Mark 10:32-36: a reflection

32They were on the way, going up to Jerusalem; and Jesus was going in front of them, and they were amazed; and those who followed were afraid. He again took the twelve, and began to tell them the things that were going to happen to him. 33“Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem. The Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes. They will condemn him to death, and will deliver him to the Gentiles. 34They will mock him, spit on him, scourge him, and kill him. On the third day he will rise again.” 35James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came near to him, saying, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we will ask.” 36He said to them, “What do you want me to do for you?”

Jesus is walking ahead of his disciples on the road up to Jerusalem, and something about his resolve amazes and frightens them. He takes the twelve aside and tells them plainly what awaits him there: he will be handed over, condemned, mocked, spat upon, scourged, and killed, and after three days rise again. He is walking, eyes open, toward the cross, telling his followers exactly what it will cost him. His resolve is set on the suffering he has come to bear.

And how do James and John respond to this solemn announcement? They come to Jesus with a request for personal glory: teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask, hoping for the top places in his kingdom. The contrast is jarring. Jesus has just spoken of his coming suffering and death, and his closest followers are angling for status. Their self-seeking stands in stark relief against his self-giving. Yet Jesus does not rebuke them harshly; he simply asks, what do you want me to do for you?

This scene holds up a mirror. How often, even as we follow the crucified Christ, do our hearts run toward our own advancement, our own glory, our own comfort, missing the way of the cross he walks ahead of us? Jesus went toward suffering for our sake while his followers sought their own honor. Let the contrast humble you. Ask God to turn your heart from the self-seeking of James and John toward the self-giving of Christ, and to make you willing to follow him not for status but for love.

Lord Jesus, you walked resolutely toward the cross, and your closest followers responded by seeking their own glory. Hold up that mirror to me, for my heart so often runs toward my own advancement even as I follow you. Turn me from self-seeking toward your self-giving. Make me willing to follow the way of the cross, not for status but for love of you. Amen.