Conclusion of The Disciples Argue As Jesus' Dearth Nears

Realizing the source of the request, Jesus says to James and John: "You men do not know what you are asking for. Can you drink the cup that I am about to drink?" We can, they answer. Even though Jesus has just told them that he faces terrible persecution and finally execution, they apparently do not comprehend that this is what he means by "the cup" he is about to drink. Nevertheless, Jesus tells them: "You will indeed drink my cup, but this sitting down at my right hand and at my left is not mine to give, but it belongs to those for whom it has been prepared by my Father."

In time the other ten apostles learn what James and John have requested, and they are angry. Perhaps James and John were prominent in the earlier argument among the apostles about who is the greatest. Their present request reveals that they have not applied the counsel Jesus has given on this matter. Sadly, their desire for prominence is still strong.

So to deal with this latest controversy and the ill will it had created, Jesus calls the 12 apostles together. Counseling them lovingly, he says: "You know that the rulers of the nations lord it over them and the great men wield authority over them. This is not the way among you; but whoever wants to become great among you must be your minister, and whoever wants to be the first among you must be you slave."

Jesus has set the example they should intimate, as he explains: "Just as the Son of man came, not to be ministered to, but to minister and to give his soul a ransom in exchange for many." Jesus has not only ministered in behalf of others but will do so to the extent of dying for mankind! The disciples need that same Christlike disposition of desiring to serve rather than to be served and to be a lesser one rather than to be in a position of prominence. Matthew 20:17-28; Mark 3:17; 9:33-37; 10:32-45; Luke 18:31-34; John 11:16.

Next time: Jesus Teaches At Jericho

The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived, 1991