The Servant Who Saves

Bible Passage: Mark 10:35-45

This passage comes hot on the heels of Jesus teaching his disciples for a third time about the nature of his mission as Messiah: to suffer and die, and then rise again on the third day. In light of this context, the request made by James and John seems utterly out of place. They are interested in positions of glory and honour for themselves, and this request exposes that they haven’t really grasped what Jesus has been trying to teach them. Jesus uses the moment to show again that the nature of leadership in the kingdom is servanthood, and that Jesus himself came with a mission to serve and lay down his life. This sermon highlights the servant nature of Jesus and calls us to follow after him in this path.

The Human Desire For Honour: The request made by the brothers can be seen for the inappropriate power grab that it is in light of the surrounding verses, but the sentiment behind it is one that is common in human nature. Ambition and desire for glory and prestige are things that motivate many human choices. Indeed, we hear about the other disciples becoming indignant with the request that James and John made, no doubt because they wanted those positions for themselves! As the disciples heard teaching about the kingdom, they still had earthly paradigms in their minds, and so their minds went to the natural question of ‘where will I fit’. In their request, James and John wanted to be at the right and left of Jesus in his glory. Essentially they are saying they whilst they recognise Jesus is the key figure, they want themselves to be next in line, and to have a position that is elevated over the other disciples. It is challenging to reflect on their desires and note how much of it we see in ourselves, and this kind of ambition can be played out in workplaces, friendship groups, homes and even churches.

The Kingdom Call of Servanthood: In the response that Jesus made, he wanted to know if the brothers were ready to share in the cup and the baptism that he would receive. This was clearly looping back to the topic of his coming suffering and death, and he wanted the minds of the disciples to be on not what they might gain but on what following Jesus might cost them. Jesus then explained things in simple terms, making clear that leadership in the kingdom took a very different shape to what it might look like in the world. Being a leader in God’s kingdom does not mean occupying a position above other people, and certainly not striving for one, but rather serving, and putting the needs and interests of other people before your own need. In God’s kingdom, power is inverted and used in service of others rather than self. Servanthood is not merely a behaviour Jesus requires; it reflects the very heart of God’s kingdom, where power is always used to bless, not dominate.

The Example of Jesus: When Jesus taught his disciples about servant leadership, he was not only giving them moral instructions but inviting them to follow in the way he was already living. In verse 45, the connection is made clear. The very reason that Jesus came was not about what he could gain or the service he would receive from other people, but rather he had come to lay himself down so that other people could benefit, and this was going to take him all the way to the cross where he would give his life to redeem many. The shape of the Christian life involves both receiving the benefits of Jesus laying himself down, and then following in his example and being ready to lay ourselves down as servants of all.

Potential Applications:

• The passage challenges our human ambition. Where are we striving for position, and how does the example of Jesus speak to this?
• There is particular application for any who are in positions of power and privilege. The way we should use that is as servants and for the good of others. Invite people to lay down selfish uses of their position and give themselves to others.
• Ultimately the passage is about Jesus’ own servanthood and giving of himself. You can invite people to receive the salvation that he brought about as he laid himself down as a ransom.