Mark 10:41-45

Mark 10:41-45 

English Standard Version 

  From when we're young kids, we're taught to seek positions of power and authority.  That's the way the world works -- to try and climb to the top of the pyramid.  Sometimes, it's no matter what -- at any cost, try and rise above others. 

  Then the church shows up, and we tell people that the purpose of life isn't to accumulate power and privilege, but rather to seek to serve.  True greatness is found in service of others.  Jesus Christ, the single most powerful and wise person to have ever lived, washed the feet of others and didn't consider a single person beneath him.  Can you imagine a modern CEO doing that?  Or a political leader?  They'll occasionally pose with people for publicity sake, but they rarely have authentic hearts focused on serving others.  

  May we seek opportunities to serve, and in so doing, discover the true heartbeat of God's Kingdom.

Mark 10:35-40

Mark 10:35-40 

English Standard Version 

  This reminds me of Peter saying that he'll never abandon Jesus, right before he abandons Jesus.  James and John want to sit on either side of Jesus in heaven, but they don't understand what that comes with.  They want the glory, but not the sacrifice.  Jesus ascends to such a position because he's willing to pour himself out, offering his own life so that the breach between humans and God can be repaired.  This interaction shows that we can't truly comprehend the gap between ourselves and God -- we think we need to be just a little bit better, when in reality, we need complete transformation.

  It's a terribly hard thing to pray for God's will to be done, because sometimes God's will doesn't seem to align with our will.  But God's will is so much bigger, so much grander, so much better than our own.  May we entrust ourselves to God, setting aside personal ambition and desires for glory, and trust the God who is able and willing to give us impossibly more than we can ask or imagine.

  

Mark 10:32-34

Mark 10:32-34 

English Standard Version 

  Remember -- the disciples heard this, and yet when it happened, they fled out of fear.  The warnings of Jesus didn't give them courage, because they didn't really understand.  When the big thing happened, they still reacted poorly.

  Things happen on the road of life, things that you didn't plan for and aren't prepared for.  Things happen, and they quickly overwhelm you and leave you wondering how you'll get through them.  Things happen, and even though you think you ought to be ready to face them, you aren't.  Life can be hard.

  So take heart.  Like the disciples, there is much we don't understand.  Jesus tries to prepare us, but we miss a lot, because we're overwhelmed.  Jesus still calls us, still loves us, and still redeems us, thanks be to God!

Mark 10:23-31

Mark 10:23-31 

English Standard Version 

  Who can be saved?  

  That is the ultimate question, the one's we ask ourselves at 3 in the morning, the ones our souls cry out when we let the noise from the world diminish and give ourselves time to think.  This is the ultimate question, the only one that truly matters -- who will be saved?

  Jesus tells us that it is impossible for us to do on our own, but with God, all things are possible.  Which leads us to the next question, of who does God choose to save?

  For this answer, we look to Jesus and wonder what kind of Savior he is, and what we find is someone more gracious than we can imagine.  What we find is someone willing to offer salvation to those who are crucifying him.  We find someone willing to go to the lost and the lonely, to those on the outskirts of society and well outside traditional power structures.  We find a God willing to offer salvation to people not on their merit, but on his unconditional love.

  Who can be saved? 

  Thanks be to God that is dependent on God, not on us.