It’s Friday…It’s Still Not Beyond Us

Have you ever asked Jesus for a favor? We all have. So did James and John. They asked Jesus for a huge favor. They wanted to sit next to His throne in The Kingdom. Were they envisioning a heavenly kingdom when they asked? Or reigning from Jerusalem independently of Rome? Either way, they were out of line. They were ready for the benefits of The Kingdom but had not yet counted the cost. And they had miscalculated the type of rule this King would have.

“You don’t know what you are asking.” (Mark 10:38)

Jesus clarified His desire for them. His is a Kingdom that begins with death, and the way up The Kingdom’s ladder is the humility of service. James and John had somehow missed Jesus’ three earlier attempts to warn them of His impending execution (one each in Mark 8, 9, and 10). They had not fully understood that following Jesus implies a cross – literal or figurative – that all of His followers must carry. No wonder they didn’t know what they were asking. They knew neither the events of which this Kingdom would be founded nor the principles on which it would run. We can look at their request in hindsight and chuckle; but it would not have been beyond us to ask the very same thing.

In truth, It’s Still Not Beyond Us to ask Jesus inappropriate things. It isn’t that we don’t understand His message or His authority. Like James and John, we prefer to focus on the fullness of the finished Kingdom rather than the processes that usher it in. We forget the warfare being waged and try to implement the spoils of victory now – “Go Big or Go Home” mentality. We bypass the nature of servants on our way to the privilege of sons and daughters.

When we pray, Jesus must sometimes remind us of His sacrificial ways: “You don’t know what you are asking.” We sometimes have a distorted picture of The Kingdom. It does, in fact, include reigning with Jesus in authority, power, and victory. But the foundation being laid includes humble service and crosses. So, let’s allow our prayers to reflect this reality. Let’s love the benefits but also know the costs. Let’s ask with the awareness that God may lead us in costly ways.

Have a blessed weekend. Make it better by worshiping The LORD with those who feel right at home serving Him, and look for ways to make much about Him, even in their requests.

All For Jesus – Nothing More, Nothing Less, Nothing Else.

“He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, The King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see, to Him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.” (1 Timothy 6:15b-16)