That Time James & John & Their Mama Made us all Cringe

This story makes me cringe so much, it was hard to study. Sometimes you just wanna smack the disciples. This story is also found in Matt. 20:20-28.

Mar 10:35 And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, come unto him, saying, Master, we would that thou shouldest do for us whatsoever we shall desire. Mar 10:36 And he said unto them, What would ye that I should do for you? Mar 10:37 They said unto him, Grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left hand, in thy glory. Mar 10:38 But Jesus said unto them, Ye know not what ye ask: can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? Mar 10:39 And they said unto him, We can. And Jesus said unto them, Ye shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of; and with the baptism that I am baptized withal shall ye be baptized: Mar 10:40 But to sit on my right hand and on my left hand is not mine to give; but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared. Mar 10:41 And when the ten heard it, they began to be much displeased with James and John. Mar 10:42 But Jesus called them to him, and saith unto them, Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them. Mar 10:43 But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister: 10:44 And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all. 10:45 For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

First, we already have a seeming contradiction between Mark and Matthew. In Mark, James and John asked the Lord to be seated on either side of Him in the kingdom. In Matthew, it’s their mother who asks the Lord if her sons could be seated on either side of Him. What are we to make of this? There are only two possibilities. This was a big conversation that involved James and John and their mother with the Lord and many similar statements were made before the Lord gave His answer. The other possibility is that James and John asked the Lord through their mother, which makes both accounts correct. Mark just edits out the middleman or woman. I always imagined this as the mother acting on her own and everyone is cringing, but no, James and John put her up to this. They were asking through their mother. So even though the mother spoke, it was really James and John who were doing the asking. Matthew identifies who did the talking but Mark cuts out the middle-woman because it was James and John asking the Lord through their mother.

You might remember that James and John were fishing partners with Andrew and Peter. The father of James and John, Zebedee, owned the boats. When Jesus walked along the Sea of Galilee, He called out to them, and they all dropped everything to follow Him. Mark told us in Mar 1:20 And straightway he called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants and went after him. So Zebedee probably owned the ship, hired the servants, of whom those hired hands could have been Andrew and Peter. James and John’s mother’s name was Salome (not to be confused with Herod’s daughter – Mark 15:40, Matt. 27:56). She will be with the two Mary’s at the tomb, and it is also very possible that she was one of the many women who were healed and had given her life over to ministering unto Jesus of their substance (Luke 8:3). In other words, she followed Jesus and helped take care of His food and stuff. So it seems that the entire family left Zebedee holding the bag, so to speak, in Galilee. They all left to follow Him, mama included. This is why their mother makes an appearance here in this story because she had always been part of the Lord’s entourage.

Back to this story. James and John are asking this favor immediately after the Lord had just given His most detailed prediction of His suffering, death, and resurrection (Mark 10:32-34). By putting these two stories next to each other, Mark is showing this deep disconnect between the Lord’s path of self-giving sacrifice and the disciples thinking purely of themselves and their own visions of having glory in the kingdom. I think this juxtaposition was a deliberate narrative punch. There is a big disconnect between the Lord and the disciples, and this will serve to make their spiritual transformation later after the resurrection even more dramatic.

Mar 10:35 says And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, come unto him, saying, Master, we would that thou shouldest do for us whatsoever we shall desire.

Their opening line sounds like something a child would say. “Promise to say yes before we tell you what it is.” It’s almost humorous but also revealing. They want assurance of their position before hearing how you have to be qualified to get those positions. It’s the flesh wanting prestige without the merit.

The right hand was the seat of highest honor. Next to that was the left hand. They’re essentially asking to be co-regents in the kingdom.

Ironically, there is only one time when Mark identifies people who are on the Lord’s right hand and left. And that’s when He’s on the cross. Mar 15:27 And with him they crucify two thieves; the one on his right hand, and the other on his left. This is a sharp contrast, no doubt intentional, and a brilliant narrative twist.

In Mar 10:38 the Lord says, Ye know not what ye ask: can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?

The Cupis a symbol we know well from our End of the World Series. This is a metaphor for wrath and divine judgment. For example, Psa 75:8, For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup, and the wine is red; it is full of mixture; and he poureth out of the same: but the dregs thereof, all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out, and drink them.

Bullinger would make the point that cup is something people drink. This is an expression of inward suffering, because you’re drinking from the cup. Baptism is an outward form of suffering just as water baptism is an outward form of identification, just as the baptism of fire or the Lord’s baptism are outward forms of suffering from divine judgment. This is why He says drink of the cup AND be baptized. He’s referring to His own inner and outer suffering on the cross. We’ve made the point many times that He will suffer more than any being who ever existed. He’ll suffer both spiritually and physically – the cup and the baptism.

The Lord asks them two questions: can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?

And how do they respond?

Mar 10:39 And they said unto him, We can, which only reinforces what the Lord said about them: Ye know not what ye ask.

They have no clue what they are committing themselves to. This response underscores the disciples’ total lack of comprehension of what the Lord is saying.

The Lord confirms that they will endure some of that cup and that baptism. He says, Ye shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of; and with the baptism that I am baptized withal shall ye be baptized: When will this happen? When they die. In Acts 12:1-2, Herod chooses to persecute the church and James is killed with the sword. I’d argue that that was when James drank of the cup and partook in the Lord’s baptism. We don’t know how John died. Considering the fact that that will be an intense time of persecution for the disciples, he likely had a similar fate.

I’ve also mentioned that I have for a long time suspected that the disciples will make an appearance on Earth during the Tribulation. Everything the Lord said in the Olivet Discourse was TO the disciples about what THEY will be personally experiencing IN the Tribulation. Consider that in Rev 10:11 the angel told John, “Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.” When did that happen in the book of Acts? Never. When will this prophecy be fulfilled? In the Tribulation. I think it’s possible they will all drink of the Lord’s cup and partake in His baptism during the Tribulation.

Then He tells them in Mar 10:40 But to sit on my right hand and on my left hand is not mine to give; but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared. An important fascinating point that the Father actually determines who gets what position in the kingdom. I suspect the same may be true for us and our heavenly seats.

The other disciples are not happy.

Mark tells us Mar 10:41 And when the ten heard it, they began to be much displeased with James and John. Matthew would tell us they were moved with indignation against the two brethren (Mat 20:24). Indignation is to feel extreme anger, mingled with contempt, and disgust. Why? I’ll bet this is not moral outrage about them even asking the Lord this. They’re probably mad they beat them all to the punch, because they all wanted prominence in the kingdom. You might remember at the Lord’s Supper in Luke 22:24, they will have a debate yet again about who will be greatest in the kingdom. They also debated this after the Transfiguration when they sailed back to Capernaum (Matt. 18:1-6, Mark 9:33-41, Luke 9:46-50).They all in their flesh wanted glory for themselves.

Then the Lord brings all the disciples together.

He starts making comparisons between His kingdom and the pagan, Gentile model of leadership. Mar 10:42 But Jesus called them to him, and saith unto them, Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them. Mar 10:43 But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister: 10:44 And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all. 10:45 For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

He says that those who rule over Gentiles exercise lordship over them (“lord it over” — exercise dominion), and their great ones exercise authority upon them. This is a top-down, power-driven model. Leaders dominate and seek their own benefit. This is exactly what James and John were aspiring to do. The Lord contrasts this with the nature of His kingdom. In the Gentile realm, leadership is measured by how well they can lord over their constituents. In the Lord’s kingdom, it’s a total inversion. The true servant’s heart will be given positions of great heights in the kingdom. Whoever would be great must first be the servant outwardly and inwardly. It’s a complete inversion of the world’s value system: status in the Lord’s kingdom is measured by humble service from the heart.

Greatness to the Lord is not measured by the heights of power and authority you’ve achieved in this life but in humble service. To be “first” in the kingdom is to be “servant of all” in this life. The Lord Himself will become the Ultimate Example of Servant-Leadership evidenced by the fact that He will lay down His own life to atone for the sins of us all. This is why the Lord concludes this statement with the ultimate example of Himself and rightly so. He’s the King of this new kingdom. He must also be the model of the standard by which everyone else will gets their positions. And the ultimate model of servant-leadership is Christ dying for us all.

He says in 10:45 For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. Some would say this is the theological high point of Mark’s Gospel.He is the perfect role model. His entire purpose is to serve, culminating in the ultimate act of service – His death. So the word “ransom” connects His suffering directly to God’s purpose for Him — His sacrifice at Calvary to free humanity from the bondage and the consequence of sin. A ransom is “The money or price paid for the redemption of a prisoner or slave.” Why does He say many here? Because His payment for sin won’t be applied to everyone. Only those who come to God with faith in His Son can have that payment applied.

Plus, I have to mention that we have a triple layered contrast:

1. Jesus predicts humiliation → disciples seek exaltation.
2. Gentile rulers use power for self → kingdom leaders use power for others.
3. The Son of Man has the highest right to be served → He chooses to serve all the way to the point of His death.

This structure forces the reader to confront their own view of what success truly is and what leadership truly is. This is not just about two disciples and their misplaced ambition, which was articulated through their mother. This is a fundamental teaching moment where Jesus redefines power, greatness, and leadership, contrasting the world’s way with the way of His Kingdom and presenting Himself as the definitive model of a servant leader.