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Cody Kitchen, student preaching award recipient, preached from Mark 10, verses 35-45 in SWBTS Chapel on November 18, 2025.
I would first like to thank Dr Dockery for this invitation. I am humbled and honored to stand before you and to stand behind the sacred desk where so many faithful men have preached God’s holy and precious Word. If you will turn with me to Mark chapter 10, verses 35 through 45 is where we will be this morning. The title of my message is whoever wishes to become great in 1997 when I was three years old, yes, barely old enough to know how to tie my own shoes, and many of you were not born, yet the world lost two remarkable women almost at the same time.
For those of you who were old enough to remember it, you probably recall how differently the world reacted to each of their deaths. Princess Diana’s Life and Death dominated the news, every channel, every newspaper, every magazine covered her story. People lined the streets in London, mourners across the globe lit candles, and for weeks, everyone seemed to be talking about Princess Diana. She was everywhere. She was admired, celebrated and deeply visible.
On the other hand, Mother Teresa, a woman who had spent decades serving the poorest of the poor, living among lepers, orphans and the sick, she was quietly serving others that could do nothing in return, and she spent her life devoted to these people. Her death didn’t dominate the headlines the way that Princess Diana’s did. Most people didn’t even hear about it immediately. I want you to notice the contrast of these two women. One’s life was widely celebrated, while the other was largely unnoticed by the world, yet both touched countless lives.
One drew attention because of the status and visibility that she had the other because of service, humility and sacrifice. So this begs the question for us this morning, what does the world celebrate versus what does God’s celebrate? We get a remarkable glimpse into the answer in the words of Jesus Himself. Now I want you to imagine and picture James and John, the apostles, the disciples, walking with Jesus toward Jerusalem. Up to this point, Jesus had been explaining to his disciples of what was coming next, of what he was going to face, the suffering, the rejection and the death in the city ahead. He told them clearly that the Son of man would be handed over to the religious leaders and that he would be mocked, beaten and ultimately killed, yet he would rise again despite hearing this, James and John stepped forward with a bold request. They wanted front row seats in God’s kingdom, their recognition the status they wanted it all.
But like the world mourning Diana more loudly than Mother Teresa, they were focused on what is visible, what was prestigious and what is desirable. They were not focusing on the hidden work of service and sacrifice that Jesus has been teaching about before we jump too quickly to judgment. Let’s pause and observe what is happening here? What do their words reveal about their understanding of greatness? How does it compare to what Jesus has been teaching? Read with me, starting in verse 35 as we read through verse 45 in Mark chapter 10, God’s Word says, and James and John, the sons of Zebedee came up to him and said to him, Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you. And He said to them, what do you want me to do for you? And they said to him, grant us to sit one at your right hand and one at your left in your glory.
Jesus said to them, you do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with a baptism with which I am baptized, verse 39 and they said to him, we are able. And Jesus said to them, the cup that I drink, you will drink. And with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will. Will be baptized, but to sit at my right hand or at my left hand is not mine to grant but it is for those whom it has been prepared. And when the 10 heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John and Jesus called them to him and said to them, you know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you.
But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom. For many, as we look at these scenes in Mark chapter 10, verses 35 through 45 I invite you to notice the tension, the tension between what we often admire in the world and what Jesus values. Pay attention to the misguided ambition, the misunderstood cost and the principles Jesus uses to redefine greatness. Look, look again with me at verses 35 through 37 as we see this misguided ambition.
Verse 35 and James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to him and said to him, Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you. And He said to them, what do you want me to do for you? And they said to him, grant us to sit one at your right and one at your left in your glory. So we see in these verses that James and John, who belong to the 12 Disciples the circle they belonged really to the inner circle. They weren’t just disciples. They were part of Jesus’ closest group, the ones who saw the most, they heard the most, and honestly, they probably spent the most time with him. And if we read the gospels carefully, we can learn something about these disciples. They were bold, sometimes too bold. These are the same brothers who wanted to call down fire on a Samaritan Village. They are the same disciples who debated which of them was the greatest. So when these James and John walk up to Jesus with this request, it isn’t entirely too surprising. In fact, their confidence almost feels like they believe they hold a slight advantage over the others, as if closeness to Jesus meant position with Jesus. They begin with a line that every parent has heard from a trial child trying to outsmart them. They say, Teacher, we want you to do for us, whatever we ask.
It’s the ancient version of just say yes, first, then we’ll tell you what it is. But Jesus, in His wisdom, won’t be manipulated. He simply responds, what do you want me to do for you? And when the request finally comes out. The request is to sit at the right and the left of Jesus. This request exposes something deep in their hearts. They want status, not service. They want position not responsibility. They want glory without grasping the cost. We know this because in the ancient world, sitting at the right or the left hand of a ruler wasn’t just decorative. It was the highest honor, a public display of rank and authority. So their request isn’t small, but rather it is a massive request. I want you to see the potential problem here in this story, even after walking with Jesus so closely, James and John still see greatness through the world’s lens and not Christ, their ambition appears to be shaped more by the values around them than by what Jesus has been teaching. Yes, they were bold and transparent, but something about their request suggests that their understanding of greatness may not yet match Jesus’s definition. Their bold request opens the door for Jesus to ask an even deeper question, one, about the price of greatness. Look with me again in verses 38 through four. 30, as we see this misunderstood cost, Jesus said to them, you do not know what you are asking.
Are you able to drink the cup that I drink or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized? And they said to him, we are able. And Jesus said to them, the cup that I drink, you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will also be baptized. But to sit at my right or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those whom it has been prepared so after James and John make their request known to Jesus, Jesus responds the way that he often does, with a question that exposes their misunderstanding. He asks, Are you able to drink the cup that I drink or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized. Baptized here, both the cup and the baptism are powerful images that I do not want you to miss. In Scripture, we often see that the cup often represents suffering, even in the experience of God’s judgment and to be baptized in this context, in this sense, means to be overwhelmed or to be immersed in hardship. So Jesus is speaking about his own coming suffering, the path that he must walk as He approaches the cross. But what I want you to see is both James and John don’t grasp that. They hear the words, but they don’t understand the weight behind them.
There were a lot like the other apostles, a lot like Peter, who said, Yes, we will fight with you. But when Jesus asks the question, question, they quickly answer, yes. We are able, and from the rest of the Gospels, we know that they weren’t ready, not yet. When the moment comes and Jesus is arrested, they flee, just like the others. Their confidence was real, but their understanding was shallow. Following Jesus is not always easy. We know that it isn’t always victory, visibility and celebration. Jesus is gently showing them that in God’s kingdom, Glory is connected to suffering and honor is tied to obedience, not ambition. So Jesus tells them, the cup that I drink, you will drink, and the baptism with which I am baptized, you too will be baptized. What Jesus is doing, he’s masterfully foreshadowing what will come for them, a life of costly, faithful discipleship, one that will eventually involve real sacrifice. We know that each one of the apostles, the disciples, lived a life for the gospel.
That was not easy. They were persecuted for the faith, and they died for the gospel. And yet, even here, Jesus remains completely submitted to the Father. He says, The places at his right and left belong only to those whom they have been prepared. Jesus is reminding them that his authority is always exercised in obedience to the Father’s will. With their ambition challenged and now the true cost laid bare. Jesus now leads them into a whole new version of greatness that they have not heard yet. Look with me in verses 41 through 45 as we see greatness redefined. Verse 41 God’s Word says, And when the 10 heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John and Jesus called them to him and said to them, you know that those who are considered rulers of Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. Verse 43 I don’t want you to miss it, but it shall not be so among you. But who ever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be. Served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many now, as Jesus finishes speaking with James and John and the other decide, the other disciples explode with frustration.
Their anger also reveals something about them they were wrestling with the very same misguided ambition. So what does Jesus do? He gathers the 12. He needs them to understand what true greatness in the kingdom really is. He begins by pointing to the world’s definition of leadership, where the rulers lord it over people. We too know this well. The disciples knew this, this style well, it shaped the culture around them. It was leadership built on dominance, position and self promotion, but Jesus exposes it for what it is. It is abusive self advancing. It’s it’s this kind of authority that is all about self, a world that is full of ambitious, competitive, self evaluating, people who stop at nothing to climb higher and higher, but Jesus again, being so masterful and so wise, he flips the script with one sentence, he says, but it shall not be so among you. With those words, He reveals a completely different definition of greatness in the kingdom of God, a great greatness is not measured by how many people serve you, but rather by how many people you serve. To be great, Jesus says you must become a servant. To be first, you must become a slave to all service, not status. Is the essential mark of godly leadership. If you’re willing to lead, Jesus is saying you must be willing to serve. And Jesus Himself is the model. The Son of Man did not come to be served, but he says to serve, he became a slave to the will of his Father, offering his own life as a ransom for many, his sacrifice was the ultimate act of service, and it is the reason he received the ultimate honor.
This is the greatness Jesus calls his disciples into a greatness that looks like him, a greatness the world will never celebrate, but heaven always will. All of this, the misguided ambition, the misunderstood cost and the anger, creates the perfect moment for Jesus to redefine greatness, and his definition is nothing like theirs. And to be quite frank with you, this morning, nothing like ours before Christ. Jesus says, greatness doesn’t begin with status. It begins with service. What I want you to see from this text is that whoever wishes to become great must become a servant. Whoever wishes to become great among them, you must first serve the King, the King of all kings, and the Lord of all lords. Maybe you’re sitting here and you’re saying, Okay, what does this mean for me? What can I get from this text? Well, I’m glad you asked first. We can see that we are to examine your ambition. James and John walked closer to Jesus than almost anyone, and yet their ambition was still misguided. You can you can master theology. You can ace every class and surround yourself with ministry and still miss the heart of Jesus. Being near ministry is not the same as being formed by Christ. So I want you to ask honestly this morning, am I seeking Christ Himself, or am I seeking what he can do for my plans, what he can do for my ministry, and what he can do for my name? The second application point that we can get from this text is that we are to count the cost James and John.
Wanted the throne without thorns. Many want the calling without the cost, the ministry without the suffering, the influence without obedience. And if I’m honest with you, this morning, I was naive as I started my my, my trek through ministry. There should be an excitement about ministry. It is an exciting calling, but there is a reality about ministry that is not easy. Following Jesus will involve sacrifice, and if we ignore the cost now, hear me, we’ll crumble under the weight of ministry later. But when we embrace the path that Jesus walked, obedience before glory, we can discover joy on the other side of faithfulness. The third point of application that we can get from this text is that we are to reject the misdefined greatness of the world. If James and John battled worldly greatness while walking side by side with Jesus, then the seminary students, you and I and ministers must assume the same danger is alive in us. Ministry can quietly distort motives, pushing us toward platforms instead of people, recognition over faithfulness, results over obedience, visibility over humility.
But Jesus’s words confront every false measure. He says, It shall not be so among you, if you don’t hear anything else this morning, hear those words, the words of Christ, who is telling us and foreshadowing us, just as the disciples that you too will drink the cup you too will be baptized, it shall not be so among You reject the Christianized versions of worldly greatness, influence without servanthood, leadership without sacrifice, visibility without humility. The Kingdom does not honor the most gifted or the most recognized, but the kingdom honors the most faithful. So refuse every metric of greatness that is not shaped by the cross. Reject the hunger for applause, the pressure to build a name for yourself, and the lie that ministry is about climbing. I read a statistic recently that 70% of the SBC churches, 70% average, 100 or lower. The reason why I bring that to you, 75% of these churches have faithful men preaching God’s word, and none of us may never hear their name on this side of heaven. Please know there is nothing wrong with aspiring, with wanting to preach at a big church, but what I’m saying and what I’m asking you, what the word is calling us to this morning is to see that greatness isn’t defined but what the world calls great, but rather what Jesus calls great, and that greatness is to serve. That greatness is to be faithful where God has you. Now. How can you be faithful in your studies. How can you be faithful at your part time job as you are serving and glorifying God? That’s a question only you can answer. But let Jesus redefine greatness, not by how high you rise, but by how low you are willing to go in love and service for others.
As I conclude this morning, you remember what, where we started, there those two very different lives, one that was widely celebrated, and the other that was mostly unseen. And I asked the question, what does the world celebrate, and what does God celebrate? Now, as we have gone through this text, we have seen the answer not in just a story, not in just an illustration, but we have seen the answer in Jesus Himself, James and John chased greatness. Is the way that world defines it. The disciples resented greatness because they misunderstood it, but Jesus redefined greatness by revealing himself as the servant, the suffering servant who gives his life for a ransom for many, this is where everything we have heard points back, that true greatness is not found in climbing higher, but it’s found kneeling lower, because that is the way of Christ. True greatness is serving the king. So here’s the call, look to Jesus, not simply as an example to admire, but as the Savior who serves you, who saves you, and now sends you to serve, serve others in his name, let His cross remark and remake your ambitions. Let His sacrifice reshape your understanding of the cost. Let his humble service redefine what greatness means in your life and in your ministry. And if He your King, your Messiah, the Son of Man, came not to be served, but to serve.
Then the only fitting response for each of us in this room this morning is to offer him your life in the same posture, return to Him, receive His grace, follow his way. This is the greatness that heaven celebrates, and he invites you into that today, will you pray with me, Father, we come humbly before you this morning, acknowledging your greatness, acknowledging your power, acknowledging that You are the Lord of Lord, the King of kings and father. We are grateful for the opportunity that we have had this morning to worship with you through song, to worship with you as we open up your word and Father, I pray that the words that were spoken, the words that you had given to us through Your Word this morning, may it pierce our hearts. May it pierce my heart, Lord, as I continue to serve you, Father, my prayer is May my service and my ministry, may it, may I serve you through that, May everything I say, May everything I do, may I serve you as a slave, may your May you get the glory through everything.
Father, may we declare this morning, may Your will be done. Father, I’m the first to say that I struggle with this daily. I pray, if there’s anyone in this room that struggles the same Father, may they come to you with open arms, knowing that you have defined greatness differently than the world, and may we, as Your servants, may we as Your slaves, serve you humbly, may we serve you without the applause, may we serve you and do everything for you so that you get the glory, not ourselves. Father, please help us in this endeavor, because it is only by your hand that we can be helped So Father, I thank you for this time. I thank you for Jesus and you sending him to the cross to die for our sins, to live a life worthy and to be an example of what it means to be great. We pray all this in your son’s holy and precious name and God’s people said amen.
