Not So With You (Mark 10:35-45)

In Mark 10, James and John, approach Jesus with a bold request, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.”  In the ancient world, the person on the right of the king was the second in command. The person at the left was a dear, intimate friend. Just make us the two most important and most powerful people in your kingdom.  The disciples knew what it felt like to be powerless, dehumanized, and unjustly targeted.  They wanted to rise to the top and the wield the same kind of power wielded over them by the Romans. But to this, Jesus says, “Not so with you.” “For whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.” Jesus wanted them to think differently, about power, about leadership, about the good life. It’s tempting to try and grasp for more power and more control when we feel disempowered. But what would it look like for us to leverage what power we do have, to serve all?