{"id":1305,"date":"2025-06-20T03:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-20T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/reflectivebiblestudy.com\/gospeladventure\/?p=1305&2025"},"modified":"2025-06-17T18:01:12","modified_gmt":"2025-06-18T00:01:12","slug":"the-request-jesus-cannot-grant-mark-10-35-45","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/reflectivebiblestudy.com\/gospeladventure\/the-request-jesus-cannot-grant-mark-10-35-45\/","title":{"rendered":"The Request Jesus Cannot Grant: Mark 10:35-45"},"content":{"rendered":"
Focus Passage: Mark 10:35-45 (GW)<\/div>
\r\n

35\u00a0<\/sup>James and John, sons of Zebedee, went to Jesus. They said to him, \u201cTeacher, we want you to do us a favor.\u201d<\/p>

36\u00a0<\/sup>\u201cWhat do you want me to do for you?\u201d he asked them.<\/p>

37\u00a0<\/sup>They said to him, \u201cLet one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.\u201d<\/p>

38\u00a0<\/sup>Jesus said, \u201cYou don\u2019t realize what you\u2019re asking. Can you drink the cup that I\u2019m going to drink? Can you be baptized with the baptism that I\u2019m going to receive?\u201d<\/p>

39\u00a0<\/sup>\u201cWe can,\u201d they told him.<\/p>

Jesus told them, \u201cYou will drink the cup that I\u2019m going to drink. You will be baptized with the baptism that I\u2019m going to receive. 40\u00a0<\/sup>But I don\u2019t have the authority to grant you a seat at my right or left. Those positions have already been prepared for certain people.\u201d<\/p>

41\u00a0<\/sup>When the other ten apostles heard about it, they were irritated with James and John. 42\u00a0<\/sup>Jesus called the apostles and said, \u201cYou know that the acknowledged rulers of nations have absolute power over people and their officials have absolute authority over people. 43\u00a0<\/sup>But that\u2019s not the way it\u2019s going to be among you. Whoever wants to become great among you will be your servant. 44\u00a0<\/sup>Whoever wants to be most important among you will be a slave for everyone. 45\u00a0<\/sup>It\u2019s the same way with the Son of Man. He didn\u2019t come so that others could serve him. He came to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many people.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

Read Mark 10:35-45<\/a> in context and\/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!<\/p><\/div><\/div>\r\n

As Jesus approached the last week before facing the cross, two of His disciples came to Him with a request. By this point, all the disciples likely were sensing Jesus\u2019 ministry leading towards one single moment, and the only thing they could conclude based on their preconceived ideas is that He would launch the campaign against the Romans and make the nation of Israel independent again.<\/p>\r\n

The request these two disciples make is selfish, but also understandable. They ask Jesus, \u201cLet one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.<\/strong>\u201d (v. 37)<\/p>\r\n

However, Jesus\u2019 response is interesting. First, He asks them a counter-question, which they respond to, and after this, Jesus responds to their initial request by saying: \u201cI don\u2019t have the authority to grant you a seat at my right or left. Those positions have already been prepared for certain people.<\/strong>\u201d (v. 40)<\/p>\r\n

When I read this event knowing that Jesus would be on a cross not to long afterwards, it is hard to not see the disconnect with what these disciples ask and what they think they are asking. These disciples think they are asking for the places of most honor in a typical king\u2019s kingdom, but they don\u2019t realize that Jesus\u2019 kingdom is different, and that when He receives His glory, it will look entirely different.<\/p>\r\n

Jesus breaks both sides of the bad news to these disciples by saying that He doesn\u2019t have the authority to grant their request and that those positions have already been reserved for certain people.<\/p>\r\n

This leads me to wonder who these \u201ccertain people\u201d were.<\/p>\r\n

The highest point in Jesus\u2019 ministry where He has individuals on His left and His right happens not long after this event. During this high point, Jesus is hanging on the cross with two criminals, one on His right and one on His left. This means that the point when Jesus was glorified, He was among the worst people in society and among those that the world condemned.<\/p>\r\n

I am sure that these two disciples would not have asked the question they did if they knew Jesus would be glorified on a cross. While these disciples each faced trials, persecution, and death because they dedicated their lives to Jesus, it was only after Jesus\u2019 death on the cross that they truly began to understand what His true mission was.<\/p>\r\n

For us living today, Jesus\u2019 message to these disciples is as true for us as it was for them. Jesus warns His followers to not seek power, fame, or position over others, because they might not realize what they are truly asking for. Instead, Jesus tells each of His followers that they should focus on serving like He served, because when we ask God for help serving, He is more than willing to grant our request!<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus<\/strong> \u201cReflective Bible Study\u201d package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here<\/a> and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!<\/em><\/p>

Subscribe<\/a> to this blog and never miss an insight.<\/em><\/p><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As Jesus approached the last week before facing the cross, two of His disciples came to Him with a request. 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