Scripture Scribbles: October 17, 2021

the Gospel

Mark 10 : 35-45

James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus and said to him,

"Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you."

He replied, "What do you wish me to do for you?"

They answered him, "Grant that in your glory

we may sit one at your right and the other at your left."

Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you are asking.

Can you drink the cup that I drink

or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?"

They said to him, "We can."

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 or at my left is not mine to give

but is for those for whom it has been prepared."

When the ten heard this, they became indignant at James and John.

Jesus summoned them and said to them,

"You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles

lord it over them,

and their great ones make their authority over them felt.

But it shall not be so among you.

Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant;

whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all.

For the Son of Man did not come to be served

but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many."

the devotion

Oh, James and John…

Reading this today it is easy to laugh at their boldness, and wince at their demand.

“Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.”

I mean, they are talking to Jesus, they’re almost commanding Him to do what they want. It’s so easy to think how foolish they sound...but wait, how do I approach Jesus? Do I make my request so boldly? Don’t we all come up with OUR plan? Never once considering what His plan might be? “I want my life to look like this”, “I want this career”, “this lifestyle”, “this kind of spouse”, “this type of car”, “oh, and I don’t want that size cross”, “or that size”, “come to think of it I don’t want any crosses! Thank you.”

This is so easy to do, to come up with this great “plan,” like James and John have done. I suppose we may even be praying for all our desires, even praying often, for exactly what we want. What does God want? What do His plans look like? He answered them, “You don’t know what you are asking.”

Is this what Jesus says to us? “You don’t know what you are asking?”

Maybe His plan for us to be the best version of ourselves needs to experience that trial first? Maybe that cross will give us life more abundantly if we just learn how to carry it? He told James and John their request “is not mine to give, but is for those for whom it has been prepared.” He knows the plan he has for us (Jer. 29:11). What if we live for His glory and not our own? Jesus knows what is best for us. Why don’t we ask Him more?

His plan is better than our plan. Of course it is.

“I came that they may have life and have it more abundantly” (Jn 10:10). He wants our lives to be abundant, He wants our faith to be abundant, He wants our joy to be abundant. To seek His will...this is one prayer He is sure to answer.

Thy will be done!

Today’s devotion was written by Beth Brennan.