Sermon Tone Analysis

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*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, *33 *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.

*34 *And they will mock him and spit on him, and flog him and kill him.

And after three days he will rise.”

*35 *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.” *36 *And he said to them, “What do you want me to do for you?” *37 *And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.”

*38 *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?”

*39 *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, *40 *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.”

*41 *And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John.

*42 *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.

*43 *But it shall not be so among you.

But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,*44 *and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all.

*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.”

*46 *And they came to Jericho.

And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside.

*47 *And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” *48 *And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent.

But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” *49 *And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”

And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart.

Get up; he is calling you.”

*50 *And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus.

*51 *And Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?”

And the blind man said to him, “Rabbi, let me recover my sight.”

*52 *And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.”

And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way.

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The theme of discipleship runs clearly through chapters eight, nine, and ten in the Gospel of Mark in one of the most well-defined sections in the book.

Three times in these three chapters Jesus makes a prediction about his coming death.

Though he spoke to them plainly about this (Mark 8:32), the disciples are having trouble understanding the full force of this prediction.

They understand enough to be fearful of the implications of their Messiah being executed, but they are still clinging to the hope that he will soon inaugurate a glorious kingdom and reward them, his closest followers, accordingly.

In Mark 10:32, as Jesus and his disciples traveled toward Jerusalem, Mark says that the disciples “were amazed, and those who followed were afraid.”

They are amazed and afraid because, Mark notes, “Jesus was walking ahead of them.”

Here we see Jesus, resolutely continuing on his way to where he has predicted his death.

The disciples are not so eager to get there.

But they are amazed at Jesus’ determination.

Still they follow along, hoping that this will all end well, but fearful of what might happen next.

Being a disciple of Jesus was a complicated calling.

The meaning of discipleship remains a misunderstood part of the Christian faith even today.

How can we grasp the costliness of following Jesus to his cross while at the same time maintain hope in the promise of a glorious kingdom?

Discipleship involves both a cross and a kingdom.

Jesus is determined to give us both.

But like the blind men that are healed at the beginning and at the end of this lengthy section in Mark (8:22-26; 10:46-52), we need Jesus to help us see.

We need to see why we ought to eagerly follow him down this road of discipleship.

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THE REQUEST OF JAMES AND JOHN

Just as in the previous predictions of his coming death, we immediately find the disciples in need of some correction from Jesus.

After the first prediction (Mark 8:31), Peter rebuked Jesus for talking like that.

But Jesus turned and rebuked Peter in front of the other disciples.

To Peter it was unthinkable that Jesus would die at the hands of men, but Jesus explained that Peter was thinking of the kingdom in human terms and not on God’s terms.

After the second prediction (Mark 9:31) Jesus corrected the disciples for their argument over which of them was the greatest.

They are still thinking of the kingdom only in human ideals, and they are imagining what it will be like for them since they are the inner circle of King Jesus’ followers.

But Jesus surprises them by explaining that “if anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all” (Mark 9:35).

!! A bold request

The disciples still don’t get it.

So once more, after the third prediction about his coming death, Jesus is approached by his disciples.

This time it is two brothers, James and John, who have come to make a request of Jesus.

It is a bold and audacious request.

They begin this way, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.”

Rather than being straightforward with their request, they are asking for a blank check from which they can make their demand.

It’s like when someone says, “If I tell you something, do you promise not to tell anyone else?”

These two brothers want a guarantee from Jesus first, probably because they have their doubts that Jesus will approve of their request.

Jesus wants them to get right to the point.

“What do you want me to do for you?”

Maybe he will grant the request, but maybe he won’t.

First, the disciples need to be clear about what they want.

So here is their request: “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory” (v.

38).

They have asked Jesus to give them high places of honor in his kingdom.

This is a bold request especially since Jesus has already rebuked the disciples for arguing about who would be the greatest.

How could these two sons of Zebedee even dream that Jesus might be favorable to this proposition?

While it is easy for us to be amused by the disciples’ continued quest for positions of honor, we must understand the setting in which their question is posed.

There is an air of expectation and excitement in spite of this prediction of death.

While they have trouble understanding how Jesus’ death fits into the plan, they are convinced that he is the long-awaited Messiah.

And now they are going up to Jerusalem, to the royal city, where they are expecting Jesus to restore the kingdom to Israel.

These two brothers have already had a taste of the glory of this kingdom (see Mark 9:2-8), and they are eager to receive the full benefits of this kingdom.

!! “You do not know what you are asking”

Jesus’ reply to James and John seems is intriguing.

“You do not know what you are asking,” he began.

“Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?”

(v.

38).

The “cup” is a frequent Old Testament figure for what God has ordained, and it frequently refers to judgment, usually divine judgment (Psa 75:8).

To “drink the cup” then means to accept the destiny God has decreed.

The “baptism” to which Jesus refers carries the same analogy of destiny.

So his answer to James and John is, “Are you able to accept the same fate that I have embraced?”

Jesus has already spoken three times about what that fate will be.

Jesus wants to show James and John why their question is misguided, so in asking them if they can share in his fate he is apparently wanting them to answer in the negative.

For if they can share in his fate then they can share in his glory.

Jesus will be the central figure in the glory of the kingdom precisely because of the calling he is fulfilling.

James and John want to show that they are not looking for a handout.

They want to be given the places of honor in the kingdom deservedly.

They are courageous disciples!

So they reply to Jesus, “We are able” (v.

39).

They who have left everything to follow Jesus are determined to follow him to Jerusalem and die with him if need be.

And Jesus affirms this declaration of commitment.

“The cup that I drink you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized” (v.

39).

So what is to stand in the way of their request for honor if they will share in Christ’s destiny?

And why does Jesus originally suggest that the disciples would /not /be able to drink from his cup and would /not/ be able to undergo his baptism?

There are two things to note.

First, Jesus must be saying that the disciples will share in his “cup” and “baptism” in a similar, but not an identical, way.

His destiny will lead him to the sufferings of a cross, and he has made it clear that those who will follow him must embrace their own cross (Mark 8:34-35).

But his cross will be qualitatively different than the cross of any of his disciples, as he will soon explain.

So the glory and honor that he will merit by his cross they cannot merit by their own.