Mark 8:22 – 10:52
Chronologically, the Gospel of Mark is the first Gospel. The order in which the Gospels were written was this: first, Mark. Then Matthew used Mark and added further material. Luke, too, used Mark and added further material. John wrote later, and his gospel is not synoptic — it is quite different from the rest of the gospels.
The Gospel of Mark was most likely written to the church in Rome. Scholars of the New Testament think so because we know that Peter ministered in Rome, and Mark was his spiritual son (1 Peter 5:13). So Mark was something like the apostle Peter’s secretary. As such, Mark most likely recorded Peter’s messages, which is why the Gospel of Mark could actually be called the Gospel of Peter. The content of the Gospel according to Mark most likely contains Peter’s preaching — what Peter shared as an apostle and eyewitness of what Jesus said and did. This could explain its somewhat more complex structure.
THE THREE PILLARS IN THE STRUCTURE OF MARK (1:9-11; 9:2-8; 16:5-8)
The Gospel of Matthew is built around five blocks, five discourses of Jesus. There is nothing like that in the Gospel of Mark. What stands out in the Gospel according to Mark are three cataclysmic events. Do you know what a cataclysm is? A cataclysm is when an earthquake happens, when something is shaken, when a flood or a disaster occurs. Perhaps we could say that a cataclysm is a disruption of the status quo, of the normal, expected course of things.
The first such cataclysm in the narrative is at the baptism of Jesus. Then and there, at the river Jordan, we see the Trinity — God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, who descends from heaven like a dove and rests upon Jesus (Mark 1:9-11).
9 At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” (Mark 1:9-11)
Glory to God! So this is the first event that reveals that Jesus Christ is Lord. “Heaven being torn open” — that is not something ordinary, is it?
The usual way the gospels are divided into two is that their first part describes the miracles and signs Jesus performs — he casts out demons, heals the sick, controls the elements of nature. And in the middle of the gospel we come to 8:27, where Jesus went out with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi (8:27-33).
27 Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?” 28 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” 29 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.” 30 Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him. 31 He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. 32 He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” (Mark 8:27-33)
Glory to God! Through his miracles, Jesus Christ reveals himself as the Messiah, and then his disciples confess him as such. Peter declares, on behalf of the Twelve, that he is the Christ (v. 29). Notice, however, that they had different ideas from his about what the Messiah was to do.
After this confession of Peter comes the second cataclysmic event in the gospel, following the one at the baptism. It happened when Jesus went up on the mountain of transfiguration (9:1-10).
1 And he said to them, “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see that the kingdom of God has come with power.” 2 After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. 3 His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. 4 And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus. 5 Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 6 (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.) 7 Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!” 8 Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus. 9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10 They kept the matter to themselves, discussing what “rising from the dead” meant. (Mark 9:1-10)
Here, on the Mount of Transfiguration, we again have a cataclysmic event that for a second time openly reveals Jesus Christ as the Son of God. Jesus is transfigured, the cloud of glory appears to them, and the clear voice of God sounds from it.
And finally, the third cataclysmic event is at the resurrection in chapter 16, where an angel announced to them the resurrection of the Son of God (16:5-8).
5 As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. 6 “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’ ” 8 Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid. (Mark 16:5-8)
So we have baptism, transfiguration, and resurrection. These are the three cataclysmic, or climactic, moments in the Gospel on which its whole structure is built.
The gospel can be divided into two parts, the first part running up to 8:29, where Jesus asks, “Who am I?” and Peter answers, “You are the Christ.” That is, in the first part Jesus Christ reveals himself as the Anointed One, and from there on he begins to speak of the cross. After he reveals himself as the Son of God, he begins to fulfill what was predestined for him — to become a sacrifice for us. So the second part of the gospel speaks of the crucifixion — of what leads up to it, of the crucifixion itself, and of his resurrection, which proves his deity. This is what the gospel opens with in its very first verse: “the beginning of the good news about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” In other words, in the whole Gospel Mark speaks and writes about one single thing — namely, that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Glory to God! And this is what we must believe, must know, and must confess — that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
THE HEALING OF TWO BLIND MEN (8:22-26; 10:46-52)
However, as I told you, the gospel can be divided not only into two parts — from chapter 1 through chapter 8, and then from chapter 9 through chapter 16. It can also be divided into three parts, because right in the middle of the gospel there are two miracles that are very interesting. The first begins at verse 22 of chapter eight (8:22-26).
22 They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. 23 He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?” 24 He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.” 25 Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. 26 Jesus sent him home, saying, “Don’t even go into the village.” (Mark 8:22-26)
Jesus Christ healed this blind man, but what is interesting is that he did not see immediately after the healing. Do you understand? He was a blind man whom Jesus healed, but the way he healed him was, you could say, a little complicated. Jesus could have healed him with a single word, yet it says that he “spit on the man’s eyes” and “put his hands on him,” and at the beginning of the healing the blind man still could not see. Then Jesus “put his hands on the man’s eyes” again, and only then does it say, “his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.”
After that healing in chapter 8, there is another case of healing from blindness — that of a very well-known blind man. Do you know his name? Bartimaeus. Look at what is said about him in 10:46-52:
46 Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means “son of Timaeus”), was sitting by the roadside begging. 47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 48 Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 49 Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” 50 Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus. 51 “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him. The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.” 52 “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road. (Mark 10:46-52)
Notice how Bartimaeus addressed Jesus when he cried out to him? “Son of David.” Who is the Son of David? The Messiah. This blind man actually had a completely right understanding of who Jesus is — an understanding that the disciples still seemed not to have fully. Unlike the first blind man, this second blind man first recognizes Jesus as the Son of David, and second, once he is healed, he follows him along the road toward Jerusalem.
Between these two accounts of these two blind men, Jesus deals with the blindness of the disciples. For the disciples, though they are with Jesus, are still blind — they do not see clearly the things connected with redemption and with the kingdom of God.
When we look at the blindness of the disciples, we may well exclaim, “How is all this possible?!” But perhaps this blindness that Jesus dealt with in the middle of this gospel is also in us. Sometimes we are with Jesus, we walk with Jesus, and yet it is as though we are blind. And the Lord must heal us of our blindness — and glory to God that the Lord is merciful, and that he does not abandon us. Sometimes we come to see gradually, little by little, as though through a veil — we see “people that look like trees walking around.” We do not see fully, but the Lord does not say to us, “How little your faith is! I will not bother with you anymore!” No! He keeps on and lays his hands on us again. And when he lays his hands on us again, he gives us complete healing, so that we can see everything clearly.
Our prayer should be: “Lord, heal our spiritual eyes! Let us see everything clearly!” This is also the prayer of the apostle Paul, the prayer with which he prays for the Ephesians (Ephesians 1:17-21).
17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. (Ephesians 1:17-21)
Glory to God! So let us pray for this — that the Lord would give us enlightenment! May the Lord open our eyes, that we may see everything clearly! May the Lord make us follow him with joy! That we may see the hope, may see the inheritance among the saints, the privileges that are ours — to be part of God’s people, to be his children. We thank God for justification, for propitiation, and for sanctification; but all of these terms are legal, judicial — they have to do with the fact that God grants us the legal status of being justified from the guilt of sin. There is one thing, however, that he does which is connected not only with our status but with our relationship with him. Do you know what it is? Adoption. The Lord adopted us. When you adopt someone, you now have a relationship with him. This is no longer merely a legal act; through adoption he becomes your son. And God has adopted us to be his sons and his daughters. Glory to God!
So here, in the middle of the gospel, between the healings of these two blind men, we see the blindness from which Jesus Christ heals his disciples. This is the middle part of the gospel, from 8:22 to 10:52, and it is set in brackets, or bounded, by two healings of two blind men. The two healings are like two slices of bread in a sandwich, and what lies between them is the filling, the meat of the sandwich. In this section Jesus speaks three times to his disciples about his death (8:31; 9:31; 10:33-34). Why does Jesus speak of this not just once, but three times? Perhaps because the disciples could not grasp it and needed more “laying on of hands” in order to “see.” They had to be freed from their blindness about the character of the kingdom of God (8:31-38); they had to be freed from their blindness about the relationships in the kingdom of God (9:31-37); and they had to be freed from their blindness about the rewards in the kingdom of God (10:32-45).
BLINDNESS ABOUT THE CHARACTER OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD (8:31-38)
The first blindness from which Jesus healed his disciples is the blindness of supposing that they would not suffer, that the Anointed One would not suffer, and that the Christian life does not include suffering. That is what they were blind to. The disciples saw that Jesus Christ is the Anointed One, but he was not the kind of Anointed One they expected. They expected an anointed one who would be a political leader; they expected Jesus to come into Jerusalem with all the influence he had, to overthrow the Roman system, to sit upon the throne, and to begin giving orders and reigning.
And so, as Jesus walks ahead and they walk behind him, they argue over which of them is more important, or “greater.” But he turned and said to them, in effect, “What are you doing? This is what the nations do, but among you it must not be so. You must be ready to suffer, you must be ready to serve others” (9:33-35).
33 They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?” 34 But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest. 35 Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.” (Mark 9:33-35)
So the Twelve expected a Messiah who would be a political leader, but Jesus in fact reveals to us that God’s thoughts are not like our thoughts, and that he came to this earth in order to suffer, in order to die. Yes, he would rise again — but before that, he would die.
This is the first blindness from which Jesus healed his disciples. He asked them, “Who am I?” They said, “You are the Anointed One.” Glory to God! So far, so good. But look — immediately after this, in verse 31, he “began to teach them” about the Son of Man. “Son of Man” is a title that Jesus uses for himself; he calls himself “the Son of Man.” Do you know where this title is taken from? In Daniel chapter seven the prophet says that in his night visions he saw “one like a son of man” (Daniel 7:13).
13 “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. (Daniel 7:13)
Jesus uses this very title. And of this Son of Man Daniel says that dominion, glory, and a kingdom were given to him, so that all nations, peoples, and languages should serve him, and that his dominion is an everlasting dominion that will never pass away (Daniel 7:14).
14 He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed. (Daniel 7:14)
In the prophecy this Son of Man became king — and yet Jesus taught that the Son of Man must suffer many things (Mark 8:31-32). That is exactly what he began to teach them: that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the law, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He spoke plainly about this. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. Who are you to rebuke God? Who are you to rebuke Jesus Christ?
31 He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. 32 He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. (Mark 8:31-32)
This is exactly what blindness is. Blindness is when we set our minds on human things and do not set our minds on the things of God. But Jesus Christ is merciful. When we have this blindness, he frees us from it. And he wants us to be freed from every illusion.
There is a false teaching called the “prosperity gospel.” This teaching is very widespread throughout the world. It is present in Bulgaria too. The prosperity teaching says the following: “If you believe in Jesus, you will be well off on this earth. Once you believe, you will be rich, you will be healed, you will have no illnesses, you will have no problems, and you will reign, because you are a son of God or a daughter of God.” According to the prosperity teaching, if you have illnesses, it means you have no faith. But is that so? Does God want us to reign already now, before his Second Coming? In Mark 8:22–10:52, Jesus Christ tells us clearly that the glory will not begin already now. What we see in the Gospel according to Mark is this: suffering now, then glory.
THE APOSTLE PAUL AND THE PROSPERING CORINTHIANS (1 Corinthians 4:8-13)
The apostle Paul says something similar in First Corinthians, chapter four. The Corinthians imagined that they were already in the future. Because they spoke in unknown tongues, they may have been telling themselves, “We are already in the new heaven and the new earth; the kingdom of God has already come, and like angels we speak with the tongues of angels, and we prosper.” But in 1 Corinthians 4:8 the apostle Paul says to them:
8 Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! You have begun to reign—and that without us! How I wish that you really had begun to reign so that we also might reign with you! (1 Corinthians 4:8)
He is mocking them. This is irony. This is sarcasm. And in the verses that follow he goes on:
9 For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like those condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to human beings. 10 We are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored, we are dishonored! 11 To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. 12 We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; 13 when we are slandered, we answer kindly. We have become the scum of the earth, the garbage of the world—right up to this moment. (1 Corinthians 4:9-13)
You see, if the apostles were beaten and persecuted, should we expect that we will prosper? This passage is truly a heavy blow against the false teaching of prosperity.
IF ANYONE WOULD COME AFTER ME
Consider what Jesus Christ did. As soon as he saw that they were setting their minds on earthly things, he healed them of their blindness by telling them what would happen to him — that he would not be a political leader, and that they would not have the right, like a member of parliament or a prime minister seated at his left and his right, to reign and give orders while the nations served them. Instead he says, in effect, “I will be killed, and then I will rise on the third day; but before that, I will die” (8:31). And when he had called the crowd together with his disciples, Jesus made this declaration public; he made the teaching official. Discipleship requires self-denial, the taking up of the cross — it requires suffering.
34 Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? 37 Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.” (Mark 8:34-38)
Notice where Jesus said the persecution would come from: the persecution will come from this “adulterous and sinful generation” among which we live. If we are not troubled by our contemporaries, we ought to ask ourselves why we have no persecution, when Jesus foretold that we would be persecuted. We have no persecution because we keep silent. We have no persecution because we do not open our mouths. But if we open our mouths and are not ashamed of Jesus Christ, and proclaim everywhere that he is Lord, the world will begin to persecute us. It will not be pleased. It will say, “Who are you? Why do you keep reproaching me that I am a sinner? Why do you keep telling me that I will go to hell?” For it is written that Jesus Christ suffered, and he wants us not to be ashamed of him. We must preach Christ crucified, and not deceive ourselves that everything will simply go well for us.
If your fellow students or your colleagues do not like you, do not be afraid! If you are rejected, do not be afraid! Instead, take up your cross. The cross means suffering — a readiness to suffer for your faith. Suffering now, then glory.
This is the blindness from which Jesus wanted to heal his disciples. They were blind, and so he led them up the mountain of transfiguration and was transfigured before them. And Elijah and Moses appeared to them and talked with him. And the disciples understood that Jesus Christ really is the Son of God, in spite of the sufferings of which he spoke. Yet they still did not understand that the kingdom of God is not an earthly empire but a heavenly authority, spread not with the sword but with love.
THE FATE OF JOHN THE BAPTIST
Were the Twelve blind about who John the Baptist was? This is strange, since they themselves had been disciples of John the Baptist. In the Gospel of John we read that Andrew was a disciple of John the Baptist. John — little John, the youngest among the disciples, who wrote the Gospel according to John — was also a disciple of John the Baptist; yet they did not know who John the Baptist really was. And here it says that Jesus revealed to them who he was (Mark 9:11-13).
11 And they asked him, “Why do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?” 12 Jesus replied, “To be sure, Elijah does come first, and restores all things. Why then is it written that the Son of Man must suffer much and be rejected? (Mark 9:11-12)
Where is it written that the Son of Man must suffer and be treated with contempt? In Isaiah chapter 53. Notice: they ask him about Elijah, and Jesus speaks to them about the sufferings and the humiliation of the Son of Man. Why? Because there is a connection between the sufferings of “Elijah” — that is, John the Baptist — and the sufferings of the Messiah, Jesus Christ.
13 But I tell you, Elijah has come, and they have done to him everything they wished, just as it is written about him.” (Mark 9:13)
How did they treat John the Baptist? They cut off his head. And this is written earlier in the Gospel itself, in chapter six (Mark 6:14-29). They beheaded him because he spoke out against Herod for the sin of incest that he had committed. This displeased his wife Herodias, and she manipulated her husband through her daughter Salome, so that Herod ordered the beheading of the prophet. The disciples took his body and laid it in a tomb. That is, what happened to John the Baptist was also going to happen to Jesus. Jesus told them that John was the Elijah who was to come. So, by making clear who John the Baptist really was and what happened to him — even though he was the predicted Elijah — Jesus Christ was in fact healing them of their blindness about the character and the manner of the Messiah’s working.
BLINDNESS ABOUT THE RELATIONSHIPS IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD (9:31-37)
Another blindness the disciples had was blindness about the relationships in the kingdom of God (Mark 9:31-37).
31 because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise.” 32 But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it. (Mark 9:31-32)
Notice, again and again, that although Jesus reveals himself to them and speaks to them, they are still blind, they still do not understand. And not only do they fail to understand — they are even afraid to ask.
33 They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?” 34 But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest. 35 Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.” 36 He took a little child whom he placed among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, 37 “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.” (Mark 9:33-37)
So Jesus told them that whoever wants to be first will be a servant. Yet they had been walking along the road arguing about which of them was greater. But we must not act this way. We must be humble, we must be ready to suffer, we must be ready to give things up, we must be selfless. The greater one will be the servant of the rest. As Christians we must have the attitude of servants and be ready to serve others.
BLINDNESS ABOUT THE REWARDS IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD (10:32-45)
In chapter ten, Mark describes the blindness of the Pharisees regarding marriage. Some of the Pharisees asked him whether it is permitted for a man to divorce his wife, and he spoke to them about marriage. And after that comes a second encounter with children (10:13-16).
13 People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. (Mark 10:13)
Blind again. Had he not just told them:
37 “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.” (Mark 9:37)
And yet, very soon after that, they again rebuke the children. The disciples kept behaving as though they were spiritually blind. When we see what they do and how they repeat their mistakes, we are inclined to be indignant at the disciples’ blindness; but if we are honest, we will have to admit that we too often act in the very same way.
Look at what happens a little further on in the same chapter (10:32-45).
32 They were on their way up to Jerusalem, with Jesus leading the way, and the disciples were astonished, while those who followed were afraid. Again he took the Twelve aside and told them what was going to happen to him. (Mark 10:32)
Here, for the third time, the same thing (8:31; 9:31; 10:33-34).
33 “We are going up to Jerusalem,” he said, “and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles, 34 who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise.” (Mark 10:33-34)
The same thing again. Jesus tells them, in effect: “My friends, I am walking the road that leads to the cross. You must take up your cross, you must follow me, you must love the children, you must put others above yourselves, you must be humble” — and look at the very next verse:
35 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.” 36 “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked. 37 They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.” (Mark 10:35-37)
The Twelve continue to be blind. He lays his hands on them so that they may see, but they are still blind. He tells them he is going to the cross; they ask for rewards and inquire about positions in the kingdom.
38 “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said. “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?” (Mark 10:38)
What was the cup Jesus was going to drink? It was the cup of God’s wrath, which was to be poured out upon him instead of upon us. “Can you drink this cup of God’s wrath? Can you be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?” That baptism meant death. And do you see how blind these disciples were? They said, “We can.” They did not understand at all who Jesus is, or who they themselves were. They said, “We can.”
39 “We can,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, 40 but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.” 41 When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. (Mark 10:39-41)
Jesus told them that they would indeed drink the cup he drank — for he warned them there would be persecution afterward — and would be baptized with his baptism, for they too died as martyrs. So the remaining ten of the Twelve were indignant with James and John for getting ahead of them, because they too wanted the first places and the rewards in the kingdom of God. They simply did not say so openly, whereas James and John were more forthright and said outright what they wanted.
42 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 43 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.” (Mark 10:42-44)
So whoever wants to be greater must not rule and dominate and prosper — he must serve. There are brooms enough for everyone; wherever there is something to be cleaned, it must be cleaned, and one must take the servant’s place.
45 “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45)
So this is the blindness from which God wants to heal his disciples, and this is the blindness from which God wants to heal us as well. We must not imagine that we are to dominate, that we are to prosper. Instead we must think only of service, and be ready for persecution and suffering. The glory will come. Jesus rose again, and because he lives, we too will live. But while we are on this earth, until we reach death, we must carry our cross — and that means to serve, that means to sacrifice, that means to put others above ourselves. May God help us in all of this.
Do you understand what kind of blindness is in view in these chapters? So read this passage again (8:22 – 10:52). Notice the two blind men at the beginning and the end of this middle part of the gospel, and how God heals them of their blindness. Then pay attention to the Twelve disciples. Why does Jesus tell them the same thing three times? From what blindness do they need to be freed? Toward the end of the passage they still could not see; but after the resurrection they came to see fully. May the Lord heal us too, and free us from our blindness, and enable us to walk in the way of Jesus. Remember this: not glory at once, but first suffering, then glory. As Christians we must expect to experience persecution and be ready to endure suffering for the sake of the faith.
A Prayer
God, we thank you for your word. And I ask you, Lord, to open our eyes that we may see you and your way. We sing in these songs, “Open my eyes, the eyes of my heart.” Lord, open our eyes to see your glory, to see your plan, to see your beauty, to treasure spiritual realities, to see things in perspective; and, Lord, to be ready to carry our cross, to be ready to suffer, to be ready to sacrifice, to be ready to give things up for the sake of others, to be ready to serve others — because you say that if anyone wants to be great among you, he will be your servant. God, give us this heart of servants, and give us this desire to serve you, for you are worthy, Lord. Give us this desire to serve others, because we love them. Free us from our blindness. Thank you that you are so merciful. Sometimes you open our eyes, and we see partway, but we do not see everything clearly. And then you keep on working in us. Lord, I ask you to keep working in us, even when we do not see everything clearly. Lay your hands upon us and grant us healing, that we may see your will clearly. In the name of Jesus, amen.