“Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favour of him. “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.” “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. 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.” When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. 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. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— 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: 20-28)
We do need to get out of the way.
- Their prayer request was undeniably selfish. Prayer is never about us.
- They are willing to suffer if it gets them what they want. Suffering is never about us.
- Trouble in the camp all because of a prayer request. Anger is often about us.
- There are leaders who will do anything to make sure they are at that top. Power is often about us.
- To be like the Son of Man means you arrive last. Competitiveness is often about us.
We/Us/Me are often the problem.
Missions Paul 