Kingdom Come
Jesus said ask and you shall receive, so what would you ask for?
James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to Jesus and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” And he said to them, “What is it 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.” But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” They replied, “We are able.” Then 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.” When the ten heard this, they began to be angry with James and John. So Jesus called them and said to them, “You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.” - Mark 10:35-45
What James and John asked for was positions of power and glory. What they got is what they should have asked for, servanthood.
Jesus warns us t hat following him may not be easy. We may find that we have to suffer as he suffered and be subject to the same abuse.
That is not what John and James expected. They thought Jesus was going to build a kingdom on earth that would wield power and do battle against the oppression they faced.
I guess if they thought they would go to battle, they should be prepared for what ever that brings, but probably not in the way Jesus was offering.
The battles they would fight would be against indifference and apathy toward those who needed help.
Those are our battles as well. When we join Jesus's army, we go out among those in pain, those needing help, and we do what we can to heal them.
In God's kingdom, the one who serves is above the one who seeks glory and power, for he chooses to give rather than receive.
Imagine if we all thought that way.
We could end poverty and hunger, and bring comfort to all who are lonely or sick.
I guess that is the kingdom we are supposed to inherit.
More to come...