Good Morning Friends,
James and John were naturally talented and dedicated to the Lord but more boisterous than the reading of the books in the Bible with their names would indicate. In fact, they were called the sons of thunder. Their mother, like every mother wanted the best for her children, and I think a desire for them to be more than prophets, because like Jeremiah the weeping prophet, though men of God, they ended up with a host of enemies. And so, a few days before Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, the brothers’ mother made a request on behalf of her children. She wanted Jesus to command that James and John sit on his right and left side of Jesus in the kingdom being established. That is when Jesus shares with them exactly what this would mean. It was a prophecy of pain, suffering and humiliation. They must have wondered… Will We Walk In The Prophetic Path Of Jesus?
Scripture: Then they said, “Come, let us make plots against Jeremiah—for instruction shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come, let us bring charges against him, and let us not heed any of his words.” Give heed to me, O Lord, and listen to what my adversaries say! Is evil a recompense for good? Yet they have dug a pit for my life. Remember how I stood before you to speak good for them, to turn away your wrath from them.
Jeremiah 18:18-20 (NRSV)
While Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside by themselves, and said to them on the way, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death; then they will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified; and on the third day he will be raised.”
Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to him with her sons, and kneeling before him, she asked a favor of him. And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Declare that these two sons of mine will sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.” But Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.” He said to them, “You will indeed drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left, this is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.” When the ten heard it, they were angry with the two brothers. But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. It will not be so among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave; just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”
Matthew 20:17-28 (NRSV)
I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
Philippians 4:13 (NRSV)
Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God. You hate those who pay regard to worthless idols, but I trust in the Lord. I will exult and rejoice in your steadfast love, because you have seen my affliction; you have taken heed of my adversities, and have not delivered me into the hand of the enemy; you have set my feet in a broad place. Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress; my eye wastes away from grief, my soul and body also. For my life is spent with sorrow, and my years with sighing; my strength fails because of my misery, and my bones waste away. I am the scorn of all my adversaries, a horror to my neighbors, an object of dread to my acquaintances; those who see me in the street flee from me. I have passed out of mind like one who is dead; I have become like a broken vessel. For I hear the whispering of many— terror all around!— as they scheme together against me, as they plot to take my life. But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, “You are my God.” My times are in your hand; deliver me from the hand of my enemies and persecutors. Let your face shine upon your servant; save me in your steadfast love.
Psalm 31: 5-16 (NRSV)
Message: I really cannot take the credit for the topic of the day. It just jumps out of the lectionary selection. But what I can tell you is that what Jesus says here is important. He is not saying that there is no place at His right hand and His left hand for believing Christians. He is saying that He will not arbitrarily give the positions to James and John or to anyone else, because these places are for those who prepare themselves and others for being part of the kingdom of heaven. And Jesus is saying that to gain those positions it will not be easy. The disciples had the wrong approach. For us today we need to keep in mind that Heaven is for the asking. We do nothing for salvation. We are saved by Christ’s faith gifted to us through His marvelous grace. However, our positions and our rewards in heaven are determined by what we do here on earth to glorify God. That is very important and even faithful church goers seem to have lost sight of it. There is more here in being a follower of Christ than meets the eye, and it is not such an easy path. Jesus was always teaching His disciples, and in this discussion with them and one of their Jewish mothers, the lesson is that the style of leadership and greatness is different for believers than it is for the world. Yes, we need to desire to win the prize, but the competition is not to be against each other. Part of the trouble with Christians today is that too few are even on the right path. Most are happy with the success of an assured salvation but lack the passion of trying to win anything of significance for the Kingdom to come.
And So, Jesus’ own life and purpose was to serve and to give, and as His followers that must be our purpose as well. For all eternity, God the Son had been reigning in heaven with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. But Jesus was willing to become a servant, which required leaving His heavenly position, coming to earth as a human, and suffering death by crucifixion. But after doing all that, He returned to His rightful place beside His Father, and He is worthy to be served as Lord. Friends, we are to be servants of salt and light demonstrating in our lives the stark contrast between earthly kingdoms and the Kingdom of God. We are to be blessed by the gift of the Holy Spirit to act in faith and forgiveness as servants for Christ. But please realize that servants will receive their rich reward in due season. For sure they will have some possessions in this life but with persecutions too. And they would become part of a new family, with a work that is long and toilsome. But because they had followed Jesus, they would have riches in heaven. The beauty of God’s way is that those who make themselves last in this world by becoming a servant to Jesus Christ would end up first, and those who had it all in this life without Jesus would be last.
Pray we recognize that salvation is a gift, but that we need to get on the right course to receive the added gift of being a servant and sometimes suffering leader for God. Pray though our acts of kindness to others they experience the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives and their own. Pray we are salty servants, gentle to children, firm with ourselves and peaceful with others. Pray
our ambition honors our parents but moreover honors God. Pray we believe but also press on to win the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Pray we realize that God is preparing a place for us but that in the meantime we are to be giving our all to make this a place of heaven on earth. Pray our attitude is one of service. Pray we are willing to walk in the prophetic paths even when the course is difficult. Pray we do the right thing now for the kingdom to come. Pray we understand the purpose of being a Christian is more than getting into heaven. Pray we are radically God-centered and realistic about evil. Pray that we realize that change is required from the inside out. Pray we are relentlessly hopeful. Pray we realize it is not too late to turn from our evil ways, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the Way is good. Pray we walk in the way of the Holy Spirit in the faith and forgiveness of Jesus and find rest for our souls. Pray we are relevant for those living and yet even restless for Christ to return. Pray we walk in righteous paths with Christian principles and a purpose that honors God in a love that lasts.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 