Chapter # 10 Paragraph # 5 Study # 3
October 10, 2023
Moss Bluff, Louisiana
(438)
1901 ASV
10:36 And he said unto them, What would ye that I should do for you?
10:37 And they said unto him, Grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy right hand, and one on [thy] left hand, in thy glory.
10:38 But Jesus said unto them, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink the cup that I drink? or to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?
10:39 And they said unto him, We are able. And Jesus said unto them, The cup that I drink ye shall drink; and with the baptism that I am baptized withal shall ye be baptized:
10:40 but to sit on my right hand or on [my] left hand is not mine to give; but [it is for them] for whom it hath been prepared.
10:41 And when the ten heard it, they began to be moved with indignation concerning James and John.
10:42 And Jesus called them to him, and saith unto them, Ye know that they who are accounted to rule over the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great ones exercise authority over them.
10:43 But it is not so among you: but whosoever would become great among you, shall be your minister;
10:44 and whosoever would be first among you, shall be servant of all.
10:45 For the Son of man also came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
- I. Round Two: The Kingdom's Requirement Of Servanthood (10:32-45).
- A. Part One: The King's Example; 10:32-34.
- B. Part Two: The Disciples' Complete Absence Of Understanding; 10:35-45.
- 1. The "approach" of James and John to Jesus.
- 2. That it is James and John who are directly involved as "the sons of Zebedee" is also to be regarded with some thought.
- 3. The Kingdom and man's ambition.
- a. Teacher...
- 1) This is a huge misnomer in terms of what they are saying in the light of their ambition.
- a) As "Teacher", Jesus had already taught that their "ambition" was totally out of line with Kingdom values.
- b) Mark's use of "Teacher" contains references to 12 texts (4:38; 5:35; 9:17; 9:38; 10:17; 10:20; 10:35; 12:14; 12:19; 12:32; 13:1; and 14:14); only three of which use the word in a positive light.
- c) The title is correct (14:14), but the application of it to the situations in which it is found is faulty in all but 12:32; 13:1; and 14:14 (and even 13:1 reveals a significant fault in the disciples' focus of life).
- d) "Teacher" insists that men should not only pay careful attention to what He says, but also place themselves under His meaning.
- 2) The contrast is the point: the disciples have the Kingdom altogether misconstrued.
- b. We are wishing that whatsoever if we should ask you (Accusative Singular)...
- 1) The use of "thelo" indicates a value in the "Love System" of the disciples that holds some power over them, but they recognize that they do not have the "power" to bring it into reality.
- a) In 1:40, where we find the first use of this word by Mark, the word is in the mouth of a leper who clearly understands that Jesus has the "power" to bring His "wishes" to pass, but who does not clearly understand the essential character of Jesus.
- b) In 1:41, Jesus declares that He does have the requisite "desire" -- that there are issues in the circumstances that have moved Jesus' "wishes" into "determinations".
- i. In the situation of that day, and within the constraints of Jesus' "calling", His "wish" to heal the leper is genuine and He has the power to do it.
- ii. That Jesus was "willing" to heal the leper, but is very often "unwilling" the heal those who read the paragraph in a context of their own desire for healing, is a "problem" for current readers because they do not understand the progress of revelation in regard to "healings of the body's weaknesses".
- i) The purpose in that day was for Jesus to establish His identity.
- 2) After that identity has been undeniably established by His own resurrection from the dead, the body is degraded in terms of its importance for men.
- 3) In our day, the "problems of the body" retain their place in the values of men, but should not: the "body" has been turned over to the processes of "futility" while God focuses upon the greater values of the soul and spirit (Romans 8:20), but men care more for their physical well-being than for the well-being of their souls/spirits.
- c) In Mark's other uses of "thelo", Mark reveals much about the issue of "desires" as they arise out of "values" that are misplaced: it was "desires" in Mark 6:19-26 that sponsored the murder of John the Baptizer.
- d) The issues of "wanting" are revealed to be a major problem for men: Psalm 106:15.
- 2) They were asking for a blank check so they could indulge themselves in a wicked pursuit.
- c. You should do for us.
- d. But Jesus said to them...
- 1) "But" --- Jesus was not going to give them their blank check.
- 2) He said to them, "What are you desiring I should do for you?"
- a) This is the question of Life, and ought to be asked in every situation of "Life" where options exist.
- b) This record allows that Jesus did not turn them down until they had expressed the reality of their upside down view of the Kingdom.
- e. But they said to Him...