24 And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers. 25 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. 26 It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever would be first among you must be your slave,” Matthew 20:24–27 ESV)
Jesus’ response to James, John and the rest of the disciples was clear regarding greatness in the kingdom of heaven. It is the path of suffering. Jesus said to them, “You will drink my cup.” The metaphor of the “cup” represents not only the outpouring of God the Father’s wrath (Psalm 75:8; Isaiah 51:17, 22; Jeremiah 25:15-16), but also identification with Jesus Christ and His sufferings (Acts 9:4-5; Colossians 1:24; I Peter 2:21).
“Charles Simeon was pastor of Trinity Church in Cambridge, England, for fifty-four years. But the members of the church opposed him and locked the pews of the church so that for the first ten years of his ministry, those who attended worship services would have to stand or sit in the aisles or along the back of the sanctuary. Yet Simeon faithfully ministered during that time to those who came,” explains Pastor Dr. William Barcley.
In his biography of Simeon, H.C.G. Moule records Simeon’s thoughts on enduring his ordeal and the outcome: “In this state I saw no remedy but faith and patience. . . . It was most painful indeed to see the church, with the exception of the aisles, almost forsaken; but I thought that if God would only give a double blessing to the congregation that did attend, there would on the whole be as much good done as if the congregation were doubled and the blessing limited to only half the amount. This comforted me many, many times, when without such a reflection, I should have sunk under my burden.”
There are those who suppose true greatness comes from unlimited power and position. These are individuals who are quick to speak of their hard work, their long hours of toil and exalted position and productivity. They want everyone to know how truly great they are. The want recognition and reward; much like James and John.
As expected, the remaining ten disciples were indignant at the two brothers. To be indignant (ἠγανάκτησαν; eganektesan) means to be angry at what is judged to be wrong. James and John’s fellow disciples believed the brother’s request was wrong. By His response, so did Jesus.
“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 26 It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever would be first among you must be your slave,”
“To seek one’s greatness and power, Jesus tells us, is at odds with kingdom values (Matt. 20:25–28). Gentiles lord their authority over one another, a reference to the Roman system where humility was a vice and might was always right. On the other hand, God’s children serve one another. Greatness is found in putting others first and in seeking the welfare of others above one’s own (see Phil. 2:1–11).” explains Dr. R. C. Sproul.
John Chrysostom comments, “Loving the first place is not fitting to us, even though it may be among the nations. Such a passion becomes a tyrant. It continually hinders even great men” (Homilies on the Gospel of Saint Matthew, 65.4). In the kingdom, the last are first and the first are last (Matt. 20:16).”
“A true leader leads by example, never asking others to do something that the leader is unwilling to do himself. He does not seek leadership in order to have power and authority over others, he leads in order to do good for other people,” states Dr. Sproul.
“Is the leadership function you perform, no matter how large or small it might be, characterized by such service?”
Soli deo Gloria!
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