Good evening, everyone. We are in Mark chapter 10. We continue there tonight. And we're going to be reviewing, studying verses 32 down through verse 45. So I'm going to read that for us. And the two particular areas here that we're studying tonight is This is where Jesus foretells his death for the third time in Mark. And then also we're gonna see a request made by two of his disciples, James and John, and study that. So let's read beginning in verse 32. And they were on the road going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. and they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. And taking the twelve again, he began to tell them what was to happen to him, saying, See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles, and they will mock him and spit on him and flog him and kill him. And after three days, he will rise. And James and John, the sons of Zebedee came up to him and said to him, teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you. And he said to them, what do you want me to do for you? And they said to him, grant us to sit one at your right hand and one at your left in your glory. And Jesus said to them, you do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized? And they said to him, we are able. And Jesus said to them, the cup that I drink, you will drink. And with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized. But to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared. And when the 10 heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John. And Jesus called them to him and said to them, you know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them. and their great ones exercise authority over them but it shall not be so among you but whoever would be great among you must be your servant and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all for even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. Let's pray. Father Lord we thank you for your word and your truth and Father, we thank you how you demonstrate in your word, how you work in the lives of those you've called. And we see that here in this passage, Lord. And open it up to us tonight and reveal your truth to us, Father. Reveal yourself to us, Lord. We pray this in Christ's name, amen. Now, Jesus, here as I mentioned, he's foretelling his death for the third time. And I'm going to reread some of these verses as I go through my notes here. In verse 34, he says, they will mock him and spit on him and flog him and kill him. And it's very deliberate how he separates those out. This is the most descriptive account of what's going to happen to him yet. He has been progressive in describing that to his disciples. and to sort of recount some of the things that we've studied so far in Mark beginning back all the way back to Mark chapter 1 you know he calls Peter and Andrew and James and John and as as we go through Mark he calls the other disciples and I was reminded in looking back you know all those guys were fishermen they were they had a they had a day job if you will and he's called them out and He has them with him as he begins his earthly ministry. And they begin to witness miraculous healings and casting out of demons, they along with others. And as we progress through the scriptures, they express amazement at what they see. They express fear when he calms the wind in Mark 4. It was Peter and James and John that Jesus brought in with him into the house of the synagogue ruler, this is in chapter 5, and raised his daughter to life, and they were overcome with amazement. Scripture tells us that. Chapter 6, he sends the 12 out in twos, and they proclaim that people should repent, and they cast out demons. and anointed with oil, many who were sick and healed them." And that's in verses 12 and 13 of chapter 6. Later in chapter 6, they were terrified when he came walking on the water and astounded after he came into the boat with him. So there's been so much that they have seen as they have been with him through his ministry. It also tells us in chapter 6 that their hearts were hardened because they didn't understand the loaves when Jesus fed the 5,000. They didn't yet understand. And, you know, chapter 8, Peter declares him to be the Christ in verse 29. After he, Jesus, confronts them with a question, who do you say that I am? And this is in verse 31 of chapter eight is where Jesus first foretells his death. And in reading verse 31 in chapter eight, and he began to teach them that the son of man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed. And after three days rise again. And he said this plainly in verse 32. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. In verse 33, you know, he rebuked Peter, the Lord did, telling him to get behind me, Satan, for you're not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man, okay? So I kind of recount that because, again, here he is most descriptive thus far in what he is going to experience, and he expresses that to his disciples here. After the transfiguration in Mark 9, in verses 9 and 10, Jesus gives instructions about telling no one what they had seen until his resurrection, as they're coming down the mountain there. And in verse 10, they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead might mean. You can see all through Mark they're trying to understand the Lord has called them and he's bringing them along with him. And he's continually revealing and revealing more details about what is to come, but maybe more especially who he is. The second time he foretells his death is in chapter 9, verses 30 through 32. In verse 31, he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, the son of man is going to be delivered. This is the first mention of his betrayal. He's going to be delivered into the hands of men and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise. Verse 32, but they did not understand the saying and were afraid to ask him. So they have experienced amazement and wonder and fear of being afraid to ask him about these things. And again, we go, and now we're in the passage in chapter 10, and I'm gonna read verse 32 again. They were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. And they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. And taking the 12 again, he began to tell them what was to happen to him. I read here in the scripture is the Lord is on the road to Jerusalem. He's walking ahead of them. And I read one commentary that indicated that it was customary in those days for a teacher to walk ahead of his group who he would be teaching. That was customary. I see here the Lord to be intentional and focused on what is before him. He is in the lead and he is out ahead. And he, the scripture describes the 12 disciples and the crowd. The 12, it mentions here as being amazed. And it says, and those who followed were afraid. Now, one commentary says that, suggests there's two groups here and that there's the 12, there's the disciples and there's a crowd. And others suggest that just one group, We see a crowd earlier in chapter 10, around when Jesus is confronting the rich young ruler. And we also see that in the next chapter, or rather in the next passage when he gets to Jericho, we see a crowd. But I think another thing is here, if we reflect back to what Tyler discussed last week, In verses 29 through 31, it says, Jesus said, truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house, or brothers, or sisters, or mother, or father, or children, or lands for my sake and for the gospel, for who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands? with persecutions, and in the age to come, eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first." And when it talks about their amazement here, they're on the road and he is leading out, but they've also just heard this account of what those will gain who give up to follow him. and to be his disciple. So, they're on the road, and in verse 35, it says, And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to him and said to him, Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you. And that's a hugely open-ended question, the way that's phrased. It is wide open. And, you know, they are asking the king of kings and lord of lords. It's kind of interesting. Do you know who you're talking to? I like Matthew Henry's commentary on this passage. He said, we had much better leave it to him to do for us what he sees fit, and he will do more than we desire, as expressed in Ephesians 3.20, which says, now to him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly, above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in him, to him be glory in the church of Christ Jesus to all generations. forever and ever, amen. It's to him be the glory here. But in verse 36, going back to chapter 10, and he said to them, what do you want me to do for you? And they said to him, grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory. Well, you know, one of the recurring themes and messages in the Reformation conference is that Christ is exclusive, he's sufficient, and it's all his glory. It's all in him. And here they're asking for this. This, to me, in a way, I look back at what Peter wanted him to do. You know, Peter rebuked him because there was this sense of a Messiah coming for an earthly kingdom. And while it's not said here, when we read back the earlier verses of what they give up, in their frailty, there's a desire here for them because they see this, I believe, in an earthly kingdom. I see that they don't understand yet who he is. In verse 38, Jesus said to them, you do not know what you're asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized? Now the cup and baptism here is symbolic of Christ's suffering that was soon to come. Later in Mark, in chapter 14, we find in the scriptures, where the Lord is very near the crucifixion. He said, and going a little further, he fell on his face and prayed, saying, my father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me, nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will. Matthew 26, 39, the scripture says, and he said, Abba Father, all things are possible for you, Remove this cup from me, yet not what I will, but what you will. And here he describes the cup, or rather the cup he's facing, the desire, a desire in some way not to face it, but yet his will is yielded up to the Father to do what he's called to do, what he's came to do. In verse 39, back to Mark chapter 10, And they said to him, we are able. And Jesus said to them, the cup that I drank, you will drink. And with the baptism, which I am baptized, you will be baptized. And here we see Jesus is prophetic in the type of suffering and the deaths that James and the apostles would ultimately face, James and John here. James's death, occurs early in the church. We can find it in Acts chapter 12, verse 2. And John, of course, is confronted. He has a long life, but yet is confronted with exile on the Isle of Patmos for following Christ. And I was thinking about this. I didn't necessarily research this, but I've read it before. The Isle of Patmos is not a paradise. It is an island. but yet it was an island where there were mines. So just by your very presence of being there and those who would work, it was in effect a prison. You would suffer physically because of exposure to, I can't remember what the metals were, but it was pretty toxic to be there. So from a physical standpoint, John, later in life is confronted with suffering in that way. I'll have to do some further research on that, but I know I have learned that in the past. And here in verse 40, it says, but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but is for those for whom it has been prepared. And here we find the Lord expresses his submission to the will of the father. And this is for the father to grant. This is within the father's authority and not his own. And in verse 41, and when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John. And Jesus called them to him and said to them, You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. And here, to me, the Lord's response is one of grace to them, one of mercy to them. Before they were amazed, they feared, and even when Peter rebuked him and he confronted Peter, It was one of grace because he's called them and he's bringing them with him forward. And they're still trying to understand. They're still trying to understand this kingdom that he is proclaiming. But it's a response of grace. Here, the response is to all of them. It's not just James and John. He called them over. each were capable of making this request. And while James and John outwardly expressed their desire for a role in Christ's kingdom, and when you see the imagery here, as they express it, to sit by him, the request is to be second only to him, in terms of that, how you see that, you know? It's to be, It's not to be just a foot soldier to have more than that, if you will. They still saw as earthly, all of the 12 were capable of this desire. They still were seeing this earthly kingdom. They're still trying to grasp this heavenly kingdom that Christ is bringing about. Now, if we look back to verse 42, the Lord's description here is somewhat brief around the Gentiles in the world system there. The Gentiles are lorded over them and their great ones exercise authority over them. It's brief and it points to or characterizes those who in those positions of authority could rule with a heavy hand and we can see in the world history, we can see those who are in positions of authority in the system of the world. Many can rule in the worst sort of way as being heavy handed. The scripture says again to lord it over them and to do a little somewhat of a contrast there, not so much of a contrast, but to give some account of some good attributes of those in authority. Paul in Romans chapter 13, verses one through six, he gives, describes our responsibility to be subject to those in authority. In other parts of scripture, we should pray for those in authority. And in verses one through six, that account is given in Romans. And Paul, and I'm just gonna pull some things out of those verses. In verse one, it says, well, I'll read all of verse one. Let every person be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God. And those that exist have been instituted by God. And verse three in Romans 13, it says, for rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Will you have no fear of the one who is an authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval. So here's descriptions of our commands, direction of how we are to be subject to authorities. But the description here in verse 42 is a brief one. that the Lord is giving them. And in studying that, and let me go on here. Let me go back to Romans 13, verse six. It says, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. So authorities are appointed, but yet in the world we can see Then, as we can see now in many cases, those who are in authority to be abusive of that or, again, to be heavy of that. And the expression by James and John is one of to have some power there. Again, in the verse where they request that in his glory. But in verse 43, The Lord says, but it shall not be so among you, but whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. The Lord makes a contrast here that's clear, it seems. In some commentary I read, the Gentile way or the world's way to greatness in so many ways is defined to be one who is in a position of authority over many. with a perceived accountability sometimes to no one but themselves. And to be an authority in the world gives allowance in a way for the worst of the character, in the worst of the character of an unregenerate man to come out. For one who's an authority, pride can creep in, or envy, or jealousy. But in the Lord's kingdom, to be great as a servant in Christ's domain, being yielded and submissive to the Holy Spirit, gives way for Christ's character to shine through, ultimately glorifying Him. The glory is all to Him. To be yielded and submissive and to serve others allows that Christ-like character to come through. In verse 45, for even the son of man came not to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. And here is one place where Christ gives his reason for why he came, and that is to redeem, to set the captives free. He is the only one who can do that. He is the only one who is in that position. I like the verse, there's another expression in scripture, not an expression, but another statement by the Lord in John chapter 18 verse 37 then Pilate said to him so you are a king Jesus answered, you say that I am a king, for this purpose I was born, and for this purpose I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice. So, in looking back at this passage, and looking at the disciples, I see here the Lord you know, calling them along and bringing them along and revealing what is going to happen. And they're dealing with so much of what they see that is, you know, clearly at God's hand, and they're trying to take it all in. They're trying to understand it, and yet they're still grappling with the pull from the world in terms of what they ask of Him here. Let's pray. Father, thank you for your word and your truth. Pray that you would continue to teach us, reveal your truth to us, Lord. Father, I pray, Lord, that you would allow your spirit to work now as we go into prayer and we lift up the needs of this body to you. Pray this in Christ's name, amen.