Mark 10:32-45
Introduction
In this text Jesus tells the disciples for the third time that He is going to suffer and be killed. Then two of the inner circle disciples reveal their ambitions. And Jesus responds to this by giving the disciple another kingdom lesson.
Bear all of this in mind as we examine today’s passage.
Verse 32
Jesus and the disciples are still heading south to Jerusalem.
Notice how Jesus was walking ahead of the disciples and that the disciples were amazed. The disciples were amazed at how resolute (determined) Jesus was to go to Jerusalem. Remember that on two previous occasions, Jesus has told them that He is going to be killed when He gets there. We saw this in Mark 8:31 and Mark 9:31.
If you knew that you were going to die if you went to a certain place, what would you do? I suggest that you would take your time and try to find a way of not going there. But not Jesus. He was obedient unto death.
The disciples were fearful because they were afraid of what might happen to them as well.
At the end of verse 32 we are told that Jesus took the disciples aside and told them for the third time what was going to happen to Him. And that is what we are going to look at next.
Verses 33 to 34
On this occasion Jesus goes into more detail as He prophecies what is going to happen to Him. He provides two new details. If you take a look at Mark 8:31 and Mark 9:31 you will be able to see what they are. He names the place of His death, Jerusalem, and that the Gentiles will be involved in it.
The Jewish authorities will condemn Him to death but only the Romans have the authority to carry out the sentence. The Jewish authorities will hand Jesus over to the Romans.
Notice the details about what the Romans are going to do to Jesus. Think about the implications of that for a moment.
Verses 35 to 40
Jesus has just told the disciples about His suffering and death at Jerusalem and then we see what James and John do next. James is the one who would be the first martyr and John is the one who wrote the Gospel and the Book of Revelation. They were also among those who witnessed the Transfiguration.
Now we see them telling Jesus that they want Him to do whatever they ask of Him. This is incredibly arrogant of James and John. They want Jesus, their Messiah, to bend His will to theirs. There is a modern-day false teaching that does this. It’s called, ‘Name it and claim it’.
In Verse 36 Jesus graciously asks them what they want Him to do for them. And in Verse 37 they tell Him. The first thing we can say about their request is that they haven’t been listening to Jesus. Jesus has been telling them that He has come as a suffering servant but they don’t want to hear that. Instead, they think He’s come as a conquering king. They think that Jesus has come to sit on the throne of David and set up an earthly kingdom. And they want to have a high position in His kingdom. Sitting on the right of a king puts the person in a position of power second only to the king. Sitting on the left of a king puts the person in a position of power third only to the king. James and John wanted status and to be in positions of power.
Every one of us wants significance and there’s nothing wrong with that. We want our lives to matter. But when sin affects us, this turns into a desire to dominate others. Think about that.
In Verse 38 Jesus tells James and John that they have no idea what they are asking for. Then He asks them two questions. Firstly, He asks them, “Are you able to drink the cup that I drink?” ‘To drink the cup’ can be to experience God’s wrath or judgement or to experience suffering. In the case of James and John, Jesus is asking them if they are able to suffer as he does.
Then Jesus asks them, “Are you able to be baptised with the baptism with which I am baptised?” Biblical commentators are unable to agree about what baptism Jesus is talking about. We can say for sure that it is not water baptism. I believe that Jesus is talking about the baptism with fire that John the Baptist spoke about.
Fire is used to purify or cleanse; to get rid of sin and dross (dead works) from our lives. The baptism with fire purifies or sanctifies us and that is what Jesus is talking about. Its ultimate fulfilment will occur at the Bema Seat Judgement of believers in the future that we read about in 2 Corinthians 5:10. Paul describes what will happen at the Bema Seat Judgement in 1 Corinthians 3:12-15.
In Verse 39 James and John foolishly say that they are able. And then Jesus prophecies that they will drink the cup of suffering and be baptised with fire. And finally, in Verse 40 Jesus tells them that they won’t be sitting at His right and left. These seats have already been reserved by the Father.
Verses 41 to 45
In Verse 41 we see that the other 10 disciples were angry with James and John. So, Jesus takes the opportunity to teach all of the disciples an important lesson.
In Verses 42 to 44 Jesus is comparing the ways of the world with the ways of the Kingdom of God. In Verse 42, Jesus describes how those in power in the world behave. Because of sin they use their positions to lord it over others. And that’s what James and John were wanting to do.
But in Verse 43 Jesus emphatically tells the disciples, and that includes us, that it must not be that way in the Kingdom of God. There must not be a hierarchical system in the Church that puts men in a position of power over others. The Church needs leaders but those leaders must behave as servants or slaves.
And then in Verse 45 Jesus uses Himself as an example. At the end of Verse 45 Jesus tells the disciples why He had come to the earth at that time. He came to give His life as a ransom for many.
Jesus paid the ransom to the Father. It was a payment made to set us free from bondage to sin and it was paid with His blood. We were debtors to the Father and Jesus has paid off that debt.
Notice the word ‘give’. Jesus gave His life; it wasn’t taken from Him. Notice also the word ‘many’ not ‘all’. Think about that.