The Plan Revealed—Babel or Abram? (Genesis 4, 11-12)

Since humanity lost something of God’s shared glory in the fall (see last week’s study in Genesis 3, The Problem) we have sought to either take things into our own hands to replace it or self-medicate our pain so that we forget it is missing. We want the greatness that we once had when we walked in an unbroken relationship with God and often try to grasp greatness, but without walking with God. It is the difference that we see between the people of Babel (Gen. 11) and Abram/Abraham (Gen. 12). Who is it who makes our name great? Who is it who determines our identity?

The Bible recounts several "False Starts" as humanity tried to attain greatness on its own. Here are three…

A) Cain’s Personal Failure (Gen. 4:3-6)

In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell.

The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.”

Are we envious?

Cain and Abel brought offerings to the Lord, but Cain’s was not well regarded. There are few details given, but it apparently was not “his best” contrary to the description of Abel’s gift. Cain seems to have been keeping his best for himself. Love and worship go together. God makes it clear that “If you do well, will you not be accepted?” However, instead of changing his heart and “doing well, Cain ignored God’s warning, “If you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door…you must rule over it.” This is too often the story of our lives. Often, we fail to be transformed by the love of God and choose self-love instead. That is always a failure. Often other people get hurt in the process—starting with Abel. However, our failures do not keep God from being himself. Even in the midst of judgment (as we saw in Gen. 3) God is merciful. In this case, “the mark of Cain” was not a punishment but merciful preservation.

How can we avoid Cain’s error and rule over sin? By walking relationally with the Lord in trust and obedience (Gal. 5:16), by calling upon him for help and forgiveness. “At that time people began to call upon the name of the Lord.” (v.26b), and by loving our neighbor (Lev. 19:18; Matt. 22:39)

B) An Epic and Global Failure (Gen 6:11-13)

Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight, and the earth was filled with violence. And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

Why was the antediluvian earth corrupt and filled with violence? It is the natural result of people who care only for themselves and are accustomed to taking what they want to fill up the emptiness inside—and enough is never enough. There are several passages in the New Testament that suggest that such anarchy and corruption are still possible (2 Timothy 3:1-9; Gal. 5:18-21; James 4:1-3) and to some extent, we see that conflict between competing desires in our lives every day. In the time of Noah, it was so bad that God rebooted the world—by saving Noah and his family (as well as a lot of animals). Do you see a pattern here? Even in this judgment, God made merciful provisions—the ark and a promise (9:9-17)!

C) Starting Over the Wrong way—Making a Name for Ourselves (Gen. 11:1-9)

What’s in a name? In ancient times, a name contained both the character and the renown of the one named. In addition, the one who names often was considered to have power over the one named (something we still do today). So, who makes our name great has a lot to do with whether we are God-directed or self-directed. This is a theme played out a number of times in the first few chapters of the Bible. What kinds of examples do we see in these early narratives? (Take a few minutes to look them up for yourself and determine whether they were God-directed or self-directed. You can check your work at the end of this post.)

• Eve (3:1-10)
• Abel (4:4)
• Cain (4:5-9)
• Enoch (5:3)
• Whole antediluvian world (Gen. 6:11-13)
• Noah (6:9)
• Babel (11:1-4)

These examples should be fairly easy to determine but resist the temptation to guess.

God opposed the people of Babel, for he opposes and humbles the proud while exalting the humble (James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5). Consider the reasoning of the people of Babel in Genesis 11:1-4,

Hendrick van Cleef,
 The Building of the Tower of Babel, (16th Century)

Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. 

  And they said to one another,

                         “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.”

  And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. 

Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.”

They tried to fill up what they were missing and avoid their fears by pursuing their own non-relational plans. Ironically, Israel would one day be enslaved by name-makers and forced to bake bricks in the service of a despotic leader (Ex 1-5). God stepped in to not only frustrate their toxic plan for the new world but also to reintroduce his own counter-intuitive plan for the redemptive blessing of the whole world.

It is no coincidence that the contradiction of Babel is followed in the unveiling of God’s plan by the call of Abram (Gen 12:1-3).

Starting the Right Way—Believing God’s Plan

A) God's Covenant with Abram/Abraham (Gen 12:1-3)

Now the Lord said to Abram,

“Go from your country and

               your kindred and

               your father's house

                       to the land that I will show you.

                                        And I will make of you a great nation,

                                        and I will bless you and make your name great,

                      so that you will be a blessing.

                                               I will bless those who bless you,  

  and him who dishonors you I will curse,

    and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Abram was not selected because of his own giftedness, influence, or promotional talents. God always seems to choose the least likely candidates to fulfill his mission. But Abram believed God’s plan and left behind the things in which, to this point, he might have found security. Abram/Abraham trusted himself—his home, his future descendants, and his name/reputation to the Lord who called him. The late Rev. Ron Mehl used to say, “If you know who fills your barns you won’t be afraid to empty them.” While we might easily apply such wisdom to our resources, what about applying it to our very reputation and glory? What if we trusted God to take care of our honor and stopped trying so hard to defend ourselves and build our own esteem? Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matt. 5:5)!

B) God’s Eternal Covenant with David (2 Samuel 7:8-16)

This mission of God made clear in the call of Abraham and the deliverance of Israel from slavery in Egypt (next week’s topic), was extended into an eternal covenant with King David and his descendants who would one day include Jesus the Messiah!

Now, therefore, thus you shall say to my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel. 

   And I have been with you wherever you went

   and   have cut off all your enemies from before you.

   And I will make for you a great name,

           like the name of the great ones of the earth. 

   And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them,

                  so that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more. 

And violent men shall afflict them no more, as formerly, from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel.

   And I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, 

           I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body,

    and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name,

    and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.

           I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son…

And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’”

It was not David that did all this for himself, but the Lord who promised to bring this to pass on David’s behalf and for the good of the whole world! Let’s look at the One to whom this promise ultimately pointed, Jesus Christ.

C) Jesus was given the “name above all names.” But who “made his name great?” Did he follow the pattern of Babel or Abram? Here are a few references for you to look into.

• It wasn’t his mother Mary, for she was instructed at the annunciation what she should call her son, “You will call his name Jesus!” (Luke 1:31-33)
• At the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, it was God the Father who spoke at Jesus’ baptism, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well-pleased.” (Matt. 3:17; Mark 1:11; Luke 3:22)
• The wilderness temptation was in part an effort by the devil to get Jesus to make a name for himself by using God’s power selfishly and sacrificing his convictions as a means to an end. (Matt. 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13)
• Towards the end of Jesus' public ministry, on the Mount of Transfiguration, the Father once again proclaimed the greatness of Jesus, “” (Matt. 17:5; Mark 9:7; 2 Peter 1:16-18)
• We see that Jesus did not count equality with God as something to be grasped…
• Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Phil. 2:3-11)
• He was given a more excellent name than any of the angels (Heb. 1:4), Jesus didn’t even exalt himself to be made our high priest but was appointed to it by the Father (Heb. 5:5).

Jesus wasn’t focused on his own glory but upon bringing glory to the Father, and even asked the Father to glorify the Father’s name (John 12:27-28) in reference to Jesus’ own approaching time of suffering and death on the cross.

D) Is our name written in heaven? (Eph. 2:1-10; Luke 10:19-20)

Ultimately what is needed, and what should cause up to rejoice, is not that we achieve some level of momentary popularity or even demonstrate supernatural power, but that Jesus has written our name in heaven (Luke 10:19-20)! This is something we cannot do for ourselves. Perhaps the best-known passage addressing this is Ephesians 2:1-10. Let’s take time to read these verses noticing once again  

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. (v.1-3)

In other words, we lived like hell and deserved nothing more than wrath and judgment, but God had something else—something better—planned. Savor those words, “But God”!

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (v.4-10, emphasis mine)

Our salvation, our restored relationship with God, and our citizenship in heaven have been accomplished by God in Jesus Christ and are not a result of our own “name-making” efforts!

• It is not an accident but the very plan of God (Eph. 1:4)
• It is not an act of awesomeness on our part
• It is not an accumulation of many godly attributes that tips the balance
• It is a gift from God, which we receive by faith.
• It changes us forever—we are transformed by his love and mercy!
• It is not a momentary transaction but a lifelong relationship of love and trust.

Let us walk with him and find life even in this death-fixated and fearing world!

[Answers… Making a Name for Ourselves

• Eve—was self-directed as she succumbed to deception (3:1-10).
• Abel—righteously directed by a love for God gave his first and finest (4:4; Matt. 23:35; Heb. 11:4).
• Cain—was self-directed despite God’s gracious warning to the point that in jealousy and wrath, he invented murder by killing his innocent brother (4:5-9).
• Enoch—God-directed. He walked with God, living his life fully in the presence of God as opposed to his contemporaries (5:3)
• The Whole Antediluvian World— was self-directed and in the time of Noah chose self in the most violent and corrupt way possible. (Gen. 6:11-13)
• Noah—walked with God and followed his direction and he lived through the flood (6:9)
• Babel— self-directed. They didn’t trust God to establish them and make them great so they planned to take things into their own hands.]

Voting for Nebuchadnezzar

In last week’s message, we continued a study about glory. People were created to share in the glory of God but that all changed when man rebelled against God and sought his own glory instead. The true glory of God has been substituted, replaced with a cheap, knock-off pirated type of glory. In previous weeks, we had considered the limitations of both human and national glory. Here is a summary.

1) Human Glory Is Momentary (Psa. 39:5; 103:14; 144:4; Eccl. 3:20; Isa. 40:6-8; 1 Peter 1:24; 1 Thess. 2:6). Man’s exile from the achingly beautiful presence of true glory has too often been dealt with not through seeking reconciliation with God, but by pursuing the lesser glory that comes from other people. Man’s residual glory, having been created in the Imago Dei, has been clouded and even at his best is momentary (Psa. 39:5; 103:14; 144:4; Eccl. 3:20; 1 Peter 1:24) and not something that should be sought (1 Thessalonians 2:6). We would do well to remember that our society tends to cannibalize its celebrities.  We build people up only so that we can tear them down. The true glory of humanity is as Irenaeus said, to “remain permanently in God’s service.”^[1] Why is this the true glory of humanity? Because being in a relationship with the triune God is where we find our long-sought peace, our irreducible value, and our ultimate purpose as we are invited to participate in the inter-Trinitarian life of God through the Son by the Spirit.

2) National Glory Is Temporary (Genesis 11, Isaiah 37, 2 Kings 19). The Bible tells of many nations and empires rising and falling—Babel, Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome, etc. They might have been impressive from a human perspective, but their power and glory were not permanent. The Bible teaches that any nation raised up by God for a purpose, which fails to give God glory by functioning in justice for all may serve a temporary purpose, but is soon judged and passes from the scene of history. It is a hard truth all “superpowers” must face. We should pray Daniel’s prayer of national repentance (Daniel 9).

Then last week we considered the dangerous distinctives of self-glory.

3) Self-Glory Is Deceptive (v.23, Rev. 18:7-8) Self-glory is not only momentary but highly deceptive, promising better than it delivers and woefully understating the cost (e.g., Acts 12:23; Revelation 16:9; 18:7), straight from the father of lies himself. A powerful example of this concept is found in the life of Nebuchadnezzar recorded in Daniel 4.

In Daniel 4, Nebuchadnezzar tells, in his own words, what he has learned about God through the various signs and wonders that God worked in and around his life. Daniel 3 tells the story of Nebuchadnezzar (or “Mr. Nezzar” as he is called in the VeggieTales version) throwing Daniel’s three friends into the fiery furnace for refusing to bow down and worship the huge golden statue of the king. At the end of that narrative, the king declared,

“Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him, and set aside the king's command, and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God. Therefore I make a decree: Any people, nation, or language that speaks anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be torn limb from limb, and their houses laid in ruins, for there is no other god who is able to rescue in this way.” (Dan. 3:28-29)

Then in Chapter 4, the king received a dream from the Lord which he was unable to understand. Daniel had interpreted the first one for him and in this case, was again enabled by the Lord to interpret the dream. This time the dream functioned as a dire pronouncement of a coming humiliation for his great pride. Nebuchadnezzar was given a slim glimmer of hope, from Daniel, if he would “break off” his iniquities through...

1. By practicing righteousness, and establishing justice for all the people in the realm. It is especially contingent upon a leader to realize that the law of the land applies to themself as a ruler as well as to the people.
2. By showing mercy to the oppressed. He was “to show a new sensitivity to the plight of the poor in his empire, protecting them instead of allowing the rich to exploit and oppress them.” [EBC]

If he did this, then Daniel suggested that “there may perhaps be a lengthening of your prosperity.” It might have already been too late for Mr. Nezzar. However, he seemed to have complied for a year before looking at his capital and all the hanging gardens it contained and taking all the credit for himself…as politicians are wont to do. At that very moment, the justice and mercy of God were declared from heaven.

Nebuchadnezzar,
by William Blake 1794

Daniel 4:28-33 tells the story of how  Nebuchadnezzar went on a “crazy trip” that lasted perhaps as long as seven years (There is a period in his reign that contains a gap in recorded activity from 581 and 573 BC except for the siege of Tyre which might easily have been continued in his absence) before his reason returned and he blessed God instead of himself. Not only that, but he writes of his own failures and sins of pride in his own words in Daniel 4. Just one chapter earlier he would have been the least likely candidate to give glory to the God of Israel in the eyes of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. But now he declared the praise of God for all the world to hear!

I contend that every politician is a Nebuchadnezzar, who has power that can be used for good or for ill; who is also subject to take credit for successes while deflecting blame for failures.

I am amazed that a man who was basically the ruler of the world was humbled by the justice of God and restored by the mercy of God to the place where he could testify,

At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven,

and my reason returned to me,

and I blessed the Most High,

and    praised and honored him who lives forever,

                      for his dominion is an everlasting dominion,
                    and his kingdom endures from generation to generation;
   all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing,
    and he does according to his will among the host of heaven
    and among the inhabitants of the earth;
    and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?”

…Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, 

praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, 

for all his works are right and his ways are just;

 and those who walk in pride he is able to humble. (Daniel 4:34-37)

Don't you wish our political leaders could say the same thing?

Nebuchadnezzar had a dark and violent past, he had taken the best and brightest of conquered nations captive to acculturate them to Babylonian ideals, and he had enforced idolatrous worship. But he learned his lesson (after these seven years of exile), for the common good, and became a leader for whom I could vote. 

I have actively avoided campaigning for any particular candidate but I am praying that our leaders today—Democrats, Republicans, Independents—will experience their own Nebuchadnezzar moment, lift their eyes towards heaven, humble themselves, and give glory to God so that they might rule well...with mercy and justice for all. 

---

[1] Joel C. Elowsky, ed. John 11-21 (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture). Vol. IVb (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2007), 176

Beforehand

Jesus’ Prepared His Followers Ahead of Time

Did you know that Jesus was a “Prepper”? Well perhaps not in the way we usually use the word. He didn't gather up emergency food or weapons. However, he didn’t let events take his followers by surprise. This post looks at the time in his ministry when Jesus began to tell his disciples what was coming, in particular regarding his coming death and resurrection. He told them the truth ahead of time… but that doesn’t mean they listened.

I think that it is instructive for us to “go to school” both on Jesus’ preparation of himself for what was ahead, and on how he honestly and realistically prepared his followers for what was coming. In particular, we will examine how Jesus began to speak about his approaching betrayal, death, and resurrection.

1) Jesus prepared himself for what was ahead.

There are countless things that I could list related to Jesus’ attitude and actions that placed him in readiness for the test in the Garden of Gethsemane, and the hours to follow before priests, kings, and governors. However I will just list a few. I would also encourage you to look up some of the Bible references listed as part of your personal Bible reading this week.

• He was filled with the Holy Spirit (Matt. 3:13; Mark 1:10; Luke 4:1)
• He knew the love of the Father
• At his Baptism (Matt. 3:16-17; Mark 1:11; Luke 3:21-22)
• At his Transfiguration (Matt. 17:5; Mark 9:7; Luke 9:5; 2 Peter 1:17)
• All the time (John 5:20)
• He regularly spent time in prayer alone with the Father. (Mark 1:35; Luke 11:1)
• He obeyed the Father, only speaking what the Father spoke
• He didn’t procrastinate or deviate from the plan of God. (Luke 9:51 & many ref.)
• He loved and served people, making the most of the time (Matt. 20:28; Mark 10:45)
• He surrendered his will to the Father in prayer (Matt. 26:39; Luke 22:41-42)

When I consider these things that Jesus did as a manifestation of the inner life of the triune God I am humbled to realize that he invites us to share in that same kind of community. All these preparations that I have listed would be just as beneficial to us in overcoming the enemy’s internal and external attacks.

Jesus didn’t stop at being a good example for his followers; he actively prepared them for what was coming.

2) Jesus prepared his followers for what was ahead.

Jesus’s preparation of the 12, his disciples, served a manifold purpose. It was so that…

• They would know that he knew what would happen ahead of time.
• They might believe (trust) in Christ when it happened.
• They might have hope for their own situations.

How did Jesus do this? He told his disciples the truth ahead of time—both the good and the bad. Once Jesus turned his face toward Jerusalem, that last time, he spent more time pouring into the twelve and less time with the crowds. Some things they listened to and some they ignored (either because they didn’t understand it or because they didn’t want to hear it). He told them that: 

• False christs would come (Matthew 24:24-26; Mark 13:22-24).
• Households would be divided by the truth (Luke 12:51-53; Matt. 10:34-36)
• He wasn’t coming right back, the gospel must first be preached to all nations (Mark 13:10-12).
• That they would all fall away…even Peter (Matt. 26:31-35; Mark 14:27-29). I need to say that we, like Peter, disagree with the Lord perhaps more than we think. We don’t like his plans or we don’t like his honesty. Nonetheless he is always right…and he always loves us even when he has to call us out.
• That all the stones of the temple would be thrown down (Matt 2:2; Mark 13:1-3; Luke 21:6). 
• That they would face persecution (Mark 13:9, 13; Luke 21; John 16:2).
• That He would give them his peace (John 14:27). “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”

I included the last one so as to end on a positive note. How many of us would sign up is the gospel was presented with such a grim outlook? Yet, what I love is that Jesus knew that they would face such hardship and needed to have an accurate presentation that allowed them to “count the cost” of discipleship, rather than be dismayed by the “bait & switch” approach of a prosperity message. Certainly there were many encouraging promises, but Jesus was also brutally honest—especially in speaking about his approaching death.

3) Jesus Prepared them for his Passion

In preparation for Easter, for the rest of this post, I would like to focus on Jesus’ preparation of his followers for his coming death in three passages found in the Gospel of Mark.

A) Mark 8:31-38

And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

Peter was brash enough to begin to rebuke the Lord for such a plan, and Jesus just as bluntly rebuked the words of Satan that Peter spoke. Satan means “adversary” and he always opposes the plan of God. Peter thinking for a moment that he was Jesus’s handler, was only seeing things from a worldly perspective. Jesus however didn’t waste the opportunity, in the next few verses, to encourage even the crowd to set their minds on the things of God.

v. 34-38 And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it.  For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

In response to this passage, I have to ask, “Is there something that God has said to us that we tend to reject because like Peter we have set our minds on the things of man?”

B) Mark 9:30-32

They went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he did not want anyone to know, for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise.” But they did not understand the saying, and were afraid to ask him.

This section reminds me of my high school where I asked the teacher to explain the concept again but still didn’t understand it but pretended like I did because I was embarrassed to keep asking.  So what better way to cover up your own inadequacies than to argue over who is the greatest? That is what they did, which makes their response a, “Yeah, whatever Jesus…” kind of an answer. But Jesus knew what was going on and instead of avoiding conflict he addressed it directly by turning their glory-grasping upside-down.

Jesus and the Children (Hook)

v. 33-37 And they came to Capernaum. And when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?” But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” And he took a child and put him in the midst of them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.”

After reading this passage I need to ask, “What is more important in my life than hearing what Jesus is saying to me?” Have we stopped listening to what the Lord is saying? Have we lost our “still, small voice” that whispers God’s Word to our hearts? I will go so far as to say that, any time that we contend for our own greatness, the words of God will tend to be ignored, for we cannot serve two masters.

C) Mark 10:32-34

And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. And they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. And taking the twelve again, he began to tell them what was to happen to him, saying, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles. And they will mock him and spit on him, and flog him and kill him. And after three days he will rise.”

Too much information! This is the most detailed description yet. Did they respond by saying, “What? How can this be? Jesus, how could anyone do this to you?” Nope. Not even close. That was not how they responded. In fact James and John (in an apparently random

change of topic) were calling “Shotgun!” for the seats of honor in the coming kingdom…that they thought Jesus was going to establish on the earth. Nope…they still were not listening. Sociologists call this BIRG-ing. The acronym stands for Basking In Reflected Glory. We all want to be around the successful, popular, and powerful…to bask in their glory as it were. This is evidenced by our love for autographs, celebrity selfies, and gathering around the popular speakers at conferences.

v. 35-45 And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” And he said to them, “What do you want me to do for you?” And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” 

Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?”  And they said to him, “We are able.” And 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, but 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.”

 And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John. And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But 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 slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

When James and John asked for the kingdom seats of honor Jesus recognized that they really didn’t know what they were asking. And when they naively said that they could drink from “the cup” and participate in “the baptism” of which Jesus spoke, they again didn’t get it, though they would one day experience it first-hand. What was this this “baptism” and that “cup”? Jesus was talking about his suffering and death. Can we drink of it?

The Expositor’s Bible Commentary rightly notes,

“The way to privileged position in the messianic kingdom is not by grabbing for power but by relinquishing it through suffering and death. Jesus explains this to them by using the analogies of the cup and baptism. The cup, symbolizing trouble and suffering, is found in the OT… (Ps 75:8; Isa 51:17; Mark 14:36; Jer 49:12; Ezek 23:31-34). Baptism is a symbol of a deluge of trouble (cf. Pss 18:16; 69:1-2 and the expression "baptism of fire").

As a result of this passage I am prompted to ask several questions, “How is our attitude different from that of Jesus?” (Phil. 2:3-8) Are we ready for what is coming or are we overestimating our spiritual preparedness? Are we content with the prepared place to which God has called us or are we yearning for another? Are we willing to surrender our will to his? Questions like these are not easily answered. We need to be following Jesus with all our hearts. 

Thankfully Jesus prepares his followers for what is coming. Are we listening?