So again, the reading will be from Matthew 20, starting at verse 17 and reading through to the end of the chapter.
And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way he said to them,
See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes,
and they will condemn him to death, and deliver him over to the Gentiles,
to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day.
Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons, and kneeling before him, she asked him for something.
And he said to her, What do you want?
She said to him, Say that these two sons of mine are to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.
Jesus answered, You do not know what you are asking.
Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?
They said to him, We are able.
He said to them, You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant,
but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.
And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers.
But Jesus called them to him and said, You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them,
and their great ones exercise authority over them.
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 your slave.
Even as the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.
And as they went out of Jericho, a great crowd followed him.
And behold, there were two blind men sitting by the roadside.
And when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out,
Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David.
The crowd rebuked them, telling them to be silent.
But they cried out all the more, Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David.
And stopping, Jesus called them and said, What do you want me to do for you?
They said to him, Lord, let our eyes be opened.
And Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered their sight and followed him.
Okay, well, we're looking at Matthew chapter 20.
And it would be great if you could have that part of the Bible open,
because we'll be looking at it closely.
But I want to start with a story.
We've been, my wife and I, we read books to our kids at night.
And one of the books we read to our kids earlier this year was The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien.
You may be familiar with the story.
Maybe you've read the book or at least seen the movie or movies it is, isn't it?
And The Hobbit tells the story of 13 dwarves who are on a quest to the Lonely Mountain, their ancestral home.
Years ago, the dwarves were forced out by the wicked dragon Smorg.
And now they're returning and hoping to claim back their treasure from the dragon.
And with the 13 dwarves is a small hobbit by the name of Bilbo Baggins.
Bilbo has been chosen by the wizard Gandalf to be the group's burglar.
And towards the end of the book, the dwarves are setting out on the last leg of their journey from Lake Town,
which is kind of like a last remote outpost of civilisation.
And everyone is jubilant.
The dwarves have been treated as heroes in Lake Town.
They've been fed and housed and pampered in the most delightful and satisfactory fashion, Tolkien writes.
They've been provided with boats and rowers and provisions and horses by the good folk of the town,
who cheered if any dwarves showed so much as his nose.
And Thorin, the leader of the dwarves, looked and walked as if his kingdom was already regained,
and Smorg the dragon chopped up in little pieces.
So chapter 10 of the Hobbit closes with the dwarves departing Lake Town by boat
on the final stage of their long journey to the Lonely Mountain,
as people sang on the keys and out of windows.
Tolkien tells us that the only person thoroughly unhappy was Bilbo.
See, as the group's burglar, all the expectation of the dwarves rested on his shoulders.
He is the one who must sneak into the dragon's lair.
He is the one who must confront the foul beast.
He is the one who must steal the dragon's treasure.
He knows what lies ahead.
And there's a similar contrast in the passage before us today.
As Jesus and his 12 disciples embark on the final stage of their long journey to the mountain of Jerusalem,
the mindset of the Saviour and the mindset of his closest followers are miles apart.
We'll come to the disciples shortly.
First, let's hear what Jesus says to them to help prepare them for what lies ahead.
Look at Matthew chapter 20, verse 17.
And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the 12 disciples aside and on the way he said to them,
See, we're going up to Jerusalem and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes
and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified.
And he'll be raised on the third day.
Now notice several things about these verses.
First, notice the repetition of the phrase going up to Jerusalem.
Verse 17, it's mentioned as part of the narrative.
Jesus was going up to Jerusalem.
In verse 18, it's repeated again in the words Jesus spoke to his disciples,
where he includes them to in the journey.
He says, we are going up to Jerusalem.
A journey which Jesus first signalled to his disciples back in chapter 16 was soon to reach its destination.
Now, Jesus says, and the narrative says, going up because travel to Jerusalem did involve an ascent.
Jerusalem was 750 metres above sea level.
Jericho, which is where we find Jesus and his disciples in verse 29.
Jericho was 250 metres below sea level.
So there's an ascent from the last kind of 28 kilometre stretch from Jericho to Jerusalem involved a significant climb, an ascent.
Secondly, notice in these verses that this conversation Jesus had with his disciples was a private conversation.
He took the 12 aside on the way.
And said to them.
It's a private conversation, Jesus and the 12.
Now, while there's a crowd of pilgrims accompanying Jesus on their way to Jerusalem for the Passover,
these words were for Jesus' closest handpicked disciples alone.
Thirdly, notice the detailed nature of Jesus' prediction.
Jesus foretells his betrayal.
The Son of Man will be delivered over.
His betrayal to the Jewish leaders, to the chief priests and scribes.
He predicts the verdict of the Jewish council.
They will condemn him to death.
He predicts the Jews' subsequent act of transferring Jesus into the custody of the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate.
They will deliver him over to the Gentiles.
Jesus predicts the cruel treatment he would suffer at the hands of the Roman soldiers, mocked and flogged.
And he predicts the exact method of his execution, crucified.
He even predicts his resurrection on the third day.
Everything would unfold exactly as Jesus had said.
As we see if we follow this story through to Matthew chapters 26 to 28.
Every detail would be just as Jesus foretold.
And while Jesus knew he would be raised to life,
his words here emphasize his suffering.
All the things that must take place culminating in his death.
His mind was set on what he must do.
On the extreme trial that lay ahead for him.
The way to Jerusalem was the way of the cross.
And that terrible purpose weighed on Jesus.
And it's for this that he sought to prepare his disciples.
As he gathered them in on the way and spoke privately to them.
He told them what must take place.
That's the private conversation he had with them.
But soon after, two of the twelve approached Jesus for another private conversation.
Or rather they approached him with a request.
A request that shows their minds were in a very different place to the mind of Jesus.
Actually in the first instance, the request was made by their mother.
Look at verse 20.
Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee.
That's James and John.
The mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons.
And kneeling before him, she asked him for something.
And he said to her, what do you want?
And she said to him, say that these two sons of mine are to sit, one on your right hand and one on your left, in your kingdom.
Now there's an almost comical ring of truth to this scene.
I wonder, did the sons, James and John, put their mother up to this?
Or was it the other way around?
Now my mum's here, here with us this morning, so I need to be careful what I say.
But I can imagine my mum doing something like this.
She's an amazing woman, God bless her.
But my mum has two sons.
And there is no doubt about it that she is our biggest fan.
So maybe it took a mother's ambition to egg on her boys to make this bold and brazen request of Jesus.
Whatever the case, Jesus treats the petition as coming from all three of them.
So in verse 21, he speaks to the mother directly.
What do you want?
And the you there in the Greek text is singular.
What do you want?
He speaks to her.
But then in verse 22 and 23, he addresses the sons.
The you in verse 22 and 23 is plural.
Perhaps he's speaking to all three of them, but I think particularly to the two men.
Now to their credit, they clearly had a lot of faith in Jesus.
They have full confidence that Jesus is the king and that his kingdom is coming.
They know the outcome.
They believe that Jesus will be vindicated.
Their request here assumes Jesus' ultimate triumph and reign.
And James and John want the positions of greatest honour in Jesus' kingdom.
The seats at his right and left.
And that's what they're asking for.
The positions of greatest honour.
It's a bit like politicians jockeying for ministerial positions before the election has even taken place.
Perhaps James and John are attempting this backroom dealing specifically in an attempt to get ahead of other disciples.
Perhaps Peter and Andrew.
They want to get their claim in first.
But rather than immediately give a straight answer, Jesus challenges their question and challenges the ignorance behind their question.
Verse 22.
Jesus answered,
You do not know what you are asking.
Are you able to drink the cup that I drink?
Jesus says to them,
You don't understand.
Now Jesus' cup here will find a couple of echoes later in Matthew.
We might think of the cup that Jesus offers his disciples at the Last Supper.
When he says,
Drink of it, all of you.
This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
Jesus.
But Jesus' question here in verse 22 is not so much about the cup Jesus offers,
but the cup Jesus himself was about to drink.
Can you drink the cup?
Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?
This is the cup about which Jesus prayed in Gethsemane.
My Father, if it's possible, let this cup pass from me.
Yet not as I will, but as you will.
Now, of course, the two cups are connected.
Jesus can only offer the one cup because he himself drank the other.
But when Jesus asks,
Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?
He is asking James and John,
Can you share in my sufferings?
Are you able to do what I am about to do?
Notice the question is not about their willingness.
He doesn't ask them,
Will you drink the cup?
It's about their ability.
Are you able to drink the cup?
James and John confidently assert the affirmative.
Verse 22,
We are able, they answered.
An answer that betrays just how fundamentally they understood
both the nature and the depth of Jesus' sufferings.
Now, as events would unfold at the crucial time,
James and John, like the rest of the disciples,
would prove both unable and unwilling to drink the cup.
When the chain of sufferings which Jesus foretold in verses just here,
which Jesus foretold,
when the chain of sufferings began with Judas' betrayal of Jesus,
like the rest of the disciples,
James and John would desert Jesus and flee.
They couldn't drink the cup.
They wouldn't drink the cup.
Surprisingly, though,
rather than continue to challenge James and John's
underestimation of Jesus' sufferings,
Jesus changes his approach in verse 23.
He said to them,
There is a sense,
Jesus says,
there is a sense in which James and John would drink Jesus' cup.
There is a sense in which they would share in his sufferings.
James, in time,
would be put to death by the sword at the command of Herod Agrippa.
In his later years,
John would be exiled to the Isle of Patmos
because of the testimony of Jesus.
But Jesus could not grant the places at his right and left.
That was the prerogative of God the Father,
who had prepared those places for the ones he chose.
Now, what do we make of this?
What are we to make of this?
If Jesus is thinking of his future kingdom,
and he speaks of these places at his right and left,
if Jesus is speaking of his future kingdom,
we might remember his words in chapter 20, verse 16,
the last will be first and the first will be last.
And so,
when we get there,
expect to be surprised.
Those granted,
these places
of proximity to Jesus
may well be among the most obscure of believers.
Names we've never heard.
The last will be first.
Then again,
when later in Matthew's gospel,
we do hear of one on Jesus' right
and one on Jesus' left,
it wouldn't be the two brothers,
but rather two rebels and thieves
crucified next to Jesus,
who joined in with the crowd
in heaping insults on him.
In any case,
while in one sense,
James and John
would
drink Jesus' cup,
at the crucial time,
they could not
and would not.
It was given to Jesus alone
and he alone could drink it.
There was no other way.
With that,
the private conversation
between the sons of Zebedee
and Jesus
comes to an end.
But for the two brothers,
there's an awkward postscript.
You know,
like the backroom dealings
of politicians
leaked to the press,
James and John's private maneuvering
soon become known.
And with all the subsequent
self-righteous moral outrage
we might expect
in Crikey
or in the Daily Telegraph,
we have the response
of the others
in verse 24.
And when the ten heard of it,
they were indignant
at the two brothers.
They're indignant.
No.
Who are they
to ask Jesus
for these positions?
But Jesus used this
as an opportunity
for a lesson
for all of them
on true greatness,
verse 25.
But Jesus called to them
and said,
you know that the rulers
of the Gentiles,
the nations,
lorded over them
and their great ones
exercise authority
over them.
That's the way
of the world,
Jesus says.
The way of the world
is to pursue power
and to seek honour
and to exalt in authority
and position
and to delight
in being first.
That's the way
of the world.
The great ones
of the world
are the rich
and the famous
and those with power
and sway
and influence.
Elon Musk,
Jeff Bezos,
Rupert Murdoch,
Taylor Swift,
Vladimir Putin,
Xi Jinping,
people who can buy
whatever they want,
people who get to define
the narrative
and shape the world,
people who can control
what others do,
people who can control
what others think.
They're the great ones,
surely,
in our world.
But Jesus completely overturns
that way of thinking,
the way we naturally
think about greatness.
Verse 26,
Jesus says,
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 your slave.
And even as the
Son of Man
came not to be served
but to serve
and to give his life
as a ransom
for many.
The way of Jesus
is the way of the cross.
And the way of the cross
is the way
of humility,
the way of loneliness,
the way of service,
the way of placing
others
before yourself.
When Jesus died
on the cross,
he did so
to give his life
as a ransom
for many.
One
for many.
The language
of many
here
is not to suggest
a limit
in Christ's death,
many rather than all,
but rather is an allusion
to Isaiah chapter 53.
Isaiah chapter 53
is a prophecy
about the suffering servant,
the servant of the Lord.
And we read
in Isaiah 53,
my righteous servant
will justify many
and he will bear
their iniquities.
Therefore,
I will give him
a portion
among the great
because he poured
out his life
unto death
for he bore
the sin
of many.
Jesus is the greatest
in the kingdom
of God
because he did
what no other
could do.
He gave his life
as a ransom,
his life
in exchange
for ours.
He bore
the sin
of many.
He suffered
the penalty
for our sins.
He suffered
the wrath
of God
in our place.
That's the cup
he drank
which we
cannot drink.
Indeed,
that was the purpose
of his sacrifice.
That is the cup
that he drank
so that
we would not
drink it.
he suffered
in our place
the righteous
for the unrighteous,
the son
of man
for the sons
and daughters
of men.
To quote
an old hymn,
I wonder
if any
of you
will recognise
it.
It's one
of my favourites.
death
and the curse
were in our cup
our cup.
O Christ
t'was full
for thee
but thou
hast drained
the last
dark drop
tis empty
now for me
that bitter cup
love drank
it up
now blessings
draft
for me.
You cannot
drink the cup.
You don't
need
to drink
the cup.
He drained
it for you.
You cannot
drink the cup
and yet
you will
drink the cup.
That's
Jesus'
word to
James and
John,
the sons
of Zebedee.
For although
we could not
go to the
cross,
Jesus
nevertheless
calls us
to carry
our cross.
We could
not offer
Christ's
sacrifice
but he
does call
us to
imitate
his
sacrifice.
See,
the way
of the
cross
is both
a way
Jesus
must walk
alone
and a
way in
which we
follow.
And if
you want
greatness
then let
Jesus show
you what
true
greatness
is.
true
greatness
is found
in
accolades
and status
and riches
and honour
and power.
True
greatness
is found
in humble
costly
acts of
service
of others.
True
greatness
is found
in kind
words
spoken to
the lonely.
It's found
in hospitality
offered to
a stranger.
nature.
It's found
in patience
shown to
a difficult
child.
It's found
in loving
care offered
to the
sick and
ageing.
That's
where true
greatness
is found.
We
cannot be
the saviour
but we
are like
our saviour
when we
live for
others and
not for
ourselves.
Let me
share with
you again
a story
which
many of
us will
remember.
It's the
story of a
woman by
the name
of KD
Lusam.
On the
28th of
March
an
earthquake
struck
the nation
of Myanmar
with its
epicentre
near the
Mandalay
region.
And about
30 miles
south of
Mandalay
in
Keauks
is a
preschool
the
bright
kids
preschool
the
two
story
building.
The
older
children
studied
in the
upper
floor
and the
younger
children
were in
the
ground
floor
classroom.
And when
the
earthquake
struck
the
building
collapsed
and the
upper
story
the
upper
floor
fell
onto
the
lower
story.
The
children
in the
upper
room
survived
but most
of the
children
in the
lower
classroom
the
younger
ones
perished.
26
died
that
day
in that
school.
And among
the others
on the
ground
floor
when the
earthquake
occurred
was a
Christian
teacher
KD
Lusam
the
daughter
of a
local
pastor.
And
she
went
as the
building
started
she
didn't
flee
but
rather
she
quickly
gathered
three
children
under
her
arms
and
as
the
debris
fell
used
her
body
to
shield
them
from
the
impact.
All
were
alive
when
the
rescue
team
arrived
and
the
teacher
with
her
last
breath
she
told
the
rescuers
to
prioritise
the
children
get
them
out
first
and
they
were
rescued
alive
and
then
later
in the
afternoon
the
rescue
team
finally
reached
the
teacher
and
she
was
barely
breathing
and
she
lost
her
life.
Sadly
one
of the
three
children
also
later
died.
God
calls
few
of us
to
acts
of
service
as
dramatic
or
as
final
as
that
godly
teacher's
giving
her
life
for
the
children
in
her
care.
But
however
humble
and
small
the
acts
of
service
God
may
call
us
to
be
may
our
lives
echo
the
life
and
death
of
our
saviour
who
gave
his
life
as
a
ransom
for
many.
We
are not
called
to
count
our
glories
we
are
called
to
carry
our
cross
that's
the first
request
made of
Jesus
on the way
to Jerusalem
in the final
stage of the
journey.
There's a
second request
in the final
verses of
chapter 20.
verse 29 to
34.
And as
they went
out of
Jericho
a great
crowd
followed
them
and behold
there
were
two
blind
men
sitting
by
the
roadside
and
when
they
heard
that
Jesus
was
passing
by
they
cried
out
Lord
have
mercy
on us
son
of
David
the crowd
rebuked
them
telling
them
to be
silent
but
they
cried
out
all
the
more
Lord
have
mercy
on
us
son
of
David
and
stopping
Jesus
called
them
and said
what
do
you
want
me
to
do
for
you
they
said
to
him
Lord
let
our
eyes
be
opened
and
Jesus
in
pity
touched
their
eyes
and
immediately
they
recovered
their
sight
and
followed
him
now
we
might
notice
some
echoes
in this
second
request
of
echoes
of the
first
request
now
like
the
first
request
those
making
the
second
request
recognize
Jesus
as
the
king
they
call
him
Lord
son
of
David
son
of
the
great
king
David
David's
promised
son
they
recognize
Jesus
as
the
promised
king
but
where
the
first
request
was
encouraged
by
a
mother
the
second
request
is
discouraged
by
a
crowd
the
crowd
rebuked
them
telling
them
to
be
silent
now
just
think
about
that
for
a
moment
the
large
crowd
are
we're
specifically
told
in
verse
29
the
this
great
crowd
are
following
Jesus
that's
who
the
crowd
are
these
are
people
who
are
drawn
to
Jesus
in
some
sense
at
least
they
believe
in
Jesus
they
recognize
Jesus
as a
teacher
they
recognize
Jesus
as
someone
to
follow
beyond
that
they
no
doubt
knew
that
Jesus
can
heal
people
many
of
them
would
have
witnessed
!
it
some
of
them
would
have
experienced
it
they
had
been
healed
by
Jesus
had
even
healed
two
blind
men
before
earlier
in
Matthew's
gospel
and
here
is
this
crowd
following
Jesus
telling
these
two
blind
men
to be
quiet
how
consumed
that
crowd
must have
been
in
their
own
following
of
Jesus
to
try
and
shush
these
two
blind
men
how
little
regard
they
had
for
these
other
two
blind
by
the
side
of
the
road
but
Jesus
doesn't
silence
them
in
verse
32
as
he
did
with
James
and
John
Jesus
asked
the
question
what
do
you
want
what
do
you
want
me
to
do
for
you
he
doesn't
see
these
two
as
insignificant
he
doesn't
see
them
as
beneath
his
attention
he
doesn't
see
them
as
too
lowly
to
notice
he
doesn't
see
them
as
a
bother
or
as
a
nuisance
or
unwelcome
he
draws
out
their
request
what
do
you
want
me
to
do
for
you
verse
33
they
said
to
him
Lord
let
our
eyes
be
opened
their
request
is
not
for
glory
it's
not
for
honour
it's
not
to
be
placed
above
others
it's
just
to
be
restored
to
be
made
whole
to
be
able
to
see
in
verse
34
Jesus
in
pity
in
his
compassion
he
touched
their
eyes
and
immediately
they
recovered
their
sight
and
followed
him
notice
their
following
of
Jesus
comes
after
the
mercy
of
Jesus
the
compassion
of
Jesus
before
you can
follow
Jesus
you need
to be
forgiven
by
Jesus
before
you can
serve
like
Jesus
you need
to be
saved
by
Jesus
before
you can
drink
the
cup
you need
to
receive
the
cup
but
all
who
call
out
to
Jesus
for
mercy
he
will
not
turn
away
none
who
cry
out
to
him
will
he
silence
his
compassion
is
sufficient
for
all
brothers
sisters
what
do
you
want
from
Jesus
what
do
you
want
Jesus
to
do
for
you
do
you
want
greatness
we'll
let
Jesus
show
you
what
true
greatness
is
do
you
want
mercy
we'll
know
that
Jesus
will
not
turn
you
away
he
will
welcome
all
who
come
to
him
the
way
of
Jesus
is
the
way
of
the
cross
and
the
way
of
the
cross
is
the
way
of
humility
and
mercy
thanks
be
to
God
will
you
join
with
me
in
prayer
heavenly
father
we
thank
you
for
our
saviour
the
lord
jesus
christ
who
has
done
for
us
what
we
could
not
do
we
thank
you
that
he
paid
the
ransom
for
our
sins
that
he
drank
the
cup
of
your
wrath
that
he
died
in
our
place
as
your
servant
and
to
serve
us
thank
you
father
for
our
saviour
we
thank
you
for
his
compassion
we
thank
you
for
his
mercy
and
we
thank
you
for
his
example
thank
you
that
in
your
son
you've
shown
us
what
true
greatness
is
we
confess
before
you
that
too
often
we
want
to be
first
or we
strive
after
things
that will
serve
our
own
interests
but
lord
when we
behold
Jesus
or
when
we
think
of
that
faithful
teacher
in
the
school
in
Myanmar
who
gave
her
life
for
the
children
when
we
think
of
such
examples
of
true
humility
and
service
we
do
want
to
be
like
them
that
is
what
we
desire
so
take
away
from
us
every
selfish
ambition
and
inclination
and
grow
us
in
humility
and
lead
us
in
acts
of
compassion
and
service
of
others
this
we
pray
in
Jesus
name
Amen