Day 121 ~ Mark 10:35-45
“Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.”
Mark 10:43-44 {New International Version {NIV}}
James and John painted a pretty good picture of spiritual toddlerhood, didn’t they? But let's face it. All of us have to go through spiritual toddlerhood and adolescence to get to a place of maturity. We don’t ordinarily leap up. We grow up.
For a few moments, however, James and John did nothing but descend deeper and deeper into the quicksand of their own self-absorption. In this scene, James and John made only three statements “Teacher, we want You to do something for us if we ask You” {v35}, “allow us to sit at Your right and at Your left in Your Glory” {v37}, and a third moment from verse 39 that we’ll consider in a moment. Do you see a growing audacity with each moment?
And don’t think for a minute they wouldn’t have dug themselves deeper if given the opportunity. Had Christ told them He might consider one on His right and one on His left, how long do you think it would have taken them to rumble over who would sit where?
Their famous last words slay me. After christ asked, “are you able to drink the cup I drink or to be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?” they answered without hesitation: “We are able.” They didn’t have any idea what they were talking about because they didn't have any idea what Christ was talking about. Soon they would. One day in the distant future they would sip from the cup and know the baptism of His suffering. But in their present state they needed a baby bottle, not even a cup.
Our problem if often the same as theirs. We let the human image of Christ mislead us into downsizing Him. “If He’s just stoop a little and we stood on our tiptoes, we’d be just about side by side. One at His left. One as His right.” But I am convinced that if we, present company included, really “got” the concept of being chosen and called by the divine Son of God, His Spirit would have to set us on our feet for us to get off our faces {Ezek. 2:1} Yes, we've been chosen and, yes, we've been called, and we know we're grasping the concept when our humanity is cloaked in humility ~ not “Teacher, we want you You to do something for us.” but “teach us to do for You whatever You ask.”
I don’t know about you, but too often I am like James & John coming to God with my list of things that I expect Him to do for me. My way, and on my time. Oh goodness! Just who do I think I am?!? How many times do I want to be first or greater or even take the easy way out?
God doesn’t promise us an easy life, but he does promise to give us strength when we’re weary. “His grace is sufficient … His power is made perfect in weakness.”
2 Corinthians 12:9 {New International Version {NIV}}
And if I’m honest, the times I’m most aware of God’s presence are the seasons of greatest difficulty.
Take Care
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