This Sunday, we’ll explore Mark 10:32-45 as Jesus once again reveals what it truly means to follow Him. From the end of chapter 8 through chapter 10, Jesus has clearly taught His disciples about the cost of discipleship: denying ourselves, taking up our cross, and living sacrificially in every aspect of life—from marriage and family to wealth and relationships. He also repeatedly predicted His own suffering, death, and resurrection, setting an example of the path we’re called to follow. As Jesus leads the disciples toward Jerusalem, for the third time in three chapters, He clearly explains His mission as the Son of Man. He will be betrayed by Jewish leaders and handed over to Gentiles to be humiliated, mocked, spat on, and executed. Then, He will rise from the grave. And for the third time, the disciples ignore His words. As we have seen before, they are self-seeking and focused on their own greatness. After Jesus predicts His suffering, James and John boldly ask for seats of honor at Jesus’ right and left in His glory. Their request reveals a self-centered desire for status, ignoring Jesus’ repeated teaching that the cross must come before the crown. The disciples not only misunderstand Jesus’ mission but also think too highly of themselves. Jesus asks, "Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?"—referring to His cup of judgment and immersion in suffering (Mark 14:36; Luke 12:50). They confidently say they can, not recognizing their own sin and weakness.
Jesus then overturns worldly ideas of greatness and once again shows us that true greatness in God’s kingdom is about becoming a servant, even a "slave to all." On Sunday, we will explore what it means to deny oneself and embrace servanthood. Servanthood isn’t just a weekly event; it’s a lifestyle of asking, "Who has Christ placed in my life to serve?" Finally, Jesus provides our motivation for denying ourselves and becoming servants: "For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (v. 45). Echoing Isaiah 53, Jesus—the glorious Messiah who deserves all service—humbled Himself to serve by redeeming us from sin’s slavery. Jesus calls us to take up the cross because ("For") the Son of Man Himself came to serve. His coming is our motivation and power to deny ourselves and give our lives away. How we respond to Jesus’ question to James and John (the same question he later asks Blind Bartimaeus) shows where our heart and treasures truly are. How would you answer when Jesus asks, "What do you want me to do for you?" (v. 36).
I. The Gospel Mission Of Messiah (v. 32-34)
II. The Pride That Hinders Our Mission (v. 35-41)
III. The Sacrificial Call To Servanthood (v. 42-44)
IV. The Proper Motivation Of Our Service (V. 45)