Mark 10:35 – 37

35 Then 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. 37 They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.”

This is quite a request from the sons of Zebedee.  They ask to be on either side of Jesus, in places of honour and power, in his glory.  Clearly, they wanted to be very important men in Jesus’ kingdom.

It is easy to be critical of them, but we should be aware of the same tendency we all have. They reflect the desire we all have to be important and worthy of great privilege.  There is also an element of competition in their request, to be ahead of others.  Despite this being a common attitude, we must ask how we can avoid such inappropriate attitudes.

The answer lies in contentment in the blessings of God.  It is good to be content with the very reality of being saved, having forgiveness, peace with God, everlasting life through Jesus.  Serving Jesus can then be a delight when we enjoy contentment with him and his blessings and are not always looking for something else.  He has given us gifts, which may not be great, but we should remember that what we have is precisely what the Lord wants us to have. He knows what we need. There is no need to be ahead of others.  We can simply consider what we deserve, which is nothing, and contemplate what we have, which is everything, and we will soon have contentment and won’t be making outrageous requests.

David Johnston – Creek Road