The FaithOfJesus2 Daily Devotional

Focus:

kjv@Revelation:14:12 @ Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

( FaithOfJesus thread begun by rRandyP )

Today's Verse:

kjv@Mark:10:35-45

kjv@Mark:10:35 @ And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, come unto him, saying, Master, we would that thou shouldest do for us whatsoever we shall desire.

kjv@Mark:10:36 @ And he said unto them, What would ye that I should do for you?

kjv@Mark:10:37 @ They said unto him, Grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left hand, in thy glory.

kjv@Mark:10:38 @ But Jesus said unto them, Ye know not what ye ask: can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?

kjv@Mark:10:39 @ And they said unto him, We can. And Jesus said unto them, Ye shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of; and with the baptism that I am baptized withal shall ye be baptized:

kjv@Mark:10:40 @ But to sit on my right hand and on my left hand is not mine to give; but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared.

kjv@Mark:10:41 @ And when the ten heard it, they began to be much displeased with James and John.

kjv@Mark:10:42 @ But Jesus called them him, and saith unto them, Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them.

kjv@Mark:10:43 @ But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister:

kjv@Mark:10:44 @ And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all.

kjv@Mark:10:45 @ For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

Today's notes:

Context:

Before - amazed and afraid
After - rise he calleth thee

Key Concepts:

slide:kjv@glory+of+the+LORD

What is God's righteousness observed doing?:

Making the distinction between the authority and rule exerted with strength over the godless and the greatness of sacrifice and service modeled by Christ.
Making the statement of what really needs to be known and who needs to know it to operate in this greatness.

What does this tell us about God's righteousness?:

The two forms of rule are opposite in many ways starting with intention. The first is derived from the will to rule over rather than be under the rule of another. It is maintained by imposing that will rather than receiving it. The second is derived from the belief that God is sovereign and whatever HE has prepared and executed (known or unknown) is perfect and holy like no other. It is maintained by reverence toward the person, the eternal design/plan of, the unfettered ability to accomplish the entirety of the plan, the righteousness of the entirety for all involved.
It is not a statement against the omniscience of Jesus to say that Jesus doesn't know who will be at His left and right in His glory, it is a statement that He is fine with whomever the Father decides. God is not a respecter of any one person. It is not a position given on the bases of general respect, but established by service and ministry; service and ministry that haven't occurred yet. What is most important to Jesus at this point is that He remain obedient to the call of making this service and ministry available to men to righteously perform.

How is man reacting?:

10 are extremely irritated that John and James even made the initial approach, the ambition that they two would want to rule over all the rest.
Elsewhere we are told that it was the mother of the two disciples that made the direct request of Jesus. She turned out latter to be a strong believer and servant.

Notes:

There is a discomfort regarding human rule because we know too much about those who wish to rule over us. The suspicion is that they are too much like us or likely worse. Power of this type typically does not come by goodness and moral fiber, it comes by brokering and pact with other less visible power structures. Much of such power is the illusion of order and specific direction. Goodness and fiber are reduced to this illusion/brokering of order.

To be opposite of this is to be distinctly different from the very conception. If there is discomfort with it is because we are unfamiliar with it. We resort to the former because outside of Jesus Himself it is all that we are left to.

While it is true that men can and will be baptized with the same baptism as Jesus, it will never mean as much to mankind as a whole as with Him, He would be the reason and the inspiration and cause for us to be such.

Jesus is not performing His obedience because of any agreeable foreknowledge of whom will be placed at His throne left and right. He is doing this only for the Father. He is asking us to do this likewise only for Him, whether service or sacrifice, regardless of who it may or may not draw to our side.

Key Messages:

What does this say about our present condition?

We are ministered unto in every possible way. By government, by marriage, by community, by employment, even by love and worship. We minister to our selves. We sacrifice for perceivable gain. When we vote here in America we vote for those who will serve us best and complain profusely when not served (even when we are); it is our power over those who do rule. It is a sorted mess.
Ambition to lead is no replacement for the ability to forged by trial and selfless service. Minus such service then why not us? Who else can lead any better? or worse? so we think!

Further Resources:

Comment Board:Mark:10:35-45
index:FAITHOFJESUSDEVOTION - Devotional Index
strkjv@Mark:10:35-45 rwp@Mark:10:35-45 mhcc@Mark:10:35-45
FaithOfJesus2 - Devotion Index

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