MPV Commentary

Approaching Sufferings, Death, and Resurrection--The Ambitious Request
of James and John, and the Reply.

Third Announcement of His approaching Sufferings, Death, and
Resurrection (Mr 10:32-34).

32. As Jesus continued on the road to Jerusalem, he led the way,
accompanied by his twelve disciples. They were amazed at his courage in
facing certain death, and as they followed him, they became afraid for
their own safety.

33. He took the Twelve aside again and began to tell them what was going
to happen to him. "We are approaching Jerusalem," he said, "and all that is
written by the prophets concerning the Son of man will be fulfilled."
The Son of man would be handed over to the chief priests and scribes,
condemned to death, and then delivered to the Gentiles. This was the first
explicit statement that the Gentiles would join with the Jews in his
death.

34. They would mock him, scourge him, spit on him, and kill him, but he
would rise again on the third day. Despite this explicit announcement,
the disciples did not understand its meaning or significance. Their preconceived
notions about a suffering Messiah blinded them to the truth of Jesus'
words.

Ambitious Request of James and John--The Reply (Mr 10:35-45).

35. As they journeyed, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, approached
Jesus with their mother, Salome, who had been prompted by her sons to make
the request. They asked Jesus to grant them a special place in his kingdom,
sitting on his right and left hand.

36. Jesus asked them what they wanted him to do for them, knowing full well
what was in their minds. He wanted the unseemly petition to be made public.

37. James and John requested that they be assigned the two highest places
of honor in the coming kingdom. They may have been motivated by their close
relationship with Jesus, who had often allowed one of them to sit next to
him or lean on his breast.

38. But Jesus gently replied, "You don't know what you're asking." He asked
them if they could drink from the cup he was about to drink from and be
baptized with the baptism he would undergo. This was a reference to the
suffering and death that lay ahead for him.

39. James and John confidently replied, "We can do it!" They were sincere in
their willingness to follow Jesus through any suffering he might endure.
Their Lord knew their hearts, even if they did not fully understand what lay
ahead. Jesus assured them that they would indeed drink from the cup he drank
from and be baptized with his baptism.

40. However, Jesus explained that sitting on his right hand and left hand was
not something he could grant as a favor to whomever he pleased. Those places
were reserved for those whom it was prepared for by God the Father. In other
words, their positions in the kingdom were determined by God's sovereign plan,
not by Jesus' personal preference.

41. When the other ten disciples heard about James and John's request, they
became indignant with them. They felt a sense of rivalry and competition that
had not been fully eradicated from their hearts.

42. Jesus called the ten aside and explained to them how things would work in
his kingdom. Those who were considered rulers among the Gentiles exercised
lordship over them, but it would be different among his followers. Instead,
those who wanted to be great would become servants of all.

43. He emphasized that whoever wanted to be first must become a servant of
all. This was not just a principle for the kingdom; it was a fundamental aspect
of Jesus' own ministry. As the Son of man, he came not to be served but to
serve and give his life as a ransom for many.

44-45. In this kingdom, there would be no room for rivalry or competition.
All servants would be equal, and greatness would be measured by humility and
devotion to serving others. The one who went down the deepest in these services
of self-denying humility would rise the highest and hold the chiefest place.
This was not just a principle; it was the very nature of Jesus' ministry,
which culminated in his greatest act of service: giving his life as a ransom for
many.