Flashback Episode — Sharing His Cup: Mark 10:35-45

As we continue moving through Jesus’ life, looking at events from His ministry, we come to an event where we are almost embarrassed on behalf of those coming to Jesus in order to ask a question. While most instances where someone comes to Jesus with a question have a noble purpose, such as when someone comes asking for help or healing, or a clearly sinister purpose, like when the Pharisees ask Jesus a question to trap Him, the question we have in our passage for this episode is almost exclusively self-serving.

In our passage for this episode, two of Jesus’ disciples come to Him with a question, or should I say, with a request, and with how Jesus responded, we might almost feel bad for the way this situation turned out, if it were not for how self-serving the question itself was.

However, with this question and how Jesus responded to it, we discover a powerful picture of God and a mirror into our own human nature as well.

Let’s read what happened and then unpack some big ideas we can learn from it. Our passage for this episode is found in the gospel of Mark, chapter 10, and we will read it using the God’s Word translation. Starting in verse 35, Mark tells us that:

³⁵ James and John, sons of Zebedee, went to Jesus. They said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do us a favor.”

³⁶ “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked them.

³⁷ They said to him, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.”

³⁸ Jesus said, “You don’t realize what you’re asking. Can you drink the cup that I’m going to drink? Can you be baptized with the baptism that I’m going to receive?”

³⁹ “We can,” they told him.

Jesus told them, “You will drink the cup that I’m going to drink. You will be baptized with the baptism that I’m going to receive. ⁴⁰ But I don’t have the authority to grant you a seat at my right or left. Those positions have already been prepared for certain people.”

While we could read further to discover what happened when the other disciples found out about this request, and how they were not very pleased with James or John, let’s stop reading here because I want to draw our attention onto a couple of profound ideas present in how these disciples understood Jesus’ ministry. We’ll frame these ideas around what the disciples likely believed they were asking and contrast it with what actually happened.

First off, when these two disciples were framing their request, they likely could only see fame and glory in Jesus’ future. In their minds, like most of first century Jewish culture, they believed that after Jesus had overthrown Rome, He would set up His kingdom in its place. With a new kingdom, Jesus would need people close to Him, and the most significant, closest people would be those on the right and left hand sides of Him. These two disciples, sensing that their odds aren’t that great within a group of twelve, decide to pull Jesus aside and request the places of honor directly.

However, when we contrast this request with what actually happened, Jesus likely saw His glory as being something different from what the disciples thought. Jumping ahead in the gospels, when Jesus was praying in the garden on the night He was betrayed, He prayed for a cup to be taken away from Him if it was within God’s will. If the cup Jesus referred to in His prayer that night is the same cup Jesus references in His conversation with these two disciples, Jesus’ glory would ultimately be when He was hanging on the cross and preparing to take His last breath.

While Jesus was on the cross, those on His right and left were criminals, and neither one would have been a member of Jesus’ group of disciples.

In His conversation with these disciples, Jesus also references the concept of baptism. While baptism generally means being dipped or immersed in water, similar to what Jesus did at the beginning of His ministry with John the Baptizer, the context of Jesus’ words would be the literal act of death and resurrection that the symbolic act of baptism actually meant. Baptism represents dying, being buried, and being raised up into a new life. When we are baptized with water, being submerged in the water represents us taking part in Jesus’ death and burial, as well as His resurrection.

I strongly suspect that the disciples making their request did not understand the baptism Jesus was referring to as being a baptism that would take them through death, though it is possible that following Jesus’ resurrection and ascension, these disciples then understood Jesus’ words from this earlier conversation.

When making their request, I suspect these disciples only saw fame, status, and position as the outcome of their request. I doubt they had any idea Jesus was actively moving towards the cross as His goal.

However, what about when we look past Jesus’ ministry on earth and to the celebration that God’s people will experience in heaven following Jesus’ return to take us home. When we are all seated for the great wedding feast of the Lamb, wherever Jesus happens to be seated, there will be a position on His right and on His left.

Looking forward at this event, which may be what the disciples have in their minds when making their request, we discover another big idea within Jesus’ response: Jesus tells these disciples that there are some things Jesus does not have authority over.

While it would be easy to skim over or minimize this point, let’s not do that because this is significant. Jesus never focused His ministry on increasing His power or His authority. Jesus appeared to always be content being under the authority of someone else. We could compare this to the centurion Jesus helped who was under the authority of others and who also had people who he had authority over.

After the other disciples find out about James and John’s request, Jesus called the disciples together to tell them that God’s kingdom works differently than human kingdoms. In God’s kingdom, power is displayed through humility and service. Jesus describes God’s kingdom, not as a hierarchy where those on the top are over the others, but as an upside down ladder where the goal is service and sacrifice over self-exaltation.

While Jesus didn’t grant these disciples’ their initial request, we discover that through the discussion Jesus has surrounding their request, Jesus’ followers throughout history have been able to learn a little more about God’s character, His kingdom, and His humility. Jesus came to serve, and Jesus has called us to serve and help others and to show God’s love to those He brings into our lives.

As we come to the end of another podcast episode, here are the challenges I will leave you with:

As I always open these challenges by saying to you, continue to intentionally place God first in your life. Also, as we talked about in this episode, intentionally put other people ahead of yourself as well. When focusing on how to balance our lives, look no further than Jesus and model your life after His in this regard.

In order to know what Jesus did and what He is like, be sure to also pray and study the Bible for yourself. Though praying and studying your Bible, discover who Jesus is, what He is like, and just how much He love you. Jesus is the best model we have for what it means to be a servant.

And as I end every set of challenges by saying in one way or another, never stop short of, back away from, chicken out of, or walk away from where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!