Matthew 20:20-24
‘Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to Jesus with her sons, bowing down and making a request of Him. And He said to her, “What do you desire?” She said to Him, “Say that in Your kingdom these two sons of mine shall sit, one at Your right, and one at Your left.” But Jesus replied, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?” They said to Him, “We are able.” He said to them, “My cup you shall drink; but to sit at My right and at My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by My Father.” And after hearing this, the other ten disciples became indignant with the two brothers.’
This passage reminds me of James 4:1,2, “What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is the source not your pleasures that wage war in your body’s parts? You lust and do not have, so you commit murder. And you are envious and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask.” I’m not sure if the brothers were in on this. They didn’t seem surprised when Jesus questioned them. Their mother and possibly the two of them were seeking to promote themselves. They had an idea, so they promoted it. It made the other disciples angry. That’s the result of self promotion or self seeking, people get angry.
This is the opposite of Jesus’ message. We are to die to self and seek to serve others. Matthew 16:24 says, ‘Then Jesus told His disciples, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.”‘ We aren’t to seek for ourselves, but to deny it. We are to love others. Seek to elevate them, not ourselves.
God does elevate His servants, we aren’t to do it ourselves. He gives us honor in His time. Jesus said in Matthew 20:26, “Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant.” Jesus lived this. At the last supper He washed their feet. Peter sought to stop Him, but eventually yielded. We might be uncomfortable serving others. It’s His way. He will work it in us.
To serve others is contrary to the world’s way. There are several songs that celebrate the concept of not backing up or yielding. I understand the concept. But it leads to conflict. I’m not advocating yielding our principles, but not being stubborn or having to have our way. It screams, “self” or “me first”.
I’m reminded of kids at a birthday party and their response to the busted pinata. They scramble for the candy, pushing others out of the way. While that’s fun, it’s not to be how we live, pushing others out of the way to get our way. That is the message of the James verses quoted earlier. That lifestyle leads to quarrels.
Our lives should bear the fruit of the Spirit, “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control”, (Galatians 5). These are the traits that God works in our lives as we walk with Him. It’s not the result of positive thinking, but God in our lives. It’s a miracle.
As we walk with Christ He satisfies us. We don’t have to seek for ourselves. He fills us. Hebrews 11:6 says, “And without faith it is impossible to please God. For anyone who approaches Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.” He rewards us. We don’t need to seek for ourselves. He knows us better than we know ourselves. He gives perfect gifts.
Thank You, Lord, for all You do for us. Help us not to seek for ourselves. You satisfy us. Help us to serve others.