17 Now Jesus was going up to Jerusalem. On the way, he took the Twelve aside and said to them, 18 “We are going up to Jerusalem, 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 19 and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!”
20 Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him. 21 “What is it you want?” he asked. She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.” 22 “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?” “We can,” they answered.
23 Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink from my cup, 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 by my Father.”
24 When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. 25 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:17-28)
As we go through trials and tribulations, many believers may feel disappointed as it appears that God has fooled them. It is because these believers think that they will automatically receive the blessing of a peaceful life without trials when they believe in Jesus. Isn't this God's promise to His people?
12 The Lord remembers us and will bless us:
He will bless his people Israel,
He will bless the house of Aaron,
13 He will bless those who fear the Lord—
small and great alike. (Psalm 115:12-13)
Thus, during trials (such as the current pandemic), these believers are taken by surprise and overwhelmed with disappointment. They begin to doubt God's faithfulness and love, and eventually may leave God. If the pursuit of prosperity is the primary reason for us to follow Jesus, we are doomed to failure, for this is not the path that the Lord Jesus Christ has taken.
In today’s Scripture, Jesus Christ frankly told His disciples (including believers today) that He would be convicted in Jerusalem, and He would be ridiculed, flogged, and crucified. (Matt. 20:17-19) This is Jesus’ path to “become flesh”. The way of our Lord puzzles us, and simply cannot be understood and accepted by us who only possess earthly wisdom. Who in the world enjoys the experience of suffering? And who does not appreciate smooth sailing throughout their lives? Why would anyone look for suffering? Therefore, the disciples could not comprehend Jesus’ way. Even when Jesus told them for the third time that He must suffer the cross, the disciples still followed Jesus with the mentality of seeking prosperity, for it was intrinsically what they wanted.
The mother of Zebedee’s sons asked Jesus to grant her two sons a special favour, and “that one of these two sons … may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.” (Matt. 20:21) The mother's petition reflects the deep desires of today’s believers who want happiness and success. But Jesus replied, “You don’t know what you are asking.” (Matt 20:22) If all we want from God is His blessings, then we are not following our Lord Jesus Christ's path, but instead, we are at a crossroad and we decide to venture off on our own. This road will eventually lead us into total disappointment and failure.
Jesus said, “… whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave." Not only is the Lord Christ teaching His disciples how to serve others, He is also pointing out how vastly different the values of His Heavenly Kingdom and that of the world are. In fact, they are at opposite ends. Man does not rejoice in suffering, but Jesus Christ takes the initiative to seek it and experience it. This sacrificial act, which is against human nature, is entirely out of the Lord Christ's love for us. (Matt. 20:28) The Lord Jesus holds this “insane love” for us. When it penetrates us, it will turn our old thoughts and ideas upside down and inside out, exposing the sinful nature of man to us, pushing us to humble ourselves and follow our holy God. This insane love is the cornerstone of our faith. If we fail to experience this love from Jesus, then we have not experienced the true rebirth, for we are still clinging onto the old values that are deeply ingrained in us. Therefore, to faithfully follow the Lord, we must not only know God's Word, attend Church, learn to serve etc., but more importantly, we must seek Jesus Christ’s "insane love". May the Lord have mercy on us and grant us such grace.