Mark 10:35-40

Rachel Workman: ³⁵ Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.”

³⁶ “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.

³⁷ They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.”

³⁸ “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said. “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?” In other words can you willingly die on the cross as the perfect sacrifice to pay for all of mankind's sin? No because they were not sinless. There was only one sinless man and that was Jesus. No one can do what Jesus has done because every one of us have sinned. Jesus was the spotless lamb; the spotless sacrifice.

³⁹ “We can,” they answered.

Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, ⁴⁰ but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.”

⁴¹ When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. ⁴² Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. ⁴³ Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, ⁴⁴ and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. ⁴⁵ For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” 

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John Burnett:  ³⁵ Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.”

³⁶ “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.

³⁷ They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.”  After I first read this passage, to me their request came across as the epitome of pride to the highest order but if you read Jesus’s response and tone, he is using this as a teachable moment and He gently rebukes them.  I think Jesus knew they were asking because they loved Him and wanted to be close to Him in Glory.

³⁸ “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said. “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?”

³⁹ “We can,” they answered.

Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, ⁴⁰ but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.”  Jesus said, “I go to prepare a place for you,” in John 14:2-3 but here he is talking in the past tense and the places to His left and His right have already been prepared for someone because He had not yet gone to prepare ours or their place.

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Allen Michaels:  ³⁵ Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.”

³⁶ “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.

³⁷ They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.” “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.”? These guys have a lot of cajones to ask Christ to do whatever they want. However, in their defense, they had the wrong idea of the Messiah’s kingdom as predicted by the Old Testament prophets. They were still under the impression that Jesus would establish and earthly kingdom that would free Israel from Rome’s oppression and these two wanted honored places in it. They had no idea what they were really asking Jesus to do for them. They didn’t understand this until after Christ’s resurrection. But today we know that Jesus’ kingdom is not of this world; it is not centered in palaces and thrones, but in the hearts and lives of his followers.

³⁸ “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said. “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?”

³⁹ “We can,” they answered.

Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, ⁴⁰ but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.” Jesus was very polite and understanding of James and John, even though he said no. It’s nice to know that we can freely ask God for anything, but our request may be denied. And it’s nice to know that God will not belittle us in the process. God wants to give us what is best for us, not merely what we want. Some requests he denies simply for our own good.

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Tomorrow's reading for Mark 10:41-45

⁴¹ When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. ⁴² Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. ⁴³ Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, ⁴⁴ and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. ⁴⁵ For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”