The Request of James and John
35 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.” 36 “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked. 37 They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.”
38 “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said. “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?” 39 “We can,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, 40 but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.”
41 When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. 42 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 43 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Horsham: 17th February 2025
In the last verses, Jesus warned of his impending arrest, abuse and death at the hands of the Jewish leaders and the Gentile Romans. This is the third time that he has given a warning to the disciples, and the third time that they have struggled to understand his meaning. Jesus is, after all, the Messiah. He should be ridding Israel of the Romans – not getting killed by them.
After the first warning of his death (Mark 8:31), Peter challenged Jesus, earning a stern rebuke. After the second warning (Mark 9:31), they were frightened to ask Jesus anything, but then we saw the disciples arguing amongst themselves about who was the greatest. ‘These men seemed blind to the meaning of the cross.’ (Wiersbe, p124).
Here, after the third warning, we again see some kind of power play amongst the disciples. As ever, we need to get some context. In Matthew 19:28, Jesus made a promise that the disciples would sit on twelve thrones in heaven alongside Jesus, in judgement over the twelve tribes of Israel. They are, after all, followers of the King, and kings get to decide who sits where. Their closest advisors would sit at their right and their left. James and John come to Jesus with a request. In Matthew’s gospel they are accompanied by their mother, who acts as their spokesperson (Matthew 20:20-21).
‘When you come into your glory,’ they ask ‘let us take up position as your closest advisors, seated at your right and your left.’ It sounds incredibly presumptuous. It sounds incredibly prideful. Could they drink the cup he has to drink? Could they face the same baptism? These words mean, could you go through what I have to go through? James and John say yes. These are the men who can’t believe that Jesus is facing imminent death, yet they believe they can walk his path, every step of the way.
‘It’s not for me to grant,‘ says Jesus. ‘These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.’
The disciples are indignant! How dare these two put themselves forward as the greatest! Once more, Jesus has to call them together for a team talk. It’s a familiar story. Your place in this world is not like other people. In my kingdom, ‘43whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.’ We’ve heard this teaching before. This is the upside down Kingdom of Christ.
End Piece: It’s easy for us to be critical of the disciples. They believe that Jesus is the Messiah. In their mind, his victory is the only option. His death is not in the script. They were bewildered and confused by the idea that he could be arrested by the Jewish leaders and put to death by the Romans. If we were there, we would have been bewildered too.
James, it turns out, did suffer for his faith as Jesus said he would. He was the first of the disciples to die (Acts 12:1-2). John was first exiled (Revelation 1:9)and later died a martyr’s death. The cup that they drank and the baptism they shared was not the same as Jesus, but it was pretty close.
Our perspective is different from the disciples. After all, we know how the story develops. We know that in a few days time Jesus will die, be buried and then three days after that, raised from the dead. We know that because of his death, and the manner of his death, we have relationship with him. We are amongst the many, you and I, who have been ransomed.
45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
