what to expect if you're going to be great in the kingdom be a slave. Now, that is a tall order, but it is the way of the kingdom. Verse 45 Jesus says for even the son of man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many. And so Jesus says I'm not gonna just tell you to be a servant, I'm gonna show you what being a servant is like. The son of man, right, that term here, son of man, would take them back to the book of Daniel. It's a messianic term the son of man, that the Messiah would be a human being, a descendant of Abraham, a descendant of David. Now Mark uses that word, that phrase, son of man, a lot to show that Jesus was a servant, he was a man.
Speaker 1:Come to serve in flesh. Other places Jesus is called the son of God. No hesitation, jesus is known as the son of God. He's God in flesh. So we look at that combination God in flesh. The word became flesh and dwelt among us and we realize that Jesus, though, even though he was the Messiah, even though he was God in flesh, he didn't come to be served.
Speaker 1:You'll never find a point where Jesus is using his power on himself. That's why it was such a big deal in the temptation right. Remember, when Jesus was hungry he hadn't eaten for 40 days and the devil came to him and tempted him and said since you're the son of God, make these stones into bread, feed yourself. He says no way, not doing it. Man should not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. But it was a big deal because Jesus didn't use his power to serve himself. That's not why he came In any kind of way. Did Jesus use his power to serve himself? And he could have, but he didn't. The son of man didn't come to be served but to serve, and we see that in Jesus throughout the gospels. It's just spending time with people and loving people and going to the least of in our society and loving them and loving them. And yet he says I came to give my life a ransom.
Speaker 1:For many we go back to slave idea there. Ransom To buy someone's freedom. That's what Jesus did on the cross. Now One more thing before we have a time of communion here today, the wrath of God was what was required for this ransom. What were we purchased by? It was the blood of Jesus. How did it happen? It was God's wrath poured out on his son. Remember back there in verse 38. Look at verse 38. Jesus said to them you don't know what you ask? Are you able to drink the cup that I drink? And so we come back to this idea of the Gentiles and the wrath of God. Remember that picture there at Passover they would throw this glass of wine out the window and say this is judgment on the Gentiles, the wrath of God, the cup of wrath.
Speaker 1:In the book of Revelation there's bowls of wrath right and God's wrath, his justice, is on an evil world, poured out in these bowls of wrath. And we look at that and go. The wages of sin is death. What did our sin deserve? Death? The wrath of God, and that's not a popular thing to consider. God's wrath oh, he's loving and he's kind. I love all those things. That's usually where I go. But God's justice that he looks at the sin of the world and he goes. Justice is death. Justice is death, wrath of God on sin.
Speaker 1:And yet Jesus took that cup of wrath for us. You'll remember the night before the cross he was in the garden and he said, father, if there's any way for this cup to pass from me, but not your, my will be done, but your will be done, so in some kind of way in his humanity. Jesus himself asked, maybe for us, is there any other way that this cup, this cup of wrath, can depart from me? The cross, and there was no other way. It was the only way that God would pour his wrath out on his own son and Jesus would drink it to full for us. But Jesus points to that as his own service. Even the son of man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many.
Speaker 1:Now, that is what drives us to be a bond servant, when we consider the love of God for us, when we consider what God has done for us, what Jesus has done on the cross for us, when we see that it should just inspire us to offer our bodies a living sacrifice. In view of all these things, paul says offer your body a living sacrifice, and so what we want to do to close today is just spend a few moments in communion. If a couple of you could pass out the elements there in the back the bread and the cup we'll pass those out and we'll take it together, but a time to remember what God has done for us. So let's pray and then we'll pass those out and we'll hold it and we'll take it together. God, we don't want to take this lightly. It's simple, god, we don't want to take this lightly. It's simple juice and bread, but even more. For us, it represents what you've done for us your body broken and your blood shed. God, as we take a deep breath, we just want to find you. We want to see you more clearly in this time. We pray that, as we see your wonderful love for us, god, that you would help us to take it to heart, that you would cause us to be servants and slaves by choice. Because you're so good, god, I pray that you'd use this time in our lives.
Speaker 1:The night before Jesus went to the cross, he had a meal with his disciples, and that meal was actually that same Passover meal that we talked about. They would have bread and they would have a cup. They would have several cups of wine that they would use to demonstrate several things, but they would also have lamb. Right, and it wasn't just because lamb was a great meal, it was a symbol of the sacrifice. When they left Egypt, you remember that they would take a lamb and they would kill it and they would put the blood of the lamb on the door of their house. If there was a blood of the lamb on the door of their house when the angel of death, remember, passed through Egypt, death would pass over that house with the blood of the lamb on the door. Well, jesus became our lamb that day on the cross, the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world, and the people would have to take that personally.
Speaker 1:Jesus, though, he set it up in that same meal. He said see this bread. And he took a piece of bread it was part of the ceremony there and he said guys, this bread represents my body broken for you. And they would break the bread and they would take it, and there was a lot of things you could say about that bread. But Jesus says, when you see this, remember my body broken for you. That the next morning they would beat Jesus, they would mock him, they would spit at him, they would whip his back and he willingly laid down his life for us there on the cross, served us with everything.
Speaker 1:So let's thank God for this bread and remember God. It's just simple bread here today, but we remember your body, broken for us, god. It's so easy in this world to think that nobody cares about us, and yet we see your amazing love, that you, God, in flesh, your amazing love, that you, god in flesh, laid down your life for us. You were broken for us, god. Help us to see that wonderful service and, more than anything, realize your love for us, god. You are a good master who gives your life for us. God, we want to serve you, god, work this into our heart. In Jesus' name, we pray Amen.
Speaker 1:Well, you know he also took a cup. It absolutely did not look like this, but same basic substance here. Jesus took a cup and he said this is my blood shed for you. Whenever you do this, remember me. Remember that God laid down his life, shed his blood, to cover our sins, and it's not just a cover, right? You know, you paint a dirty wall and you cover up the dirt. It means to wash it away like it never happened. It means to make it new, and I love that because I need that every single week.
Speaker 1:I'm not too quick, I'm good at sinning and you know God gave his son, jesus shed his blood to make us clean, absolutely clean, from sin. We can be forgiven and perfect righteous. He doesn't just take our sin away, he gives us his righteousness. And so Jesus shed his blood. Let's thank God for this time as well. God, jesus, it's your blood. Without the shedding of blood, our sin is still there. God, we have regrets, but yet your blood washes us clean from every sin. God, you make us new. God, not only do you clean us, you give us your righteousness that you look at us and you see your son, your perfect son, jesus. I just pray that you would coat us, wash us in your blood. This week, god, we face a lot of different things, but we would know absolutely that we're loved because of Jesus. God, apply these things to our heart as we remember you. In Jesus' name, we pray, amen.