Today's Devotion -- Mark 10:35-45
35Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. "Teacher," they said,
"we want you to do for us whatever we ask."
36"What do you want me to
do for you?" he asked.
37They replied, "Let one of us sit at your
right and the other at your left in your glory."
38"You don't know
what you are asking," Jesus said. "Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized
with the baptism I am baptized with?"
39"We can," they answered. Jesus
said to them, "You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I
am baptized with, 40but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These
places belong to those for whom they have been prepared."
41When the
ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. 42Jesus called
them together and said, "You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the
Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over
them. 43Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must
be your servant, 44and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. 45For
even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his
life as a ransom for many." (NIV)
taken from www.biblegateway.com
Do you ever regret receiving things that you asked for? Things you thought were going to be wonderful, but ended up requiring much more than you expected?
We learn in Acts 12:2 that Herod, who had beheaded John the Baptist at the request of his daughter, had James put to death by the sword. We don't know what James went through before his death, but it is clear that Herod wanted to persecute those in the church. We know that John was imprisoned on the island of Patmos and probably died in exile there. How many times do you think they wish they had not offered to drink from the same cup as Christ?
Many times we make promises to God that are shallow and tied to a desired result. "If you will just do this for me, I promise I will (fill in the blank) forever!" Yet, when he does as we ask, it doesn't take long for us to come up with excuses and justifications for why we don't keep our end of the bargain. He even knows ahead of time that we will wimp out on him, yet he provides for us anyway.
It's interesting that Jesus gets John and James' commitment before he tells them that he's not the one who decides the seating arrangements in Heaven. They get to fulfill their part of the bargain without any assurance that they will receive what they requested.
Whom do you think will actually hold those seats next to Jesus?
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