ATTENTION: Please note that this adult Sunday school lesson, Jesus Came to Serve on Mark 10:35-45 is for the 2-20-11 ISSL. You will find the 2-13-11 lesson, This Is My Beloved aka Jesus is God’s Son, directly beneath this message and on the right side.
Jed
Jesus Came to Serve
Mark 10:35-45
International Sunday School Lesson
February 20, 2011
Commentary
By
Jed Greenough
We can assume from the scriptures that 3 disciples were held in very high regard by Jesus: Peter, and the brothers James and John. I think that the request that we read in today’s scripture for the International Sunday School Lesson came in part because these two, who probably had very confident personalities to begin with, were emboldened by this fact.
I don’t think that there is any doubt that if we all had their opportunity, we would want to be as close to Christ as we could possibly be and if we were honest our pride would be overflowing if we were the ones walking with Him daily and He showed us special attention.
The other disciples would not have been blind to the special status of the three, and although I am confident Jesus showed them all a love that made them each know they were special, there may naturally have been some resentment.
We don’t often attribute such fault to this group of men, but the fact remains that some are more talented, more gifted than others and I am confident that for the Lord’s work that applied to the three.
I feel that James and John, having received the Apprentice Positions of the Ages, should be forgiven some pride that was there in part due to their age. Who among us doesn’t shake our heads at some of the folly of our youth? But with time comes maturity.
James, wasn’t given as much time as John, having died a martyr (Acts 12), but John evidently lived to a very old age and as he matured the lofty ideas of youth were replaced with the inspired scriptures that showed this change into, from the words of Revelation 1:1a, “His servant John.”
I myself have taken on a roll of servant though it is to my shame that I took so long to get there and I have a long road to travel in order to emulate the example that Christ and John and James left.
What about you? How is your servant heart? That you care to study His word is evident by your being here, but examine your service. My hope is that you are a bright star of encouragement shining out of an inky black sky, but sometimes we fall into routines of service that either success or time can cause our light to dim.
Positions of leadership can do that when we are surrounded by people who elevate us to a status that gives us some of that pride that the Sons of Thunder exhibited at the beginning of today’s scripture.
Another way our servant light dims is when over time we crave for recognition that the service we perform is making a difference for those we serve. When in the service of others it is sometimes hard to wait for the praise from the Father and we desire praise from a brother.
So today I would like you to consider this idea of servant from three views:
1. That Jesus expects this from you as we read not only today but thematically in the Bible. If you are not working toward a servant’s heart than start today. Two examples that always leap to my mind are Matthew 24:36-51 and Matthew 25:1-30 both of which very clearly show what Christ is expecting from us as servants.
2. Those that serve from positions of authority. Do not think more highly of yourself than you ought, consider Jesus as we read in:
Philippians 2:6-7
6 Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
3. Those that serve in quiet but who desire encouragement. One day, if not rewarded here, you will be in heaven and if you are rewarded with accolades now, consider how they will pale in comparison to what He will say. Consider the alternatives: not serving at all, or getting so much recognition that you become lost in it, consider Proverb 1:17, “Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of feasting with strife.”
For Discussion:
1. Read the account in Matthew 20:20-28
2. The cup and baptism of verses 38-40 refers to what they will endure in the future.
3. Consider the maturation of James and John as we are shown in the scripture and consider our own.
4. Was the indignation mentioned in verse 41 one that was righteous? Consider times when you have been indignant, was it righteous?
5. How can we instill in ourselves and others a thorough understanding that we are to serve each other?
6. Have you bookmarked or linked to this site? I am out there every week, but the search engines sometimes make it very difficult to be found!
(Join me next week for the International Sunday School Lesson for February 27, 2011, Coming of the Son of Man aka Jesus Is Coming Again, on Mark 13:14-27)
Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
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