Throughout this series we have been looking at our weekly theme as seen in the theology of the incarnation. This we've done the last couple of days. Then we've been looking at how Jesus lived that out in his life and ministry. This we will do over the next two days. We are going to see an example of Jesus' humility in his life together with his disciples.
Our example comes from Matthew chapter 20:
Matthew 20:20–28
20 Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor 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.”
I love how real this story is. This is precisely what I imagine would happen in a group living together for three years. A secret meeting to quietly adjudicate power amongst the group. A mom thinking her sons are the best. The rest of the disciples being rightfully offended by their audacity. This I can relate to. This is just like church.
I don't know about you but a couple of questions come to mind immediately when I read this story:
- What is their mom doing there? And why did she ask instead of James and John just asking?
- How did James and John react? They seem to be on board with this proposal, but I like to think of them saying (in their best Napoleon Dynamite voice), "Mom! C'mon, don't embarrass me in front of my friends."
- Was this a mini coup attempt to overthrow Peter? Was he the de facto leader of the group and the sons of Zebedee think he isn't fit to lead so they need to do something about it?
Today, we are just going to look at the first four verses (20-24) to get a clear picture of the request. In brief, the request to sit at a ruler's right and left hand represent the places of honor. So she is asking for her sons to be recognized as the leaders of the disciples by sitting in the places of honor. Interestingly, James and John were already in the inner crew, with the inclusion of Peter, so perhaps this was a request to be ahead of Peter.
Jesus question about drinking from his cup seems like a strange reference to us but in the context it makes a lot of sense. In the previous verses 17-19, Jesus informed them of his coming arrest, torture and crucifixion. "Drinking from a cup" in this culture is a reference to suffering (see John 18:11; Pss. 11:6; 75:8; Isa. 51:17, 22; Jer. 25:15–17; 51:7; Ezek. 23:31; Hab. 2:16; Zech. 12:2). Even though Jesus concedes that they will indeed suffer like him (referencing that they will both suffer for being his followers) those places have already been determined by the Father.
In all, Matthew seems to be juxtaposing the humility of Jesus in his impending death (v. 17-19) and his call to servant leadership with the pride of the disciples and their desire to be in the seats of honor and power.
Additional Content
This quote is a more of a general comment on our series of incarnational living
Quote from The Forgotten Ways by Alan Hirsch
I came to the conclusion that there must be something about middle-class culture that seems to run contrary to authentic gospel values. Or perhaps we can just say that middle-class culture seems to contain elements that eventually act to attenuate the demands of what it means to follow Jesus (discipleship) in our lives. In other words, our own middle-class culture can function like an enemy within! And this is not to make a statement about middle-class people per se—I myself am from a very middle-class family—but rather to isolate some of the values and assumptions that seem to just come along as part of the deal. We need to be especially aware of cultural values that we take for granted because we cannot easily “see” them.
I noted earlier that much of what goes by the name “middle class” involves a preoccupation with safety and security, developed mostly in pursuit of what seems to be best for our children. This focus is understandable as long as it does not become obsessive. But when these impulses of middle-class culture fuse with consumerism, as they most often do, we can add the obsession with comfort and convenience to the list. This is not a good mix—at least as far as the lordship of Jesus, discipleship, the gospel, and missional movements are concerned.
Reflection
As Hirsch talks about, spend some time thinking about the middle class values you have simply taken for granted and struggle to "see". Examine some of the values of safety and security against the way of Jesus. Examine your concept of leadership and power and hold it up against the way of Jesus. What do see? What do you need to explore further? make a list of values to look into and hold up to the way of Jesus.