Mark 10:35-40 Let Us Sit in Your Glory
Format for Your Devotions
Instructions: Do not read my example devotion until you have completed your own devotional time in the scriptures. Reading my thoughts first may limit your own understanding. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you alone before looking to see what anyone else has to say, whether it is me, a Bible commentary, or a friend. Let God speak to you before you let another person speak to you. I have provided a format, but modify it to fit your needs. For example, I usually combine my application and prayer together talking to God about the application to my own life. You can go through this devotion process mentally, speaking out loud, or in writing as you wish. Don’t worry if you are not following this process exactly. Sometimes, I add extra information and sometimes I emphasize one part more than others. However, you should always think about what you learn about God from this passage.
Step 1: Pray–Ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance first of all and that God may reveal the lessons that He wants you to have that day. Request that God protect you from Satan’s distractions (and the devil will try to distract you whether it is pinching the baby or putting you to sleep). Ask to see God more clearly as you read and think about the passage.
Step 2: Read the passage–Read to get an overview of the information first. Then start looking at specific parts after the first reading. You may read a larger or smaller section than I have here because you do not have to follow my organization at all.
Step 3: Understand the passage–You can summarize, ask and answer your own questions about the passage, visualize the story, analyze the characters, and relate this passage to other scriptures and personal experiences.
Step 4: What does this reveal about God?–What do you learn about the Father, Son, and/or Holy Spirit from this passage?
Step 5: Apply this to your own life.
Step 6: Prayer
My Example Devotion: March 13, 2018, Mark 10:35-40
Note: In the devotion examples, I leave my questions and thought processes in the text because I am trying to demonstrate that a devotional time is a dialogue with God about what you are reading from His word. As such, any questions or ideas that you have should be explored by talking it out with God. These example devotions are not my attempts to teach you what the meaning of a particular scripture is. They are an attempt to teach you the process of devotions, which is a combination of prayer and Bible study where you explore ideas with God as you read His word.
James and John, the sons of Zebedee, went to Jesus and told him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask you.” He asked them, “What do you want me to do for you?” They asked him, “Let us sit in your glory, one on your right and one on your left.”
(Understanding the Text) I have a feeling that James and John’s mother was following along with the group and egging them on to ask. They saw that they were headed to Jerusalem and even though Jesus had warned everyone what was going to happen to Him, they did not take it to heart. They either figured that it was far in the future or that it was going to be a few inconveniences on the bumpy road to the earthly kingdom of the Messiah. They saw that there was a change in Jesus. There was purposefulness in His walk. There was an urgency and seriousness that had not been in Him before. Previously, He had been more relaxed as they wandered around Galilee, Samaria, and Judea. Now, they felt that Jesus was heading for a goal. The only goal that they could think of was the establishment of His kingdom. Thus, they felt the time had come to ask for a promise of a high position before the kingdom was established, and someone else took those positions. I think their mother was behind this pushing them to do it because you don’t see them acting like this all the time.
I think the two brothers know that they are being presumptuous in their request. This is why they start out asking Jesus for a favor. The direct translations say “do whatever we ask of you”, but I think that was a way of saying in their language, “Do something for me please.” We frequently do that when we know that what we are asking is too big or inappropriate. Jesus does not promise but asks them what they want. They want to be the second and third in command after Jesus. You can tell that they still have no idea what is happening by the fact that they say “in your glory.” They are still picturing an earthly kingdom on steroids. For them glory, just means an empire like the Romans with the dirt cleaned off and everything made shiny. They still do not have the slightest conception of what the heavenly kingdom is or of what serving God in a responsible position means.
But Jesus told them, “You don’t realize what you’re asking. Can you drink from the cup that I’m going to drink from or be baptized with the baptism with which I’m going to be baptized?” They told him, “We can.”
(Revelation of God) God is both Master and Servant. The higher up the chain of command one goes in the kingdom of heaven, the more service to others is required. To ask to be high in the kingdom is to ask to suffer and serve. God has suffered continuously since Satan rejected Him. He loves Lucifer as He loves everyone, but He knows that Satan cannot be saved. However, humans can, so He focuses His efforts on us. He restrains His glory from hurting all sinners. That has to be hurting Him. He maintains our lives even as we reject His connection to us. He loves us even when we spit in His face. The others in His kingdom follow His nature.
(Understanding the Text) Jesus tells the brothers that they have no idea of what they are dealing with. He asks them if they have the will to follow Him in the experiences that He is going to go through. They confidently say that they can. We make a big deal about Peter’s overconfidence on the night of Gethsemane, but James and John were just as overconfident here when they answered that they could follow Jesus through thick and thin. James was more of a coward than Peter when the soldiers took Jesus away. John actually did follow Jesus so that he witnessed all of the trials and the cross. Maybe, that’s why he lived the longest; he showed that he had the love to follow through thick and thin without wavering. Maybe, James got to be the first to die because he needed to prove to himself that he was not a coward anymore, that he loved Jesus enough to face death for Him. These are just speculations. I really have no idea.
Jesus told them, “You will drink from the cup that I’m going to drink and be baptized with the baptism with which I’m going to be baptized. But it’s not up to me to grant you a seat at my right or my left. Those positions have already been prepared for others.”
Jesus looks into the future and tells them that they will end up following Him through suffering and trials. However, He does not grant their request. It’s interesting that He tells them that the seats on the right and left have already been prepared for others. I wonder who will be on the left and right in heaven? My first thought was Moses and Elijah simply because they were on the Mount of Transfiguration and have been part of the heavenly council for years, but then I also thought about Abraham, the father of Israel including spiritual Israel and Adam, who is actually our king of the humans. I realize that I have no more idea of the heavenly kingdom than James and John. My difference is that I realize that it is something quite different from earth and that I don’t expect to have any kind of high-level position in any kingdom. I think that Jesus was actually referring to the thieves on the cross here and that His idea of sitting on the left and right are different from those of James, John, and myself.
(Application) Even when God tells us directly and clearly what will happen, we do not comprehend what He is telling us. Our selfish worldly blinders and our lack of any point of reference outside of this sinful world make us misunderstand and misinterpret what we read and hear. This is why it is important to study the character of God–because the only way we can begin to understand what God is telling us is to understand the one who is creating the plans. Everywhere else in creation operates under the principles of God’s character. It is only here on earth that the principle of selfishness is in power. Thus, in order to understand God’s plans, we have to look outside our selfishness to another way of operating. That is nearly impossible for most of us and only slightly possible as we become more humble and loving.
(Understanding the Text / Prayer) James and John were still operating on the selfish principles of earth while asking to lead out in the unselfish servant positions of heaven. They did not even know enough to realize that their very request demonstrated how unsuitable they were for the jobs that they were requesting. I am happy that whoever will have those positions will have learned the principles of humility, fearing God, and loving God already. I pray that those principles will permeate my whole character.