I. INTRODUCTION
A. When Jesus ascended from the earth, He was seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven and restored to the glory He had before the world was (John 17:5; Acts 2:33-35; Eph. 1:20; Col. 3:1).
B. Christ's path to greatness is a pattern for our own path to greatness. This is the primary lesson found in Matthew 20:20-28 and Mark 10:35-45.
II. GRANT THAT WE MAY SIT IN YOUR GLORY
A. James, John, and their mother made a request of Jesus for positions of glory and prominence (Matt. 20:20-21; Mark 10:35-37).
1. These two accounts of the same occasion are nearly identical except that Matthew mentions the mother of James and John whereas Mark does not.
2. The request was that James and John might sit to the right and the left of Jesus in His glory and in His kingdom.
B. Jesus did not grant the request, but He did not deny it either (Matt. 20:22-23; Mark 10:38-40).
1. Consider the Lord's first response in Mark 10:38: "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?"
a. Although it may not be apparent at first, this response indicated what was necessary for the request to be fulfilled. This will become apparent in Christ's full explanation.
b. James, John, and their mother sought for Jesus to simply grant their request. However, Jesus understood that to reach the glory they desired, there was a difficult process that must take place. This is why He said, "You do not know what you are asking."
c. The cup that Jesus drank and the baptism with which He was baptized are figurative references to His suffering. Jesus made similar remarks when He prayed in Gethsemane before His arrest, saying, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will" (Matt. 26:39; see also v. 42).
2. When James and John affirmed their readiness to follow Christ's lead, He addressed their request.
a. As Jesus said, they did not know what they were saying. At this time, they did not know what Christ's cup and baptism of suffering would entail.
b. Nevertheless, Jesus said, "The cup that I drink you shall drink; and you shall be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized." Indeed, James and John did suffer for the cause of Christ.
i. James was put to death with the sword by Herod Agrippa I about ten years after Jesus was crucified (Acts 12:1-2).
ii. John lived to an old age, but his life was marked by hardship. He was imprisoned and beaten (Acts 4:1-22; 5:12-42) and eventually exiled on the island of Patmos (Rev. 1:9).
c. Furthermore, Jesus said, "But to sit on My right or on My left, this is not Mine to give; but it is for those for whom it has been prepared."
i. Jesus has all authority in heaven and on earth (Matt. 28:18), so this is not a limitation of His power. Instead, this is a reference to the process He implied before.
ii. "Those for whom it has been prepared" are those who are willing to subject themselves to the process ordained by God for the glorification of His saints. Jesus had more to explain about this in the following verses.
iii. In other words, Jesus would not merely grant this request to James and John, but rather they would have to meet the conditions that were ordained for such glory.
III. WHOEVER WISHES TO BECOME GREAT
A. When the other apostles became angry with James and John, Jesus explained the way in which any of them could become great (Matt. 20:24-27; Mark 10:41-44).
1. Jesus provided a contrast. Greatness in His kingdom would not be like the greatness of the Gentile rulers, who "lord it over" their subjects.
2. Instead, the path to greatness in His kingdom would come in this way: "But whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all."
a. Jesus had recently taught the apostles that "the last shall be first, and the first last" (Matt. 19:30; 20:16; Mark 10:31).
b. This paradox of the kingdom is the lesson of humility. Humility is not typically rewarded in the kingdoms of men, but it highly esteemed in the kingdom of God.
c. This lesson is repeated many times in the New Testament.
i. "Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted" (Matt. 23:12).
ii. "For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted" (Luke 14:11).
iii. "...for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted" (Luke 18:14).
iv. Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you (Jas. 4:10).
v. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time (1Pet. 5:6).
B. To demonstrate this path to greatness, Jesus used Himself as the example (Matt. 20:28; Mark 10:45).
1. Consider the Lord's words: "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."
a. James and John sought to sit on the right and left of Jesus in His glory, but not even He would reach that glory without first serving others. Surely, they (and we) must also become servants like the Lord in order to come into His glory.
b. At another time, Jesus washed His apostles' feet and taught them, "For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him" (John 13:15-16).
c. The Lord's service to others was of the highest order, for He gave His own life for them. We must be willing to do the same (1John 3:16).
2. On this path to greatness, Jesus is the pattern for success.
a. Notice Philippians 2:5-11:
5Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
b. The example of Jesus shows us that humility is not merely a state of mind. Rather, it is a practical way of life that manifests itself in actions that elevate the needs of others above the needs of self.
c. This is the Lord's path to greatness. No one could descend farther in humility, and no one could be more highly exalted. Only after He humbly gave His life on a cross was He highly exalted above all others.
IV. CONCLUSION
A. The path to greatness according to our Lord is simple to understand, but it is difficult to follow.
B. Suffering is not mandatory for greatness, but service is. Our focus should not be on finding ways to be miserable for the Lord, but it should be on serving others -- brethren, family, strangers, etc.
C. The way to succeed on this path is to follow Jesus. He has said, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me" (Matt. 16:24).