Matthew 20:20 – Then the mother of James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus with her sons. She knelt respectfully to ask a favor. 21 “What is your request?” he asked. She replied, “In your Kingdom, please let my two sons sit in places of honor next to you, one on your right and the other on your left.” 22 But Jesus answered by saying to them, “You don’t know what you are asking! Are you able to drink from the bitter cup of suffering I am about to drink?” “Oh yes,” they replied, “we are able!” 23 Jesus told them, “You will indeed drink from my bitter cup. But I have no right to say who will sit on my right or my left. My Father has prepared those places for the ones he has chosen.”
24 When the ten other disciples heard what James and John had asked, they were indignant. 25 But Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. 26 But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. 28 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (NLT)
On the face of this reading, it sounds as if the mother of James and John is a little out of place. Perhaps, but consider what Jesus had told his followers in Matthew 19:28-29 – “I assure you that when the world is made new and the Son of Man sits upon his glorious throne, you who have been my followers will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” As in the end of this passage, Jesus followed his statement in chapter nineteen with this verse: “But many who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then.”
Throughout his earthly ministry, Jesus often spoke of kingdom life. Many Christians keep looking to the future for this kingdom. While the fullness of God’s kingdom has not yet come for us here, we can experience something of this kingdom right here and now, and in this passage Jesus shares with us how. We can experience kingdom life now by living a life of servanthood. Jesus shares with us here, and throughout the Gospels, that kingdom life is radically different from the life that this world offers. Joy in kingdom life is found by serving others.
We experience joy when we serve. Each of us probably knows this joy through mission work, whether abroad or locally. Serving others benefits both those being served and the one serving. The world has a strong pull on us, however. For various reasons, we often find it difficult to give of our time. When we endeavor to live life in the kingdom, we begin to recognize that time is not ours to begin with, it is God’s.
Today, give back some of the time that God has given you. Serve someone. No service is too small in the kingdom!
Posted by Ramón Torres
“Mission experiences” have been, for me, a source of great humility and fulfillment. Seeing life from different cultural perspective has brought appreciation for deeper considerations, especially when witnessing sacrificial faith where Believers truly put The Lord ahead of self and worship as true worship.