
You’re probably familiar with the musical The Sound of Music. If not, it is the story of the von Trapp family, who fled Austria in 1938 to escape the Nazi regime. When they arrived in the United States, they had only $3.50.
They eventually built the elegant von Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, Vermont. One of the most treasured pieces in the lodge is a rug bearing a Latin inscription Nec Aspera Terrent, which means (Be Not Terrified by Adversity).
The rug has a special meaning for Maria von Trapp and her children, the famous Trapp Family Singers. That’s because the carpet, a gift from a friend, arrived on December 21, 1980, a day after a fire razed the famous lodge, killing a guest and injuring seven others.
It took three years and $7 million to rebuild the lodge, but the von Trapps never doubted rebuilding. To battle adversity was nothing new to them. Baron von Trapp, the father, was a former submarine captain and refused orders to return to the German Navy. The family and their harrowing escape from Austria in 1938 were immortalized in The Sound of Music.
When work on their first Vermont lodge was nearly complete, a storm destroyed the structure, so they started over with a second lodge that burned down in 1980.
On December 18, 1983, the day the successor to the burned-down lodge opened, Johannes von Trapp recalled that when the rug arrived right after the fire, he had decided it would have a prominent place in the new hotel’s lobby. Don’t be terrified by adversity.
Adversity is a fact of life. We can’t control it. What we can control is how we react to it. I remember a doctor friend who once told me, “People tend to think that an easy life is a good life, but that’s not true. Without hardship and suffering, we’d have little joy in life.”
As we resume our study in Mark’s Gospel, we’ve come to chapter ten and verses 32 to 45. I’ve titled my teaching “The Path to True Greatness.” Indeed, no one is greater than Jesus, so He becomes the model for our pursuit of greatness.
Here is the Word of God to us from Mark 10:32-45.
Jesus’ interaction with His disciples defines the necessary STEPS on the path to true greatness.
The First STEP (on the path to true greatness) is,
Ascending into Suffering
Maybe you wonder about that phrase. To ascend means to go up, rise, or increase to higher levels, values, or degrees. Think about that in the context of suffering. We generally view suffering as a negative, a lowering, a devaluing.
But our text says that Jesus is going “up” to Jerusalem. He was traveling from Jericho, 825 feet below sea level, to Jerusalem, 2500 feet above sea level. So, he was going up physically but also going up spiritually to face His imminent suffering and death. And that suffering will increase the value of His ministry as He fulfills His Father’s purpose.
As the crowd of pilgrims were walking on the road, Jesus walked ahead of them and the Twelve in solitude. Perhaps this signified His determination to embrace what lay before Him in Jerusalem, realizing He’d have to face it alone. It seems there was an eagerness in His step to get to Jerusalem and accomplish His work. He said in Luke 12:50, “I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished!” He knew what lay ahead!
Isaiah 50:6 and 7 predicted these moments in Jesus’ experience. “I gave My back to those who struck Me, And My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard; I did not hide My face from shame and spitting. “For the Lord God will help Me; therefore I will not be disgraced; therefore I have set My face like a flint…”
As they set out for that point of destiny, Jesus did not linger. He moved quickly, keeping pace ahead of His disciples, going to His death with a firm step. They couldn’t get over it. If we knew we were going to our death, most of us would be in the survival shuffle, dragging our feet with every step we took to advance any further on such a journey. But not Jesus. He was prepared to obey the Father. Seeing Jesus’ steely resolution left the crowd feeling a sense of awe and foreboding. Why? I’m not sure. Sometimes, we have feelings we can’t explain.
After walking some distance, Jesus took the Twelve away from the crowded road and told them (again) what was awaiting Him in Jerusalem. This is the final time He explains to them what He is facing in Jerusalem. He had told them several times – in Mark 8:31, 9:13, and 9:31. But Luke 18:34 tells us “they understood none of these things.”
Notice with me how specific Jesus was this time. We’re going to Jerusalem, where the Son of Man will be handed over to Israel’s spiritual leaders. They will condemn Him to death and deliver Him into the hands of the Gentiles (Romans) to be crucified. They will mock Him, contemptuously spit on Him, flog Him almost to the point of death, and kill Him. However, after three days, He will rise again. Israel’s prophets had predicted all of these details.
This wasn’t what Jesus’ disciples wanted to hear. This wasn’t in their plans. This was the death of their vision. This was contrary to all their hopes and dreams of ruling with Christ in His kingdom. We are so much like them. We want to avoid suffering at any cost. However, the Scriptures remind us repeatedly of the connection between suffering and greatness.
Peter wrote a lot about suffering. “When you do good and suffer if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God.For to this you were called because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that you should follow His steps,” I Peter 2:20-21.
Are you willing to ascend into suffering as the first step toward true greatness? Am I? If not, are we genuine disciples of Jesus? After all, He calls us to follow and emulate His example. Without suffering, there is no growth or progress on the path to true greatness.
The Next STEP (on the path to true greatness) is,
Correcting Misunderstanding
Immediately following Jesus’ talk about His impending death, James and John approach Jesus with their request. Were they listening to what Jesus had just said, or were they so fixated on their request that it went over their heads? How many times have I acted like this? “Lord, give us whatever we ask for.” Like spoiled children, they try to get Jesus to commit to their desires before they tell Him what they are!
They are looking for a grand Jewish world empire with apocalyptic features that will usher in Messiah’s kingdom. Their dream brushed aside all the talk of Jesus about his death and resurrection as mere pessimism.
Before committing Himself, Jesus asked, “What do you want from Me?” They were ready with the answer. Give us the privileged positions in your kingdom: one on the right hand and one on the left. The right hand symbolizes ultimate power and the place of highest honor. To be on the left-hand is to be next on the rung of the political ladder. In other words, they wanted to be the second and third highest in the kingdom next to Jesus!
This may be the origin of that terrible theology that we call “name it and claim it,” where we look at God as a celestial bellhop who is there to fill our orders. We tell Him whatever we want and don’t expect Him to do it, but we demand He do it.
They had heard Jesus teach about asking for anything in His name. Did they think He would fulfill their selfish requests without hesitation? Like us, they forgot that our asking must be for those things that glorify the Father rather than stroke our egos.
What do you think crossed their minds when Jesus said, “You don’t know what you are asking for.” As I read those words, my mind immediately went to James 4:1-3. “Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.”
Jesus patiently asks them, “Can you drink the cup that I drink and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” What was Jesus talking about? What cup did He have to drink, and hadn’t He been baptized by John the Baptist?
We know for sure what the cup was because, in Mark 14:36, Jesus prayed in the Garden, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.” Jesus likened His suffering to a bitter cup He must drink.
What about the baptism? Baptism is a symbol of entering into death. Entering the water pictures our death to self, and coming out of the water symbolizes resurrection with the Lord Jesus. Both of these things were connected with death!
Without hesitation, the answer came, “We are able.” They didn’t understand that Jesus’ cup was martyrdom. Was it arrogance, naivete, or a combination of the two that prompted their answer? It seems like they would’ve answered any question affirmatively if it had the desired result of getting them what they wanted. Ambition blinded their eyes. They had no clue what they were asking for!
In response, Jesus said, “You will indeed drink the cup that I drink, and with the baptism, I am baptized with you will be baptized…” In other words, there will be no glory without the cross of suffering. Interestingly, James was the first of the Twelve to be martyred, according to Acts 12:1-3. If the reports are true and the history accurate, John was not martyred but did suffer much for the cause of Christ.
Jesus reminded them that it wasn’t His prerogative to assign positions in the kingdom. They would be given according to the principles of justice and the sovereign choices of His Father.
As this conversation develops between Jesus and the two brothers, the other ten listening to this dialogue are indignant; they are pained, angry, and vexed! We saw this word apply to Jesus in 10:14 when the disciples prevented the children from coming to Him. It is a word of intense feeling. The ten may have felt that James and John had taken advantage of their biological relationship with Jesus and were already part of His inner circle of three.
I’m sure we can’t identify with the ten disciples, right? When you and I feel like someone is cutting in on our piece of the action, our position, or our perks, we respond the same way. We do that because we, like the Twelve, care more about ourselves and what we want than what is best for us or others. Jesus needs to correct our misunderstandings, too.
The Final STEP (on the path to true greatness) is,
Descending Into Serving
Sometimes, when leaders face squabbling among those they lead, they, too, respond improperly. They express anger and frustration or comment sarcastically about those under their authority. None of those responses is helpful. Instead, Jesus shows us the proper response.
Conflict among people in an organization should be a catalyst for a time of teaching, learning, and growing together. He calls the Twelve to Himself. “Hey, fellas, let’s talk about this.”
I immediately noticed that Jesus didn’t condemn their desire for greatness; it is a laudable ambition. Some of the parables Jesus taught reinforce the importance of doing our best with what has been given to us. Colossians 3:23 tells us to do everything with our best effort and with sincere motives. We should all strive to be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
So, Jesus appeals to them based on what they already know. This is a good place to start when you’re teaching or trying to resolve conflict. “You know that those considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.” Gentile leaders force those under their authority to obey and often exercise their leadership domineeringly. They forget that their position is a position of service. They make it a position to be served.
However, Jesus says, “My kingdom doesn’t operate that way.” You don’t achieve greatness in My kingdom by forcing your will on others and playing the tyrant. You are not to treat each other like that. Instead, to be the greatest, you must become one who serves – diakonos. This is the general word used throughout the New Testament for a servant. We get our English word deacon from it.
Jesus wasn’t finished teaching. According to the Authorized Version, He said, “Whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all.” The word is doulos. Maybe, if we try hard, we can stoop to the level of a servant. But a slave? No way! A doulos is so devoted to another person and their goals that they willingly disregard their own interests. This is a complete reversal of popular opinion and our everyday human instincts.
Then, Jesus said, “If you want an example, look at me. I didn’t come to be served, but to serve and to give My life as a ransom for many.”
Philippians 2:6 reminds us that Jesus voluntarily laid aside His divine rights to fulfill the will of His Father. He was the Creator; He was equal with God, yet He relinquished His position and prerogatives to accomplish the plan of salvation ordained in the councils of Heaven before the world’s creation. You and I are called to have that mindset as we serve Him and others. I am convinced we can never do this in our strength. This is a supernatural work of God.
Further, Jesus said He came to give His life as a ransom for many. The word “ransom” is commonly employed in the ancient papyri as the price paid for a slave who is then set free by the one who bought him. You and I are slaves to sin, and we are powerless to free ourselves from its devastating grip. Jesus went, as it were, to the slave market and purchased our redemption. While we can never duplicate what He did, we are called to follow His example of selfless service.
Jesus gave His life as the price of freedom for the slaves of sin. Some refuse to admit that Jesus held this notion of a substitutionary death because the word in the New Testament occurs only here and in the corresponding passage in Matthew 20:28. But that is an easy way to get rid of passages that contradict one’s theological opinions. Jesus here rises to the full consciousness of the significance of his death for men. Jesus achieved true greatness by His sacrifice for us.
If you and I aspire to greatness, this is the path we must take. Instead of running away from suffering, we must face it head-on, realizing it is unavoidable. We cannot escape adversity; we can only choose how we respond. Will you ascend into suffering?
Are we willing to let Jesus correct our misunderstandings about greatness? Can we set aside our preconceived ideas about what is typical for a Christ-follower? Are we open to rethinking our Western mentality, similar to that of the rich young ruler, that only losers suffer?
Are you and I willing to descend into greatness? By the grace of God and the enabling of the Holy Spirit, can we empty ourselves of our pride and selfish ambition and become so devoted to Christ that we willingly disregard our interests to fulfill His? What a high and lofty calling!
Will you join me on the path to true greatness?