Mark 10:35-45 (NRSV)
Read Mark 10:35-45 on biblegateway.com
Verse 35James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him and said to him, "Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you." Verse 36And he said to them, "What is it you want me to do for you?" Verse 37And they said to him, "Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory." Verse 38But Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?" Verse 39They replied, "We are able." Then Jesus said to them, "The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; Verse 40but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared."
Verse 41When the ten heard this, they began to be angry with James and John. Verse 42So Jesus called them and said to them, "You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. Verse 43But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, Verse 44and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. Verse 45For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many."
Devotion
I think God has been trying to teach me humility this year.
I recently completed a Bible study in which we were trying to identify places we were “stuck.” When the study came to an end, I reluctantly admitted that my “stuck” place was an unrelenting insistence that I like to be right.
My good friend helped me identify this. In front of an audience, I was making clear to her that I was right on a specific point. With a loving dose of sarcasm, my friend said, “Sara’s always right.” It was like she held this mirror up to my face and I could see myself in a new light.
Humility is hard. For me, the hardest part is admitting that I’m not so good at it. We need faithful friends to help us see it and we need the grace of our God to call us back to it.
Prayer
Gracious God, help me to see myself the way you see me. Guard me as I confess my brokenness and turn to you for mercy and life. Amen.