“What do you want me to do for you?”
Mark 10:32-45 They were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was leading them. The disciples were amazed, and the others who followed were afraid. He took the Twelve aside again and began to tell them what was going to happen to him. 33“Look, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the experts in the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles. 34They will mock him, spit on him, flog him, and kill him. On the third day he will rise again.”
35James and John, the sons of Zebedee, approached him and said, “Teacher, we wish that you would do for us whatever we ask.” 36He said to them, “What do you want me to do for you?” 37They said to him, “Promise that we may sit, one at your right and one at your left, in your glory.” 38But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink or be baptized with the baptism that I am going to be baptized with?” 39“We can,” they replied.
Jesus told them, “You will drink the cup that I am going to drink and be baptized with the baptism that I am going to be baptized with. 40But to sit at my right or at my left is not for me to give; rather, these places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.” 41When the ten heard this, they were angry with James and John. 42Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 43But that is not the way it is to be among you. Instead, whoever wants to be great among you will be your servant, 44and whoever wants to be first among you will be a slave of all. 45For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and Christ Jesus our Lord (1 Timothy 1:2). Amen.
The family looked at about 50 houses before they found the right one for their family. It was perfect. … A perfect dump.
The garage door couldn’t open. Every room in the house needed to be gutted. Because the house was in foreclosure, the previous owner took everything he could. He removed the doorknobs, the hardwood flooring in the dining room, the air conditioning unit, and the panel fencing in the yard. He even used a chainsaw to cut down and removed the previously permanent gazebo.
That house is our house. A decade ago, many of you came over and helped us fix up our house. You looked around and asked, “What do you want me to do for you?”
That was awesome! That was much appreciated! That is Christian love and service!
Instead of you asking the pastor or his wife, “What do you want me to do for you,” imagine that it is the Lord Jesus asking you, “What do you want me to do for you?”
In back-to-back episodes in Mark’s Gospel, Jesus asks this question. And he gets two very different responses. Jesus had just told his disciples for the third time about his Passion – how he is going to have to suffer at the hands of Gentile Roman soldiers and Jewish religious leaders. James and John respond by saying to Jesus, “Teacher, we wish that you would do for us whatever we ask” (Mark 10:35).
A few verses later, we hear blind Bartimaeus calling out to Jesus, “Son of David, have mercy on me” (Mark 10:47)!
Jesus answers all three men with the same question, “What do you want me to do for you” (Mark 10:36)?
First, on the way to Jerusalem, the so-called Sons of Thunder – James and John – tell Jesus they want something from him. He responds, “What do you want me to do for you?” They said to him, “Promise that we may sit, one at your right and one at your left, in your glory” (Mark 10:37). They want seats of honor on Jesus’ left and right. They desire key positions in the new earthly administration when Jesus takes up residence in Jerusalem reigning from David’s throne.
And why not? They were among the first of the disciples, after all. They left their father’s fishing business and followed Jesus for three years. They deserved this. They earned it. They are in the inner circle of three disciples of James, John, and Peter. They go with Jesus on special assignments like the raising of Jairus’ daughter and the Mount of Transfiguration. So, James and John put in their claim for the top spots … before Peter can open his big mouth.
Our Lord says in essence that he can’t grant this request for those places are reserved “for those for whom they have been prepared” (Mark 10:40). Jesus is teaching that these places of honor are given by grace, not earned by merit or work.
Later, on their way to Jericho, Jesus encounters the blind beggar Bartimaeus. He cries out to Jesus to have mercy on him. Our Lord stops as Bartimaeus is brought to him. Jesus asks him, “What do you want me to do for you” (Mark 10:51)? The blind man asks to see again. Our Lord replies, “Go. Your faith has made you well.” Immediately he received his sight and began following Jesus on the road (Mark 10:52).
Jesus asks the same question of the two groups of men. One desire is granted. The other is not.
If Jesus was asking you, “What do you want me to do for you” what would be your response? This is a very real question. Every day God puts this question before us. We don’t hear his voice, but the question is there. How do you respond with your answers, your prayers, and how you live your life?
Be aware that your sinful nature is alive and well. It will always look out for number one. It believes the world revolves around you. It believes the world is here to serve you. It even believes that God is here to serve you.
You want peace, prosperity, and plenty. You want glory, grandeur, and greatness. You want health, healing, and a home.
Now, you’re not like James and John asking to be enthroned on Jesus’ left and right. But you would at least like a seat at the head table.
You give God your time, your worship, your prayers, your offerings. You expect him to give you health, money, success, and ease. You expect him to remove pain, suffering, poverty, and death.
Notice what we have done. We expect the Lord to serve us … instead of us serving our Lord.
So, what made the request of Bartimaeus different than the request of James and John?
The brothers in their fullness wanted more. The blind man in his emptiness sought mercy.
The brothers wanted independence. Bartimaeus admitted to his dependence.
The brothers want to follow Jesus to get something from him. Bartimaeus begins following Jesus because he has already received something from him.
It’s good to come to God asking for healing, to ask for success in your business, to ask for leadership skills at home, at work, at school, and at church. It’s good and right to desire to do more, be better, be healthier. It’s wrong when we feel we’re owed these things. When they are
our reward for faithful service. When we feel we deserve an easier life, fewer hospital visits, less hassles, and more income – all because we’re Jesus’ disciples.
Jesus told the brothers that they didn’t know what they were asking for. The ones who were on Jesus’ left and right when he came into glory in Jerusalem were not James and John. Nor were they Andrew and Peter. But two nameless thieves crucified on Jesus’ left and right.
Jesus challenges the brothers. “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink or be baptized with the baptism that I am going to be baptized with” (Mark 10:38).
“We can,” they said, having no idea what they were saying or what Jesus was talking about (Mark 10:39). Jesus’ cup and his baptism are his death, where he drinks the poisoned cup of sin and death – the cup of God’s wrath poured out against sinful humanity. It is where Jesus is baptized into death for us, washed with our sin, drowned in the flood of God’s wrath. His death on a cross is a cup and a baptism - his alone to drink and be baptized with.
“You will drink the cup that I am going to drink and be baptized with the baptism that I am going to be baptized with” (Mark 10:39). Jesus’ disciples will have a share in Christ’s suffering and death. He drinks the cup of wrath so that they - and you - may drink Christ’s cup of forgiveness. He drinks the accursed cup on the cross of death so that you might drink the cup of blessing at the Sacrament that offers life. With the cup and the bread of his Supper, Jesus gives you a share in his death and life, in his suffering and sacrifice. And in his glory.
So also, with baptism. Jesus is baptized into our death so that we might be baptized into his death. His baptism puts him on a cross where he dies for our sins. Your Baptism joins you with Jesus into his death and life so that you may live in him now by faith and in the age to come by the resurrection of the dead.
Jesus comes as a suffering Servant to serve. Jesus left the glories of heaven to be born in humility and laid in a manger. He endured hellish temptations by looking the devil in the eye for forty days in the desert. He was betrayed by Judas to the Jewish chief priests. He was flogged and crucified by the Gentile Roman soldiers. He was mocked, spat on, and killed. On the third day he rose again (Mark 10:33-34). This is how Jesus fulfilled these words: “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). Jesus served and saved us for all our sins of failing to serve him and those around us.
You – Jesus’ followers, his baptized believers – you share Jesus’ cup as you lay down your life for Jesus and those whom Jesus loves. Greatness in Christ’s kingdom is not about power, but about sacrifice. “Whoever wants to be great among you will be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you will be a slave of all” (Mark 10:44). That’s how the kingdom of God looks in this world. Humble, self-giving servants of the Servant of all.
The way of this world is to struggle for glory and power, and when you get it, to use it for your own advantage. But that’s not the way it is in Christ’s kingdom. The way of greatness in God’s kingdom is the path of service. To serve others in love.
Perhaps you can ask Jesus, “What do you want me to do for you?” Here are some ideas.
Are you a parent? Serve Jesus and your children by being a selfless servant in your home. Serve your spouse and children with loving acts of service, even though they don’t always deserve it.
Are you a student? Serve Jesus and your teachers with attention and respect, even if they are boring at times.
Are you an employer? Serve Jesus and your employees with a deserving wage and a listening ear.
Are you an employee? Serve Jesus and your employer with honest, faithful work and respect for your boss.
Are you a member of Water of Life or have children at WLS and Shoreland? Serve Jesus and your pastors and teachers by thanking God for those whom he has called to serve you with Word and Sacraments.
And so it goes. Servanthood equals greatness in God’s kingdom.
Serving Jesus and serving in Jesus’ name often means suffering for Jesus’ sake. We want to follow Jesus by carrying our cross. We want to be counted worthy of suffering in Jesus’ name. We want to be placed before kings and authorities to give our testimony before they throw us in prison for our Christianity.
Every morning the Lord asks you, “What do you want me to do for you?” We may not have the opportunity to help the pastor fix his dumpy house. We may simply want to be healthy again. Or the economy to be better. Or less tension in our culture. These are good and godly things to give in your answers. But in addition to those petitions, let your answers also include this:
“Make me like you Jesus. You served me. Make me your servant.”
“Make me like St. Paul. Make me weak so I may serve the weak.”
“Make me like the apostles – even James and John later in their ministry. Make me a humble example of perseverance during persecution.”
“Make me like blind Bartimaeus. Make me a grateful beggar for your mercy.” Amen.
No matter what your vocation in life, remember it’s all about service. “For the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Amen.