Aspire to be a Slave
The Gospel of Mark • Sermon • Submitted
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“Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.” Those are the words of William Shakespeare.
I don’t think there are many people here aspiring to mediocrity. You don’t want to have a great life, you want an okay life. You don’t want to have a great career, you want a decent career. Great marriage, nah - I’ll settle for one that merely survives. Anybody here like that?
No, I think that most of us want more. Greatness? Perhaps that’s too lofty of a word. Maybe the disappoints and failures and struggles of life have put greatness out of the question. Maybe you actually have begun to think, “Well, since greatness is out of reach, I’ll settle for mediocrity.”
But what if greatness was actually within your grasp? What if you’ve been trying to grasp greatness in all the wrong ways? What if true greatness, greatness in the eyes of God, is actually possible for everyone in this room?
Our text this morning helps us understand the nature of true greatness and shows us how to attain it. This is something Jesus is repeatedly teaching his disciples, so it’s not the first time we’ve encountered this theme. Jesus is always turning upside down the wisdom of the world. God’s ways are not our ways. We need a reminder of true greatness, and our text reorients us.
Mark 10:32-45. For us to learn what this text has for us, we’re going to walk through it and point out three ways to grow in true greatness. Be amazed at the determination of your savior. Be alarmed by the attitudes of self-promotion. Be aspiring to embrace the identity of a slave.
Verse 32. So often as we read through passages of the gospels, we pass over small details, believing them to be insignificant or incidental. I wonder how many of you caught the significance of two details: First, the detail of where they are going. They’re going to Jerusalem. And second, the fact that Jesus is walking ahead of them.
These two details are critical for understanding this section. Jesus is on the way back to Jerusalem. The rich young ruler stopped him before he got started (10:17), but now he’s on the road. He’s heading back to Jerusalem for the last time. Jerusalem is his final destination, his last stop. And it says that “Jesus was walking ahead of them. And they were amazed.” Pause. Why?
They were not amazed at how fast Jesus could walk. Jerusalem is the central hub for the false religious system Jesus has been opposing. Back in chapter 3, there were scribes who came down and accused him of being demon possessed. Where were they sent from? Jerusalem. In chapter 7, when the scribes accused him of eating with unwashed hands, trying to discredit him, where did they come from? Jerusalem. And then, if you look at 8:31, Jesus starts predicting that he will be handed over to the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes. Where do you think they hail from? Jerusalem. He’s going back to Jerusalem.
Notice, it also says, “those who followed him were afraid.” This is a different group from the 12 disciples, these were traveling pilgrims on the same road, coming to Jerusalem for the Passover. They are afraid. It’s as if they can sense something in the air. The atmosphere changes. Dark clouds appear on the horizon. It seems that the disciples are aware of something ominous. The followers on their way can sense the urgency in Jesus’ stride.
He’s going into enemy headquarters; behind enemy lines. He’s going straight into the lion’s den. All the people who want to discredit him, destroy him, kill him - they are there in Jerusalem.
And Jesus knows this. Mark this. Jesus knows what he’s doing. In fact, this passage makes it clear that Jesus knew the future. He knew exactly what was going to happen to him. Verse 33: “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.” Look how very specific Jesus is. He will be delivered to the chief priests (he doesn’t say by whom, although we know it was Judas), but they will condemn him to death, but they will not do the killing. The Jews will hand him over to the Gentiles, that is the Romans, and they’re the ones who will kill him. Which, of course, is precisely what happens.
But notice how amazingly precise he is. He describes exactly what kind of torture he is going to receive. There are four words to describe it: Jesus will be 1) mocked, 2) spit upon, 3) flogged, and 4) killed.
Mocked and Spit upon- that’s a kind of psychological torture. It’s not the torture of the body but a torturing of the mind. The book Unbroken describes the torture methods the Japanese used on the American POWs, and how psycholopgical torture was a central part of it. They would literally try to degrade you and strip you of all human dignity. One captor, after his release, said “I was literally becoming a lesser human being.” This is what mocking and spitting is intended to do, and this is what they were doing to Jesus. They were dehumanizing him. Jesus knew that he would be made subject to mockery and ridicule.
Flogged - this is to be beaten with a whip, a scourge, which usually had small shards of metal or bone attached to the end so as to ensure that the skin was ripped open. This is the physical side of torture. The assault he would face would be mind and body, soul and flesh; a strategy to crush the opponent entirely.
Killed - Jesus knew that his treatment would result in death. He knew that his body would suffer such extreme trauma that his lungs would no longer be able to breathe, his brain no longer function, and his heart would eventually stop beating. This is what he knew would happen, he saw it come. And still, he marched onward.
Jesus knew all this was coming. And look: Jesus is not only walking to Jerusalem. He’s walking ahead of them. He’s leading the advance to his own execution. He’s leading the death march to Jerusalem. He’s in the front on the way to his own torture. And that’s why verse 32 says “They’re amazed.”
I think the disciples is dead on here, and I think we should respond similarly. Our first point: Be amazed at the determination of your savior. All true greatness begins with beholding Christ.
Church, we need to pause and rejoice in the determination of our savior. He was fearlessly determined to go. Look at him, out in front, face set like flint, fearlessly determined to go to Jerusalem and die - why? To accomplish our salvation. Church, he’s doing this for you.
Look down at verse 45, Jesus says, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Jesus is marching into Jerusalem to give his life as a ransom. He’s not dragging his feet. He’s not lulling in the back. He is out front, like a champion, like a hero, the ultimate picture of a leader.
Take a look at that word “ransom.” The Greek word is “lytron,” and it refers to the price of release; the amount you would pay to set a slave free. He is going to be the fee, the payment. And it says he is a lytron, a “ransom for many.” What does it mean to be a “ransom for many”? It means that Jesus' death is going to be in the place of many. His life will be given as payment for those who cannot pay for their own sins.
Here is the doctrine of substitutionary atonement. What should have happened to the many will instead happen to Jesus. The payment for sin that should have been made by the sinner will be paid by the only one who had never sinned: Jesus.
In other words, his death is the payment for our sin. If you’re not a Christian, I am glad you’re here because I want you to hear the most incredible news in the world. Although you are a guilty sinner, God is merciful, and he sent his Son Jesus to voluntarily go to the cross to may payment for your sins if you turn and trust in him. If you repent of your sin and trust in Jesus, God will transfer all your guilt, sin, and shame to the cross of Jesus, and will count you righteous, guiltless, and forgiven.
What a savior! He went willing. He went eagerly. He went boldly. He was determined to face such excruciating pain and suffering so that you don’t have to. What love!
Personalize this, Christian. He didn’t go to the cross to make salvation possible for a nebulous group of people. He took names to the cross. Your name was on his heart. He was determined to save you.
Friend, has this savior won your heart? Has he gained your affection? Here is the greatest person who have ever lived walking into the most heinous torture devised of man in order to make payment for sins he did not commit.
I love the lines in the new long we learned this morning:
“In tenderness he sought me, weary and sick with sin
And on his shoulders brought me, back to the fold again.”
Or the second stanza: “He died for me while I was sinning, needy and poor and blind
He whispered to assure me: "I've found thee, thou art Mine."
He sought me! He found me! He died for me! He saved me! He brought me home! And here’s a picture of him doing it! Here he is seeking out his precious lambs to bring them home. Here he is in love, pursuing his beloved. O the grace that brought me to the fold of God!
How could he be so fearless? The answer is found at the end of verse 34: “And after three days he will rise.” Ah. Jesus knew that he would die. He knew how he would die. And he also knew that he would rise. In fact, what was it that enabled him to look death in the face and march toward it? What enabled him to be fearless in the face of torture? Answer: “I will rise.”
He knew he would conquer death. Those of you who love a good superhero, here’s your guy. Ultimate of ultimates. Behold the determination of your savior to suffer and die for your sins.
Now after Jesus saying this to the disciples, you might think that they would think, “Wow, what sacrificial love.” What’s funny is that, although Mark doesn’t record it, Luke’s account states that “and they understood none of these things.”
I don’t know whether to laugh or cry, but I can’t help but think that those disciples are just like us. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard a great sermon about sacrificial love and humility, risk-taking obedience, radical generosity, felt great about it, and then went home and applied none of it. How many times are we hearers but not doers, and we deceive ourselves?
Paul Tripp makes a profound observation when he writes, “Most of us are tempted to think that change has taken place before it actually has. We confuse growth in knowledge and insight with genuine life change. But insight is not change and knowledge should not be confused with practical, active, biblical wisdom. ... In short, we must not confuse insight and change. Insight is a beginning, a part of a whole, but it is not the whole.” Watch out for insights that don’t change you. Because they’ll deceive you. And that’s what’s going on here.They understood nothing.
Now look at verse 35, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, some of the first disciples to follow Jesus, and two who were part of the inner 3 (Peter being the other), came up to Jesus. Matthew’s account includes that their mother was with them. James, John, and their tough-minded Jewish mother approach Jesus to bargain for a deal when the kingdom comes.
And here is where we see another step on the path toward true greatness: Be alarmed by the attitudes of self-promotion. Look at these self-promoting attitudes.
First, they’re demanding. “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” Pretty bold right? We want carte-blanche. You may think this request is worthy of rebuke, but Jesus doesn’t rebuke. He simply asks, “What do you want me to do for you.” Gentle response.
What do they want? V 37: “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” It’s clear that they still thought that Jesus’ return to Jerusalem was the great return of the king. The Messiah has come to set up the Messianic Kingdom. He will sit on the Glorious Throne of David, and the right hand and the left hand are the two highest positions of honor besides the Davidic throne itself. They want glory and honor. They want the best seats.
Second, they are ignorant. Jesus' reply is “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?” They were ignorant of the path to true glory. The cup that Jesus will drink refers to the coming suffering he will experience. The baptism refers to the full immersion into the suffering as well. It’s as if Jesus is saying to them, “You want glory, but do you realize that to ask for glory is to ask for suffering? The pathway to true glory always involves suffering?
Are you aware of this, church, that when we’re asking for glory, we’re asking to join in Christ’s suffering? That if we ask to be lifted high, Jesus answers our request by bringing us low?
Third, they are arrogant. Look at their response: “We are able.” Yes, we’re able to suffer with you. It reminds me of Peter saying, “Even if everyone leaves, I will never deny you!” Only to go on to deny him. Here James and John are saying, “We are able to suffer with you!” But, of course, they’ll flee when it gets rough.
Overconfidence. Self-reliant. It’s a killer in the church - particularly among leaders and aspiring leaders. “We are able!” Particularly of gifted men and women.
Some aspiring leaders have a sense of swagger. When asked, “Are you able to do the work God requires of you?” They say, “We are able.” And they need to fail a bit and have the swagger knocked out of them. James and John need to fail. Peter needed to fail. They needed to come to the end of themselves. Then they’d be useful.
What’s interesting is that Jesus' response to them is to tell them that they will drink his cup and be baptized in his baptism. They will suffer with him. James will be the first martyr and John will be exiled to Patmos. But, verse 40: “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.” Jesus doesn’t deny the existence of a coming glorious throne, with thrones at his right and left. But he makes it clear that no amount of suffering could earn that position, it’s not won by martyrdom or payment, it’s something the Father has chosen and prepared.
We need to be alarmed at these attitudes - not only in the disciples, but to recognize them when they appear in our own hearts. Self-promotion is the pathway to false greatness, greatness that is not recognized by God. But it’s so tempting.
Do you demand, or crave recognition? Do you want to be noticed and appreciated to the degree that you harbor bitterness when you’re not? Do you resent when others are recognized and you are not? Do you have a hard time celebrating success in others? Or encouraging others?
Look at the bitter fruit of their self-promotion: “when the ten heard it, they were indignant.”
By the grace of God, we will have a growing number of leaders here. And, if we’re following Jesus’ principles, they will not demand recognition or a position. They will not feel sufficient to lead in their own strength. They will be lowly.
Now Jesus, recognizing this problem - which was a lesson they should have learned a few chapters back (9:33-37), uses the moment to instruct them again. Here’s another example of how discipling people is really more like parenting than it is like programming.
He says, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.” The words used here “lord it” and “exercise authority” are both emphatic and pejorative, referring not to the regular use of authority, but forceful use of power, exploitation, oppression. It is the flaunting of abusive power rather than the benevolent use of authority. So Jesus is not anti-authority, he’s against the abuse of it.
That’s how the Gentiles, or the nations of the world, view authority. Authority is seen as a position to get, not give. Power is used to subdue and dominate. Positions of authority are sought because they increase wealth, status, prominence, and comfort.
Be amazed at the determination of your savior. Be alarmed by the attitudes of self-promotion. Be aspiring to embrace the identity of a slave. “But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant.” A new way to aspire to greatness. Don’t ask for the two thrones next to the king in glory, aim to be the servant.
The Greek word is “diakonos,” where we get the office of deacon. Servant. Helper. Assistant. Don’t strive to be noticed, strive for obscurity.
A book came out a few years ago called Embracing Obscurity: Becoming Nothing in Light of God’s Everything. The title was good, but what made it more intriguing was that the author chose to remain anonymous, putting into practice the very principles he taught. I was hoping that maybe, several years later, a google search would yield the identity of the author. Nope.
Here is a person putting hours of work into something for which he will receive no recognition.
Jesus goes on, “and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all.” The word here for slave is “doulos.” A slave is owned by another. A slave has been purchased. In the strata of positions of power in a society, a slave would have been at the very bottom.
Slaves don’t work for recognition. Slaves aren’t trying to climb a performance ladder. Slaves understand themselves to be owned by another, and subject to his will and desire.
Listen to Jesus’ example of the unworthy slaves in Luke 17:7-10 “Will any one of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at table’? 8 Will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink’? 9 Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? 10 So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’” That’s how we ought to think. I’m not in this for recognition, I’m not in this for human applause. I am unworthy servant. To even serve the king of kings is an unspeakable privilege. There’s nothing special about me. My service is no sacrifice, it’s a privilege.
I like how Macarthur says it: ‘Don’t make anything out of me. I’m just a servant of Christ. I’m an under-rower, a third-level galley slave; I pull my oar, and that’s what I’m supposed to do, nothing worthy of special attention.’
This is how disciples of Jesus should think, like John the Baptist: “He must increase, I must decrease.” If you want to be great, aspire to be a self-denying slave.
In chapter 2 of his book called Discipling, Mark Dever uses this illustration: “If you have never seen pigs come to a trough for mealtime, you can probably imagine it. Pushing. Shoving. Snorting. Swallowing as much as they can with no thought for others. Here’s a funny question worth thinking about for a moment: Is that how you attended church last Sunday?
No, I’m not calling you a pig. But stop and consider. Where did you park? What time did you get to church? Where did you sit? Who did you speak to? Each one of these decisions provided you with an opportunity to give yourself to others and so join in the work of Christ. Or they provided you with an opportunity to look out for yourself, and do what is best for you. So which was it? Did you consciously strategize how to bless others with each one of those decisions?”
What you do with your afternoon. Whether you attend evening gathering or not. Whether you pray for members throughout the week. Whether you invite visitors into your home. Whether you volunteer to serve in obscure, less-than-desirable places. Whether - and how - you give. Whether you check in on that person. Whether you follow up. When you help provide a meal. All of these are opportunities to embrace the identity of a happy slave of Christ.
Jesus used every hour to glorify his Father and serve others. If you want to be great, you must seek to be like Jesus. “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”