Mar 4, 2010
The Requests Jesus Denies for Our Own Good (Mark Ten, Part 3)
Continuing my series on the Gospel of Mark at 10:32-52…
After saying that the last will come first and issuing a call to costly discipleship, Jesus reminded his astonished disciples of his impending death while the surrounding crowds remained fearful of what would happen in Jerusalem. The details are precise, showing that Jesus embraced God’s calling and cost while those around him remained uncertain. After speaking of the last coming first and importance of following him, Jesus reminded his disciples where he was going.
It was one thing to follow Jesus when he seemed to be restoring the rule of God over Israel but the path to the cross wasn’t where the rich tended to follow, nor those who wanted to advance their stations in life. However, even while Jesus spoke of his death, James and John could not give up their dreams of power and influence in God’s Kingdom.
Perhaps James and John wanted an assurance of their position before Jesus was killed, but however we examine this story, they come across as unlike children and the least likely to be last. They had left much behind but expected something more than persecution and eternal life for their trouble.
Instead of approaching Jesus with open hands to accept what he had to give, they placed an unrealistic request that not only alienated them from Jesus but their fellow disciples. Jesus showed them incredible mercy and gentleness, listening to their request and then gracefully denying it.
On one hand, their request was reckless, asking for things they did not understand. Sometimes an unanswered prayer may result from such an oversight. Perhaps a denial of a prayer request is an act of mercy from God.
All that Jesus could guarantee them was suffering, not a position at the top of the Kingdom. While they would not have recognized this, he was telling them how to be first in the Kingdom—following his path to the cross. The only guarantee of any position in the Kingdom was through faithfulness.
It’s hard to say whether the top places in the Kingdom of God were prepared for specific people or were simply unknown until the disciples proved themselves faithful in following the way of Jesus. However, blessings and rewards are not given out in the ways James and John expected—a kind of favor among friends. While the disciples could do nothing on their own to merit a place in the Kingdom, entering the Kingdom required embracing the calling of Jesus and remaining faithful to it.
The cross, resurrection, and the resulting eternal life were only possible because Jesus lead the way down that lonely road to Jerusalem. The only way to pass into that eternal life, that we could never merit or earn, is by following Jesus to the cross and into eternal life. It is hard to enter a Kingdom that gives life to the least of these when we are committed to the values of a completely different kingdom and way of living.
Bartimaeus creates an interesting contrast to James and John. While he too wanted to receive something from Jesus, he immediately used his new-found vision to join Jesus. We can suspect that James and John wanted a prominent position for the use of ruling, not serving in the way of Jesus. Jesus continued to serve anyone from a beggar to a couple of selfish disciples, and in the case of Bartimaeus he gained another disciple willing to count the cost and follow him.
