35 And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, come unto him, saying, Master, we would that thou shouldest do for us whatsoever we shall desire. 36 And he said unto them, What would ye that I should do for you? 37 They said unto him, Grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left hand, in thy glory. 38 But Jesus said unto them, Ye know not what ye ask: can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? 39 And they said unto him, We can. And Jesus said unto them, Ye shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of; and with the baptism that I am baptized withal shall ye be baptized:
40 But to sit on my right hand and on my left hand is not mine to give; but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared. 41 And when the ten heard it, they began to be much displeased with James and John. 42 But Jesus called them to him, and saith unto them, Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them. 43 But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister: 44 And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all. 45 For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. (Mark 10:35-45 KJV)
The Request of James and John
Here, we see that the check Jesus gave to two of his disciples for their ambitious request is much the same here as in Matthew 20:20. There, their mother made the request on their behalf; here, they make it themselves. She introduced the request, and they confirmed and supported it.
As on the one hand, some don’t make use of Christ’s encouragements in prayer, so on the other hand, some abuse them. Christ said, “Ask, and it shall be given you,” and it is commendable to ask for great things he promised. But these disciples presumptuously demanded, “We want You to do for us whatever we ask” (Mark 10:35). It is better to leave it to Christ to do what he sees fit, and he will do more than we can ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20).
We must be careful with general promises. Christ didn’t commit to granting their request without knowing what it was: “What do you want Me to do for you?” (Mark 10:36). He made them continue their request so they might feel the shame of it.
Many have been misled by mistaken ideas about Christ’s kingdom, as if it were like worldly kingdoms. James and John assumed that if Christ rose again, he would be a king, and they wanted to be his top officials, like Joseph in Pharaoh’s court or Daniel in Darius’s.
Worldly honor is dazzling, and even Christ’s disciples have often been blinded by it. But it should matter more to us to be good than to be great or to have preeminence. Our weakness and shortsightedness often show in our prayers. We can’t speak properly to God because of our limited understanding of both him and ourselves. It is foolish to instruct God; it is wise to submit to him.
It is Christ’s will that we prepare for suffering and trust him to reward us. He doesn’t need reminders of our service, nor can he forget our work of faith and love. Our focus must be on receiving wisdom and grace to know how to suffer with him, and then we can trust him to determine how, when, and to what extent we will reign with him.
The check he gave to the rest of the disciples for their reaction is seen in Mark 10:41. They were indignant at James and John, not because it was inappropriate, but because each hoped for that place himself. Their resentment revealed their own ambition. Christ used this moment to warn them—and future church leaders—against such desires (Mark 10:42-44). He called them to him kindly, setting an example of humility, even while correcting their ambition, and teaching them never to treat others with superiority.
He pointed out that dominion is often abused in the world (Mark 10:42). Rulers among the Gentiles exercise authority primarily to assert their will, not to serve their people. Their focus is on what they can gain from their subjects, not on what they can give.
Therefore, such behavior must not exist in the church: “It shall not be so among you.” Leaders in Christ’s church are to be like shepherds caring for sheep, not drivers of oxen. The one who seeks greatness must be the servant of all. Those who exalt themselves will be humbled.
Rather, the one who truly desires to be great must devote himself to serving others, even in the humblest and hardest tasks. Such people are not only the most honored in the life to come but are truly honorable now because they are the most useful.
To drive the point home, Christ gave his own example (Mark 10:45): “The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” If he first endured hardship and suffering before entering glory, can we expect to reach it any other way? He took the form of a servant, not seeking to be served but to serve and show grace. He became obedient to death, giving his life for the benefit of many. If he died for the good of others, should we not also live for their benefit?