About ruling and serving (Mark 10:35-45)

[Stephan Choe]

May 21, 2025

Mark 10:45: “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

When I look back on my past life, I realize that many people loved me and helped me devotedly. My mother, a widow, worked hard in the fields to feed 6 children. My 6th grade teacher helped me to take the middle school entrance exam and attend middle school with a scholarship. And Seung-Tak Baek, the president of my high school, helped me with scholarship so that I could attend university. When I became a freshman, Peter Suh invited me to church and helped me to believe in Jesus Christ. And Prof. Bo-Sung Rhee helped me to do my doctoral studies with Prof. Schecker in Germany. Esther Choe, my wife, loved me very much and served me until she went home. My two children, Stephan and Timothee, love me very much and help me in many ways. And Ludger & Grace Sickelmann and Andreas & Renate Schmeinck served me devotedly.

Above all, Jesus served me so that I could believe in Jesus Christ and become happy.

Today we want to get to know Jesus Christ, accept him as our Lord and serve him.

Jesus had just announced for the third time that he would be handed over to the Romans in Jerusalem by the high council, be killed and rise again on the third day.

But his disciples had misunderstood his words and thought that Jesus would be an earthly king in Jerusalem.

They therefore began to ask Jesus for the highest position in Jesus' earthly kingdom.

Verse 35 says: “Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him and said, ”Master, we want you to do for us whatever we ask.“

Then Jesus replied, ”What do you want me to do for you?"(36).

They answered him, “Grant that we may sit one at your right hand and one at your left in your glory.” (37).

In ancient times, the king sat in the middle. His first minister of state then sat on his right and his second minister on his left. Even today in North Korea, the first minister and the second minister sit to the right and left of Kim Jong-un, the ruler.

The two sons of Zebedee believed that Jesus would dissolve all unjust rule in Jerusalem and call for a messianic kingdom. They also believed that Jesus would appoint the twelve as his ministers. The two sons of Zebedee wanted to get ahead of the other disciples and receive a firm promise from Jesus for the highest ministerial positions.

Every person has a greater or lesser tendency to be recognized by others more highly than others. This is a self-centered tendency of all people.

What did Jesus say to the two disciples?

Jesus said in verse 38, "You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?"

In ancient times, when a king gave someone his cup, this was considered a special royal favor. The expression‎ “drinking the cup” therefore meant “gaining special favor”.

However, a king would occasionally have his cup filled with bitter drinks, such as a poisonous drink, and give it to someone who had fallen out of favor. This is why this expression‎ was also used in a negative sense, meaning that someone had fallen out of favor with the king. The expression‎ “drink the cup” therefore means either “find favor” or “find disfavor”.

Here Jesus meant “drink the bitter cup”, i.e. “suffer or suffer death”. In this sense, he said in the Garden of Gethsemane when praying to the Father: “Abba, my Father, all things are possible for you; take this cup from me; yet not what I will, but what you will.” So by the word “cup” he meant his sacrificial death.

With his answer, Jesus wanted to say something like this to the two sons of Jacob:

"You ask me to sit at my right hand and at my left. But you do not understand what it means to sit on my right or on my left. For whoever remains on my right or on my left will also suffer with me, or die as a martyr. Can you do that?"

However, the two disciples still understood Jesus' word “drink the cup” to mean “win special favor”. So they answered with joy: “Yes, we can!”

The two were ignorant but courageous.

Then Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink the cup...”

These words were later fulfilled: James died as the first martyr among the apostles (Acts 12:2), and John suffered much persecution. For example, he was banished to the island of Patmos (Rev 1:9).

Jesus continued to say to both of them: “But to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to give you, but it will be given to those for whom it is appointed.”

Jesus taught the two of them that it is not on the basis of merit or through a martyr's death that one can claim such “places of honor” in the kingdom of heaven, but solely through the grace of God and by his decree.

How did the other disciples behave when they heard this conversation between Jesus and Zebedee's sons?

They were “displeased with James and John” (41).

The ten disciples were indignant at the two because of their unfair claim. Indeed, their claim was an unfair act. But in reality, the ten disciples were angry because they all had the same ambition as Zebedee's sons.

Each of the twelve was convinced that he was best suited to be the first of them. Bartholomew, for example, had hardly come forward to speak. But he was by no means less ambitious than the others.

Then Jesus called the twelve to him and said to them, "You know that those who are considered rulers oppress their nations, and their mighty men do them violence. But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave." (42).

In this society, those who allow themselves to be served by others and rule over others are considered great. But those who have to serve others suffer from a feeling of inferiority. That's why everyone wants to make an effort to climb the ladder.

Esther, my wife, had to suffer as a nursing assistant because the nurses on her ward at the hospital in Bochum made Esther do tiresome work.

In the world, those who serve others are seen as lower people. They all seek their meaning of existence in having a dominant or leading position over others.

But Jesus taught his disciples and all Christians differently: he who gladly serves others is truly great.

Why?

Today, important people in government are called “ministers”, e.g. Minister of the Interior, Foreign Minister, etc. The word “minister” comes from Latin and means “servant”.

The aim of the minister is to serve the people. And this term certainly had to come from the teachings of Christ.

Through the word “serving others”, Jesus teaches us two things:

First, Jesus teaches us that we are to hold others in high esteem.

Without esteem, our service would only be dutiful or superficial. But when we hold others in high esteem, we enjoy serving them. In this way, serving is not difficult.

The depraved human nature tends to hold others in low esteem and think of itself as a better person. That is why we do not want to serve others, but rather to be served. But the Bible teaches that God has made every person wonderful. If we accept this truth, we can value other people highly and enjoy serving them. We all serve God through our service. The seemingly lowly position no longer becomes a problem for us.

Secondly, Jesus teaches us through the word “serving others” that we should not consider acting according to our will first, but according to God's will.

It is God's will that we should first seek God's will and do his will. If we do our own will, we will eventually fall into nihilistic thoughts. But if we seek God's will and do it, we will find great joy and a lively sense of purpose.

God's will is that we hold other people in high esteem and serve them for the glory of God. In this way, we can take great joy in serving others and taste God's kingdom.

Those who are humble of heart and cheerfully serve others recognize God's love, his power, and his wisdom better and better. He becomes ever more gracious, wise and fierce, so that he is appreciated by God and God will help many people through him.

Two great personalities in the Old Testament: Moses and David. The secret of their greatness lay in their humility and service. Exodus 12:3 says of Moses: “But Moses was a very humble man, more humble than any man on earth.” Because he humbly served God's people, he was able to lead the Israelites out of Egypt and into Canaan.

David was also able to become the greatest king of Israel because of his humility and servant attitude. He was harshly persecuted by King Saul for 10 years. During his time on the run, David took in many bitter people and served them, so that he won the will of all the people and eventually became the king of Israel.

However, the best role model for us is Jesus Christ.

Jesus said in verse 45: “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Jesus explained here two main purposes for which he had come into the world as a human being: he wanted to serve people and give his life as a ransom for many people.

First: Jesus came to serve people.

The Pharisees were arrogant and therefore held other people in low esteem. That is why they despised the disabled, poor people, tax collectors and harlots, for example. Jesus, however, was humble. That is why he also regarded such people as God's children and held them in high esteem. And he served them with respect and love. That is why he was able to accept them warmly and serve them. He gladly fulfilled their wishes by healing them and forgiving their sins.

Second: Jesus gave his life as a ransom.

In ancient times, it was customary to make a slave into a free man by paying a ransom to the slave's master. We used to be slaves to sin because of sin. Jesus is the only-begotten Son of God. But he gladly paid his life as a ransom to redeem us from the bondage of sin. That is why we have been freed from sin and the power of death and have become children of God. How dearly Jesus paid for our redemption! Jesus served us with his death! That is the miracle of God's love!

Apostle Paul says to us in Philippians (2:3-8):

Do not act out of self-interest or for the sake of vain honor, but in humility consider each other better than yourselves, and each look to his own, but also to what serves the other. Be of the same mind among yourselves, as is the fellowship of Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men, and being found in appearance as a man. He humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."

Jesus is both the best example of service and the only Savior for us! When someone repents of their sin and believes in Jesus Christ who died for our sin and rose from the dead, they receive forgiveness of sins and eternal life and are a child of God. Jesus really served us well. That is why we should follow Jesus' example and serve others and share the gospel with them. Amen!