Slices
Prepare
‘Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart’ (Psalm 37:4). Prayerfully consider what shapes the desires of your heart.
Bible passage
Jesus predicts his death a third time
17 Now Jesus was going up to Jerusalem. On the way, he took the Twelve aside and said to them, 18 ‘We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death 19 and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!’
A mother’s request
20 Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favour of him.
21 ‘What is it you want?’ he asked.
She said, ‘Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.’
22 ‘You don’t know what you are asking,’ Jesus said to them. ‘Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?’
‘We can,’ they answered.
23 Jesus said to them, ‘You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father.’
24 When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. 25 Jesus called them together and said, ‘You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave – 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.’
Explore
I’ve recently moved to Devon with my husband, leaving our family home of almost thirty years, our community, church family and a ministry that I loved. Reading this passage, I feel challenged to reflect on the question Jesus asks the mother of James and John, ‘What is it you want?’ (v 21). During time spent waiting for God to reveal the path that lies ahead, I’m acutely aware of how worldly values can shape the desires of my heart. I yearn to live by Jesus’ instructions: to live selflessly; not to seek power or merit; and yet, if we’re honest, our hearts can so easily yield to worldly temptation.
Jesus tells the disciples that they are set for Jerusalem and, for the third time, spells out his destiny with unflinching clarity (vs 17–19). Despite not having grasped the true nature of God’s kingdom, this mother has been listening. She understands that Jesus is the Messiah; she prostrates herself before him in reverence and worship. In response, Jesus radically reshapes her and the disciples’ understanding of greatness. Worldly greatness jostles for status, power and domination, in contrast to the upside-down kingdom of God, where greatness is marked by serving others, being prepared to endure hardship, suffering, and for some, even death (vs 26–28).
Respond
Praise Jesus that he came not only to serve, but to give his life as a ransom for us all. Ask Jesus to shape the desires of your own heart today.
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Jeremiah 19,20; John 8
Pray for Scripture Union
Please pray for the young people coming to the Christian Union. Ask God to open their hearts and reveal Jesus to them, and discover how they can find life in all its fulness through following him. (This week's prayers relate to this article.)
A child has started following Jesus. Help them keep growing.
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